HUM 203: The World in Motion, Animation in Theory and Practice

Assignment 1

Assignment 2

Final project

This piece, called “Mind Control,” is a meditative animation, focusing on how one can experience the passage of time when completely immersed in the moment. Much of the inspiration came from the philosophy of Alan Watts, with his strong emphasis on living in the present and in focusing on a universal connection between one’s self and everything else, rather than a separation. I combined this notion with the ideas of one particular passage from Tom Watts’ book, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, in which one of the main characters, Sandy, is walking with a candle experiencing the moment, when he realizes that he can control the flame on the candle, just as it can control him.

This oneness is the emphasis in “Mind Control.” When the character realizes he is part of the pattern of his environment, he begins to control parts of it. This animation was created in Photoshop, and the rough style of it calls attention to the subtleties of the scene. I want the audience to be able to feel how time moves at different speeds and how the character becomes the changes in his surroundings.