Films : Heliocentrum : all

animate! synopsis

Politics and pleasure in the court of King Louis. A Baroque rave where Versailles meets Video. Computer animation for the cognoscenti.

short synopsis

Political documentary meets baroque rave video in this computer animated portrayal of Louis XIV and his pleasure palace at Versailles.

key credits

director
Jason White
Richard Wright
animator
Jason White
Richard Wright
editor
St John Walker
music
Walter Fabeck

Jason White

artist’s website

Jason White

Jason White’s website

Richard Wright

short biography

Richard Wright is a media artist concentrating on digital filmmaking.

February 1998

animate! films by this artist

Heliocentrum

LMX Spiral

artist’s website

The Bank of Time

An online screensaver that saves a computer’s idle time, devised by Richard Wright, funded by Arts Council England.

a film by Jason White & Richard Wright

direction

director
Jason White
Richard Wright

image personnel

animator
Jason White
Richard Wright
editor
St John Walker

sound personnel

music
Walter Fabeck

support

special thanks

Dick Arnall, Marjut Rimminen, Jake Lewis at Artec, Brendan Monks, Mike Steventon, Ben White
Research Facilities: London Guildhall University, Middlesex University

primary funding

Arts Council of England/Channel Four Animate! award

© Richard Wright & Jason White 1995

film still: “...we must consider the good of our subjects far more than our own. They are almost part of us, for we are the head of a body of which they are the members.”  – _Memoires de Louis XIV, 1668._

“...we must consider the good of our subjects far more than our own. They are almost part of us, for we are the head of a body of which they are the members.” - Memoires de Louis XIV, 1668.

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film still: *Heliocentrum* front title card

Heliocentrum front title card

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film still: This head was actually modelled in plaster by Jason’s dad from portraits of Louis XIV. Not bad, eh?

This head was actually modelled in plaster by Jason’s dad from portraits of Louis XIV. Not bad, eh?

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film still: “Versailles is the gloomiest and most unpleasant of places. The King liked to tyrannise nature, to subdue it with art and riches. Beauty and ugliness, the vast and the narrow are all jumbled together with no plan or design…” – _Memoires of the Duc de Saint-Simon, 1715._

“Versailles is the gloomiest and most unpleasant of places. The King liked to tyrannise nature, to subdue it with art and riches. Beauty and ugliness, the vast and the narrow are all jumbled together with no plan or design…” - Memoires of the Duc de Saint-Simon, 1715.

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film still: “There are some nations where the majesty of Kings largely consists of not letting themselves be seen, and this may have its reasons among minds used to servitude, which can only be ruled by fear and terror…”

“There are some nations where the majesty of Kings largely consists of not letting themselves be seen, and this may have its reasons among minds used to servitude, which can only be ruled by fear and terror…”

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film still: “…but that is not the nature of the French people, and as far back as histories go, if there is any feature unique to this monarchy, it is the free and easy access of the subjects to their prince.” – _Memoires de Louis XIV, 1668._

“…but that is not the nature of the French people, and as far back as histories go, if there is any feature unique to this monarchy, it is the free and easy access of the subjects to their prince.” - Memoires de Louis XIV, 1668.

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film still: “The people of the court are like a foreign nation within the State, composed of people drawn from different places. They are not all people of intellect, but they nearly all have an admirable politeness instead…”   – _Cesar Vichard, Archbishop of Saint-Real, 1692._

“The people of the court are like a foreign nation within the State, composed of people drawn from different places. They are not all people of intellect, but they nearly all have an admirable politeness instead…” - Cesar Vichard, Archbishop of Saint-Real, 1692.

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film still: “… You, Sire, have brought all these troubles upon yourself; for, with the whole kingdom in ruins, you keep everything in your own hands… This, Sire, is the state you are in.”  – _Letter from Archbishop Fenelon to Louis XIV, 1694._

“… You, Sire, have brought all these troubles upon yourself; for, with the whole kingdom in ruins, you keep everything in your own hands… This, Sire, is the state you are in.” - Letter from Archbishop Fenelon to Louis XIV, 1694.

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click on image for full size still

master copy format

format
BetaSP
colour or black & white
colour

video distribution format

video format
BetaSP
screen aspect ratio
4:3
video standard
PAL
sound type
stereo

distributor

LUX

info@lux.org.uk

telephone +44 (0)20 7503 3980

www.lux.org.uk