2009 Short Film Patrol: I Live in the Woods!
Stop-motion animation has been making a bit of a comeback recently. Despite the long hours it takes to put something together with this age-old animation technique, it can be a refreshing change of pace for viewers inundated with similar-looking computer animation and widespread CGI special effects.
Max Winston’s short film I Live in the Woods! is literally an eye-popping visual experience. It starts off with a feverish exclamation from a high-jumping, superpowered hillbilly about his love of the woods. It ends up being a hilariously violent and absurd romp that goes way beyond the forest and up to the heavens—not exactly what you’d expect from an animator who is currently working on a short film for Sesame Street.
A joyous orchestral score backs up the woodsman’s tale, told—at least partly—in verse. Outdoor cinematography blends in with the stop-motion character, who commands his own army of deaf bumblebees. Constantly shifting shadows on the leaves of the trees—a result of the time-lapse technique—only serve to give the piece a manic pace.
Winston also shot on indoor sets and filmed a costumed actor against a serene photograph of a sunset. The attention to color and background is meticulous and part of what makes the film so juicy to look at.
Then it’s time for the heavy metal. Piranhas that fly through the air are no match for the woodsman, who loves the “little critters” so much that he enjoys tearing them apart just as much as he likes petting them. I suppose I Live in the Woods! is a true celebration of winner-take-all freedom from both subject and creator. Winston’s joy in animating what look to be taxidermied animals certainly comes through, and his frenzied character is having the time of his life. Either that, or the short film is just a wickedly gory bunch of fun.
The frenetically paced 3 1/2-minute I Live in the Woods! was Winston’s thesis film in the Experimental Animation program at the California Institute of Arts. Sundance is offering the entire film as a free iTunes download through Jan. 25.
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