Faculty of Art

Experimental Animation

Iulia Iordache

Frog Beats Steel

An experimental approach towards a combination of 2D and 3D short animation from pre- production to post-production.Within a forest inhabited by frogs, an unexpected protector and an unwelcome pair of knights clash paths. This short animation plays with the concept of prey and predator, and whether this cycle can be broken or just delayed?Sound Designer and Composer: Michelle Qadir

“Frog Beats Steel is an experimental animation fusing my admiration for 2D and 3D art stylistically. Utilizing programs such as Blender, Krita, Substance Painter and Premiere Pro to render out my final short animation. The animation itself is a combination of Mixamo presets and keyframed animation, mainly for time efficiency and seamless transitions. Despite the length of the short animation I wanted to communicate an unlikely hero driven by loss and trying to change a repeated cycle. Taking predator and prey species that frequent woodland habitats and characterizing them with connotations to human counterparts. The opening scene not only introduces us to her relationship with the frogs but implies the cycle that she works to prevent while making an offering to a shallow grave. The next scene her position and view changes, she is looking down at the fox knights from an advantage point slowly pursuing their movements and conversation. She lunges and uses her stature to scare them off, but she remains watchful and stuck emotionally tied to the cycle she’s fighting against.”