Bloch

Bloch by Daniel Goldfarb. Daniel talks about his final project at the Shenkar College of Engineering & Design in Israel below…

Who?

This film was my final project for Shenkar College of Engineering & Design in Israel. Therefore I was the director, designer and animator. Throughout the course of making this film I consulted with Guy Harlap and Itamar Daube who teach at Shenkar. The sound was made by Sweet Sound in Tel-Aviv, After Effects by Adar Nisenboim.

What?

This is a portrayal of the “other” in society. It describes his exceptionality, isolation and loneliness, in conjunction with his social and emotional alienation. The film shows how the outsider functions within society but also reveals the human frailties present in the rest of us.

This film is made up of five small fragments of the protagonist’s life:

1. An introduction – a look from the outside in. We step into the world of Bloch.
2. Bloch throws a Chanuka party and no one shows up. He quickly overcomes the disappointment by indulging his sweet tooth.
3. Bloch discovers a worrying spot on his forehead and tries to desperately save himself from an impending doom.
4. A co-worker brings chocolate to the office and Bloch is forced to make a very tough decision.
5. We take a step back to understand something at the very heart of Bloch.

Although the scenarios presented in the film are of unusual, extreme situations, they nevertheless express thoughts and impulses that regular people everywhere can recognize in themselves. Ultimately, the “other” exists in each and every one of us.

Why?

I have always been interested in the outsiders and the eccentrics within urban society. The regular, functioning people who are quite dysfunctional nonetheless. So when the time came to decide on a subject for my final project, something I would have to work on intensively for a few months, I decided this is interesting enough and has enough depth for me to delve into.

I consider myself more of an illustrator than an animator/film maker, but I think storytelling and creating interesting images are essential for both. But my inspiration comes mainly from illustrators such as Chris Ware, Daniel Clowes, David Hughes, Tomer & Assaf Hanuka and others.

How?

The film was made with Adobe Illustrator, Flash and After Effects. Everything was made initially with Illustrator, then animated using fairly simple cut out technique in flash.

Next Project

Nothing immediate in the horizon. I have some freelance projects and also a few ideas of my own but I’m taking it easy right now. I started drawing just for fun again (a Bill Murry portrait), after very intense 4 years in Shenkar. So I’ll remain patient before I take on another big project.

Which Animation film do I wish I had made?

Again, I’m more of an Illustrator than anything else, so I’m not that educated in the world of animation. All I can say is I loved Les Triplettes de Belleville, I think it is absolutely beautiful and definitely wish it was my work.