Willow Machado - A Union Forged
My work this semester is largely focused on recontextualizing mythology for a modern palette, using it as loose inspiration to create new narratives that remain faithful to the essence of the original myths.
A Union Forged takes the common Greek narrative of ‘male god pursuing female nymph,’ and transforms it into a story about overcoming insecurities and forging connections, both figuratively and literally.
My film investigates the contrast between the forge and the outdoor environments, which was an important element in both developing the atmosphere, and in setting the tone for each scene. I explored the dichotomy between fire and water to establish my characters, and used the lighting and effects as a storytelling tool, rather than relying on heavy character acting or dialogue.
At its core, A Union Forged is the story of a red figure vase. Ancient Greek pottery is ripe with beautifully painted figures, which often depicted stories of everyday life, culture, and mythology. This is what led to creating the vase which became the thru line of the story. Along with its mythological roots, the film nods to the storytelling in red figure pottery and translates it into the modern media of animation.