Why I Chose BTEC Media - Studios and their Films that Inspire Me

Why I chose BTEC Media

I have always been interested in artistic media, in particular, animation, such as anime, cartoons and stop-motion as well as puppetry and animatronics. Other forms of media I enjoy are documentaries, particularly on strange or unusual subjects (like the National Geographic series 'Taboo') and surreal films and shorts. I believe that film can inspire, change views and even people's lives and ways of living. Film brings together literature and art to give a unique experience that cannot be achieved through a novel or piece of art alone.

Here are some studios and their films that inspire me...

Studio Ghibli 

Studio Ghibli creates anime films in such a way that they are considered by many to be more works of art than mere 'cartoons'. My favourites are 'Spirited Away' and 'Howl's Moving Castle' as they are highly detailed, beautifully composed and, at times, unsettling and disorientating. Studio Ghibli films are unlike any other anime, instead advancing to an almost different style and genre.

Spirited Away

A scene from 'Spirited Away'. The characters in this film are surreal and mostly unhuman, appearing as spirits and mythical creatures. At times, it is difficult to decide whether they are real or figments of Chihiro's imagination.

Spirits in the bathhouse celebrating Chihiros success. Different viewers will see them differently; are they really there, or  are they imaginary? Perhaps they symbolize Chihiro's fears?

Howl's Moving Castle

A scene from 'Howl's Moving Castle'. The intense detailing in the scenery is awe-inspiring and so realistic it creates an interesting contrast between Sophie, who is drawn in a traditional anime style, and her surroundings.

Howl's bedroom from 'Howl's Moving castle'. Notice how the intricate background contrasts with the characters.

LAIKA Studio

An animation company specialising in stop-motion, LAIKA has produced unique, cinematic masterpieces such as 'Coraline' and 'Paranorman'. The fact that everything you see in their films is real, and that the characters physically exist, makes them feel significantly more genuine, almost as if the models themselves are 'actors'.

Coraline

A scene from 'Coraline'. This film portrays a young girl's journey into a parallel, seemingly 'utopian' world where everything seems better than the real world whilst giving the viewer a sense of impending danger. What is particularly interesting is how the real world and the 'other' world are portrayed; the real world is shown as dull and lifeless, and lacks colour, whereas the other is vibrant in colour and moving with activity. This is unusual as films typically make clear through representation what is good and what is bad, but the reverse has happened here. A similar portrayal of two worlds is seen in Tim Burton's 'Corpse Bride', where the land of the dead appears, ironically, to be the more lively and inviting setting.

The 'Real World' as portrayed in 'Coraline'. Notice the lack of colour and emptiness of the setting.

The 'Other World' as portrayed in 'Coraline'. Here, a wide range of colours are used throughout the scene and there are significantly more props in the setting.

Paranorman

A scene from 'Paranorman'. Similar to how the two worlds in 'Coraline' are represented, the zombies, who are mostly portrayed in horrors as a collective threat, become victims to the adults, who form a mob and turn violent against them despite the fact they have not threatened or harmed them. This proves to be an effective and clever parody. Though this film is defined as a comedy, some scenes, in particular when Norman confronts Agatha's ghost, are intense and rather emotional. 

This imageboard portrays the creative use of facial expressions and movement of Agatha's ghost.

Agatha's ghost as seen in 'Paranorman'. Notice the use of lighting and transparency on the character, giving her a ghostly appearance and infuriated emotion.

 Explore Norman's world in a virtual adventure!

"We believe in animation’s limitless possibilities. 

From over here in Oregon, we fuse handcrafted artistry with cutting-edge technology and breathe life into everyday objects, transforming them into dynamic souls with vitality, spirit and emotion."

- LAIKA 


Jim Henson Company

The Jim Henson company is recognised worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. This studio is the genius behind the masterpieces 'The Labrytnth' and 'The Dark Crystal', with both films boasting impressive puppetry and fantastical creature designs from the artist Brian Froud. All of their works seem so genuine and have a real 'retro' feel to them.

The Labyrinth

A particularly busy scene from 'The Labyrinth'. This film includes all kinds of puppetry, costumes and animatronics as well as David Bowie himself as the Goblin King. It is an unforgettable, classic, must-see film that remains a one-of-a kind amongst all others and continues to amaze to this very day, not to mention it features Bowie's epic musical hit 'Magic Dance'.

Hoggle, from 'The Labyrinth'. Whether you like puppets or not, you've got to appreciate the amount of hard work and artistic genius that goes into creating them and the skill required to bring them to life.

The way these glass orbs move and reflect light is deeply hypnotic and, in my eyes, pretty magical. The hand you see here is not actually Bowie's hand, but the hand of a skilled illusionist. 

The Dark Crystal

In 'The Dark Crystal', both puppetry and costumes are used to create the characters of the Gelflings, the Skeksis, the Mystics and many other Brian Froud creations. The amount of work and imagination that goes into each puppet, each prop, and everything in the setting from the buildings to the plants is phenomenal, only when you look behind-the-scenes and see them in-the-making can you truly appreciate what a work if art this film truly is.

All the different Skeksis puppets used in 'The Dark Crystal'. These creatures are genuinely rather terrifying, far more so as puppets than they could have ever been if they were CGI's.  Everybody's favourite whimpering Skeksis is Chamberlain, seen in the top right panel.

Did you ever think so many people could be operating one puppet? Never again will you say puppets are for children. Never.

...And a few great animated shorts

Rejected Cartoons by Don Hertzfeld

This is a must-see, classic short. The simplicity of Don's hand-drawn animation gives it a real childish and fun feel, it looks as is his doodles gained consciousness. 'Rejected Cartoons' has virtually no context, being little other nonsense. But this is the beauty of it, as it requires no understanding it caters for anyone and everyone and achieves a humorous reaction from most. Somehow, I think Don is pure genius.
Skip to 5:42 for the best part.

The Scarecrow

Just warning you now, this video, highly unlike 'Rejected Cartoons', is rather sad. This CGI animation, which is actually an infomercial for an app-based game, shows the dark side of the food industry, exposing the unnatural and cruel treatment of  animals and how businesses trick the masses into believing otherwise. Accompanied by a haunting version of 'Pure Imagination', this is an example of how film can be used to change one's view, as you will probably never look at a steak the same way again after seeing this.

And you thought cartoons were for kids!