Rosa Paul
Director, Animator, Sound & Edit - Rosa Sawyers
Music - Paul Sawyers
LogLine : Bits is a short experimental animation exploring the surreal beauty of nature.
Synopsis: Bits is a short experimental animation exploring the surreal beauty of nature. Adopting the visual language of retro scientific illustration and early learning, the visuals play with the semiotics of diagrams to explore a surreal take on science and existence.
Twitter/Facebook burb: Bits is a short experimental animation exploring the surreal beauty of nature. Adopting the visual language of retro scientific illustration and early learning, the visuals play with the semiotics of diagrams to explore a surreal take on science and existence. The illustrations feature animated diagrams of human and plant biology, and using cross sectional diagrams to provide a window into unseen places, both real and surreal. Using these visuals I explore the similarities between patterns and formations in the natural world and everyday existence, highlighting the more abstract aspects of reality.
Biography
I’m Rosa Sawyers, an animator and designer from Brighton currently studying in London. I began teaching myself animation during the pandemic and have since become a freelance animator.
Artist/ Director statement
Bits is a short experimental animation exploring the beautiful absurdity of life on earth. Adopting the visual language of retro scientific illustration and early learning, the visuals play with the semiotics of diagrams to explore a surreal take on science, existence and education.
The illustrations feature animated diagrams of human and plant biology, using cross sectional diagrams to provide a window into unseen places, real and surreal. These visuals explore the similarities between patterns and formations in the natural world and everyday existence, highlighting the more abstract aspects of reality.
The narrative is non-linear and lead by the visual connections between each illustration. The style I’m using is one that I’ve been practising over the last 3 years. The constantly changing texture creates a satisfying boil that is nostalgic of vintage print textures. When animated, the texture moves organically, this provided lots of initial inspiration for the film's content, reminding me of ants and other eusocial insects that work with a ‘hive-mind’.
The music has been made by my father Paul Sawyers, who improvises using synthesisers and looping pedals to create melodic soundscapes. These tracks I edited together alongside various recorded foley sounds of my own.
Sustainability
In the creation of my film, Bits, I have taken no specific measures to make sure my project is environmentally responsible. My animation is animated digitally, then printed using a digital printer - so somewhat energy heavy.I fully recognise the wasteful element of printing onto paper, so I always make sure to make use of my paper and often hand bind the prints into a book as a piece in itself. I also re-use paper and have done projects in the past archiving waste paper.
The subject matter is nature centred, I leant into this for philosophical and existential meaning rather than sustainability. Despite this, I hope the nature centred visuals help show the clear connection between man and nature, highlighting the power and responsibility we have over our world.
Technical info
Length : 03:02
Aspect Ratio: 1920x1080
Sound: Stereo
Original Format: Digital animation printed using an Epson ET-4550
Screening Format: H264
Genre: Experimental
Production Year: 2023
Country of Production: UK
Made at LCC