''Ryan'' is a 2004 short
animated documentary
The animated documentary (also known as anidoc) is a moving image form that combines animation and documentary. This form should not be confused with documentaries about movie and TV animation history that feature excerpts.
History
The fi ...
film created and
directed
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
by
Chris Landreth
Chris Landreth (born August 4, 1961) is an American animator working in Canada, best known for his work on the 2004 film ''Ryan (film), Ryan''. He has made many Computer-generated imagery, CGI animated films since the mid-1990s, including ''The En ...
about Canadian animator
Ryan Larkin
Ryan Larkin (July 31, 1943 – February 14, 2007) was a Canadian animator, artist, and sculptor who rose to fame with the psychedelic Oscar-nominated short ''Walking'' (1968) and the acclaimed '' Street Musique'' (1972). He was the subject of th ...
, who had lived on
skid row
A skid row or skid road is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people " on the skids". This specifically refers to poor or homeless, considered disreputable, downtrodden or fo ...
in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
as a result of
drug and
alcohol abuse. Landreth's chance meeting with Larkin in 2000 inspired him to develop the film, which took 18 months to complete. It was co-produced by Copper Heart Entertainment and the
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
(NFB), and its creation and development is the subject of the NFB documentary ''Alter Egos''. The film incorporated material from
archive
An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located.
Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...
sources, particularly Larkin's works at the NFB.
The film is an animated interpretation of an
interview
An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...
of Larkin by Landreth, and includes interviews with Larkin's previous partner and coworkers, as well as Landreth. Development of the characters was partially inspired by the
plastinated human bodies of the
Body Worlds
''Body Worlds'' (German title: ''Körperwelten'') is a traveling exposition of dissected human bodies, animals, and other anatomical structures of the body that have been preserved through the process of plastination. Gunther von Hagens develop ...
exhibition. The distorted and disembodied appearance of the film's characters is based on Landreth's use of
psychological realism
In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters. The mode of narration examin ...
to portray emotion visually, and expression is modelled by use of
straight ahead animation Straight ahead is a term used in animation that refers to a method that uses only the first key pose of a character, and then continues drawing the character to create the desired motion. It was first referred to in the 1981 book by Ollie Johnson a ...
. The animation was created at the Animation Arts Centre of
Seneca College
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a multiple-campus public college in the Greater Toronto Area, and Peterborough, Ontario, Canada regions. It offers full-time and part-time programs at the baccalaureate, diploma, certificate an ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
. Some of the animation was based on ''cords'', mathematical equations modelling the physical properties of
curve
In mathematics, a curve (also called a curved line in older texts) is an object similar to a line, but that does not have to be straight.
Intuitively, a curve may be thought of as the trace left by a moving point. This is the definition that ...
s and used to animate filamentous objects in the film. The visual effects of the film has been described by reviewers and
film critics
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outlets ...
as difficult to describe and having a distinctive visceral style.
''Ryan'' won over 60 awards, including the 2004
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology) ...
for
Best Animated Short Film
The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year ...
Short Film Oscars:2005 Oscars
/ref> and the 25th Genie Award for Best Animated Short. It was presented and won awards at many film festival
A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...
s, including Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
, San Francisco International Film Festival
The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in i ...
, and Worldwide Short Film Festival
The Canadian Film Centre's Worldwide Short Film Festival (WSFF), founded by Brenda Sherwood in 1994, was an annual film festival held over several days in Toronto, Ontario in June, at The Annex- Yorkville area venues; including the Bloor Cinema, t ...
. It also won Jury awards at SIGGRAPH and the Annecy International Animated Film Festival
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (french: Festival international du film d'animation d'Annecy, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of J ...
, and honourable mention at the Sundance Film Festival.
As a result of the film's popularity, Larkin became famous once again and received requests for his animation services. He began work with Laurie Gordon on an animated film ''Spare Change'' about his panhandling on the streets of Montreal, and created several bumpers for MTV Canada. Larkin died in 2007, and ''Spare Change'' was completed by Gordon and released in 2008. Landreth received offers to produce feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
s, but instead chose to continue producing animated short films, releasing '' The Spine'' in 2009.
