Dan Blank's "Shadowplay"

Dan Blank’s “Shadowplay” is a very touching, thought provoking short film about the nuclear explosion in Hiroshima. It was a way of showing the tragedy that occurred after the explosion, and showed us all of the life that was destroyed through the shadows imprinted on the walls. The boy that we followed through all the shadows told us about what every one of them was doing at the time of the explosion. As the boy went around to everybody, trying to find answers, we were sent into flashbacks that showed us what was happening before the explosion. Blank does a very good job of making us feel connected to the characters, and to feel saddened by their untimely deaths.

This work is another great example of a fusion of medias. The claymation with the digitally rendered shadow animation worked very well. The use of clay was a great choice for this project, because it has a rough, unfinished look to it. And this works very well when creating a scene of destruction.

This is also what I really like about short projects. You are able to create a scene that is very powerful, but that might not work for a feature. It was great to watch the shadows dance around the walls, but this could never carry an entire feature. I really like how shorts allow room for great experimentation and unorthodox artistic choices.