Featured
THE LIBRARY /
Annie’s day at The Library starts like any other, but the intriguing man who takes the seat opposite her encourages her thoughts to stray. Theo is equally distracted, not least by his books on the Renaissance nude, which set his mind – and pulse – racing.
Produced for The London Library through the National Centre for Computer Animation.
UK | 4 mins | 2012
The Library was inspired by the historic London Library. There is a wonderful intensity to the silent relationships between people who see each other daily, but rarely exchange a word. When imagination is further stimulated by books, who knows what thoughts pass through their heads? Voyeurism becomes a central theme - that distracted gaze that amalgamates reality and fantasy until you forget where you are.
"Leo produced an excellent and charming animation set in the London Library. The animation added a dimension to our online outreach strategy - the underlying aim of which is to develop and engage an audience consisting of members and non-members. It helped to bring the atmosphere and quirkiness of the Library, so beloved by members, to life, gave content for the established literary following while also opening up small film festivals as a forum to raise profile and awareness."
- Lottie Cole, London Library
The film draws on a wide range of inspirations, starting with the dominant materials in the library space: wood and paper. And so Director Leo Crane turned to the great woodcut prints of Die Brücke and German Expressionism for the character designs.
The rhythm is inspired by the habitual patterns of library readers: favourite seat, unconsciously repeated mannerisms. In this, the film is inspired by the great Pina Bausch, who developed and manipulated a rhythmic repetition to create tension and narrative in her dance pieces. Further inspiration comes from the animated film Repete, whose director Michaela Pavlátová uses the tension of repetition to breaking point. The Library also references pop culture cinematography from Baywatch and early Lynx adverts to add playful innuendo and sexual intensity.
"I had the absolute pleasure to view Leo Crane's film "the Library" while judging the MIA Animation Film Festival in 2012. His stylized animation and human interaction motifs drove his film to center stage. He not only won my vote, but also my hopes to seeing more work from this talented story teller."
- Bill Buckley, Neversoft, Los Angeles
“We unanimously voted Leo’s film best of the eight entries. And we as a group voiced a hope to see more films in the future. I wish Leo every success in his future endeavors and hope to see more works from him displaying the same amount of wit, style and timing.”
- Mark Anthony Austin, The Third Floor, Los Angeles
"Leo is an excellent animator and story teller. His ability to tell a story with simple gestures is very inspiring, and I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future!"
- Adam McCarthy, Zynga, Los Angeles
The Library is a 3D computer animation with fully articlated puppet characters created in the virtual space of a computer. This style continues into the backgrounds and 2D animation, which were made using a traditional lino cut technique (real world!), then scanned and applied to 3D computer models. This diagram shows the different techniques used and how they were brought together to make the film.
WINNER | MIA Miami 2012
BEST OF 2013 | Be There! Corfu 2013
Anima Mundi, Rio de Janeiro & São Paulo 2014 | Animate Cologne 2013 | Animation in Love, Athens 2013 | Crystal Palace Overground Festival, London 2013 | Crystal Palace International Film Festival, London 2013 | File Anima+, São Paulo 2013 | International Animation Day, Athens 2013 | Ionian International Digital Film Festival 2013 | Kino London 2016 | Libelula Fest, Barcelona 2012 | Monstra, Lisbon 2013 | Movies By The River, Porvoo 2013 | MUMIA, Belo Horizonte 2013 | Reanimania, Yerevan 2013 | ShortScreens, Barcelona 2015 | ShortScreens, Brussels 2015