Background
Larkin was a Canadian animator who had worked at the National Film Board of Canada in the 1960s and 1970s, producing several celebrated works. Best known for his film ''Walking
Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...
'' composed of animated vignettes of people walking, Larkin was considered one of the best animators of his generation. In 1969, the ''Montreal Gazette
The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...
'' referred to him as the " Frank Zappa or George Harrison of animation". In the 1970s, unable to cope with his success and the pressure to develop more works, and facing a creative block, he became addicted to alcohol and cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...
. By 1978, he was broke and no longer working for the NFB. He worked as a commercial animator and painter for the next ten years, but by the late 1980s he was living on the streets of Montreal. He continued to draw and sculpt.
Chris Robinson first learned of Larkin in 2000 after his name was mentioned in a discussion by staff member Lesya Fesiak, who had heard about Larkin panhandling in Montreal from a friend. Fesiak and Robinson, who is the director of the Ottawa International Animation Festival
The Ottawa International Animation Festival is an annual animated film and media festival that takes place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The OIAF was founded in 1975, with the first festival held from August 10 to 15 in 1976. Initially organized by ...
, drove to Montreal to meet Larkin in June 2000, where they found him panhandling near Schwartz's
Schwartz's (French: ''Chez Schwartz''), also known as the Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen (French: ''Charcuterie Hébraïque de Montréal, Inc.''), is a Jewish delicatessen restaurant and take-out, located at 3895 Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Montre ...
on Saint Laurent Boulevard
Saint Laurent Boulevard, also known as Saint Lawrence Boulevard (officially in french: boulevard Saint-Laurent), is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A commercial artery and cultural heritage site, the street runs north–south through ...
. At the time, he resided at the Old Brewery Mission
The Old Brewery Mission is a resource for homeless men and women in Quebec, Canada. History
The Old Brewery was founded in 1889 by two women, Mina Douglas and Eva Findlay, who started serving hot meals to Montrealers in need.
In the early 20th ...
and spent his days "wandering around town" visiting art galleries, museums, and libraries. He always had a notepad with him for drawing. They offered him dinner at a nearby bar, where he recounted his life story, which Robinson found "comical and heartbreaking, pathetic and inspiring". Before leaving, Robinson invited Larkin to Ottawa to watch a few entries for that year's film festival.
Landreth met Larkin at the suggestion of Robinson. Landreth had been taking part in the festival's selection committee when a fourth member of the committee dropped out. Robinson asked Larkin to take the missing committee member's place, and personally drove him to Ottawa in July 2000. Committee members Landreth, Pjotr Sapegin, and Andrei Svislotksi, in addition to Larkin, reviewed the commissioned films competition entries. Nobody on the selection committee knew of Larkin's identity at the time, and Landreth found his presence on the committee to be odd. Committee members were only told about Larkin's identity at the end of the viewings, when they screened each other's films. Larkin was last, showing ''Walking'', '' Street Musique'', and ''Syrinx''. Landreth later described his surprise, and stated "I looked at him and wondered, how did this happen?"
Landreth, at the time employed by Alias
Alias may refer to:
* Pseudonym
* Pen name
* Nickname
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film
* ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006
* ''Alias the ...
, was "immediately inspired" to create a film based on Larkin's life, but waited a few months before acting on it. He met Larkin again in September during the Ottawa International Animation Festival, and asked him if he would agree to be the subject of a film. Larkin agreed, and on 13 February 2001, Landreth decided to make the film.
Development
Landreth spent several years developing the film. Instead of first creating a storyboard on which the animation would be based, he conceived the theme after interviews with Larkin. After the screenplay was developed, the production followed a more typical process of creating a storyboard, character modelling, scene design, animation, and post-production.
In February 2001, Landreth contacted producer Steven Hoban at Copper Heart Entertainment. Hoban liked the concept for the film, and wanted to include it as a 3D rendering
3D rendering is the 3D computer graphics process of converting 3D models into 2D images on a computer. 3D renders may include photorealistic effects or non-photorealistic styles.
Rendering methods
Rendering is the final process of creati ...
in the IMAX film CyberWorld he was producing. A manager rejected the idea, as the subject material was deemed to be inappropriate for CyberWorld's young target audience.
