Promoting Good Animation: Flowerpots

Anne Huang
Sep 4, 2018 · 2 min read

The attraction of Flowerpots is starting at the most beginning, which is the title. The changing from Flowerpot to its plural form is a metaphor of its concept. The story tells a man who plants his feet in a flowerpot. He moves, he digs a hole, he stands into a real soil, he prays for the rain, and he finally grows up as he hopes. However, as taller he is, he could find the land he stands is another flowerpot. The concept shows that you run away from a world, only is access a next same world. The man would never break away from the unlimited flowerpots like fatalism is irresistible. As the man braves the storm and faces the world, everything becomes back to the origin, showing the powerless of people. The innovation of this animation is giving an image of a figure like a plant, and a world like a flowerpot, depicting a circulation of life.

The keynote of the animation is dispiriting and blue, and all black and white frames enhance this feeling. Especially for the frame displays the flash of lightning in 3:02, the color reversal allows the black hat becomes white, boosting the feeble figure and oppressed atmosphere. The sound also cooperates harmoniously with the action. The peal of thunder and the raining frames achieve an optimal combination, giving hardship to the man and frightening the view at the same time. The sound of pace runs through the whole animation, while an ingenious application in 4:41 is more effective. The figure goes out of the frame, while the sound of pace keeps going, showing the continuity of the story and destiny.

BetweenTheFrames

Animated analysis from UMBC's Intro to Animation class

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