Phoebe

Rochester Institute of Technology

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Phoebe

Julie Jurgens

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Recommended Citation

Julie Anne Jurgens

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree

Master of Fine Arts

MFA Imaging Arts/Computer Animation

SCHOOL OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ART AND SCIENCES

ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK

October, 1999

Marla Schweppe, Chair

Professor

FilmNideo Department, School of Photographic Arts &Sciences

Skip Battaglia

Professor

FilmNideo Department, School of Photographic Arts &Sciences

Johnny Robinson

Professor

TITLE OF THESIS:

I,

, hereby grant permission

to

the Wallace Memorial Library of RIT to reporduce

my

thesis In

whole or In part. Any reproduction will not

be

for commercial use or

profit.

The Concept:

In Herman Hesse's

Siddhartha,

we are taught that_{in striving} forour goals we ignore _many lessonsrightunder our noses.

Also,

that the

dividing

line between

good and evil is _only an illusion. Phoebe, is atale ofonesuch illusion. Itisthe

storyof a goal uprooted so that the_{lessons involved may be} seen clearly.

Theoriginal concept evolved from the _storyof Midas.

Many

things intrigued me aboutthe story. Midaswas a man obsessedwithhisown greed. The

metaphors arelimitless. Thegreat

king

sufferedfromageneral loss of self. He iscaught betweenwhathe feels he needs and whathe _already has. His

obsession causes him togive_upwhathe most

toves,

hisdaughter.

Aswith

Midas,

the charactersin Phoebe'sworld are driven

by

their obsessions.

They

are closed _{up in} aworld

busy

with _{colors, pattern, working} and frowning.

The story beginson a

living

room

floor,

where a

baby

playswith hertoys. We can hearher_{raspy breath. She is singing}toherself. Thefatherenters. He is ladenwithbooks and briefcases. In spirit, he istheprogenyof Midas. He is over worked andfrowning. He does notacknowledge his daughter before her

mother sweepsheroffto bed.

Phoebebegins

by

_{setting up}the_relationship between the parent and thechild.

Here,

it is obviouswhois in control, and whoisnot. It is justas obvious who is growing andwhoisnot Phoebecan seethe dysfunction ofher parents.

Phoebe's_song about not

touching

the

furniture,

reminds usofthose moments when, aschildren, the people become

furniture,

and thefurniture people. Phoebemight aswell be furniturewhen her tamercomesin and sheis swept

Julie AnneJurgens ThesisPaper

offtobed. From her crib shecanseetheir tormentand is disturbed

by

it.The

father,

acknowledgeshisproblems_{only to}shoo themaway. Hereturnsto his

work with afrown. Phoebe also

frowns,

anddreamsnegative, worrying

dreams. Asshe

dreams,

sheis_growing into her parents.

Whenwe nextsee

her,

Phoebe is atoddler. She is in thesame _{room, but}she is

older. _She awakensto the sound of_{crows, calling from her}parent's room. She

creepsdown thehall to

investigate,

halting

in frontofherparents'

bedroom.

They

sleep In ignorance asthe darkshapes of evil _{birds swoop}around them.

They

are larger than average birds.

They

are _cawing wildly. Onecawsjustshort of _{Phoebe's face. She} is frightened andscurries back to bed.

Phoebe'sworld Isamixture of Illusion and reality. We areunsurefromthe time

thatwe seethebaby'seyesclose whetheror not we arestillin adream. Arethe

crows_real, orare

they

_somethingcreated

by

a_{young imagination? And} if

they

arethe metamorphosedfearsof a _{child, why}do

they

seem so real? While

Phoebe is a classichand drawn animation, complete with oversized head and

rear, the crowsarepuppets, actual real objectsthat are animated and composited intoher"imaginary" world.

Tothe Native Americancultures, the crowisthe windowtothe supernatural. He isthe keeperof thesecretlaw andcan bendthe lawsofthephysical world

by

shape_{shifting (not}unlike whatI hadtodo in AfterEffectstogetsomeof

these birdsto blend intotheir twodimensionalenvironments). Crowisan omen

of change. He hasno senseof_{time, seeing} both past, present and future. Crow

can see both inner and outer realities.

Keeping

balance and

having

"crow medicine"

allows the people who acceptit tofind theirown persona] truth.

