Alexis Cornwell - BA (Hons) Computer Animation Arts, UCA Rochester: May 2018

Thursday, 10 May 2018

Premise | Reflective Statement

As a project I found premise to be challenging as I initially struggled to figure out what to do for the project. I found that I didn't spend as much time on the project as I should have which led to me not having as much done to a standard I would have wanted. I found that working in the Sumi-e style forced me to be more simplistic in my drawings instead of working in a more realistic way. I found this to be somewhat challenging but enjoyable nonetheless. I think that I need to re-look at the way the second act of the story functions as I need to make the parents role clearer in the overall story. This would then allow for the audience to understand the story better. Another thing I need to go back through and re-work are the camera shots as they could be more interesting through more use of close-ups. Something I am going to work on is how I balance my time as I didn't spend as much on premise as I needed to and this caused more problems that could have been avoided if I had managed my time more efficiently.

Film Review | Ethel and Ernest

Ethel and Ernest (2016) was directed by Roger Mainwood and based on the story by Raymond Briggs. The film tells the story of Raymond Briggs parents from the 1920's, when they married, through to the 1970's.

Movie poster

The film carefully preserves the art style of Raymond Brigg's. This 'fidelity to Briggs’ illustrative aesthetic is welcome, as it maintains a homey, appropriately somewhat retro air redolent of pencil sketches and pastels.' (Harvey, 2017). This can be seen even in the movie poster when looked at alongside the book cover as they have managed to capture some of the qualities of Brigg's artsyle without stopping the film from looking 3D. The film was created entirely digitally, unlike previous adaptations of Brigg's work, however the feeling of pencil on paper was kept intact. The effect of this is a sense of nostalgia that runs through the film both due to the art style and the subject of the film.

Book cover

The film tells the story of an ordinary couple and is ' a tender story about the lost world of what we now call the “white working class”'. (Bradshaw, 2016). Though because of that 'Ethel & Ernest proves to be a quietly moving tribute to a real-life couple who are extraordinary precisely because of their very ordinary life.' (Smith, 2016). The interest in this story lies not in the tale itself but in the way it's told and the viewers ability to relate to the contents and characters within.

Bibliography:

- Bradshaw, P, (2016), Ethel & Ernest review – moving adaptation of Raymond Briggs's graphic novel, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/oct/27/ethel-ernest-review-moving-adaptation-of-raymond-briggss-graphic-novel

- Harvey, D, (2017), 'Film Review: Ethel & Ernest', http://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/ethel-and-ernest-review-1202643201/

- Smith, A, (2016), Ethel and Ernest Review, https://www.empireonline.com/movies/ethel-ernest/review/

Image List:

- Image 1, Movie Poster, Found At: https://viewsfromthesofa.com/2017/01/03/ethel-and-ernest-2016-review/

- Image 2, Book Cover, Found At: https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/raymond-briggs/17111/