A production team was assembled with Copper Heart Entertainment, and it received a grant
Grant or Grants may refer to:
Places
*Grant County (disambiguation)
Australia
* Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia
United Kingdom
* Castle Grant
United States
* Grant, Alabama
* Grant, Inyo County, ...
from the Canada Council for the Arts
The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal i ...
. The National Film Board of Canada agreed to be a co-producer. Landreth also secured studio space at the Animation Arts Centre of Seneca College
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a multiple-campus public college in the Greater Toronto Area, and Peterborough, Ontario, Canada regions. It offers full-time and part-time programs at the baccalaureate, diploma, certificate an ...
in Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
, and in 2003 four graduates and fifteen undergraduates from its 3D Animation program were recruited to work on the film. The core development team consisted of one computer graphics
Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great de ...
supervisor, four animators, one texture mapper, one renderer, two set modellers, and a few character modellers.
In the summer of 2001, he conducted several interviews with Larkin, who gave Landreth carte blanche
A blank cheque in the literal sense is a cheque that has no monetary value written in, but is already signed. In the figurative sense, it is used to describe a situation in which an agreement has been made that is open-ended or vague, and therefo ...
for the project. Landreth accumulated about 20 hours of audio footage, but did not think it was sufficient material on which to base a story, so in August he interviewed him again, this time asking about his alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...
. Larkin, who had been drinking throughout the interview, responded angrily, and this would become the "climactic moment in the film". This led Landreth to change the production from a story primarily narrated by Larkin to an interview-style cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité (, , ; "truthful cinema") is a style of documentary filmmaking developed by Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch, inspired by Dziga Vertov's theory about Kino-Pravda. It combines improvisation with use of the camera to unveil truth or ...
documentary in which Landreth's character had a larger role.
Landreth acquired a comprehensive set of Larkin's works from the National Film Board of Canada and other reference material. He also conducted interviews with Felicity Fanjoy, who had been Larkin's girlfriend in the past, and Derek Lamb, who directed films at the NFB and was a producer for Larkin in the 1970s. He used the interviews and reference material to create a script
Script may refer to:
Writing systems
* Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire
* Script (styles of handwriting)
** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...
, which he completed by December.
The animation used the technique of psychological realism
In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters. The mode of narration examin ...
, blending dialogue from interviews with subjective screen characters who are "sometimes fragmented, distorted, or in some way unusual". The representation of the characters was partly inspired by Body Worlds
''Body Worlds'' (German title: ''Körperwelten'') is a traveling exposition of dissected human bodies, animals, and other anatomical structures of the body that have been preserved through the process of plastination. Gunther von Hagens develop ...
, a travelling exhibition
A travelling exhibition, also referred to as a "travelling exhibit" or a "touring exhibition", is a type of exhibition that is presented at more than one venue.
Temporary exhibitions can bring together objects that might be dispersed among sever ...
of human bodies preserved by plastination to reveal internal anatomical structures.
Landreth has stated that Larkin's character in the film is a subjective interpretation based on his own ideology and experiences, citing one of his favourite quotations "we don't see things as they are, we see things as we are". He animated Larkin as a beaten character "battered by years of substance abuse and still bearing the scars of his artistic failure". Landreth stated that the visual appearance of the characters "reflect pain, insanity, fear, mercy, shame, and creativity", and that the effect was to show the characters' "souls or mental states or psyches".
Landreth incorporated Larkin's alcoholism as part of the narrative
A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional ( fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc. ...
of the film, at first in the background as Larkin sips from a thermos
A vacuum flask (also known as a Dewar flask, Dewar bottle or thermos) is an insulating storage vessel that greatly lengthens the time over which its contents remain hotter or cooler than the flask's surroundings. Invented by Sir James Dewa ...
, and later directly as Landreth asks Larkin about his alcoholism. The attention to Larkin's alcoholism also reflects Landreth's mother's troubles with alcohol.
Pre-production
Pre-production is the process of planning some of the elements involved in a film, television show, play, or other performance, as distinct from production and post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the content start ...
and production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
took about 18 months. Use of the Seneca College computing infrastructure, which was loaned for free for the production, was valued by NFB producer Marcy Page at about . Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...
donated the use of a render farm
A render farm is a high-performance computer system, e.g. a computer cluster, built to render computer-generated imagery (CGI), typically for film and television visual effects.
