Week 2_Research_Rae

    The artist I chose to research is Don Hertzfeldt, an American animator who is known for his work creating several award-winning short films. Some of his most well-known films include World of Tomorrow and It's Such a Beautiful Day -- both of which have been nominated for multiple awards, with the former going so far as to be nominated for an Oscar -- and Hertzfeldt has also worked on The Simpsons. His distinct style of animation is, ironically, incredibly simple; most of his scenes are drawn traditionally with pencil on paper, and the majority of his characters are barely more than stick figures. The beauty in his style lies in his ability to portray strong emotions while still maintaining his trademark simplicity. The most memorable of Hertzfeldt's works in my opinion, and the one that sticks out to me as having the most notable creative use of animation/technology, doesn't actually have a shred of plot or coherency. The short film, titled Rejected, is merely a compilation of various animated commercials/promotional segments that Hertzfeldt was commissioned to create for different companies in the late '90s -- all of which were rejected outright as soon as they were submitted. The clips, which are each around 30 seconds or less and have pretty much no plot whatsoever, are hilarious at best and completely nonsensical at worst. However, the way Hertzfeldt used his technology -- meaning, his pencil and paper -- shows how truly knowledgeable he is about the field of animation. He doesn't just draw visual effects with his pencil, but also manipulates the paper itself -- tearing it, crumpling it, moving sheets of paper to make the characters look like they're running. It all comes together to create a unique visual atmosphere that is engaging despite the simplicity of his art style, and shows his audience that he knows the rules of animation well enough to break them. Despite the commercials having been turned down initially, Rejected actually went on to be nominated for an Oscar for "Best Animated Short Film" in 2001, and also won 27 other awards from various global film festivals.