This is my 1000 word reflective blog post on Assignment 1 for our World of Animation Module. The assignment tasked us with working in groups of four to analyse a short film, which we would then do a small presentation for in front of the class. I was in Group 6 and was assigned the short film “I am a Pebble”.
I personally felt working on this assignment was enjoyable, especially since I had done many film analysis practices in secondary school, so analysing the main techniques used in filmmaking and finding their meaning comes naturally to me.
Working with my group on the assignment went very well in my opinion. Our group members got along, communicated consistently and were focused on the project, with small issues appearing very rarely. Early on, we had all agreed on a visual style for our presentation and evenly distributed the workload by having each member focus on one film language which they would then cover in their slides, each segment lasting around two minutes. I additionally created a small introduction slide to ease into our main points and to provide context to the short film’s development and reception.
Furthermore, researching for my part of the analysis also had good results. My main sources included interviews with the creators of the short film to understand their intentions and process behind the making of the film, along with extra sources for evidence to back up my points on the film language techniques I decided to focus on.
Below, is my full introduction and film analysis on the short film’s Cinematography, which I then shortened down to fit the amount of time required for our presentation.
‘I am a Pebble’ is a graduation short film created by co-directors Yasmine Bresson and Maxine Le Chapelain from ESMA 3D.
The narrative follows an otter named Bubble living with three mossy stones she sees as family. As time goes on, she is made “aware of their true nature” (Anon, 2021 p. 3), and must “face her loneliness” (Anon, 2021 p. 3).
The short film is highly praised, described to be “created and refined as if it was destined to be a picture book” (Colas, 2021, p. 2) and further regarded due to its “innovative quality highlighted by its status as a student film” (Colas, 2021, p. 1).
The intentions of the film are to explore “themes such as identity, family, … loneliness and life choices” (Anon, 2021, p. 6). But how are these themes shown through the filmmaking?
Through this presentation, we will highlight how film language techniques are used to convey the emotions of the main character and their family of rocks.
To start, the lighting and colour in the film show the change in atmosphere and Bubble’s feelings of loneliness over the course of the story. In Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, High-Key lighting is utilised to showcase a wide range of bright colours which sets a light-hearted atmosphere, which was one of the director’s goals of having “evocative and expressive” (ESMA Movies, 2021a, 00:01:33) designs in their film.
It can be argued that the wide range of colours, as seen in Fig. 1, tie into the film’s wide scope of emotional themes as in filmmaking, colour is used to “evoke a mood or set the tone for a film” (A. Rothstein, 2020). Thus, the wide spectrum of colour seen early on sets the stage for the film’s highly emotional narrative.
The use of the lighting is further emphasised to the audience when the two opening shots are revisited as seen in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, changing to Low-Key Lighting to reflect Bubble’s feelings of loneliness. The warm vibrant colours seen before are now replaced with gloomy, desaturated tones to show Bubble coming to terms with her reality. Hence, the use of expressive lighting in the short film adds to the emotional weight felt by the audience.
Figure 1. (ESMA Movies, 2021b, 00:00:03) Figure 2. (ESMA Movies, 2021b, 00:00:07)
Figure 3. (ESMA Movies, 2021b, 00:03:24) Figure 4. (ESMA Movies, 2021b, 00:04:33)
Secondly, the utilisation of composition heightens the positive emotions and closeness felt between Bubble and her rock family. In Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, the painted backgrounds seen in the dream-like scenarios use a geometric composition with white bordering the frame to create a circular design. This creates a strong allusion to children’s stories in the visuals, following the idea that the film “could be a children’s book” (ESMA Movies, 2021a, 00:01:49).
Furthermore, the dream-like visuals are further highlighted by the contrast in lighting and colour. In Fig. 6, a contrast is seen between the orange background and the blue lighting on the characters carried over from the previous shot. This highlights the dreamy atmosphere of the style and can be argued to hint towards Bubble’s feeling of loneliness as blue is often stated to be “the colour of coldness, … isolation [and] melancholy” (Rothstein, 2020). Hence, the main character’s emotions are conveyed on a deeper level through use of the cinematography.
Figure 5. (ESMA Movies, 2021b, 00:00:50) Figure 6. (ESMA Movies, 2021b, 00:01:14)
Lastly, the film also utilises chiaroscuro lighting and camera angles to poetically illustrate the main character’s isolation to the audience. In Fig. 7, Bubble’s movement is used to transition into Low-Key lighting, and in Fig. 8, both otters are portrayed to give off blue light in complete shadow, the kelp also resembling streaks of light in the darkness, drawing the viewer’s eye and creating a high contrast in visuals. The poetic imagery and darker atmosphere hold the audience’s interest and conveys the hidden emotional sadness of the main character through the use of expressive, poetic lighting.
Notably, this scene follows the conventions of German Expressionism; a film style that portrayed “collective anxiety through distorted and nightmarish imagery” (StudioBinder, 2020). This visually conveys Bubble’s fears of loneliness to the audience, being further heightened through the Extreme Long Shot seen in Fig. 8, which portrays the distance between Bubble and the rock otter to symbolise how far away she is from having an actual family. Hence, the poetic use of light and shadow in the cinematography conveys the main character’s emotions to the audience in a highly poetic manner.
Figure 7. (ESMA Movies, 2021b, 00:02:41) Figure 8. (ESMA Movies, 2021 00:02:50)
-Reference List
-Colas, L. (2021) Interview – Directors – I’m a Pebble. ESMA 3D. Available from: Interview – Directors – I’m a Pebble.pdf (Accessed: 7 March 2023)
-ESMA Movies (2021) I am a pebble // Je suis un Caillou – Making Of. Available from: I am a pebble // Je suis un Caillou – Making Of – YouTube (Accessed: 25 February 2023)
-ESMA Movies (2021) Je Suis un Caillou // I am a Pebble – ESMA 2020. Available from: Je suis un Caillou // I am a Pebble – ESMA 2020 – YouTube (Accessed: 24 February 2023)
– ESMA 3D (2021) PressKit_Presentation – I’m a Pebble. Available from: PressKit_ Presentation – I’m a Pebble.pdf (Accessed: 7 March 2023)
-Rothstein, A. (2020) Colour Theory in Film: A Video Producer’s Guide. IPR College of Creative Arts. Available from: Color Theory in Film: A Video Producer’s Guide – IPR (Accessed: 8 March 2023)
-StudioBinder (2020) What is German Expressionism in Film? Defining the Style. Available From: What is German Expressionism in Film? Defining the History and Style (studiobinder.com) (Accessed: 3 March 2023)