Origin of the term
The term ''render farm'' was born during the p ...
for the production. The overall cost to produce ''Ryan'' was about .
The film was dedicated to Landreth's mother, Barbara.
Animation
The animation consists of three-dimensional avatars representing the interview subjects, each "mutilated and deformed in ways expressive of emotional and artistic trauma". The film uses emotional realism instead of photorealism, using graphic elements to represent the characters' state of mind. There is a shift between techniques throughout the animation, particularly the use of hand-drawn vectors, rotoscoping, and 3D rendering of characters and the environments in which they are set. The setting is a dilapidated cafeteria in which the characters representing Larkin and Landreth are seated across from each other at a table. It was chosen to bring the characters into one setting for interaction, instead of having to deal with multiple settings. It also provides a neutral setting with a relaxed atmosphere to mitigate any initial bias toward the characters. In some scenes, colour correction
Color correction is a process used in stage lighting, photography, television, cinematography, and other disciplines, which uses color gels, or filters, to alter the overall color of the light. Typically the light color is measured on a scale kno ...
was used to "achieve a dark mood".
Incorporated into the film in their entirety are two of Larkin's most famous animated shorts, ''Walking'' and the 1972 line animation ''Street Musique''. As Larkin's character dances with one of the characters from ''Street Musique'', stroboscoping arms are shown, an homage to '' Pas de deux'' by Norman McLaren, Larkin's mentor at the NFB. An animated rendering of Larkin attending the 42nd Academy Awards
The 42nd Academy Awards were presented April 7, 1970, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. For the second year in a row, there was no official host. Awards were presented by seventeen "Friends of Oscar": Bob Hope, Joh ...
in 1970 is also included.
Animators were required to present a "continuously varying viewpoint" using distortion effects on a linear perspective camera. Each object in the three-dimensional scene had to be independently specified, and frame composition had to be independent of the projection. Three types of projection systems were used for the production of ''Ryan'': perspective linear projection for lines converging at a common vanishing point, parallel linear projection for objects to maintain "parallel line relationships", and nonlinear projection for curvilinear distortion of nearby objects. The latter was defined by the viewing and projection transformations of the cameras and spatial weight function
A weight function is a mathematical device used when performing a sum, integral, or average to give some elements more "weight" or influence on the result than other elements in the same set. The result of this application of a weight function is ...
s applied to each camera. Included in the model was support for independent manipulation of two-dimensional transformations, particularly for changing an object's translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...
, rotation, and scaling
Scaling may refer to:
Science and technology
Mathematics and physics
* Scaling (geometry), a linear transformation that enlarges or diminishes objects
* Scale invariance, a feature of objects or laws that do not change if scales of length, energ ...
. The model was then incorporated into Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a popul ...
for animation using scene geometry deformation. This would render "multiple simultaneous projections and camera angles" to a single frame. The nonlinear projections were also used to establish a "cinematic mood" for the setting.
Software and algorithms
The students at Seneca College used eight workstation
A workstation is a special computer designed for technical or scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by a single user, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating systems. The term ''workstat ...
s with "the latest 3D digital technology". The Maya software by Alias (now part of Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational software corporation that makes software products and services for the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media, education, and entertainment industries. Autodesk is headquartere ...
) was used for 3D modeling, rigging, lighting
Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylig ...
, rendering, and animation. The brushes ''smear'', ''blur'', and ''erase'' were used extensively to create the psychological realism effects of the film. Landreth stated that Maya was chosen because of its paint effects, which were an integral part of the film.
Discreet Combustion was used for compositing
Compositing is the process or technique of combining visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene. Live action, Live-action shooting for compositing is ...
and all 2D computer graphics. According to lead compositor Belma Abdicevic, the frequently used compositing tools were paint, colour correction, and motion blur. Adobe Photoshop was used for painting and texture mapping
Texture mapping is a method for mapping a texture on a computer-generated graphic. Texture here can be high frequency detail, surface texture, or color.
History
The original technique was pioneered by Edwin Catmull in 1974.
Texture mappi ...
, and Adobe Premiere
Adobe Premiere Pro is a timeline-based and non-linear video editing software application (NLE) developed by Adobe Inc. and published as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud licensing program. First launched in 2003, Adobe Premiere Pro is a success ...
was used for creative development and editing.
