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A logistical tour-de-force, this film went through many stages. First Cavalli
took Video 8 footage in Soho Square, a small public garden in central London,
near most commercial film and animation activity in the city. He filmed the
eccentric and everyday denizens of the Square. Next, he took performers and
exagerrated elements of their bodies using prosthetics and props. Choreographed
by Jane Turner, the performers were filmed in a stylised interpretation of the
character movement from the original footage. The colours were manipulated to
make a film with a strong painterly feel. While not completely satisfying as a
film (the performers look stagey, and we do not really get an authentic sense of
place), one cannot but marvel at the director's ambition.
This film was one of the first to be made under the auspices of animate!, the
scheme funded by Channel 4 and the Arts Council of England to produce innovative
films at the cutting edge of animation. This film truly represents an
experimental approach to filmmaking by Cavalli, who has also had a successful
career as a commercials director. It is also one of those films that test the
limits of the definition of animation - what we see on the screen is mostly
live-action performance, albeit recoloured and manipulated.
Ruth Lingford
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Extract (2:00)
