The short, animated film named EARTHSHINE is by Manu Gopinath is very well done. In the film an astronaut on the planet Mars is homesick and wants to get to Earth. The astronaut encounters an impossible staircase made of chalk, and it takes him on an adventure. This is a very beautifully animated piece of work; with great detail in everything featured in the film.

The story is a very good idea and I was fascinated by every single second of it. It captures the beauty of Mars, and the idea that even though there is divine beauty, it isn’t quite home. It also has a moment of action about halfway through the animation which makes the film have a bit of a different feel to some of the other ones I have seen.

When I saw the animation and how well it was done I was instantly impressed; the detail and smooth texture of everything was amazing. I knew that these people had put an immense amount of time into this film. The chalk stairs were my favourite piece in it; the way they’ve animated each individual particle of chalk on close ups and the way they did it when the chalk was drawing the stairs up to Earth.

Overall this short film was very good; the plot and ideas behind it had definitely been thought out and I was extremely impressed with the animation.

httpvh://youtu.be/t5AGDIr0c_8

ALL I CAN SEE FROM HERE was made by Sam Taylor and Bjorn Aschim. The film is about a football game that goes a bit out of hand when an alien turns up. I did not enjoy it as much as some of the other shorts. But when I showed my little brother and sister the short, they instantly loved it and thought it was funny. So I believe this was aimed for younger children than I.

The story, although well thought out, just didn’t make much sense to me. Shorts like EARTHSHINE and I AM TOM MOODY had more of a meaning behind them than this one did. It had a CBBC feel to it; like the tiny short they show every now and again, THE OWL. EARTHSHINE has the story of homesickness and magic. This story’s only thing behind it seemed to be a little bit of conspiracy and fun.

On the other hand, I was very impressed with the animation. Although it isn’t smooth, it is very detailed and well made. Also the sound effects used with the kicking of the ball and the footsteps and other noises where brilliantly done, and I was super impressed with the work done in the sound area of this animation. Finally, the detail in the single particles of dust when the alien shoots something is well done; not as well as the chalk particles in EARTHSHINE but effective all the same.

The story is one of the best concepts I have ever heard of …

Of the three animations reviewed here, I AM TOM MOODY by Ainslie Henderson is by far the best. It shows an anxious man, Tom Moody, battling with his anxiety to achieve his goal of singing for a crowd. It features the voice talents of Mackenzie Crook (Older Tom Moody) and Jude Crook (Younger Tom Moody), who both portray these characters very well.

The animation in this film is very well done, with great detail to the faces of the characters. The animation used is simple but extremely effective. Compared to the other two shorts, this is the most realistic animation; but the others weren’t made to look realistic. I also love how the hair of the characters waves in the wind.

The character of Tom Moody is a very good one; it was one I grew to love in the space of the 5 minutes the film ran. Tom Moody, like any other person, has a dream: to sing, and he is fighting himself throughout this film to get himself to do it. Younger Tom Moody is very cute; he is scared, like most kids, of what the others will think and is trying to stop his older self from singing in case they get laughed at. I love the character very much and I can relate to him myself, as many people probably could.

The story is one of the best concepts I have ever heard of when it comes to short films; which I don’t usually watch or like. But I AM TOM MOODY has definitely made me want to watch more shorts. This one really has a meaning for me: anxiety and worry are things we encounter in everyday life and I am thrilled to see them tackled in a film. Every time I watch this film I smile and I just can’t help it.

The music is a brilliant way to end this piece; it has all built up to Tom singing and at the very end he does sing: for the credits, and I think this is a lovely way to end the short film. Ainslie Henderson should be very, very proud of himself for creating such a remarkable short.

httpvh://youtu.be/uQwdPRTyXAM