Landreth contacted Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS), a network funded by the Government of Canada
The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...
, to create algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing ...
s for digitally modelling and rendering hair. The MITACS team, headed by computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includi ...
associate professor Karan Singh of the University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
, created a mathematical formula known as a ''cord'', which is used to represent the physical characteristics of animated curves. The cord was based on a cubic function
In mathematics, a cubic function is a function of the form f(x)=ax^3+bx^2+cx+d
where the coefficients , , , and are complex numbers, and the variable takes real values, and a\neq 0. In other words, it is both a polynomial function of degree ...
with uniform parametrization. This cord enables rope-like objects, such as hair, string, or wire, to "behave intuitively" when rendered in animation, preserving "length, elasticity and stiffness". Implemented using Maya, cords could be generated by defining a ''guide curve'', a parametric curve
In mathematics, a parametric equation defines a group of quantities as functions of one or more independent variables called parameters. Parametric equations are commonly used to express the coordinates of the points that make up a geometric obj ...
in space
Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually cons ...
, which the software would then follow to create an analytic, continuous shape wrapping around scene geometry. Singh was the software research and development director for the film. The MITACS team also executed all technical scripting and programming for the animation.
Characters
Although it appears to be live action
Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...
, all aspects of character movement are rendered animations conceived for the film, and are not based on motion capture. Patrick Louguet and Fabien Maheu state that the characters are brought to life as disembodied, skinned, and broken. The characters have faces that are "dissipated and decimated", representing each individual's personal demons, and temporary protrusions from the head represent emotions. Larkin's character is presented as incomplete and fragile, and is the "most ravaged of all the characters".
About half of the facial animation was performed by Landreth, and the other half by the Seneca College students. Character expression and gesture was modelled using straight ahead animation Straight ahead is a term used in animation that refers to a method that uses only the first key pose of a character, and then continues drawing the character to create the desired motion. It was first referred to in the 1981 book by Ollie Johnson a ...
, which was used to avoid the cartoonish style of "one gesture per accent of dialogue" in pose-to-pose animation. Landreth chose this style after having studied anatomy and biomechanics
Biomechanics is the study of the structure, function and motion of the mechanical aspects of biological systems, at any level from whole organisms to organs, cells and cell organelles, using the methods of mechanics. Biomechanics is a branch of ...
, and a body's expression of emotion, such as finger movements and facial expression
A facial expression is one or more motions or positions of the muscles beneath the skin of the face. According to one set of controversial theories, these movements convey the emotional state of an individual to observers. Facial expressions are ...
s. The expression of Larkin's character changes from nostalgia, joy, anger, anxiety, nervousness, defensiveness, and passivity during the film. The thermos is imbued with character, persistently demanding Larkin's attention, who submits to it compulsively. The settings also exhibit character, morphing at times reflecting the state of mind of the primary characters.
Landreth directed the animators to use graph editing rather than the exposure sheet
An exposure sheet (also referred to as camera instruction sheet, dope sheet or X-sheet) is a traditional animation tool that allows an animator to organize their thinking and give instructions to the camera operator on how the animation is to be ...
s typically used in 2D animation. The latter enable an animator to "break down the individual motions in a character", but Landreth preferred an approach that did not involve characters moving in curves. He wanted the characters to portray realistic motion, which begins with an abrupt twitch for a muscle contraction
Muscle contraction is the activation of tension-generating sites within muscle cells. In physiology, muscle contraction does not necessarily mean muscle shortening because muscle tension can be produced without changes in muscle length, such as ...
and must also account for momentum and mass. For example, Landreth stated that an individual's arm should be slightly in front of the body, at 30 degrees with respect to the "scapular plane of the skeleton".
