Preludes

Mixed Media Animation for Matthew Rankin

From collages to emoji stuffed pipes, "Preludes" combines modern issues with those from T.S. Eliot's 1911 poem of the same name. Starting off in the disoriented and unfamiliar the one-minute piece returns the viewer to a more grounded, recognizable and reassuring place. Recalling Elliot’s own words the animation coaxes readers to “Wipe their hand across their mouth and laugh” at the way life moves forward in its ancient ways despite the changes the physical environment goes through. Guided by its soundtrack "Preludes" is a peek into modern living.

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Preludes by Matthew Rankin

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Mixed Media Animation by Matthew Rankin

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Preludes Mixed Media Animation Press Releases

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Preludes Mixed Media Animation Media Articles

Access our collection of Preludes articles, ready for use and offered in languages: Italian, Indonesian, Dutch, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, German, Turkish, Arabic (Standard), English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.

Unique Properties

Preludes is a mixed media collaborative animation based on a poem by T.S. Eliot. The process involved the poem being chosen by the producer, who then invited a musician to compose a one-minute piece which was handed off to me to provide to create visuals on both the the words of Eliot and the music.

Tags

poetry, animation, motion graphics, 2D, 3D, after effects

Production Technology

Preludes utilizes both 2D and 3D animation all composited in After Effects. The scenes with 3D were done in Cinema 4D and rendered using Redshift. It also uses several After Effects plugins such as Video Copilot's Sabre, Rowbyte's Plexus, and Red Giant's Particular and Form.

Design Challenge

The challenge became putting the many ways this manifests into only one-minute and matching those visuals to an already created musical composition. And that's how an aerial view helps to alienate us from the tracking signals on the street and we are suddenly shifted to street level view to see faceless people bumping into one another with screens blocking the vision.

Project Duration

The project was started 20 December 2019 in New York City and completed in February 2020.

Operation Flow

I was immediately drawn into Eliot's non-narrative and slightly abstract form, even though he was describing a very defined and concrete world. I took that as an opportunity to create scenes that were thematically, but not necessarily aesthetically, connected. Instead, I chose to let Macra's soundtrack be the connective tissue weaving together Eliot’s view with my own as I explore how our modern world looks and feels in the context of Eliot’s ideas.

Research

For this project the research fairly straightforward. It started with a cursory reading of the poem, Preludes by T.S. Eliot, and listening to the soundtrack created by Angus Macrae. I listened to the audio repeatedly to let it sink into my memory and to help with visualizing general concepts. This was followed by seeking out deeper analysis of the poem so that I better understood the themes, ideas, and symbols. While I could certainly have skipped this step it was profoundly important as I went along and was searching for visual fragments to add to the density of the piece.

Inspiration

Preludes is based on T.S. Eliot's poem of the same name and a one-minute musical soundscape provided to me and composed by Angus Macrae. The whole project was organized by a group called Campfire Poetry that uses poetry as away to promote collaborations between musicians and animators.

Project Overview

Preludes Mixed Media Animation has been a Iron winner in the Movie, Video and Animation Design award category in the year 2019 organized by the prestigious A' Design Award & Competition. The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.

Image Credits

For design images and photos please credit Matthew Rankin.

Iron Recognition

Matthew Rankin was recognized with the coveted Iron A' Design Award in 2020, a testament to excellence of their work Preludes Mixed Media Animation.

Matthew Rankin Press Releases

Our press releases on Matthew Rankin and their work are made freely available for press members looking to add depth to their content. Journalists, gain instant access to 1 press releases today.

Preludes: A Mixed Media Animation Based on T.S. Eliot's Poem

Matthew Rankin's "Preludes" is a one-minute mixed media animation project based on T.S. Eliot's poem of the same name, brought to life through a collaboration between musicians and animators.

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