Charles Treavan. Incommunicado
There are so many idiots in the world who seem intent on making life miserable for everyone else What came first: the music or the animation?I devised the concept first and then I recorded the sounds that I wanted for the characters and pressed them onto vinyl. I then chose the music and got my DJ friend to 'scratch' the sounds to it in the right order. I then made the animation to this pre-recorded track.
Whose idea was that? A few words about the script.
The idea was entirely my own, I wanted to create a scenario in which I could bring these characters together, the characters came first, the story came afterwards.
Is there more to the film than travel of the dog and the sound mix?
The story is an allegory of alienation in the big city, the idea that in the city you are surrounded by thousands of people, but you don't know any of them. Cities can be a lonely place to live. The film is called 'Incommunicado' because this means 'lacking the proper means of communication'. The dog wants to communicate with those he encounters but they are just too different to him.
How did you work with the composer during the creation of this animation?
I chose an existing soundtrack by 'Midfield General' on Skint records. I originally had a composer onboard but I was not satisfied with his work. When it came to the 'scratched' sound effects over the music I directed the DJ by saying 'make it sound angry' or 'make it sound scared' and so on.
Could you tell us the technical aspect of Incommunicado? What software did you use for the animation and for the sound?
I used Macromedia Flash MX for the animation and Sonic Foundry Sound Forge 4.5 for the sound. I edited the film in Adobe Premiere 6.5.
Did you use something like a sound library or did you record all the noises? If you recorded the noises, how did you do it and where?
Funnily enough the noises are almost entirely my own voice, apart from the car sounds and the train. I tried to use library sounds but I could not get good enough ones, so I thought I'd just make the sounds myself.
Was Incommunicado supposed to be somewhat of a video-clip or is it a self-dependent animation?
I never intended for it to be either one or the other, it is what it is. I would like to think of it as an independent film but it shares a lot in common with a music video so.
Where did you study? Where do you live?
I studied at Bristol U.W.E and still live in Bristol.
How did you get interested in animation?
I have been interested in animation since I was a child and always wanted to go that way.
How much time does it take you to make your animation films? Is it hard to stay in contact with the outside world in the process?
This film took me almost one year but I was trying to learn the technologies needed to create it as I was going along. If I were to make this film now, with the professional experience I have accrued it would only take two months. Unfortunately you do spend a lot of time inside on your own but this did not bother me too much.
What other works have you done? Which one of your works is your favorite (besides Incommunicado)?
Incommunicado is my first ever film, I am working on a new one now but it is still in the very early stages .
What are up to now?
I work as a freelance animator / illustrator on many different projects, mostly for the web but some for TV as well.
Love, joy, amazement, hatred - what do you experience more often?
Unfortunately I think I experience hatred the most, there are so many idiots in the world who seem intent on making life miserable for everyone else.