TOM - Final Year Short Film
TOM, is a short film That I helped create in my last year of study at Victoria University of Wellington doing a Master of Design Technology Majoring in Animation . The film was screened at NZIFF 2018 as part of Animation NOW! Dark Hearts, A powerful collection of animation exploring the singular creative visions of artists in touch with the dark side of the human condition.
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With 'TOM' I tried to touch on the blurred lines of reality for someone who experiences an extreme mental disorder. It also serves as a metaphor, for depression and how perspectives can be warped depending on someone's mental health. Someone else's reality may differ to yours but to deminish what they are going through because you see their issues differently only pushes them further into the darkness. The title of the short is a reference to the Matrix 'Thomas Anderson aka Neo' and his battle with reality - Tom's last name is revealed as Daniels (Teddy Daniels of Shutter Island) a film In which I drew a lot of inspiration. The shot at the end of 'TOM' is to link it back to the start of the film and show that his perception has changed though his version of reality is still warped.
