In the animation called The Piano by Aidan Gibbons is a great animation that works well with music. The animation begins with an old man playing a piano, which then turns into the old man playing the piano with his wife or lover. But his lover then disappears which represents they have passed away. The old man then goes back to an old memory when he was at war and his partner dies in his arms. The animation then goes back to the old man playing the piano and reminiscing on his past when he received a gift on his birthday or on some special holiday. The old man is riding a little toy horse, which then transforms into the present day nephew or son of the old man. The little boy is riding the same toy horse the old man had when he was a kid. The ending of this piece took me a while to understand the old mans journey but I figured it out.
The old man is reminiscing through his past while playing his piano that he used to share with his wife. But when his wife dies he continues to play because it brings him closer to her. Whenever he plays the song Comptine d’un autre ete – L’apres-midi by Yann Tiersen it reminds him of the song and hobby him and his wife used to share and express their love when she was alive. While he plays he then thinks about his partner, who dies in the old mans arms. This journey I notices was very clever. Gibbons is showing that in life there are tragedies that occur in ones life but with death there is always life. In the last memory of the old man, is himself as a young boy getting a gift. It shows the old man as a young boy riding this toy horse. But the old man’s young self transforms into the old mans present day nephew or son. The son or nephew rides the horse but then goes to the piano and finishes the piano piece by playing the last key in the song. This shows that the old man did not lose everything and that his life is still worth living. The old man can now share his passion for the piano with his son or nephew, like he did with his wife. His son or nephew can then take the passion for the piano and share it with his future lover.
The storyline I felt was very important because it showed a journey using music and no words. This technique is very key because it shows that you do not need words or sounds to make an animation tell a story. If you choose the right music, the music will tell your story. I also noticed that the camera angles were great in zooming in on the main characters face and on the piano. Like in the beginning it shows the man playing the piano from a far view, then cuts to a scene with the man (waist up) playing the piano. It then goes to another scene with only the man’s hands playing the piano. This viewing shows a progression from a far focal point to the main focus point. Basically Gibbons wanted to show you the whole stage of his show as a whole and then zoom in slowly to the details on his stage.
I also found it great how he timed the music. When the old man plays the right hand and left hands for the piano piece is pretty neutral. No hand has the main melody. When his wife appears it shows that there are two parts. The right hand, which is the wife, has the main melody of the song and the left hand, which is the old man, which is the background or support melody of the song. This is key because it shows that two pieces makes a whole in music and in love. I also liked how when he was at war it speeds up cause it shows action is occurring cause if the music was slow it would not have fit the animation. I also enjoyed how after his partner died the old man looks up and it transitions back to the old man playing the piano. That transition is perfect and blended well because it was not noticeable and showed a change in the music. It went from fast to slow which you must show without making it looks choppy. I feel what I can take from this animation is that I have to time my music to the actions of my story and what my characters do. I should also think of it as my music is telling the story and not my story fighting with my music to make it work. I also should think about views of like starting out either far and zooming in on my story or doing the opposite. Also should I think about the background being empty and simple like this animation or make a full background with detail. Will making to much detail in a background take away from my characters or strengthen my story. These are things I need to think about when making my animation and things I can take from this animation.
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