AnimWatch

Shane Acker's short film "9" took him over 4 years to make, but the results are certainly worth it. It's very ambitious, and I'm impressed he was able to finish it, especially considering that during that time, he worked on Lord of the Rings, animating Mumakils, among other things. He describes the experience as animation boot camp.

Judging from the fluidity and high entertainment value inherent in his work, boot camp seems to have paid off. However, I suspect he had a lot on the ball to begin with. After all, not everyone is good enough to get in the door at WETA.

The film really shines in the details. A wall of windows in a broken down warehouse that forms the background of one scene is not just a grid of black and white, but rather a festival of grime and assymmetry. A board that plays a pivotal role in one scene is textured so well you'd swear it was a real piece of wood composited over the scene.

"9" is textural, spiritual, and haunting, a real delight to watch. It is also a delight to listen to, as sound designer Dave Steinwedel's subtle bits of foley brought the well animated, designed, and rendered shots to life, while Earganic's score amplified the emotional core of every scene.

The film is making its rounds in the Festival Circuit, and sweeping up a few awards along the way. If you have the chance to catch it at your local animation festival, do. This is one of the best films we've profiled at AnimWatch so far.

"Inspired by the work of stop motion animation masters Jan Svankmeyer, The Brothers Quay and the Lauenstein Brothers, I sought to immerse the audience in gritty textural world inhabited by creatures composed of fabric scraps and bits of broken machinery.The fantasy artwork of Zdzislaw Beksinski and photographs of European cities destroyed in World War II inspired

the scenic design.The non-verbal narrative is loosely based on the old English Poem Beowulf, and relies heavily on pantomime, combined with strong composition and staging to tell the story.

Staying on task for the 4 1/2 years of production was a constant challenge. I would take small production jobs off and on to pay for the cost of living. The time in between I spent working on 9 and managing my money to make it last as long as possible. I took 6 months off to go to New Zealand and work on The Return of the King at Weta Digital. That was an amazing learning experience. It was like animation boot camp, they worked us down to little nubs. When I got back I was so much more proficient and I could look at the work I had done with fresh eyes.

Technically I think the biggest hurdle I encountered, as silly as it may sound, was trying to get 9's zipper teeth to behave! In the end I had to do a lot of hand animation tweaks

to wrangle it back in order. Its funny how you can obsess over the smallest of details. That's why I think animators are all insane!

The biggest elation I had during the production was probably hearing Dave Steinwedel's sound design for the first time. After 4 years of silence the characters and the world finally came to life. He really did an amazing job. He took it indirections I hadn't envisioned. That is the great thing about collaborating with other artists.

I was very fortunate to have the help of so many talented people throughout the production. Earganic crafted a beautiful soundtrack forboth the film and the trailer. My buddies Aitor Gaston, Rob Ley, Joe Liechty, and Mark Nelson all threw hefty amounts time and talent into animation, modeling and lighting of the film. Without their help I'd still be slaving away.

In conclusion I'd just like to give a little shout out to all those of you who are slaving away on your mini masterpieces as we speak. Don't give up! Things that are worth doing are often the hardest things to do!"

--Shane Acker, February 2005