The Great Gobelins of France

 

     Since my last post was concerned with the idea of truth/beauty and aesthetics, I have decided to show a group who are the masters of what I am talking about; namely, Gobelins School of Animation in France. This school consistently produces some of the most imaginative shorts I have ever seen, and they also tend to cover all kinds of ground, from mythology (such as the above picture), to anti-war and films handling the long-standing tension between the Catholics and Protestants in Ireland. Although their films are extremely short, they cover a lot of ground in the time they are given, and they also show the principle of knowing your story and having a beautiful aesthetic to draw in the audience.

     Because the films that Gobelins students create (typically as commercials to promote the large Annecy film festival in France) are so short, they must immediately draw the viewer in with a pleasing or interesting aesthetic. This is done in so many different forms from these talented students that I am not going to even attempt to describe them all. I have included some videos to give you a taste. However, they are also required to tell some sort of a story in the allotted time. So, although they are pemitted to use amazing visuals, they are not allowed to waste the time of the audience simply showing off said visuals. They must tell a story or at least make a point of some kind. To me, being able to mix both incredible art style and a great story is the highest form of movie-making, and the greatest and most memorable movie-makers understand this principle.