My animation is centered on the ideas of greed and mystery. In the story, Major Kovaloff is a victim of his own false pride and delusional ego. The series of events that follow is due to two tragedies: Kovaloff’s failure to understand nature’s mysterious course of action and society’s norm of choosing the wrong over the right path. Because the society values materialism, it ignores the most fundamental gift we have as humans—nature. As a result, in Act I of the story, I have shown a beautiful and picturesque mountain that a rich man is trying to climb. For him, the mountain is a social ladder that he can conquer and dominate. In his attempt to reach the top and acquire the small piece of diamond that seems to get smaller with time, (and eventually disappears), he ignores nature’s mysterious course of action that created a priceless diamond right in the middle of the scenery. The man’s ignorance is proof of his narrow-minded mentality and his tendency to aim for materialism. In ignoring his surroundings, he also ignores the impending dangers that nature foreshadows through the change in the skyline. When he finally reaches the top, some natural occurrences cause him to lose balance and fall. His life passes by him in a split second, and the change to black-and-white background conveys that abrupt change in emotions. When it seems like he has fallen into an abyss, nature resumes to its normal course. The mountain scenery looks exactly like it did before the man was in the frame.
The mid-phase of the opus
In Act II, the destruction phase, I thought a color scheme would be apt to show ideas like greed and mystery since colors are fundamental, yet innate aspects of life. My objective was to use colors to show how mankind’s greed and mystery prompts the end of the world. I started with the mountain scenery I had used initially and showed the man trying to fight (in an attempt to conquer) nature once again. As the man comes in the frame, he dispels the color green, symbolic of greed and envy into the once-beautiful scenery. The green spreads throughout and the man becomes more powerful, an idea that is conveyed through the change in his size. The orange specks in between the green shows how nature puts up a fight and shows resilience initially. Ultimately, however, nature is unable to balance the green, and as a result, the frame is displaced by red—a color that is commonly used to convey an intense feeling. The red begins to cover up the mountain and the man no longer exists. However, his actions leave an impact on the world and therefore result in the end. Here, motion blur is used as a tool to show an earthquake, which foreshadows the impending doom. I try to showcase one message (“Learn to do what’s right”) to emphasize the responsibility we have as humans. As the red creeps in more and more, we come closer to a stage where nothing exists. In the end, we are left with nothing but one black void with debris. Lastly, the repetitive loops represent the idea that the cycle of life or world, however you may see it, repeats in the same pattern as nature becomes subject to human irrationality.
(Several other features were artistic choices—the importance of which may vary from one interpretation to the next—but, I will let the animation speak for itself!)
Works Cited:
A Business Man Climbing a Mountain. N.d. Canada. A Business Man Climbing a Mountain – Royalty Free Clipart Picture. Acclaim Imagery, Ltd. Web. 18 Oct. 2013. <http://www.picturesof.net/pages/090507-225482-024052.html>.
“Birds of Eden the Largest Free Flight Bird Aviary in the World, Plettenberg Bay Activities Garden Route Adventures South Africa.” Cyclone Yasi Slams Coastal Queensland. Birds of Eden, 3 Feb. 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2013. <http://www.birdsofeden.co.za/index.php?comp=article>.
Diamond. 2013. Photograph. Transparency Revolution. Transparency Revolution, 21 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2013. <http://www.transparencyrevolution.com/2013/03/diamonds-are-bs/diamond/>.
“Sun Facts.” Weblog post. Sun Facts- News- Bubblews. Bubblews L.L.C., 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2013. <http://www.bubblews.com/news/302536-sun-facts>.
Taylor, Richard. “North Yorkshire- December 05 Photo Gallery.” Online Posting. BBC News. BBC, Dec. 2007. Web. Oct. 19. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/content/image_galleries/december_gallery.shtml?9>.
“Traverse of Dolpo (July 2012): 3. Crossing Bagala La and Numala La.” N.p., July 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2013. <http://ai.stanford.edu/~latombe/mountain/photo/dolpo-2012/dolpo12-3.htm>.
