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KATHERINE MORTON
ANIMATOR | ILLUSTRATOR
WISH I WAS THERE
BEHIND THE SCENES
Wish I Was There is a project that evolved from my fascination with nature, and how it can improve our mental health. When the world went into lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, people talked about how much they missed going outside, and how their mental health improved by just going for a walk. I wanted to create a short film that captured this need for nature, but also reflect on how it can positively effect us physically and mentally.
I wanted to show the contrast between a cityscape and the coast whilst not being too negative about either. I used sound and colour to communicate Rowena's inner feelings about the state of her mental health and show this to the audience, showing that for her the city life has become too stressful and overdeveloped. I wanted the design of the coast to be completely different to the city, and used different colour palettes and the distinct visual and audible beauty of the East coast of England to enhance this. The area is also heavily affected in real life by erosion due to climate change, and I thought it was important to highlight the impact of this through the geographical change of the scenery between Rowena's childhood memories of the fictional Bobbinstone (see topmost image), and how it looks today (see below).
Wish I Was There also looks at the theme of change. The film has two areas of change: Rowena's decision to change her lifestyle by moving to the coast, and the physical change of the coast itself. I initially wanted the audience to decide whether Rowena moves to the coast or not, however I felt that it was necessary to show Rowena's final decision, and used external elements in her environment (like the colour palette) to show this.
Wish I Was There has been my most ambitious project. Starting as a concept trailer for my Masters Project, and finishing as a short 3-minute animated film. I am overjoyed with the result, and it has taught me new animation, sound, and storytelling techniques that I look forward to incorporating into my future projects.
I hope you enjoy my film!
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