Works In Progress
En Plein Air
En Plein Air:
An Animated Sketchbook
Coming Soon
View a clip
Synopsis: An animated documentary on
the process of artistic creation in the outdoors. The goal is that every
sequence will be in part or in whole created en plein air. It is an
exploration of various environments from a creative perspective. Visual style
will be a journey from the literal and photographic through the impressionistic
and abstract, reflecting the mental state of the artists as they are influenced
by their surroundings. These styles will dialogue with a combination of
autobiographical thought text, spoken words from interviews with plein air
artists, quotations from well-known artists and environmentalist. All these
elements are assembled in a collage style of layers that overlap and interact as
the subject matter demands.
Techniques
My source material for the animation will be a combination of the following:
Digital Photography - stills, time-lapse, pixilation, plein air stop-motion
Plein air paintings – watercolor, oil pastel, colored pencil, laptop art
Travel flipbooks – scanned and/or photoed outdoors
These will be collaged together in AfterEffects in a way that simulates an
artist’s sketchbook. Words, scribbled notes to self, inspired thoughts, random
observations, work their way into the pages along with drawings. I was inspired
by the use of ‘thought text’ in Hodgson’s “Feeling my Way” and plan to
incorporate that into this film.
My goal is to create a film that is beautiful and inspiring, but also accessible
to the general public. This is not meant to be an art film that leaves most of
the audience asleep or scratching their head.
