A Symphony Of TINY LIGHTS
Encompass Films, a production company from Los Angeles, reached out to me with an exciting opportunity: to collaborate on their latest documentary about the extraordinary John Francis, the man who walked across America in silence. This captivating film delves into the remarkable journey of John Francis, who, after witnessing the devastation of his hometown by an oil spill, made a profound vow to never use motorized vehicles again. The documentary chronicles the life and times of this inspiring environmentalist, offering a deep and moving exploration of his commitment to sustainability and silent protest.
Client
Encompass Films
Contribution (animated scenes)
Animation Direction
Art direction
Illustration
Motion graphics
Animation
Produced by
Nadia Gill
Michael Fearon
Cinematography by
Dominic Gill
Film editing by
Niq Lewis
Animation Department
Remy Ndow
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Have you ever studied someone's walk?
Well, I have. 🙋🏽♂️ John Francis has a walk that’s so distinct, we knew it had to be just right. To capture it, I spent hours studying footage of him walking from different angles, sketching each step, and even mimicking his stride myself. Every subtle movement mattered in bringing his personality to life.
The style of this animation was based on work by William Kentridge. I created the style starting from his charcoal animations, and blending them with my own and other contemporary illustrations and paintings. Throughout the documentary we add more color to this style ending in something new entirely.
To get to a similar look I used photoshop brushes that mimic real techniques on paper and drew everything by hand digitally.
How was the visual style developed?
Some preliminary designs I made to develope the visual language.
