Lauren
Indovina and Lindsey Mayer-Beug's fondness for old puppet
shows and Czech animation by artists such as Jan Svankmajer
suggested an unusual look for their thesis film. But their
love of traditional media over sterile CG, which they call
"the tyranny of software", sealed the film's fate.
In the end, "Fish Heads Fugue" has just about
everything but the kitchen sink: stop motion, puppets, paint,
Maya-driven CG, and a whole lot of charm.
This
eclectic, intensely bizarre film about a little girl traveling
through a heavy world of imagination and uncertainty is
packed with kinetic energy. As the gear-driven sets whip
and whirl, ideas and visuals cascade, eclipsing one another.
This is the kind of film you can watch ten times and see
twenty different things.
The
two animators followed an advisor's suggestion which offered
a unique perspective on their thesis film: it's not only
their last film in school, but also the first film of the
rest of their careers. "Don't just make a big bang
going out," Indovina paraphrases. "Make an incredible
introduction going in. It's your ticket."
