Fallin' Floyd

I discovered the animation short "Fallin' Floyd" back on my Foundation Course on a website called ShortOfTheWeek.com and it is an absolute belter of an animation. I fell in love with it the minute I watched it.

 

Fallin' Floyd is a short by Anikey Studios, about a street musician who is dumped by his girlfriend and spirals into depression. This is represented by a creature that feeds on his misfortune and sadness that continues to weigh him down and manifest as the animation progresses. The topic is dealt with with care and the final presentation is beautiful, the art style really enhancing the impact it has on the viewer.

It starts off being a bright and cheery animation, everything about it screams happy. His walk, the music he plays, the choice of colour in the scenery, even the opening titles and credits are bouncing around. Once the bad news hits the atmosphere completely changes, and this is shown not only by the way the character moves and drags himself around, but by the change in music and colour. They are the exact opposite to the start of the video. They become dark and bleak, as if all the life has been drained from it. This is a very simple techique to help portray mood, but I think it has been executed very well in this animation and makes it all the more powerful.

I think the short has been very well animated, and I especially like the creative transitions from one scene to the next. It makes it very interesting to watch, along with the wide range of camera angles.

They have certainly been successful in entertaining the viewer. Well, if you can call it entertaining. The story is very upsetting, as you develop an attachment to the character and it's hard to see him spiral out of control. Because of the nature of this short it is likely that it is aimed at an older audience. Children may like the music he plays or think that the creature/demon is quite cute looking, but they aren't going to understand what is going on and appreciate the animation in the way that it was intended. An older audience may also find that they could relate to the character as well, and if so the impact on them will be even greater.

Fallin' Floyd is definitely one of my favourite animated shorts at the moment, as I think it is beautifully drawn, and deals with a dark subject in a way that is very touching and enlightening.