contextual practice
2nd december - creating the storyboard
Since the story of the Pond Mother is more of a tale or a concept rather than a clear narrative story, I had to alter it slightly so it would make a clear and smooth animation. The main points of the story will be establishing the environment of the pond mother and showing her importance to economical sustainability, the treasure that many people try to steal and the consequences of those who disturb the ecosystem. Adapting these key points into a narrative might be the challenging part, and a few parts of the story might have to altered for continuity.
3rd december - making the characters and shooting the frames
With making the actual characters I thought about ways that, I could play with the items that I brought in and implement them subtly. I decided on making rubbings or impressions with oil pastels of the objects and cutting the paper into shapes to resemble characters. The objects I used were coins to represent the treasure, and the comb that is a reference to the precious golden comb that is one of River Mumma's greatest treasures. With the interesting textures, I joined them with leafy greens and vibrant yellows that I associated with Jamaican culture.
I also used real plants and coins for some of the underwater scenes as I felt it created a nice contrast with the textured paper. For the background I used three sheets of coloured A4 paper, and I thought of the idea of sliding them to create interesting transitions or to give the impression of the characters travelling. The blue paper was the water, the brown was the ground level and the green was a jungle environment.
coin texture
4th december - editing the frames
Since I used the stop motion studio app to create the animation It was easy to sort through the frames and delete any that included by hand, the background and anything else that wasn''t meant to be in the scene. I didn't edit any of the original frames in the video digitally as I was already satisfied with the results. I decided on adding an intro and outro to make the video feel for complete. The intro was digitally made in Illustrator and I made every frame from scratch. I chose a typeface that I felt fit the light atmosphere of the story, and altered it slightly to make it more animated and dynamic. I did this same process with the outro scenes. The background music is actually a intrumental rendition of Harry Belefonte's Banana Boat Song, as I like the song and the Jamaican calypso would create a fitting atmosphere. The overall atmosphere is more an informative video that might be well suited for a young audience. This was not my original intent, but the underlying themes of environmentalism are a goof thing to be taught in my opinion.
research
The Story of Pond Mother
River Mumma, also known as Pond Maid, Mermaid, River Maiden and River Mistress is a mythical creature of Jamaican origin. She dwells in the river, and the fish are considered her children, therefore if they are harmed the river will dry up. She is considered a protector of the water and to the animals that live in it. In Jamaican folklore she is a sacred protector but also feared as she might leave when the citizens are not taking care of her environment, which is a bad omen.
Legend says that you might catch sight of her on moonlit nights in certain areas of the island, where she will comb her hair with a golden comb. It is also believed that one night a year she will visit the surface, and if she is startled she will jump back in the water leaving her comb behind. Anyone who finds this comb is believed to become rich, however River Mumma will eventually come looking for it and she will lure the comb's new owner into her underwater realm with treasure.
Emanuele Luzzati
Born in Genoa, the Italian painter has been critically acclaimed for his short films. The Magic Flute had initially inspired him to make a children's book of coloured lithographs. His bizzare inventions for avant-garde Italian productions, were well received by the audiences and never failed to catch their interest. He started to the collaborate with other artists to create animated cartoons and often worked with classical opera pieces. With a career spanning into his 80' he has created over 400 designs for stage, cartoons and ceramics and loved to accept commissions for interior decoration.
final outcome