These are animations done from old War Memorial and MV photos, of Australian recruits going off to WWI. The mood is generally one of cheerfulnuss and expectation, where the young lads are lookiing forward to a jolly adventure in far off lands.
It raises the question in my head - what would I have done if I'd been 19 in 1914?
I hoped with these animations to put the viewer into the photgraph, without altering the mood or content as far as I could. I'm still not sure whether the technique gets in the way of the content, whether viewers will be looking at the faces of these young men, boys, and seeing themselves in their shoes, or just being distracted by the motion.
Swearing in.
The dark clouds are maybe a bit too obvious. That bible is gettin' heavy.
Bayonet drill
This one worked very well. The layout of the photograph naturally lent itself to the animation. Do you notice the drill sargeants arms wobbling a bit as he holds the pose? I was thinking about doing it to everyone, but ran out of time.
Parade
This was the first photo I worked on. Originally I did a low-res proof of concept and had the soldiers blinking. I might re-do that for the high res version.
Ensay Recruits
Watch for blinks.
Waiting in line.
I love the goofy expression on the first chap in the boater. Bow tie and all!
