‘Good Intentions’ Short Film by Anna Mantzaris

5th December 2020
Posted in Behind the Scenes, News, Short Films
05 Dec 2020
Behind the Scenes, News, Short Films
5th December 2020 TimAllen
Good Intentions Crash site poster

It was a delight to animate for Anna Mantzaris on her graduation film at the Royal College of Art. I animated aproximately 60% of the film, giving lots of attention to the anxiety & internal struggle of it’s central character Emma. Once the film was wrapped,  Anna was snapped up as a director for Passion Pictures & rightly so!

In this small thriller about decision making and guilt, a young introverted woman is responsible for a car accident. She escapes the scene but can’t stop thinking or imagining, what happened to the other driver. And soon strange things starts to happen…

The film premiered at BFI International Film Festival and has since then been shown in over 130 Festivals.

Awards:
Best Animated Film, Sehsüchte Festival, 2019
Jury Award, London International Animation Festival, 2019
Best Student Film, Anifilm, 2019
Best Hellenic Creator Award, Animasyros International Animation Festival, 2019
Storytelling Award, Thessaloniki Animation Festival, 2019
Bahega Hafez Award for Best Director, Aswan International Women Film Festival, 2019
Silver Brick, Animax Skopje Fest, 2019
Special Distinction Award, Cine court animé, 2019
Special Mention, Indie Street Film Festival, 2019
Honorable Mention, Florida Animation Festival, 2019

Skwigly Magazine interview with Anna Mantzaris

Good Intentions was shot at The Royal College of Art which made for a cosy shoot with no more than around 4-6 crewmembers at any one time. Anna & I indulged in many deep discussions on the human brain & it’s flight/fight/freeze response, analyzing the ever-shifting paranoia & anxiety of Emma, the film’s central character.

A miniature set for the film's opening shot. You can see the camera on a motion control rig looking down with a bird's eye view

A miniature set for the film's opening shot. You can see the camera on a motion control rig looking down with a bird's eye view

One of the film's freakier moments & great fun to animate!

One of the film's freakier moments & great fun to animate!

I used a long winder rack to help support Emma as she climbed up around 8 steps

I used a long winder rack to help support Emma as she climbed up around 8 steps

This was fiddly to animate as none of the feet connected to the floor well. I used a lot of white or black tack underfoot & steel rods to prop them all up

This was fiddly to animate as none of the feet connected to the floor well. I used a lot of white or black tack underfoot & steel rods to prop them all up

Our largest set was too big for the small studio space so forced perspective buildings were used to give the illusion of distance. It was specific to this one camera angle

Our largest set was too big for the small studio space so forced perspective buildings were used to give the illusion of distance. It was specific to this one camera angle

The crew making the supermarket set. On the right is Hugo the unsung hero of the film, keeping the production organized & doing all post production!

The crew making the supermarket set. On the right is Hugo the unsung hero of the film, keeping the production organized & doing all post production!

The puppets had very small fingers so to help them hold props I pinned wire into their fabric arms, hidden from camera

The puppets had very small fingers so to help them hold props I pinned wire into their fabric arms, hidden from camera

Director Anna puts some final lighting tweaks into the film's closing sequence

Director Anna puts some final lighting tweaks into the film's closing sequence

Director: Anna Mantzaris
Producer: Royal College of Art
Co-Producer: Hugo Vieites Caamano
Screenwriter: Anna Mantzaris, Hugo Vieites Caamano
Director of Photography: Donna Wade
Production Designer: Anna Mantzaris, Hetty Bax
Sound: André Parklind
Music: Phil Brookes
Animation: Tim Allen, Anna Mantzaris, Quentin Haberham, Tobias Fouracre

Stop motion old school techniques! Cotton wool for smoke sliding up fishing wire!

Stop motion old school techniques! Cotton wool for smoke sliding up fishing wire!

A series of LEDs were used to light the fire from beneath, made from cut up pieces of lighting gel

A series of LEDs were used to light the fire from beneath, made from cut up pieces of lighting gel

The walking through walls shot was animated without the walls in place. Instead we used black polyboard to simulate the position of the walls & make the shadows consistent with where the light would be blocked out

The walking through walls shot was animated without the walls in place. Instead we used black polyboard to simulate the position of the walls & make the shadows consistent with where the light would be blocked out

Anna Mantzaris at Passion Pictures

Vimeo: @AnnaMantzaris
Instagram: @AnnaMantzaris
Twitter: @AnnaMantzaris

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