Seven Swans (2005)

Director:

Den Serras

Writers:

Jacob Grimm (story)
Pascale Nyby (concept)

Genre:

Short | Fantasy

Tagline:

A fairy tale of love, revenge, and extraordinary beauty.

Plot:

A 30-minute, all greenscreen, all motion collage, dark fairy tale like nothing you've seen before about a resolute young woman who must rebuild a family torn apart by the magical Swan Witch.

Plot Keywords:

Fairy Tale | Motion Collage | Animal In Title | Magic | Green Screen

Awards:

4 wins

Cast

Nika Serras	...	Elise
Lyndsay Griffin	...	Swan Witch
C. Hawthorne O'Flaherty	...	Sebastian
Joe Allen Price	...	Marion
Jon Powell	...	Adam
Jim Baudino	...	Cygnus
John Baudino	...	Cygnus
Ruth Martin Caffery	...	Rose
Gloria Hendry	...	Baba
Kassidee Davis	...	Young Elise
Kirk Hambly	...	Young Sebastian

Runtime:

USA:32 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | TMH Labs 10.2 Channel Sound

Filming Locations:

Cazenovia, New York, USA

Company:

Matterworks

Trivia:

A first of its kind, this was the largest short film, and was fact one of the largest projects, to be created entirely using digital backlot processes. Entirely shot on HD 1080p donated by Panavision in front of a green screen, with backgrounds shot on a 4,000 x 4,000 pixel ultra high definition camera donated by Kodak, the film was built entirely in Adobe After Effects. It employs a unique "motion collage" effect. By deliberately avoiding the use of 3D, the 609 VFX shots were all done by two effects artists in less than nine months, all for a budget of $1M (USD). For comparison, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) was around 1,800 shots for 90 minutes (3x Seven Swans) but cost a reported $100M (USD) and took three years.

a bold new look at film-making

although the mythical story of the fated family unfolds at a slower pace than i may have liked, i cannot deny that this is is a bold new look at film-making.

the pitfalls of acting against a green screen and employing puppets can often wither a cast's ability to "be in the same movie," but the cohesiveness of the storytelling in SEVEN SWANS, and the depth of the performances therein, speak of a solid vision on the part of the creative team.

the juxtaposed images lend themselves to the story at hand, and allowed a sense of the director's eye to be present in a new way... a step beyond merely "setting up the shot."

i will look forward eagerly to their next endeavor!