Pterodactyl_{in size,} these birdschase Phoebe into

bed,

where she dreams into herteenageyears. Thistimewhen she wakesit isdaylight Sheturns off an

alarm, symbolizing the coming of responsibility. Herschoolbooks represent

the pressuresof adulthood. Phoebe moveshunched and_groggydown the hall. Birds begintocircle

her,

butthis timeittakes Phoebe a whiletonotice. Like her

parents, Phoebe's senses aredulled. We are led tobelievethatPhoebewill follow theirsame path.

Then,

inone _angrymoment, Phoebe notices abird and

swats atitwithherschool books. It falls to theground, injured and wretching.

When Phoebe seesthebird in such a

dramatically

_{different position,} she

truly

wakes. She feels pity for her tormenter. The

dividing

linebetweengood and evilblurs just

long

enoughfor Phoebe to learn something. Powercomesto thosewho canfeelcompassionforothers. In

doing

this, Phoebe is

finally

more

powerfulthan her fears. Shecan _{step into}therealand letherfearsgo,which shedoes. "This isthe wonderfulmessageof youth. Youthsays we cando better thanour_parents, not

by following

_them, but

by

_goingourown way. "

(Johnny

Robinson). Thiswasthe mostdifficultpart ofthe_storytobothwrite and portray. In orderto save

Phoebe,

Ihad tosavemyself. _{Midas's story} ends_{only in his}

ruin. Iwas

hoping

for something better for

Phoebe,

but inordertodoso 1 hadto battlesomeof_myownfears.

The babethatgrows _upthrough the _storycould _{be any}girl or_every girl. Her

parents are everyone's parents. Herfears frighten us all.

By

_making these

assumptions

however,

I have exposed myself. Therisks are more personal, but thelessonsmostvaluable._As1 discovered_{the story,} Iwasforcedtoface_my

own

fears,

contemplate _myrelationships and find a solution to Phoebe's

dilemma,

whichis so closeto_myown. The

journey

wasa

highly

personal one.

Phoebe's issues are tribal. She fights physical chaoswhile

trying

to find her

own identity.This

identity

isfound

by learning

a new_wayof _{viewing her}

environmentand its influence onthe rest ofhertribeorfamily. Shebecomes an individual_onlywhen _{separating from her f}amity's beliefpatterns. In orderto

Julie AnneJurgens

Thesis Paper

finish the project

by

the

deadline,

1wasforced to putmyself in Phoebe's

situation. In thisway, 1not_onlycreatedthe end, but felt it. Theoverwork and

creative ambitionthatshadowsPhoebe's parents isalso _myown.

My

project

journal reflectsthis.

"1 1/14&8 Aftercareful evaluationI findmyself a littleover_{half way} there. With

Thanksgivingand goodhealth Ishouldbeableto finishbefore thedeadline.I'vestopped

answeringthephone. Thatshouldhelp. Showersand_sleepare a second priority. _Eatingis important. Nocoffee and no_yellingat yourhusband. _Payattentiontoyourcat. "

Eventually

I began toquestion _myattachments and _similaritytoPhoebe. A later

entry follows:

"Myreasoning foraNovember 30thanimationdeadline iscurious.Irollitover_{in my}mind_asking

myselfforanswers. Inordertomeetthe_date,I mustturnmyselfintoPhoebe. HowcanIget out?

Shehidesfromevilbirds. Iam plagued_{bycommitments,}deadlinesand creations.Thiscreationis

about_pressuringanditpressuresmetofinish."

Phoebefinds herown truth

by freeing

the bird. In a symbolic_sense,she letsgo

ofher

fears,

andfreesherself. When she smiles, itisthesmileoffulfillmentand

freedom.

The Sound

track:

Oneofthe most

intimidating

partsof Phoebewasthesoundtrack. I am

accustomedto_workingfrom thetrack_{to the visuals,} nottheother_way around. I

relyonthe trackto

help

memake _manyof _my

timing

decisions. Although i find

this_wayof_working

ideal,

it isnotalwaysan option, in_{this case,} I chose a

musician tofollowthe visuals withatrack. I chose, Zak Margolis. Asafellow

student and animator, Zak hasgood knowledgeof animation and the

importanceof a goodtrack. He has made _{many tracks for}others within the

graduate animation program. Igave him afew sound samplesthatI had

recorded, andfull freedomtocreate.

Among

thesamples were a series of

songsplayed

by

Evi Robinson (age

12)

on herviolin. _{Evi's song} appearsat the

end ofthetrackwhen Phoebe lets the bird go and settlesdowntodo herwork.

