animate!

Films : Sweet Salt : all

animate! synopsis

A love story of obsession and sharp teeth between a woman left behind in a fairy tale gone wrong and a merman trapped in a reality that drowns him.

one sentence synopsis

Hungry woman, thirsty man; A love story of obsession and sharp teeth.

short synopsis

A love story of obsession and sharp teeth, between a woman lost in a fairy tale gone wrong and a merman trapped in a reality that drowns him.

long synopsis

Beneath the fairy tale forest lives a merman who loves his loneliness. Above him is a little girl lost, an unsuspecting saviour filling his bathtub with the sea of her tears. When his haven breaks he finds his way to her garden, a reluctant hero born out of desperation.

Their worlds collide… Dying from dehydration he seeks her tears only to be confronted by her longing his touch. She, the hunter; He, the trembling little fish.

key credits

director: Katerina Athanasopoulou
woman: Gwynne McElveen
merman: Ben Hardy
set build: Suzie Templeton
music: Repairman
sound designer: Jake Roberts; Barnaby Templer
producer: Becalelis Brodskis

Katerina Athanasopoulou

short biography

Katerina studied Fine Arts in Greece before taking her Animation MA at the Royal College of Art, London, in 2002. Her films I Sing the Body Electric, The Clipper and Body Remember have been widely seen at international festivals, while her animations have appeared on the stage as well as in art galleries. She lives in London and is a founding member of Doctorpuss Productions.

13 September 2005

filmography

2005 Sweet Salt
2003 Body Remember
2003 The Clipper
2002 Argonautica
2002 I Sing the Body Electric
2001 Spoons

artist’s photo

November 2004

artist’s website

Katerina Athanasopoulou

a film by Katerina Athanasopoulou

direction

director: Katerina Athanasopoulou

cast in picture

woman: Gwynne McElveen
merman: Ben Hardy

live-action personnel

director of photography: Luis Graham-Yooll
first assistant director: Ian Clark

image personnel

set build: Suzie Templeton

incorporated image material

Footage of Icelandic geyser by Camille Brooks

sound personnel

music: Repairman
sound designer: Jake Roberts; Barnaby Templer

production personnel

producer: Becalelis Brodskis

production company website

Doctorpuss Productions
www.doctorpussproductions.com

support

primary funding: an animate! commission funded through Finetake by Arts Council England and Channel 4

Sweet Salt front title card

click on image for full size still

click on image for full size still

technical

process summary

Sweet Salt was born out of intense manipulation of digitally shot live action, still and moving images and found textures following the tradition of Printing. Layers melting together, with After Effects as the main tool, resulting in cut-out Cinema.