Israelism
Documentary Feature - Animation Director, Art Director
Israelism explores the past, present, and future of the relationship between American Jews and Israel.
Israelism asks how and why Israel became the cornerstone of American Judaism, what the consequences have been, and what will happen as divisions continue to grow. We worked with directors
Erin Axelman and Sam Eilertsen as well as the Tikkun Olam team to create three animated segments for this incredible project, recounting the memories and experiences of various characters in the documentary.
Character Design
Given the somber subject matter, we decided to take an editorial approach to the visual style. Using no exterior outlines, realistic proportions, simplified shapes, and silhouettes with delicate linework, we kept inner details for character clothing and facial features fairly minimal.
Style Frames
Inspired by films like Waltz with Bashir, we were keen on incorporating strong graphic shapes and low-key lighting to highlight the drama in each sequence. We created simple, abstract environments with minimal linework and subtle textures.
Animation & Compositing
These segments were created using digital 2D frame-by-frame animation. During compositing, the dark line with the details and shadows were rendered separately and each color was placed in a separate layer, loosely inspired by the same process that is used in screen and woodcut printing.
