How do we represent a journey which is so unique to the individual? This was a challenge that Duncan Rudd faced when creating his beautiful animation ‘The Path.’ This film takes the viewer through the immense uncertainty and fear people can face on their journey to safety, and the importance of family reunification, through an abstract underwater world. The Path takes us through a seascape filled with lurking shadows and the hint of sea monsters, to create an abstract experience of vulnerability. Take a minute to watch and reflect, and read on to find out about Duncan’s creative process:
Where did you get inspiration from?
There are a few animation studios that have recently completed projects supporting charitable organisations and raising public awareness around certain campaigns. Notably, Blue Zoo’s film ‘Sinking Feeling’ for Papyrus was a huge source of inspiration for ‘The Path’. Photography of Jason deCaires Taylor’s underwater sculptures at the Museo Atlantico was also tremendously inspiring.
How long does the process take and what was involved?
From start to finish the project took three and a half months and was completed during the evenings and at weekends in and around other project work. I was initially contacted by Sarah Ritchie from Studio Treble. They were inviting artists to contribute a piece of work on the theme of Family Reunification to support the work of MOAS during refugee week.
My immediate instinct is always towards animation and moving image design but it quickly became apparent that the film I wanted to make would not be possible within the initial one-month timeframe. I decided therefore to create an animatic (a storyboard edited into a representation of the final film) and some rendered stills of a few key scenes.
With the initial deadline met, I spent the next couple of months building the CG characters and environments and animating the film with the help of another animator, John Hedley.
One of the other refugee week submissions was a lullaby sung by Studio Treble employees Valentina Santolini, Giulia Cosentino, and Blanche Lacoste. Max Brodie, who kindly agreed to compose the score for the film, loved the idea of incorporating this piece, resulting in a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack.
Why did you want to create a piece for MOAS and how was it different from your other projects?
A lot of my professional work is in the advertising industry and, while it provides ample opportunity for creativity and problem solving, it can sometimes feel somewhat superficial.
For my personal projects I try to make films with some kind of ethical or environmental message. Animation is a wonderful medium in which to explore challenging concepts and reach broad audiences but so much of the content we’re bombarded with is cynical or vacuous.
The MOAS brief was the perfect opportunity to apply everything I’ve learned about visual storytelling to an incredibly vital cause.
How did you come to understand the migration process and what tools did you use to present it in such a nuanced and abstract way?
I have to be totally honest here, I don’t think I do fully understand the migration process. I’m not sure that anyone who has not actually faced the terrifying decision to leave their home in search of sanctuary can comprehend what that experience must feel like.
I chose to focus on creating an abstract sense of vulnerability. Talking with Beth and Francesca from MOAS highlighted the fact that fear and anxiety of the unknown were the overriding emotions experienced by the migrants they seek to help.
The underwater setting served a dual purpose in conveying the story. It places the migrant characters literally out of their element. Their senses are truncated with reduced and distorted visibility, their voices are negated and their movement is restricted. Sinister and predatory forces operate here, lurking in the gloom. This lends the whole piece a claustrophobic feeling and heightens the vulnerability of our main character.
The water is also meant to acknowledge the many migrants that have lost their lives attempting dangerous crossings in search of refuge.
Why did you choose this topic to explore?
As soon as I read the brief from Studio Treble, imagery and ideas immediately began flooding my thoughts. Honestly, the main structure of the film was written down within a couple of hours. I was worried at first that I wasn’t really entitled to comment about a topic so far outside my own experience but, having consulted with both Studio Treble and MOAS, it felt as though the idea was open enough to allow anyone to project their own experiences of fear and hope onto the main character of the film.
What did you want the core message of your work to be?
MOAS’ brief was to highlight the existence of ‘Safe and Legal Routes’. Processes by which migrants can mitigate the risk of exploitation and separation of family groups inherent in illegal passages. In addition, I wanted to try and convey the immense courage it must take to embark on a journey of this kind and to highlight the vulnerability of migrants to all kinds of exploitative forces as well as to the forces of nature.
Have you got any exciting up and coming projects you would like to tell our audience about?
I currently have a short, animated film in production and a couple of scripts for which I’m seeking funding. Further details about my work can be found at 3drstudio.co.uk
A message from MOAS:
We hope Duncan’s representation brings awareness to the unique and complex experiences of people seeking safety. Duncan dedicated himself to this project, and went above and beyond to communicate our message in a really moving, emotive and beautiful way.
Every life is important, every identity is unique and every statistic is a human being. Sensationalist news can bring about a general sense of fatigue as we feel unable to contribute in changing the story and outcomes, by joining our campaign, you can help MOAS tell a different kind of story – where every life is valued as we call for safe and legal routes.
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