The world of storytelling is vast with many different genres of stories, as well as the different mediums that they come in. Film, specifically animation, can create impact in the same way that watching a movie with live actors could; or in the same way as reading words on paper, or on a screen, could. Not only is it effective in gaining the attention of the audience, but because of its eye-catching visuals, it gives people the chance to make things educational and inspirational.
Some short films, like “To This Day”, a poem written and performed by Shane Koyczan, showcases the artwork and animation skills of multiple artists that have collaborated with Koyczan to put together a gut-hitting, emotional performance. The impact of using the mind of many other artists to tell a story has created an inspiring film that could, hopefully, motivate us to be a little bit more kind to others, and to help those that are struggling.
Another example of a video that is impactful in its own way, and educative, is the video that comes from the TED Ed channel, “The unexpected math behind Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” – Natalya St. Clair”, uses animation (done by Avi Ofer) to emphasize the thesis of the video: how Van Gogh’s famous oil painting Starry Night, which was created during his time at a mental asylum (of which he self-admitted himself to) uses the unexplainable natural occurrence of turbulence. The usage of animation to emphasize the swirls within Van Gogh’s artwork is interesting, and might make some people want to research more about Van Gogh himself, or even about turbulence in nature…or of even turbulence in space, or even space itself (aka, go down a “rabbit hole” of learning about different things as you learn more and more information, and find references to others things that are somehow connected to each other).
Featured image: “Starry Night Lego Mosaic” by s.w.Lepak is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.