"Hewn": Analysis

          "Hewn" by the Animation School is an animated short film that I recently watched. It follows a father made of wood and his son, who is made of metal. The son is kept alive by the fire in his chest, however, he thus has an insatiable need for wood to keep his fire alive. This is a problem as he keeps on eating everything made of wood, including their house (excluding the father, thankfully). Eventually, the house falls and the father, angry, turns away and goes to sleep. The son then goes and stands in the rain, allowing himself to die. When his father discovers what he's done, he desperately tries to save his life with a wooden windmill that he had once gifted his son. It works, both bringing his son back to life and curing his need for wood. The motto of the story seems to be the need to use renewable energy sources as non-renewable sources such as coal is costing the planet dearly. It is also a heart-warming tale about the love between a father and a son, thus conveying two messages in one.
          As for the technical side of things, it is unclear what program was used to create the film, but it is evidently a good one. The render quality is amazing and the simulations look great. The texturers for the project did an amazing job; they clearly used bump mapping as the textures for the characters and the environment looks great. As for the modelers, they were able to input quite a lot of detail, such as in the hair of the characters, or the tiny gears inside the boy, or even the objects inside the house. The animated movements look quite natural--not jerky--which is great. Additionally, I love the sky at all times--it has an almost water color feel to it. The team uses principles of design such as simplicity (especially in the beginning). It also helps emphasize the metal child in the wooden house, and how he does not necessarily fit in. I suppose the only issues I had with the project were that it gives the idea that the child had to change to fit his fathers needs and expectations, which might just be me. Also, as some pointed out, the child would "die" every time the pinwheel stopped spinning, which could be anytime there wasn't a wind to spin it.
          Ultimately, I think this is a very well made and meaningful film, it carries a simple but strong concept and is able to get it across, which can often be hard to do.