Love and Story Telling

I have chosen to look at Soho/Felix Series of films Kentridge made between 1989-1997. The reason I have done research in to his work is because Kentridge is one of the leading animators in fine art, and I am also making an animation. Also Kentridge work covered similar themes and emotions in narrative to my own short film which I am producing.

The two films of Kentridge which I am focusing on are Johannesburg 2nd Greatest City After Paris (1989) and Sobriety, Obesity and Growing Old (1991). They are about Soho Eckstein a miner owner who has very bad conditions in place for his workers. He has no respect for them or his wife Mrs Eckstein. The reason I chose these two films are because they feature a love story. In the end due to no feeling of love or care Mrs Eckstein starts an affair with Felix, the other main character in the series.

They start an affair and in the end Soho’s workers start to take over his head quarters due to not being treated well. As this happens a grant flood takes over the city and it has a sad ending the story as Mrs Eckstein drowns.

I have found while completing my charcoal drawings for the film that when I erase the image for the next frame, that there is always markings left on the page. This adds to the work as it creates a contrast of light and dark around the objects.

Christov-Bakargiev reports that ”Because his primary media are charcoal and pastel, innumerable visual cues within each film document the process of erasing and re-drawing that enable  Kentridge to metamorphose his subjects into ordinary human beings.” (1999, p.53)

In my film I am using the expressions on their faces to help show the emotions of the characters. Every time I move their mouth it is a way of showing what they are feeling, for example when they broke up the couple, their mouths are low, as they are feeling sad. Iwona Blazwick remarks that ”For Kentridge gesture acts as narrative. Always monochrome, the mark is a character.” (2016, p.4)

Hickey explains that “We see mining town, and the effects of the development on the landscape, on the cityscape and on the city’s inhabitants.” (2007, p.154) In my film I have a point when the characters are affected by the change, when they have to face up to the evil which has come to town. They will have to work together to defect the evil.

Kentridge films are all produced with charcoal on paper and to add contrast he uses pastel. They are made with 16mm camera and made compatible to video/laser disc.

Kentridge keeps the images quite simple but they are amazing. They create a linear effect while viewing them. Charcoal is a very good medium for creating layers and to build up contrast and detail. Kentridge observes that “charcoal is very fortuitous.” (2016). So while watching them you become very much part of the hole experience. Kentridge main colour source is for the water which represents there passion in the love story. Which a bright blue colour. Kentridge is making a statement about how the old regime were taking out, in Africa and how eventually the water will kill Mrs Eckstein in the flood. The drawings are very large and this way Kentridge can show every detail. So when the couple are in the pool together you can see every expression in their faces. Through using the charcoal Kentridge has created patterns, for example on the buildings they almost look like a row of crosses,

I am now working on my storyboard for the film, I am writing down the narrative for the main scenes of the story with each image. It will not include every part of the story, but it will cover the important areas. Helping me to think about exactly what to include and cover in the short.

It is also useful as it helps me to get a picture in my mind as to how scenes will look. As I am having to think and draw that part of the story on paper. Which helps when coming to doing the actual drawing for the film as I have an idea of how it will look.

By producing a storyboard it encourages me to get on with the film. This way I can see how many different scenes/frames I need to do each week. Also see where I am with time and if I need to be producing drawings quicker, because of the time scale.

I am now planning the story and I am thinking about how it will begin. The lady has just moved in to the small town, and quite by chance they see each other from across the street. They stop and stare at each other. Until they find themselves walking towards each other. They meet each other and they both fall in love at first sight.

Then there start dating and going out together until the lady wants the man to put his past behind him and try and change. As he holds a dark secret. The man does not want to change and so the lady and man grow apart. Both heartbroken, and not sure now how to make it right.

As this is happening an evil force comes to the small town, in the shape of a purple haze, carrying evil presents from a magical world. As the man is also from this world. He is trying to start over. Now he has find love he still not willing to give up all his past, as part of him still likes that life. As finding love is making him think about what he will have to give up long term, as he knows that the lady he loves will not be with him if he even uses a little of his badness from the other world.

So the town people and the two lost lovers come together to face the evil force that has come to their town. Will the man change or will he be tempted by his past life. All will be relieved in the final film.

I am really enjoying working on my film, and I am how really getting in to the project. I need to start thinking about the narrative and were I am taking it.

So I am going to produce a storyboard, which will help me think about were I am going to take the characters. I hoping it will also get me thinking as often when I start a drawing, I just draw a street scene. Really I need to start to draw scenes from the film.

Time is important, as only have about three months now and if I plan now it will save time later. This will allow me more to focus on making the film better, but also to produce larger scale drawings as well which link in to this project.

This week I have produced several drawings for the film and I have just completed another rough clip from the film. The first one shows the couple walking down a street. This time I just practiced working on their body movements with moving the frames for each drawing. As I still very much need to learn how to effetely move their arms correctly for example.

The second drawing shows the haze entering the town. I set the image by the river, so you can see the fog coming in up the riverbank. I found this image quite easy to photograph. I enjoyed taking the pictures and also feel the images turned out well. I loved the effect I was able to create by just moving each charcoal line.

So by thinking about it why I was making the changes helped me think that this would be the correct way for that part to move. Otherwise it takes it out of context, but I am more interested in making a love story.

It is just the little things that matter, such as making sure that if they are holding hands that there are closed up, not just open, as this will help the narrative flow better. Make sure that I remember to think about how to draw the film right through the process to the end result.