Ella O Sullivan
In "Souvenir", a girl revisits a beach where she spent much of her childhood with an old friend, and is swept up in a wave of memories they shared. The film is a meditation on grief, longing and loneliness.
The original aim for this project was to create a personal piece of work that evokes a very distinct mood. I wanted to explore the unresolved grief of old friendships, which I have felt is often overlooked in media. The film was an outlet for me to process past grief and reminiscence in a creative way, and ties in with my thesis topic on memory and non-linear storytelling in film. By applying research and findings from my thesis, my aim was to create a non-linear narrative that evokes a personal sentimentality and appeals to the emotions of the viewer. Using hand-drawn animation and ink textures, I aim to create a tactile yet dream-like piece of work with a more traditional look.
As this is the most ambitious project I have directed on my own so far, my goal was to create a finished piece of work with a strong creative vision that I can be proud of. I hope the project succeeds in creating an immersive atmosphere with a distinct feeling of grief and sentimentality of childhood that can be understood universally.
This thesis aims to explore how filmmaking technique and non-linear narrative are used to portray memory in film. I aim to draw a link between psychoanalysis of trauma and the subconscious, and editing and compositional filmmaking technique, through research into film theory and trauma studies.
Through analysis and comparison of Tarkovsky's Mirror and Resnais' Hiroshima, mon Amour, I aim to explore methodology for varying effective portrayals of memory in film.
Analysis of the films with a non-linear narrative structure; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Je T’Aime, Je T’Aime and Memento, provides an insight into how the atemporal format parallels Freudian theory on trauma, and the “repetition compulsion”.
I am director and animator based in Dublin with a passion for telling stories that explore a strong mood and atmosphere. My focus is on creating narrative and visuals that evoke immense feeling, emphasising the link between visuals and sound design.
I particularly enjoy story and idea development in the pre-production stage, hand drawn animation, as well as creating textured and tactile looking work in the compositing process.
