Ah Kinopolis. That was my day today. For anyone who doesn't know, Kinopolis was the Polish film festival held in the IFI (Irish Film Institute) these past few days. Unfortunately, today was the only day I could really go, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Today's screenings exhibited the animation block of the festival, focusing on Piotr Dumała's work. There was also a documentary on jazz musician and composer Krzysztof Komeda. My attendance at this event is actually due to last Wednesday, however...
Piotr Dumała has been over here in Dublin the past couple of days as part of the festival. Last Wednesday he was invited to my college for the animation gang upstairs. We were lucky enough to sit in on his talk. It was exceptional. First of all, Piotr gave us a bit of background for some of his films, and where he was coming from, emotionally. in making them - what he was trying to achieve. First of all we watched Dr Charakter Przedstawia (Dr. Character Presents), some of which can be found here (Subtitled). This is Dumała's more comedy-geared approach. I love how traditional and raw this work is, it started and I liked it straight away. As with all his films, there's a huge dependence on sound and sound effects, but it works really really well. Sound is so important (Actually the importance of sound was also part of the illustrators inc interactive media talk too!). Next of all that day, we were shown Dumała's rejigged version of his version of Crime and Punishment (He didn't like his original version so much so he edited it into something else). This was astonishingly detailed and gorgeously coloured. What's all the more astonishing is his method; destructive animation. Using plasterboard or acetate (Depending on the film), Dumała has a colour underneath a layer of white or black paint. Under the camera, he scratches into this topmost layer, creating lines. Once an image is complete and is recorded he paints over that same picture and adds more lines, creating movement. Hence, destructive animation, he keeps very few frames as he must "destroy" them to continue. He likes to see the movie as it will look onscreen rather than having to edit it together page by page at the end, he told us. After this we had a type of Q&A with him. He was really terrific, though. A classmate of mine summed it up very well; "Insightful". It was inspiring to listen to Dumała talk about his work and himself, he was open with having changed as an artist and creator, which was refreshing and made him all the more human, rather than a Name with animations attached. You came away with a grasp of him which made you admire his work all the more.
Hence,
Hence I went to Kinopolis today.
--Go to see four more films by Dumała AND get to see another Q&A with him? I was there before I'd even decided. And so I sat for a good two+ hours in the IFI, surrounded by people whose language I didn't understand (yes, I felt a bit out of place), in a state outside of myself. The movies are just so different from what I'm used to. They were exotic and dark at the same time. Best of all is that connection art-wise where you look and you go "I feel I could do this".
I don't mean this in a dismissive way, not at all. Hell I don't even mean in an animation way. I mean aesthetically. I suppose it's a reassurance that maybe, at some point my art style (one of many to be honest) could be accepted. I've fallen into cutesy drawings, but honestly, while cute is fun sometimes, the darker inklings are more me. I suppose that's why I'm so impressed, this work is something I feel I can really relate to.
The movies screened today in Kinopolis were Little Black Riding Hood (Czarny Kapturek), Freedom of the Leg (Wolnosc Nogi), A Gentle Spirit (Łagodna) and Franz Kafka (as well as Komeda, Komeda, then, the documentary). Unfortunately, I'm not quite au fait with Kafka, yet, so I feel some of that film was lost on me (Though I am interested to read his stuff now), the others however, I really enjoyed. I enjoyed Łagodna the most, I think.
.jpg)
Colour me inspired.
Piotr Dumała has been over here in Dublin the past couple of days as part of the festival. Last Wednesday he was invited to my college for the animation gang upstairs. We were lucky enough to sit in on his talk. It was exceptional. First of all, Piotr gave us a bit of background for some of his films, and where he was coming from, emotionally. in making them - what he was trying to achieve. First of all we watched Dr Charakter Przedstawia (Dr. Character Presents), some of which can be found here (Subtitled). This is Dumała's more comedy-geared approach. I love how traditional and raw this work is, it started and I liked it straight away. As with all his films, there's a huge dependence on sound and sound effects, but it works really really well. Sound is so important (Actually the importance of sound was also part of the illustrators inc interactive media talk too!). Next of all that day, we were shown Dumała's rejigged version of his version of Crime and Punishment (He didn't like his original version so much so he edited it into something else). This was astonishingly detailed and gorgeously coloured. What's all the more astonishing is his method; destructive animation. Using plasterboard or acetate (Depending on the film), Dumała has a colour underneath a layer of white or black paint. Under the camera, he scratches into this topmost layer, creating lines. Once an image is complete and is recorded he paints over that same picture and adds more lines, creating movement. Hence, destructive animation, he keeps very few frames as he must "destroy" them to continue. He likes to see the movie as it will look onscreen rather than having to edit it together page by page at the end, he told us. After this we had a type of Q&A with him. He was really terrific, though. A classmate of mine summed it up very well; "Insightful". It was inspiring to listen to Dumała talk about his work and himself, he was open with having changed as an artist and creator, which was refreshing and made him all the more human, rather than a Name with animations attached. You came away with a grasp of him which made you admire his work all the more.
Hence,
Hence I went to Kinopolis today.
--Go to see four more films by Dumała AND get to see another Q&A with him? I was there before I'd even decided. And so I sat for a good two+ hours in the IFI, surrounded by people whose language I didn't understand (yes, I felt a bit out of place), in a state outside of myself. The movies are just so different from what I'm used to. They were exotic and dark at the same time. Best of all is that connection art-wise where you look and you go "I feel I could do this".
I don't mean this in a dismissive way, not at all. Hell I don't even mean in an animation way. I mean aesthetically. I suppose it's a reassurance that maybe, at some point my art style (one of many to be honest) could be accepted. I've fallen into cutesy drawings, but honestly, while cute is fun sometimes, the darker inklings are more me. I suppose that's why I'm so impressed, this work is something I feel I can really relate to.
The movies screened today in Kinopolis were Little Black Riding Hood (Czarny Kapturek), Freedom of the Leg (Wolnosc Nogi), A Gentle Spirit (Łagodna) and Franz Kafka (as well as Komeda, Komeda, then, the documentary). Unfortunately, I'm not quite au fait with Kafka, yet, so I feel some of that film was lost on me (Though I am interested to read his stuff now), the others however, I really enjoyed. I enjoyed Łagodna the most, I think.
.jpg)
Colour me inspired.
No comments:
Post a Comment