Camille Kiffin

River Child

River Child is an Animated Short that seeks to bring new life to one of Jamaica’s oldest folk tales about the River Mumma. As the tale goes the River Mumma is siren/mermaid like being with a golden comb. She is often found near rivers and there have been rumored sightings all over the island such a being. Those who manage to steal her golden comb are met with riches beyond their wildest dreams. However, those who have tried to steal this comb and failed are met with a most horrendous death. Such tales would often be told to children by the elders during family times and there would often be great debate about the validity of such stories but nevertheless, these moments to a quite valuable and this short seeks to expand on such folktales. This retelling of the story takes creative liberties in exploring what it would look like for a child to engage with the mermaid. In this short animation the child is intrigued by the light given off by the comb and seeks to explore the glowing flash only to realize that the comb is on the head of a being. Being reckless the child takes the comb while the mermaid is distracted by her own routine. When the mermaid discovers her comb gone, she tries to take it back and the ending takes a gruesome twist contrasting the initial pacing of the story. As Japanese anime has become popular in all parts of the world this story borrows from the anime world not only in style but also in storytelling. Those who indulge in anime often become lost in plots that have a very historical background, but the plot is often remastered and played with. Having the freedom to play with folktales creates a space where these folktales never truly die but they often take different shapes and travels with society as it changes over time. To base the work in Jamaica, the location used is Spanish Bridge. It is a popular tourist destination which is more popular with locals, but the way the sun hits the water on a beautiful day wraps the place in vibrant colours or blues and greens which made it the perfect setting for some Sunday trouble. The backgrounds were made in photoshop using photo references and the characters were animated using puppet animation in After Effects. Puppet animation felt like the perfect way to give the character life. As folk tales often are retold with a sense of mechanical touch to them, and the plot is one that is quite innocent but does take a gruesome turn. Between the character design and the animation style it was done in a way where the ending wouldn’t be too shocking for viewers

“River Child is an Animated Short that seeks to bring new life to one of Jamaica’s oldest folk tales about the River Mumma. As the tale goes the Mermaid like creature bears a comb which if successfully stolen can lead to unimaginable riches but failure will most certainly lead to your demise. This short takes liberties in telling an innocent yet gruesome tale of what would happen if a child were to steal this infamous golden comb. When the mermaid discovers her comb gone, she tries to take it back and the ending takes a gruesome twist contrasting the initial pacing of the story. Using puppet animation in After Effects and Photoshop this animated short shows off vibrant details of lush tropical greens and blues that may lead some to believe that the animate short will have a comedic end. ”