Genesis & Journey

Director’s Statement

In 2013, I read Roy Joseph Butler’s A London Model. This personal account of a life model describes moments of stillness and validation amid the relentless pressures of urban existence. 

Three years later, Roy and I founded our studio Figuration to reveal stories of creativity and community such as this. We launched a series of life drawing events to explore Queer identities, including The Starkers Academy for first-time life models. The first-hand experiences we heard felt like they would be perfect for an animated documentary. Thus began our investigation into a film on life modelling.

When we met feminist clown Jo Calderwood, we found comedy as ballast to the documentary experience. The Professor developed accordingly, both as a real-world host for the live events and as a fictional character in the film. At the same time, we were in talks with Celia, who became our Executive Producer, helped us shape the narrative and landed on ‘Nude Triumphant’ as the title. Alongside Celia, Abigail Addison came on board as Producer, putting the weight and expertise of Animate Projects behind the film, following our earlier collaboration The Foundling. We could now approach the Arts Council with confidence and secure the rest of the funding we needed.

The visual style of Nude Triumphant began with experiments in watercolour. Working from life with Roy as well as Maya Williams, Matthew Oghene and Valentina Rock, I developed techniques to accentuate watercolour’s fluid, layered qualities, working closely with animator Patrick Yates. I then experimented with digital effects to create the first sequences of the three nudes. The central character of Jay was painted frame-by-frame by artist Haemin Ko working from life and video reference. Environments emerged in response to the characters and sound design. Throughout the process, the visuals were free to evolve.

Just as we entered full production, the Coronavirus lockdown hit. The city stopped overnight and - like our protagonist Jay - many people were forced to confront their relationship with time and themselves. Fortunately, we had all we needed to continue working remotely in our separate studios, but the context began to influence the feel of the film. Sequences evolved with isolated figures as well as images of nature thriving in an urban context. Our story was now resonating with a powerful and universal relevance.

As the edit came together, we returned to the sound design we had sketched out months earlier. Compose Andrew Hayes devised, developed and shifted the score to match the evolving visuals. Andy Humphreys (Bark Soho) moulded this into a beat-perfect track, playfully experimenting with exaggerated sounds and subtle foley to match the unconventional visuals.

The result is an eight-minute film that encourages us to pause and reflect, discovering our unique identities in stillness and building a healthier relationship with time and with ourselves.

Leo Crane, 2020

Photos: Angelika Winnett