Staff Pick Premiere: "O Black Hole!" written by Renee Zhan |
Have you ever thought about the process that takes place when a black hole is formed? The latest Staff Pick, "O Black Hole!" composed by Renee Zhan is an epically huge and mind-bending music which embodies one the most intriguing beings of the universe using clay, color as well as song. The origin of the black hole, and its end -- are thought up by Zhan in a realm that's awe-inspiring and creative.
In order to preserve the beauty surrounding her for the rest of her life, an Eve-like girl takes the bold decision to eat every food she likes. In a frenzied and fast-paced manner, the speed and chaos in which she conducts this results in a rumbling black hole that there is no way out of. She devours seasons, planets human beings, even moons in an effort to provide the universe the ability to be infinite. When she awakes in the black hole that is cavernous, a character called the "Singularity" meets with beings that are in need of her assistance. They ask her to go all the way to the top of the black hole and convince the maker of it that it should allow the prisoners to live living their lives the way they should, or else the world will end up being a dead planet.
"O Black Hole!" is a story that focuses on holding onto things that you love dearly. The lively clay drawings and vivid painting provide a myriad of metaphors for embracing the fleeting and ending of your life.
There is so much to this film's craft and the story; and we were able to speak with the director and animator, Renee Zhan, to discuss the many queries we asked about the film. Get her opinions:
Inspiring:
"A majority of my films start with one or two strong persistent pictures in my mind. The last time I sketched, I sketched this female with an eerie charcoal streak within the space in which her face was intended to be. I spent hours examining this image and trying to discover what she might be. It was eventually obvious the head was not black.
The film was the tale of a woman worried about her future and locks everything and person she loves inside her body to ensure they are in harmony for the rest of their lives.
She absorbs the entire universe until she's dancing in her personal group.
The Black Hole is spinning in circles that are anticlockwise due to her being against Time As Singularity rescues the diverse individuals living inside the black hole, they begin spinning clockwise following the natural patterns within the Universe. They restart. "
on using 2D and 3D methods:
"I've always been a huge fan of movies that combine media, and I love the use of visceral texture and traditional media. I was of the opinion that the tale of the black holes really was a perfect fit for the two different media of 2D as well as 3D.
The outer surface of the black hole , where time passes normally, is rendered by rendering it in 2D with charcoal, pencils, watercolors and oil paint because it's perishable and temporary. Inside the black hole everything that was absorbed by the black hole her and created eternal, is 3D and has a solid.
In the process of Singularity traveling across the black hole to the top, those walls of the hole start gradually turning liquid, just similar to the grip of the black hole becomes becoming looser and looser. I wanted all media to be flowing into their respective mediums and effortlessly move from 2D to 3D and back again.
I believe it is crucial that I leave space to think and play around while creating films, and to discover the details within the process. The idea of creating the interior of a space that was black was a great idea because nobody knows what it looks like. The production designer Richard Henley and I had the opportunity to be totally inventive. This gave us the opportunity to develop a unique and fascinating world. We decided it would be the form of dark, twisting caves that evoke liquids that solidified as they were taken into a freezer. . "
The original vision she had as opposed to. the final version
"When we first started filming I wasn't sure what the movie would be like. I'd never done stop-motion before or had anything like this before.
In a way, I was disappointed not be able to make it look exactly as I imagined in my the back of my mind. It seemed to me that my work was not quite good enough and it was filthy and messy. Strangely enough, I love to see this type of roughness and imperfection in films made with stop-motion, however with my own project, I felt so unhappy about it.
In other ways I was in awe of what we created. The musical compositions that came from Harry Brokensha and epic sound design by Ed Rousseau were beyond what I could have ever imagined.
Lore Lixenberg's strong voice in Black Hole and Emmy the Great's pure tones in Singularity added many things to the music.
In the majority of cases I'm pleased with the work we've accomplished as a group. "
HTML0The mythological and human subjects in her work:
"I'm very interested in the myths surrounding the creation of all over the world. They take existential human questions and seek to resolve the issues with epic and thrilling tales of flying birds, eggs or even nature spirits. Mythology usually includes large epic tales about heroes, as well as adventures and hunts. My opinion is that it's all part of the human desire to understand the nature of our world.
In a way, that's the thing I'm trying to accomplish with my film. Through my filmmaking, I'm frequently investigating my own anxieties, obsessions, fears. Through "O Black Hole! I imagined it as a modern myth of our time of creation. I was very attracted to making films that included personal philosophical questions, and an entertaining story film that was about a journey along with a fun music score ."
HTML0 On challenges faced during the making of the film:
"This was by far the most challenging film that I've ever made. Making a stop-motion/2D musical featuring a lead person with a wavy, long hair (that is constantly melting halfway through!) made on a short deadline led to some very miserable years. It's easy to go on about the difficulties. The film was packed with a lot of information in the space of a single film. The end result is that I'm thankful for the privilege of making an outstanding film, and also to work with an awesome team. I'm hoping to have the opportunity to do more like this in the future . I also hope to continue making films with my fellow filmmakers ! "
The lesson from "O the Black Hole! :
"The final lines of the film are "O black hole. Do not cry. We're fantasies that the universe has made. ...' The main idea of the movie is the beauty of transience. The black hole woman sucks into the world within her because she is afraid of what could happen. The singularity is a teaching tool for the black hole girl that change is the only thing that gives new meaning and life to our lives here.
The film, I think, attempts to convey the notion that things constantly alter, undergo a process of dying, and then new things come into existence and develop, which is lovely and normal. So I do hope that that's the message the audience gets. To be honest, I'm trying to convince myself! "
Her suggestion (or the absence thereof) for aspiring filmmakers:
"Maybe you should listen to your parents and be engineers instead. No, I'm kidding! Just kidding! It's hard to say, but it seems like I'm an aspirant filmmaker. It's possible that I be in need of some help as well . "
Step 2 is:
"I'm working on a live-action/animation hybrid horror-comedy short film with BBC Films. The film is about a Chinese-born British violinist called Fei and how his world turns upside down when he meets the arrival of a talented violinist called Mei.
In addition, I'm developing the concept for a feature film animated on a religion that worships birds! "
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