Also_{among the samples,} were clipsfroman interviewwith Phoebe Bruce (age

3)

speaking tome about"dragons and _scarymonsters". She singsthe _{song in}

the

beginning

_asking us"notto touch the furniture". She is also much ofthe

breathing,

snorting, scratching,

baby

sounds, and bird calls. The interview that I

had with Phoebe hadalarge partin theconceptualbirthof the project.

Zakhadfull freedomasto the"sound"ofthetrack. Iwasnot specific about what

instruments heshould _{use, only}thatthetrack_{be sufficiently}

frightening

at the

climax, quietthroughout the decision and brightatthe film'sconclusion. Zak did

a wonderfuljob

doing

allthose things. With a combination of percussion,

trumpetand _guitar, Zakdescribes thesounds within a child's head. Hisworld is

musical, yetfilledwith the randomnessthatlife hands us. I owe agreatdealto

histalents.

Soundeffects weredone

by

myself after _{putting both}trackand visuals together.

Activities included _{making baby-size bundles} of cloth to simulate the_{picking up}

and _puttingdown of_{young Phoebe.} A leather purse

flap

was a bird'swings.

My

bare feetwerePhoebe'swhen she runsdown the hall.

The Aesthetics and

Technological Aspects:

Phoebe is the third ofaseries of shortsmade at Rochester Instituteof

Technology. It is preceded

by

twoworks of similaraesthetic style inthree

completelydifferentmediums. Ittakesitsplace asthemost complexof the

three, combining both thetwoand threedimensional. The_storyisforthe first

Julie Anne Jurgens ThesisPaper

time not preceded

by

a prerecorded audiotrack. Justas 1 amavisual _person,

and Phoebe

is,

ina_{sense, my story}ratherthanaportrait ofanother, thevisuals

took precedence. Phoebe also encompasses abit moreofthe surrealthando

mypastfilms.

Imagery

fades inand out. Camera focus is unpredictable.

Backgroundslack_manyofthe _{ninety degree} anglesthat to us_say "stability".

In _myprevious

films,

Uncle Dutch and Mrs.Rovston, Uncle Dutch's distorted

memories and Mrs. Royston's lizard impressions can

hardly

be said to

encompass all people.

They

_{describe very}specific_people,

behaving

in _very

specific (albeit

dysfunctional)

ways. Phoebe on theother hand could _{be any}

child, or_everychild. Her parents are everyone'sparents. Her fearsareour

fears,

andher lesson isonethatweall learn.

As was said earlier, Phoebe is atwodimensional hand drawncharacter. Her

movements are meantto be realistic, withfollowthrough ofboth hairand dress.

She hasthe classic oversized

"cuteness"

proportions, balanced out

by

an over

all miserable lookon herface. Thank God for crankychildren. Atone point

while scanning, myhusband turned to me andexclaimed

"Finally

thisgirl is

smiling!"

Iwaspleased and alerted to thefactthat_{my faces had been}

effectivelyexpressive.

Also mentioned

before,

Phoebe's birdsare three dimensional puppets.

They

arein actuality, one bird composited overand overin Adobe's After Effects. The

color and contrastwereadjusted _according to thedesired background.

Size,

color and perspective were also adjustable.

Compositing

these imageswas a

trial. Had Ipaid more attentionto theoriginal

lighting

and _choreographyofthe

shots, compositingthe components would havebeen much easier.

Instead,

I

learnedthehard way. I learnedthatan extra_step nowsaves

fifty

later. Aproper

greenscreen should be_evenlylitwith no shadows.

They

should be_completely

focused or shotin layers. Objectsshould becropped

by

theframeaslittle as

possible(one can_only recreate whatisnottherewithgreatdifficulty). Noneof

these thingsdid I do_particularlywell. After Effectshas many tools

however,

and

compensationfor abad greenscreenIsoneofthem. Although i ended _up

drawing

and _{redrawingmanydigital masks,} 1 did nothaveto reshoot _my

original footage.

Backgrounds weredrawn intherough ona lighttableand then colored _using

both Adobe

Photoshop

and Fractal Painter. I can not_{imagine using} one

programwithouttheother. Painter'sstrengths liewithinits speed and its

visually oriented, pressure-sensitive tools. Fractal's

"smeary

water"

tool is far

superiorto_any of Photoshop'sblur_tools, withaquickerresponsetime and

greaterbrush specification. Painterisanexcellent_wayto blockin and blend

backgrounds quickly before

they

ever reach Photoshop. Atthatpoint

they

are

crudepaintings,

functional,

but not convincing. It is with Photoshop's

photographictools that

lighting

effects can be addedtocreatedepth ofspace

and time of

day

illusions.

