Shorts about Giants is an Argentinian web series produced by UN3.TV, and is composed of micro animated episodes about the life and work of famous directors.
These episodes feature filmmakers such as Jim Jarmusch, Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Tim Burton, Jean Luc Godard, Quentin Tarantino, Wong Kar Wai, Alfred Hitchcock, Federico Fellini, Lars Von Trier, Pedro Almodovar, Charles Chaplin and Leonardo Favio.
Each episode focuses on a different audio-visual artist, making use of diverse animation techniques and representing the typical aesthetics of their work. Shorts about Giants is a modern tribute to these artists’ paths.
Did you ever encounter any difficulties making the different animation styles flow together, if so, how did you combat that issue?
The series was conceived as a collage made of diverse techniques and styles, but with the aim of creating an identity where every chapter looked like a whole. In order to achieve that, we established some guidelines to follow in each episode, for example in Wes Anderson’s chapter we stuck to the color palette in Jarmusch’s with the black and white.
Despite all that, many times we have been disappointed on how one scene overlapped with the other, and we changed it several times. We were not always satisfied, but we believe that, in general, we have achieved the identity we were looking for.
Why should people watch your series?
Firstly, we suppose that people should watch our series because it shows us a part of the filmmaker’s history that is both unknown and interesting, particularly for the movie buffs and cinema students.
Secondly, the aesthetic of the animation is a pretty curious thing and we think that this aspect draws attention.
What do you want audiences to take away from your series?
We want them to learn things they didn’t know about their favourite movie directors and about cinema in general. We hope they find the images attractive.
From start to finish, how long did it take to complete this project?
We first made the pilot episode which is the one about Jim Jarmusch. We worked two months for that chapter. After that, it took us ten months approximately to get the other 12 chapters done.
How many people worked on this project?
Since the styles and techniques mixture was enabled, many friends and artists that we admired were able to participate in doing little parts.
Beyond that, the working team was pretty small:
Sol Rietti, Ignacio Violini y Analía Schnitman were the project’s leaders: directing, doing the arts and animating. Fernando Milsztajn y Pablo Di Luozzo was in charge of the scripts. Martín Scaglia made everything related to the sound. Martín Tiraboschi put his voice for the voice over.
We had some permanent collaborators too: Nicolás Aponte, Nicolás Giarruso, Juan Manuel Dirassar, Ariela Bergman and the graphic designer Ficha Claps. Also, all the UN3 team, especially Anahí D’Amato, followed the project in all the stages and contributed with suggestions and corrections.
Have you achieved the goals you set for this series?
Yes, with Shorts about Giants we did not only achieved the goals we’ve set, but also we overcame them. We did not expect all the nominations and awards we’ve received over the last year in many festivals all around the world.
What is your favourite thing about making web series?
Our favourite part of doing web series is when we release them. It’s the most heart-warming part when the online views start to grow exponentially. We really enjoy the feedback with the audience, not only the good comments but also the bad ones.
Are there any web series, other than your own that inspire you?
The first inspiration was a video I saw on YouTube. It is called Procrastination and is the thesis from the talented animator Johnny Kelly. We liked the mix of techniques and transitions that it had. So, we mixed that with the inspiration that the movies of the directors we retreated gave to us.
Shorts About Giants on web:
Watch Shorts About Giants
UN3TV Website
UN3TV on Facebook
UN3TV on Twitter