Frankie Clark

3007328

The Animated Image

Digital Media Arts

For my animation project, I was very sure about the style that it would be very early on, even before

I knew what I would make it about. I really like sketchy style animation, and would love to make my

animation on Adobe Flash by drawing each frame. I understand that this will be very time

consuming, but I love the way that this looks. My animation will also be quite sketchy, and in an

unusual style. One of my largest influences for my project is film director, producer, writer and artist,

Tim Burton. As well as making well known films, he also makes short films, such as Stain Boy and

Oyster Boy. I love the sketchy style that his characters are drawn in, and I would love for my

characters to look similar to these.

My animation will follow the point of view of a middle aged man, who wakes up in the morning to

find a note from his wife on the kitchen table. Coffee has been spilt on it, so he misreads it and

believes that his wife has left him for another man and ran away. He then gets upset and tries to kill

himself. First he gets in the bath and tries to drown, but cord on the plug gets wrapped around his

foot and unplugs from the bath, making the water drain out. Confused and frustrated, he gets out

and finds some rope, which he struggles to tie into a noose. He does so, but the knot comes undone

quickly. Next he gets a lighter from the kitchen drawer and tries to set himself alight, only to realise

the tag on his top says that it’s made from fire resistant material. Lastly, he finds a plug and is about

to electrocute himself when his wife comes in, and he looks confused when she explains that she

only went shopping. The animation does sound quite sad, although I really want to make it funny,

playful and not very serious, in contrast to the topic of the man trying to kill himself. I feel that the

animation won’t have much speech in it at all, and the humour in it will be a bit like slapstick

comedy.

It may sound strange, but the Mr. Bean series gave me some inspiration too, as the animation is

quite similar in many ways. It follows the story of a man who does things and they go wrong, which

makes people laugh. Another person that has inspired me to make this animation is a British stop

motion animator named Lee Hardcastle. His videos have great humour in them, and the series called

Hamster Hell inspired me the most.

Tim Burton’s The Origin of Stain boy, Episode 6.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ybEPlwfvvE&feature=related

A clip from the film Bean, with Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean ruins a painting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWqVoaYxgRs

Lee Hard castle’s Hamster Hell, Episode 3, ‘Fun World’.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbzHvO99NzM