Cords are used to animate coloured threads that wrap themselves around the character's heads, and are used metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...
ically in the film to represent Landreth's fear of failure and Larkin's loss of creativity. The use of coloured threads is explained by Landreth's character in first-person narrative
A first-person narrative is a mode of storytelling in which a storyteller recounts events from their own point of view using the first person It may be narrated by a first-person protagonist (or other focal character), first-person re-telle ...
at the beginning of the film as metaphorically representing emotional scars and frustrations. Landreth's character is rendered so that a halo
Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to:
* Halo (optical phenomenon)
* Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head
HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Video games
* ''Halo'' (franch ...
appears above his head "when he gets too sanctimonious". Other characters appear when mentioned by Larkin, rendered as three-dimensional interpretations of Larkin's sketches.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
consists of audio from previously recorded interviews, and uses a technique employed in the development of Aardman Animation
Aardman Animations Limited (also known as Aardman Studios, simply Aardman or Aardman Animation and stylised as AARDMAN as of 2022) is a British animation studio based in Bristol, England. It is known for films made using stop-motion and clay an ...
's 1989 film ''Creature Comforts
''Creature Comforts'' is a British adult stop-motion comedy mockumentary franchise originating in a 1989 British humorous animated short film of the same name. The film matched animated zoo animals with a soundtrack of people talking about th ...
''. It uses character action to reveal "the half-truths and self-deceptions of the dialogue". Throughout, Landreth narrates the story based on information obtained from the interviews and the archives. Landreth did not remove Larkin's stutter, a condition resultant from Larkin's cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...
use.
Reception
''Ryan'' debuted at the Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
on 17 May 2004, where it was well received. Its Canadian debut was at the Worldwide Short Film Festival
The Canadian Film Centre's Worldwide Short Film Festival (WSFF), founded by Brenda Sherwood in 1994, was an annual film festival held over several days in Toronto, Ontario in June, at The Annex- Yorkville area venues; including the Bloor Cinema, t ...
, and it was later shown at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, for which Robinson arranged to screen ''Walking'' in the Friday night competition as a special event and for publicity. Its US premiere was at SIGGRAPH 2004 in Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
.
Roger Ebert reviewed the film in his coverage of Academy Award nominees, stating that the "animation technique is dramatic, striking and wholly original" and that the "effect is hard to describe, impossible to forget". The Toronto Film Critics' Association stated that ''Ryan'' was "an historic achievement in Canadian animation". David Kehr stated in an article in ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' that ''Ryan'' is a "work of art that exists on its own highly original terms". F.C. Luz stated that ''Ryan'' is an example of the "new visual and narrative forms" enabled by computer-generated imagery.
Rick Baumgartner of Animation World Network
Animation World Network (often just "AWN") is an online publishing group that specializes in resources for animators, with an extensive website offering news, articles and links for professional animators and animation fans. Specifically, AWN co ...
described ''Ryan'' as a "3D hand-animated symphony of creativity and color" with a "visceral graphic style". M.J. Stone of The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
stated that the film has "astonishing imagery". Ellen Besen stated that "breaking away from the one gesture per accent standard is a hallmark of Landreths approach".
Larkin had a "pained reaction to his psychorealistic portrayal", stating that he was not fond of his "skeleton image". Landreth stated that Larkin first found his character's appearance in the film disturbing, but came to like it after realizing that all the characters in the film had a "disconnected, distorted appearance".
Accolades
By 2007, the film had won over 60 awards, including:
* Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year 1 ...
(77th Academy Awards
The 77th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on February 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. During t ...
, 2004)
* Annecy International Animated Film Festival
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (french: Festival international du film d'animation d'Annecy, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of J ...
Jury's Special Award (2004)
* CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival Best Canadian Short (2004)
* Cannes Film Festival Kodak Discovery Award (2004)
* Cannes Film Festival Canal+ Award (2004)
* Cannes Film Festival Young Critics Award Best Short Film (2004)
* Columbus International Film & Video Festival
The Columbus International Film + Animation Festival is a Columbus, Ohio, United States annual film festival which is designed to encourage and promote the use of film and video in all forms of education and communication.
It is the first and ol ...
The Arts Silver Chris Award (2004)
* Cork Film Festival
The Cork International Film Festival, also known as the Cork Film Festival (), is a film festival held annually in Cork City, Ireland. It was established in 1956 as part of An Tóstal An Tóstal (, meaning "The Gathering") was the name for a serie ...
