Films : Winter Trees : all
animate! synopsis
Sylvia Plath and the essence of the feminine. Fertility and regeneration in a dazzling multi-media landscape. Beauty with edges.
long synopsis
Sylvia Plath’s poem Winter Trees is translated line by line into a personalised visual language.
The central anthropomorphism of the poem is illustrated in dense animation. A sense of unease is evoked – the spirit of rebirth is contrasted with the pervasive air of uncertainty as the tree succeeds where women sometimes fail: in the unceasing regeneration of nature.
key credits
- director
- Sarah Downes
- narrator
- Gina McKee
- performer
- Sharon Quigley
- lighting camera
- Ken Dodds
- animator
- Sarah Downes
- music
- Louise Forshaw
Sarah Downes
a film by Sarah Downes
direction
- director
- Sarah Downes
based upon
- actual credit
- based upon
- title of original material
- Winter Trees
- author
- Sylvia Plath
- type of adapted source material
- poem
- copyright
- Winter Trees by Sylvia Plath, copyright Ted Hughes 1971
cast in picture
- performer
- Sharon Quigley
voice-over
- narrator
- Gina McKee
live-action personnel
- lighting camera
- Ken Dodds
image personnel
- animator
- Sarah Downes
sound personnel
- music
- Louise Forshaw
- sound designer
- Lei Cox
support
- additional financial support
CAL
- primary funding
Arts Council of England/Channel Four Animate! award
© Sarah Downes 1993
click on image for full size still
technical
process summary
Computer aided collage juxtaposes live action with animation to create a surreal and beautiful landscape where femininity and fertility are explored.
master copy format
- colour or black & white
- colour
video distribution format
- video format
- BetaSP
- screen aspect ratio
- 4:3
- video standard
- PAL
- sound type
distributor
LUX
info@lux.org.uk
+44 (0)20 7503 3980
www.lux.org.uk