The Title:

My

pastfilms haveallbeen _{portraits, titled} afterthepeople

they

represent.

Phoebehoweverwas _myown story,oronethat Iadaptedto thepointof

being

unrecognizable.

My

questforatitlewaslike

trying

to find a_{label for my}

life,

or a

new name. Belowisalistof some ofthelosers.

They

_sayquite abit aboutthe

story.

GrowingOut AlHsOne

UpnotOut Herbivore

Julie Anne Jurgens Thesis Paper

Mgration Hymn First Migration

Wicket Consciousness

Slow

Awakening

InsidetheHouseatGuymard

Iandtheworldareequivalent. TheInevitableCommotion

EvenaFistwas once anOpen_{Palm With Fingers (stolen but I really likedit)}

Everything

thatwas appropriateto the content seemed to ooze a new-age

morality lecture. "Phoebe"on theother

hand,

wasnot_onlythe name of the

childon _mysound _track, butalso has its

history

grounded in literature for

thousandsof years. The Greek Goddess

Diana,

also known as

Phoebe,

was a

favorite ofZeusand thus allowedto live outher lifewithout a husband. "She

was ruler of_{the night, the}forestand all darkand wild things. Shewasprotector

ofthe

dewy

youth'

and preserver oftheyoung. In her isshown most_vividlythe

uncertaintyofgood and evil which is apparent in _everyone of thedivinities."

The

Storyboard:

Phoebe changed so often and in so_manyways_{it is impossible to trace its many}

versions.

My

advisorswere insistentthat the_{story stay}true toitsobjectives.

Fromthe start, the_storywastodescribeanddeal withthe _wayachild must

learn tosee herworld

differently

in ordertogrow up. The detailsofthe_story,

such asthe gender of_{the parent,} parental _roles, character

design,

_animation,

edits and

timing

wereall

important,

but always secondto thestoryobjective.

Theseelementsare_simplythe tools usedtotell astory.

Perhapsthe most significant ofchanges madeto the original storyboard _{is the}

removalofthe bathroom scene. Fartoo _manyviewerswere confused

by

a

constant _opening and _closing ofdoors. The layoutofthespace was also

helping

toadd to the confusion. Whatwas _originally meant as atransitional

metaphorfor_growing older, became unnecessary. Sometimes less is more.

Phoebe no longer runsfromthe bed tothe bath. She isnow awakened

by

the

sound of birds. She

investigates,

discovering

the disturbance in herparent's room. She isfrightened and runsback to bed.

Anothersignificant change is inthe numberand lengthofthe nightmare

sequences.Theseshotswere somuch funtoanimate and added to the

suspense

level,

thatI addedtwo moreofthem.

They

add to hertorment

increasing

in length and viciousness.

Pheobe herself changed. She is no longerthe blond girl in the firstfewboards.

Her blond hair wasdesigned todistractthe viewer_{away from} myself. _I,

however,

began to seeher blondness as an indication ofbackground and

wealth. As a

brunette,

I was

hoping

thatPhoebewould have more mileagein

thenon-European world. With dark

features,

Phoebe can be connectedto

many nationalities, without _excluding some.

The Appendixes:

Appendix _{A is my}originalthesisproposal. Notethe _many changes in my

originaltreatment. Phoebeno longer has so _{many different} ages. She no

longershoosthebirds from her bed. She is nolonger hard at workatthesame

deskas herfather.

Appendix B is_my originalstoryboard. Appendix B revised is theoriginal with pencil revisions.

Appendix C includes stills and descriptions from the final film.

Appendix D includescharacterdesign sketchesof

Phoebe,

and several color

copiesof _myprocessjournal.

Appendix

A-MFA Thesis Project Proposal

"More"

By

Julie Anne Jurgens

MFA

Imaging

Arts/

Computer Animation

SCHOOL

OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS AND SCIENCES

ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

ROCHESTER,

NY

February,

1998

Treatment

"The real treasure is that _{laid up}

by

a man or woman through _charity and

piety, temperance and _self control... The treasure thus hid is _secure, and does not pass

away."

Buddhist

teaching

A

baby

sits in the center of alarge

empty

room. We see what

the

baby

sees, and hear it's

phlegmy

breath. Ifs fatwet

fingers hold

a

simple blue plasticdonut. Throughthe donufs hole a

doorway

appears. Within it is amiddle aged manloaded with

briefcases

and

paperwork. Theman approaches the child gives our camera a "kiss" and departs.

