Unveiling the Unseen: Blips and Hidden Layers in The Turner Project
The creative journey, especially in animation, is rarely a straight line. It’s a dynamic dance of intention and chance, where sometimes the most captivating discoveries emerge from the unlikeliest of places. Here at Plume Films, we often find beauty in the 'oddments' and 'leftovers' of our projects – those fleeting glimpses of frames half-in-construction that reveal a new, abstract, and often pleasing form. This is particularly true when delving into the intricate world of our work on The Turner Project with the Tate, a collaboration we’re incredibly proud of.
The Magic of Unseen Layers: An Animator's Secret Sketchbook
Animation, especially when producing richly textured work, involves building incredibly complex sequences. We're talking about projects stacked 40-plus layers high, where channels are constantly being turned on and off. This isn't just for workflow efficiency; it's a crucial part of our creative decision-making process. And then, something quite magical happens. You're deep in the creative flow, toggling layers, and suddenly, with a few 'eyes' turned off, you're presented with an image you've created without even realising it. These are the moments we cherish, the frames we save out and store away – our secret visual diary of the development process.
Take a look at that lead image below. What do you see?
This particular frame from The Turner Project, an unintentional visual, evokes mysterious emergence. A vibrant, red, watercolour-like plume with two stark white, almond-shaped cutouts suggests an ethereal presence, hinting at an otherworldly form taking shape with an intriguing blend of softness and intensity.
Finding Meaning in the Abstract: A Nod to Surrealism
So, what is it, this form? What's happened here? I suppose it's much the same as looking at any abstract artwork. You might even follow the surrealist and Dadaist methodologies, like the game of exquisite corpse, where you produce the picture first and find the meaning after. These accidental compositions become Rorschach tests for our own creative interpretations, offering unexpected insights into the subconscious work happening behind the scenes.
Early experiments in preparation for rotoscoping
From 'Accident' to Intentional Art: The Turner Project's Character Reveal
But here's the fascinating part: this isn't some standalone abstract piece. This is just a couple of layers from the recent work we produced for the "Turner on a Wing" project with the Tate. This post includes a few more of those development pictures – less happy accidents, more working out the structure, the tone, the brushes, and ultimately, the feeling of the reveal of J.M.W. Turner as he looks to camera.
Trying out brushes for the Turner Project. We opted for a clean standard brush to add a sharp elegance to the work
These images, while missing a few steps in the full sequence, offer a lovely quick dive into the sketchbooks and the intricate workings of our bespoke animation process. They illustrate how even the seemingly random combinations of layers can inform and inspire the final artistic direction. They demonstrate the meticulous craft that goes into every frame, ensuring that when J.M.W. Turner finally appears on screen, it's with an impact born from countless hours of creative exploration – both intentional and serendipitous.
Our collaboration with the Tate on The Turner Project allowed us to push the boundaries of historical animation, translating complex artistic narratives into engaging and accessible content. We believe in the power of animation to not just tell stories, but to evoke emotions and offer new perspectives, much like Turner himself did with his revolutionary brushstrokes.
Turner On The Wing, a three screen film comes to Tate Britain in 2025. Read more here
