The film ‘Thoughts About The Universe That Will Keep You Awake’ was initially inspired by James Webb’s pictures that were released last summer. Sometimes I love to read about the universe, but the more you read about it, the more you realise how tiny we actually are. No matter what we do, our lives will not have a lasting impact behind the borders of our planet (or solar system). I noticed that people usually find these thoughts quite depressing, because what’s the meaning after all?
With this film, I wanted to explore the beauty of the meaningless and how freeing it might be. As humans, we tend to overthink every single action of ours which sometimes stops us from being truly authentic ourselves. So, what would life look like if you stop thinking about what others will think of you if you start dancing in the middle of a grocery shop when you feel like doing so?
I decided to limit the colour palette because it let me put all my focus towards the animation. More specifically, I am most passionate about character animation, so this let me further explore the principles of animation and make characters more real. Two opposite colours also helped visually separate the main character’s thought process at the beginning and the second half of the film.
The whole film was made using 2D digital software Adobe Photoshop and After Effects. I also gave my voice to this film which made this film even more special and personal to me. Overall, this film sums up everything I have learnt in the Animation course at University for the Creative Arts, and how I grew as a person.
Morgan Allen | Animation
