New animated brief movie emphasizes the cruel realities of animal experiments
The anti-cruelty charity Humane Society International (HSI) has launched Save Ralph, a short film that explores the realities of animal testing. The short film was created by London-based stop-motion studio Arch Film Studio and director Spencer Susser and calls for an end to cosmetic tests on animals around the world.
The film features HSI's "campaign spokesperson" Ralph voiced by Oscar winner Taika Waititi. Shot in a documentary style, Ralph describes his job to the interviewer (voiced by Ricky Gervais) and speaks positively about the opportunity to help people. During the three-minute short version, viewers are presented with the gruesome truth of what rabbits like Ralph have to endure.
Still image by Save Ralph for Human Society International
The project lasted almost a year and was filmed at Arch Film Studio, part of Arch Model Studio, during the entire lockdown. "We took a look and at first I just wanted to make the doll," says Andy Gent, founder of the studio and model maker, best known for his work on Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs and the Grand Budapest Hotel. “It was supposed to be shot in Oregon. But then, because it was the start of the lockdown and we couldn't travel, I agreed to do the sets as well. "
In collaboration with cinematographer Tristan Oliver and stop-motion animator and director Tobias Fouracre for the project, the film aims to shed light on the plight of countless rabbits and other animals suffering in laboratories around the world, despite the fact that it does so in 40 countries forbidden is. is still legal in most parts of the world.
Despite being an awkward watch, the film successfully uses dark humor and stop-motion animation to create a strong emotional message for viewers. "Animation is amazing because you can communicate really tricky subjects, but because it's animated it also makes everything smoother," explains Gent. "And yet, being able to tell complex stories is very nifty, and especially with stop-motion it is based on a world of reality."
Gent says other forms such as live action were too realistic and horrified the viewer so much that they were turned off. "If you can easily stylize it with animation, it really gets tastier," he says. “And it's smartly done, Ralph is an adorable character that we went out of our way to make sure he's charming while showing a very brave face. Being able to incorporate that means you end up with the harsh reality can pay off without losing people. "
Behind the scenes at Arch Film Studio
It took about 15 weeks to create the model for Ralph, but he started his life initially as a 2D design, like everything on Ghent's projects.
“You have the script, so you have an idea of the performance and the emotional and action-related demands. Claudia Brugnaletti created some character designs that were then translated into a three-dimensional object that gave us a starting point, ”he explains. "Then Christy Matta did a lot of the initial plasticine shapes, but then the model with the fur changed again."
A large part of the job consisted of mocking everything in a "maquette phase" with cardboard cutouts to make sure everything could be realized. The team then spent months and months building it all up. For the handcrafted sets, Gent said it was important to create a place that felt like it had long been where generations of rabbits had been housed before Ralph.
"So the sets feel contemporary and refer to references from the 70s and 80s," he says. "It's also a little cluttered because we wanted it to feel alive. So we looked at lots of photographic references that went with the style and picked a nice palette for everything."
What holds these fine details together is the fact that the film was shot in the style of a documentary that was the brainchild of director Susser and the HSI. "If you do it as an interview, you get a false sense of security that everything is fine and this is his imaginary world in his cage," says Gent. “It plays out pretty well until the harsh reality of his day is real. It really hits you when he's taken out of the cage and taken to the lab, and all the other rabbits panic. So if you do it as pure documentation, it stays very real and in the end doesn't hide anything. "
There were various challenges to face throughout the project, with a tight budget and timeline of everyone involved to be carefully managed and of course the fact that all of this happened during a pandemic. Another challenge was to even out Ralph's appearance as the film progressed. "Trying to create a character that is super adorable while telling a really tough story was a challenge because we wanted to give that punch in the end," says Gent. "So there was the drama of making him look worse for wear and tear than we needed him to keep going."
Although it was not an easy production, Gent and his team were pleased to have the opportunity to take on a project that was shorter than the feature films they have worked on in the past. "It was a nice return to telling a bigger story, but in just three minutes," he says. "It's almost like making a feature film without spending that long on it."
Ultimately, the film was a project for Ghent that they couldn't refuse. "(Animal testing) needs to be completed and I am fully committed to stopping it," he says. “You worked on this campaign and were there for a year. Even if you were on the fence in the beginning, after seeing some reference materials and looking into the subject, I think you must be on board. "
Credits:
Directed by Spencer Susser
Stage and puppet design: Andy Gent and Arch Model and Film Studios
Animation director and animator: Tobia Fouracre
Cinematographer: Tristan Oliver BSc
VFX: Siamese
Sound: James Ashton