We like to gather inspiration in all shapes and forms and this one comes from a Playgrounds Eye Candy guest editor: illustrator and animator Rachelle Bakker. As animated documentaries are part of her interests, she chose to show-case an artist that is doing quite a fantastic job in this department. Meet Swedish film director Jonas Odell.
Rachelle: “When I am looking for inspiration, Jonas’ work gives me that. The stories he tells interest me and make me always want to see more of his work. He manages to give you the feeling the people are right in front of you, telling their story. Very personal stories. When a film director can give me this feeling, they definitely get my attention.
Jonas Odell is a Swedish film director that uses mixed media to create animated documentaries and music videos. His documentaries are always touching gripping topics. ‘Lies’ a film by Jonas Odell, that shows how truth turns out to be more intriguing than fiction, even when it is about lies.”
I think the use of mixed media animation to visualize these stories, really brings them to another level. Jonas Odell, for me, is an example of how to create my own animated documentary and bring the story to life as good as possible.”
“In another one of his films, ‘Never like the first time’, four people are telling what is was like to lose their virginity. They have all one thing in common: it is never like the first time. Both movies were well received and even won prizes.”
Rachelle Bakker is a 24 year old illustrator/animator based in the Netherlands, currently doing an Animation Master. She is currentl;y exploring her passion for animated documentaries. She loves to search for interesting stories of real people and to portray them in a way that makes you feel intimate with the characters. The subjects that speak most to her are those which are hard to talk about.