I believe I have a new favorite animation or visual effects video to add to my list after watching Pas de Deux by Norman McLaren from 1968. I have a background in dance through ballet and other genres, and so seeing the title interested me; its means “dance for two” in French and I often watched other students in my dance classes performing Pas de Deux.
The music choice for the film works well, as it allows the dancer to gradually increase the intensity of her movements. As the film begins, the ‘onion skin’ effect isn’t used immediately, it is not revealed until a kind of exposition could be put in place. The film allows us to become acclimated with the music, dancer, and tone of the overall film before it begins to experiment with its visuals. The dancer then begins to create bigger movements and use more of the space around her.
Regarding the visuals, the film being in black and white is successful. The stark contrast created by the light source they used makes the dancers look graphic, as if they’ve been drawn. It’s clear that Norman McLaren made choices about which moments he would use the ‘onion skin’ effect on and which moments would remain untouched. This is a work I am considering as a topic for my research paper, as I’m fascinated by it and want to study it more.
Side Note: When I first saw this film I immediately thought about a music video by a band called OK Go. It’s called “WTF?” and uses the same ‘onion skin’ effect with plenty of vibrant colors and patterns to create a unique and jumbled visual.
Sydney McPherson
ANIM223 - HISTORY OF ANIMATION - FALL 2019 