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Annie Browne

BA [Hons] Animation

Hi!I am a 2D animator and illustrator based in Dublin, Ireland. My main interests lie in conceptualising ideas and designing. I love creating backgrounds as they tell the audience extra important details about a story, as everyone knows: ' A picture tells a thousand words.' This year I focused on a personal project called MeeMee. The MeeMee world, made from origami-like paper is attacked by a strange bright orange squishy monster. Where did the creature come from? How can it eat everything, and I mean EVERYTHING in sight?! I was does it meow?! I enjoy infusing a touch of horror into comedy and through my art I hope I achieved this goal.

In contrast to the Sitting Room at Night, the Sitting Room in the Day is much more welcoming. In both spaces I tried to give a continuous wash of green to the colour, to represent to the Scientist’s longing to return to nature. The daylight colours soften the space. Even though the audience can now see the sitting room completely, the light just highlights how much of the Scientist’s work has invaded every nook and cranny of her personal space.

The Monster standing in the *Swamp Level* of the MeeMee world. Since even the water is made of paper, and the Monster is not, the Monster has no reflection- making the Monster indescribably alien and frightening to the MeeMees.

A wide shot of the Monster surveying the vast plains within the MeeMee world and his soon-to-be kingdom.

The animation shown in the Day Hallway background is soft and subtle like the Sitting Room During the Day Background. Even though the light looks warm and soft like natural morning sunlight, the harsh cut of light lets us know that it is not. The dust motes are unnaturally bright, which was a little homage to when Cinderella's dress transforms in **Cinderella** (1951). I really enjoy very subtle animation. For me , the artist of the piece, the unnatural light combined with the little motes of light can be interpreted in as both representing hope that everything works out for the Scientist and also a synthetic splash of beauty on a very grim situation- the MeeMees and their environment being eating alive by the **Monster**.

Concept Art and Character Design of the Scientist who created the MeeMees. I wanted the colours of the scientist to be similar to the colours used in the MeeMee world- to show the Scientists influence and her taste in design of her creation: **The MeeMees**.

Concept Art and Design of the Scientist interacting with her cat. Also, the Scientist holding a MeeMee is featured to provide perspective on the size differences between characters.

Character Concept and Design for the **Monster**. The Monster has the mixed DNA of native MeeMee deer and the Scientist's beloved cat.

Concept Art and Design for the native trees, made from paper, from the MeeMee world.

Concept Art and Design of the Scientist's beloved cat, who has a terrible habit of sneezing into the Scientist's beakers.

This is the only window in the film. It is the first sign of freedom that exists outside the apartment. Nevertheless the window is still framed and somewhat hidden by stacks of books, research papers and big heavy curtains. The ground is covered in paper. For me, the artist, this was done specifically to represent two aspects of the Scientist inner upset. The curtain represented the Scientists attempt to turn away from the lure of abandoning her responsibilities and leaving into the bright unknown. The lack of electrical devices such as touchpads or computers emphasised the Scientists preference to natural materials- which has already been highlighted by the MeeMess being made from paper.

MeeMee

This film tells the story of both the Scientist who created the World of the MeeMees, as well as the story of the MeeMees themselves learning that a world exists beyond their own at the arrival of a strange alien-like 'Monster'.

For my final project I wanted to work on pieces that allowed me to switch from the blocky, hyper-pigmented world of the MeeMees to the more realistic, thin lined world of the Scientist. It allowed me to create a whole separate cartoon world made of paper that had a completely different set of rules regarding biology, physics and chemistry, and then return to the tamer world of the Scientist.

It also allowed me to tell two stories, if not three if we include the Monster, in one go. This was both mentally stimulating and conducive to expanding my skills in diverse background creation within a short space of time.

Original Music Made for Mee Mee MP3

Victims and Villains: The gender divide that is forming within the ‘Uncanny Child’ trope in western horror.

Child-characters, in horror, are used to enhance the fear factor of the film. There is plenty of literature examining the ‘uncanny child’ and their popularity in horror. However, I would like to examine what traits are usually associated with the ‘uncanny child’, and whether these traits are applied to both genders equally.

The stereotypical roles, (the final girl, the scholar, the jock and so on) assigned to men and women, is a well-researched topic in academic literature, and evidenced by countless films. In turn,
I believe, that the uncanny child role is beginning to evolve its own stereotypical traits that divide into two categories based on the gender of the child. In this paper, I will examine several successful horrors, that feature children, and whether gender
influences the traits given to the uncanny child on screen. The uncanny child is a character that exhibits all the stereotypical traits of an innocent child yet has a fickle relationship with the concept of childhood.

It is necessary to keep in mind that the concept of the uncanny child was created by an adult artist and built on by other adult filmmakers. Therefore, I believe it necessary to delve into the notion of childhood and the history that supported its creation, and ultimately, its sanctification in modern culture.

By examining the common social ideologies filmmakers draw from, consciously and subconsciously, I hope to illuminate why the audience of horror continues to be so fascinated by the role of the uncanny child.

Original Music Made for Mee Mee MP3

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