Anastasija Culkova
“Perfect Places” is an animated short film about two sisters on a road to understanding and seeing each other. On a sunny summer day they begin to share hobbies and sweet traditions with each other. Inspired by my own summers as a child, this short is a little love letter to my family and the countryside.
In my four years here at IADT I have prioritised 2D animation and storytelling in my work. I have experimented with texture, colour and animation techniques so when it came to approaching my fourth year film I decided to approach it with an open mind.
Though in the past I have dabbled in animating on paper, currently I prefer using digital media. For this short film in particular I wanted to embrace a messy and hand drawn style so I didn’t clean up texture, if anything I used brushes that would accentuate the “natural” grain and give it a mix media look.
I prefer drawing with coloured pencils and graphite so I wanted to translate that to the short film I knew I’d spend a lot of time working on. The backgrounds in particular I redrew many times and chose specific colours I associate with dreamlike sequences and memories. In my preproduction work I actually ended up using a tricolour pencil, and I found that those sketches were the most affective when it came to setting the tone.
Being the only person working on this film, it gave me the opportunity to make as many changes as I wanted to without having to explain to anyone the rational behind them. It gave me immense amounts of freedom as well as a chance to tell the little story in any way I wanted to.
It also came with a lot of struggles, I had to teach myself new skills in a short period of time but nonetheless I feel it was never time wasted. I’ve worked on projects with bigger teams before and it proved to be just as educational and rewarding as the work I’ve done this year. Animation is after all an industry that depends on the community of artists and I believe thrives creativity in numbers.
Seeing the work that my friends got up to this year inspired me and motivated me in moments where I felt this project would never be finished. I had so much support from try loved ones and friends, it meant a lot to know there were people who believed I could achieve my goals.
This essay aims to explore the concept of the monstrous feminine through the lens of horror media. Coined by Barbara Creed, the concept examines the intersection of femininity and monstrosity in cultural narratives. By analysing various representations of women as monstrous figures in film. This thesis seeks to understand the societal anxieties surrounding female identity, sexuality, body, and power dynamics. Also, the monstrous feminine challenges the traditional notions of femininity, portraying women as both powerful and threatening, thus subverting patriarchal expectations.
My name is Anastasija Culkova and I specialise in 2D animation. I directed and produced the short film "Perfect Places" in my final year here at IADT. Telling the story through the lens of childlike curiosity is what inspires me to create something that feels personal and familiar.
