Visual Language: Glen Keane's Duet

For a start, Duet by Glen Keane is a beautiful animation that was a breathe of fresh air to my eyes. I think that the animation has a wonderful aesthetic and it is beautifully put together. But this isn't why I have chosen to look at this animation this time because on top of all that, the animation deals with the human form in an incredible way.

One of the things that stood out to me about this animation right away was the chosen medium. I really like how the Keane has chosen to use blue chalk on a deeper blue background and sometimes the odd pink for the girl's clothes. I really like how the animation is mainly all one colour and I feel that it creates a really strong dream-like atmosphere. I also feel like the choice of material within this animation works really well with the style of the animation, it flows well with the movement of the characters and creates a nice, smooth, fluid line. 

Speaking of lines, I really like the line work within this animation, it is quite loose and in some points actually quite 'hairy' but it works well with the animation and the material and I really like the overall effect it has on the movement of the characters, as it adds to the fact that the characters are never still. I also really like that the characters are actually quite simple within this animation, there are simple details within the clothes of the characters and the only main details are within the face of the characters themselves. This demonstrates how effective simple line making can be and highlights how much can be achieved with simple line making, not everything has to be super detailed. 

Focusing on the movement of the characters throughout the animation, I find that they move very smoothly and there is a very strong sense of fluidity throughout the entire animation. I feel that it demonstrates a really good example of movement through a space and it also demonstrates good use of the 12 principles of animation. Reflecting upon this animation as a whole, it has made me want to experiment more closely with other materials and experiment using them for what they are made for, for example, chalk is a very good material to create quick solid lines that can be both bold and subtle.