ABOUT THE DIRECTOR;  

Thomas McNicholas is a 35-year-old animation student, based in Penistone, South Yorkshire, UK.

 

Cause and Effect; is his first short film. Based loosely on his own experiences with grief, mental illness and suicidal tendencies.

 

Three styles of animation were used throughout this film.

The main reason for this was to distinguish reality from fantasy within the film's world.

 

The first style used was 3d puppet stop motion animation, to represent what is happening in the here and now in the real world of the film. 

 

Another style used was cutout stop-motion animation. This represented the thoughts of the protagonist in the film and helps the viewer distinguish between the projections in his mind and what is the film's reality.

 

Finally, Thomas Chose to make and film zoetropes to represent mental illness for several reasons:

 

* It is a nod to Eadweard Muybridge - The Horse in Motion and how a bet about if a horse ever left the ground whilst running helped shape the art of animation. 

* Metaphorically it symbolises obsessive and negative thoughts going around in circles to no apparent end. 

It is also a nod to his struggles with ketamine addiction a few years ago.

 

Drawing on his experience as a pianist and composer the soundtrack to this film compliments the mood conveyed as it transitions throughout the film.