Immediately

after, the

scenery

descends as the

baby

is liftedup, carried down a shorthall and

deposited

in

bed.

From between cribbars the child can see her

father,

still in office _attire,

struggling at

his

desk. He is back lit

by

the glow of acomputer

monitor and surrounded

by

the sinister silhouette of crows.

Despite

where

her

parents sleep. The same

ugly

birds circle above

them,

picking

atthe couple that appear dead insleep. The girl runs past

them,

slamming

the

bathroom

door in fear. Whenthe door opens,

the girl is eight. She returnsto

bed,

only

in time toshoo a few crows

from

their

nesting

placesinher bed sheets and pillows.

They

scream

ather and escape outheropen window.

Fearful,

the child pullsher

blankets

close and

falls

asleep. When she_wakes, she is ateen. She

hits the snooze onthe alarm andjumpsout ofbed. She throws her

clothes _on, grabsher school books and races outthe door. A bird surprisesheronherway. She slamsitwith her schoolbooks.

Thebird hits the

floor, broken,

but alive. The girl watches its

struggle, and regrets. Her expression changes from one of _anger, to

deep

sadness. She picksit_up, cares for itand then sets it

by

an open window.

Grabbing

her

books,

she races out the door.

When againthe door _opens, she is a_young adult. She haswith hera

bag

of crackers.

Placing

her booksonthe desk beside

her,

she

organizes papers until the birds arrive. When

they

do,

the girlbreaks openthe crackers,

sprinkling

the food abouther deskso thatshe might share with

friends

she had once feared.

Budget

"More"

will be a two dimensional narrative, created with a _variety of

different software packages that I _already have available to me on _my home

computer.

Editing

and post production will _rely on school _equipment,

primarily Avid. Expenses are as follows:

Actual

Estimated

Art supplies

(

including

paints, pencils and animation

bond)

$200.00

$200.00

Digital Media

(ten_{zip disks}and two _Jazz) $400.00

$400.00

DvCam Tape $40.00

$40.00

Promotional Video Tapes $45.00

$45.00

(

ten 30min VHS tapes at$4.50 apiece)

Beta Cam Transfer $20.00

Avid Edition Time $1,125.00

(15 hours at $75.00 and_hour)

Musician Fee

$500.00Labor

(500 hours at $10 an _hour)

$5,000.00

Computer and Software

(depreciatedMac₈₅₀₀₎ $1,000.00

Total Anticipated Budget $7,835.00

$715.00

Time line

Late

February

(God willing)

Approval

March 1st

-15th Design

March 15th

-May

30th weeks

Thesis

Key

Poses and Layout

Animate 2 shotsper week for 12

Summer

Internship

or

June 1st

-September 1st

Job

September 1st

-October 17th Complete Animation (Approx. 2shots per

week)

October 17th- _{November 14}

Soundtrack,

Editing

and Post production

November30th Project

Completion

Marketing

Plan

New England Film Festival Mid

November

Movies on a

Shoestring

Early February

Dallas Film /Video Festival November

RAVA Late June

Ottawa Student Animation Festival

Early July

John Hopkins Film Festival

January

SWSX Late

November

Student

Academy

Awards Late

January

Black Maria Film Festival Late

November

Throughthedonut'shole, a_doorwayappears

W

Theman approachesthechild

Thechild's eyes close.

A baby'swetfingers hold ablue

plasticdonut

Within it isa manloaded withbrief

cases

'

1

t(

/]'

Andgivesherakiss.

1

F&>.

5

She looksoutfromhercrib_bars,

Heissurrounded_bysinister crows

On the_way otheballroomshe passes

he-parent's room.

frightenened_bymorebirds,sherunsdown

thehall.

WhensheorjensthedoorsheIseight.

Shegrabsherschoolbooksandheadsto

school.Onthe_waysheis...

Ittails,broken,butalive.

surpr-zedoymorebirds. Angry,she slams

' -:

Appendix B-2

r

Thestcrybeginsen a_livingrocmfleer,

There isa scundcue,Fatherenters,_heavy

withbocks.

Phoebe investigatesa strange scundin the

right.

Phoebeenjoysherworld,

In her'Tib,Phoebeisconcernedfcr her fathers

wellbeing,

Appendix C- part 2:

Phoebe'sparent's room isfilledwith pecking crows.

.

Darkandsinister.

Phoebe awakesto an alarm.

Phoebe isstartled in the hallway.

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