Polaroid

Who?
‘Polaroid’ is a final graduation film by Rob Phillips, created at the Norwich University of the Arts

What?
The film focuses on a fraction in time and the memories that a single photograph can bring upon the viewer. The audience is taken on a journey through the eyes of a young woman as the memories of a childhood event come flooding back to her.

Why? The inspiration from this film came from my girlfriend who told me a story of her becoming trapped under a boat that had capsized when she was young and how she still remembers the event distinctly to this day. I wanted to explore how this could effect someone later in life. I did not want to create a linear story, I wanted it to be almost like a memory – where you did not know what was reality and what was illusion. One of my main inspirations in terms of animation style and overall aesthetic for the film was the animation ‘Myosis’, a Gobelins student film from 2013. I also drew influence from the music video “With Any Sort of Certainty – Toh Kay” that was animated by Scott Benson. This had the kind of non-linear story development that I wanted to incorporate into my own film.

How?
I used a combination of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects to create each shot in the film; I would draw all the elements in Photoshop, separating all the different objects that moved into different layers and then imported these directly into After Effects to animate. I also used a small amount of 3D elements such as the falling photographs to add a sense of realism.

Next Project?
I am currently collaborating with an independent journalist to create a short series of animations that will focus on the news headlines of the week in my local area.

Which animated film would you like to have made?
Waltz with Bashir