Audience Award for Best International Short Film (2005)
* Dok Leipzig Golden Dove, Animated Film (47th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film, 2004)
* Genie Award Best Animated Short (25th Genie Awards
The 25th Genie Awards were held on March 21, 2005 to honour the best Canada, Canadian films released in 2004.Jay Stone, "Big, small get Genie nods". ''Kingston Whig-Standard'', February 9, 2005. The awards took place at the Metro Toronto Conventi ...
, 2005)
* ION International Animation, Games and Short Film Festival "Animation of the Year" Award (2004)
* Ottawa International Animation Festival
The Ottawa International Animation Festival is an annual animated film and media festival that takes place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The OIAF was founded in 1975, with the first festival held from August 10 to 15 in 1976. Initially organized by ...
Nelvana Grand Prix for Independent Short Film (2004)
* Prix Ars Electronica
The Prix Ars Electronica is one of the best known and longest running yearly prizes in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music. It has been awarded since 1987 by Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria) ...
Golden Nica for Computer Animation/Visual Effects (2004)
* Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival
The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (), or BiFan, is an international film festival held annually in July in Bucheon, South Korea. Prior to 2015, it was known as the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival or PiFan. Inaugurate ...
Grand Prize for Short Film (2005)
* San Francisco International Film Festival
The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in i ...
Golden Gate Award, Animated Short (2005)
* SIGGRAPH Jury Award (2004)
* Tampere Film Festival
The Tampere Film Festival ( fi, Tampereen elokuvajuhlat) is a short film festival held every March, mostly at the Finnkino Plevna movie theatre, in Tampere, Finland. It is accredited by the film producers' society FIAPF, and together with the shor ...
Best Animation (2005)
* Uppsala International Short Film Festival Special Jury Prize (2004)
* Valladolid International Film Festival
The Valladolid International Film Festival, popularly known as Seminci (short for ; ), is a film festival held annually in Valladolid, Spain. First held in 1956 as ('Valladolid Religious Film Week'), the Seminci is one of the longest-standing fi ...
Golden Spike, Short Film (2004)
* Victoria Film Festival
The Victoria Film Festival is a publicly attended film festival in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada running for ten days in February. The festival shows both Canadian and international films and unreels 150 films with 55 Features on 6 screens ...
Best Short Animation (2005)
The film also received honourable mention at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival for short filmmaking. It was one of Canada's Top Ten Canada's Top Ten is an annual honour, compiled by the Toronto International Film Festival and announced in December each year to identify and promote the year's best Canadian films."Canada's Top Ten awards will honour excellence in Canadian cinema" ...
features of 2004 compiled by the Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...
.
Larkin attended the Ottawa International Animation Festival
The Ottawa International Animation Festival is an annual animated film and media festival that takes place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The OIAF was founded in 1975, with the first festival held from August 10 to 15 in 1976. Initially organized by ...
, and when it was announced as the grand prize winner, accompanied Landreth to the stage and "took a bow". The NFB invited Larkin to attend the Academy Awards, but he declined the offer. The NFB sent staff to Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
one month before the Academy Awards in order to promote ''Ryan'', the "most aggressive Oscar campaign" it had ever undertaken.
Landreth dedicated the Academy Award to Larkin, stating in his acceptance speech that receiving the award was made possible because of "the grace and humility of one guy watching in Montreal". Larkin was watching the Academy Awards with friends at Copacabana, his favourite Montreal bar which he also referred to as his "office". He did not hear the speech because his friends and other bar patrons were cheering loudly and congratulating him after the film was announced as the winner.
Landreth hoped that winning the Academy Award would enable him to convince theatre operators to include ''Ryan'' preceding a full-length film in order to obtain greater mainstream exposure. In Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
(CBC) bought first window broadcast rights for ''Ryan'' and ''Alter Egos'', and Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. (commonly known as Alliance Atlantis and commonly shortened to simply Alliance or Atlantis and formerly traded as TSX:AAC) was a Canadian media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operato ...
bought second window rights. The CBC had already broadcast both films on ''The Passionate Eye
''The Passionate Eye'' is a Canadian documentary television series—and online playlist—that showcases documentary programming from around the world focusing on topics of news, current affairs, politics, and social issues. Airing on CBC News ...
'' and '' Rough Cuts''. The NFB also signed agreements with specialty channels in Canada, the United States, and Europe to broadcast the film.
''Ryan'' was in the 2004 collection of the Animation Show of Shows, and was included in the 11th volume and second box set it released.
Legacy
Owing to the film's popularity, Larkin "found himself gaining unusual fame for someone who supposedly lived in obscurity". Larkin stated that because of the film, "there are millions of people out there wanting to see another Ryan Larkin film". Landreth established a fund at the Old Brewery Mission for Larkin who in 2005 began working on an animated film titled ''Spare Change'' about his panhandling on the streets of Montreal based on poem
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...
s he had recently written. It was a collaboration with composer Laurie Gordon of the band Chiwawa, who would be responsible for the film's music and voices. When he began the project, he continued to panhandle on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, stating that "I can't disappoint my clientele". He was one of the panhandlers interviewed for the documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
''Chez Schwartz'' about the delicatessen.
In 2006, Larkin signed a contract with MTV Canada to create three five-second bumpers that aired on 25 and 26 December 2006. They were the only channel IDs to be broadcast by MTV Canada on those days. He died on Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thr ...
2007 as a result of lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...
that had metastasized
Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...
to his brain
A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a ve ...
. The ten-minute animation ''Spare Change'' was completed alone by Gordon, and premiered in a double bill
The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown.
Opera use
Opera ho ...
with '' All Together Now'' at the Festival du nouveau cinéma
The Festival du nouveau cinéma or FNC (English: ''Festival of New Cinema'') is an annual independent film festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, featuring independent films from around the world. Over 160,000 people attend each year. One of ...
in Montreal on 8 October 2008. The two films were shown together in theatres throughout Canada that month. Gordon and Nicola Zavaglia later released ''Ryan's Renaissance'', a documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
about Larkin and ''Spare Change''.
Robinson stated in his book ''Ballad of a Thin Man: In Search of Ryan Larkin'' that although Larkin did not change because of the new-found attention, that "by knowing him, he seems to trigger change in others". In the book ''The Animation Pimp'', Robinson states that he "quit drinking and started to make amends for the swamp of a life I created" after his few meetings with Larkin.
The eleven Seneca College students who were responsible for the animation of ''Ryan'' all found employment in the animation industry. Landreth received offers to produce feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
s, but rejected them to create another animated short film, '' The Spine'', which was released in 2009 and used the same production team and psychological realism technique that was used in ''Ryan''. The software model created for the production of ''Ryan'' was the basis for a Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...
thesis by Patrick Coleman.
''Ryan'' is considered to be one of the high-profile examples of animated documentary
The animated documentary (also known as anidoc) is a moving image form that combines animation and documentary. This form should not be confused with documentaries about movie and TV animation history that feature excerpts.
History
The fi ...
. It was screened at the Ontario Science Centre
The Ontario Science Centre, formally the Centennial Museum of Science and Technology, is a science museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the Don Valley Parkway about northeast of downtown on Don Mills Road just south of Eg ...
in November 2005, during which the Body Worlds exhibit was on display. The film ''Alter Egos'' was commissioned by the NFB to document the making of ''Ryan'', and includes interviews with Landreth, Larkin, and others.
See also
* '' McLaren's Negatives''
* ''Lipsett Diaries
''Lipsett Diaries'' (french: Les journaux de Lipsett) is a 2010 short animated documentary about the life and art of collage filmmaker Arthur Lipsett, animated and directed by Theodore Ushev and written by Chris Robinson. The 14-minute film was ...
''
* Arthur Lipsett
Arthur Lipsett (May 13, 1936 – May 1, 1986) was a Canadian avant-garde director of short collage films.
Life and career
Born in Montreal into a Jewish family, Lipsett saw his mother, an immigrant from Kiev, commit suicide when he was 10 years ...
References
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External links
Watch ''Ryan'' at NFB.ca
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Technical Development of Ryan
by Patrick Coleman at the Dynamic Graphics Project, University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
*
Ryan after Ryan
' by Gibran Ramos at YouTube
{{ACCT Short Films
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Canadian animated short films
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Documentary films about film directors and producers
Documentary films about homelessness in Canada
Documentary films about mental health
English-language Canadian films
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Films directed by Chris Landreth
Films shot in Montreal
Best Animated Short Film Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners
National Film Board of Canada animated short films
Self-reflexive films
Seneca College
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