Hedgehog in the Fog [Yuriy Norshteyn, 1975]

 

This is a Soviet animation based on a book about a hedgehog who gets lost in the fog. It is very symbolic of mental health and identity to me, which are two themes I'd like to focus more on in my work. I have been exploring dreaming and constructed realities through video and I want to do more on that through the  medium of storytelling, which is why I think a short film like this with a storyline might be a good starting point for this project. I want to maybe use other old soviet animations and film because there are some very surreal ones which feel a lot like dreaming, and because I connect to it personally.

When I watch this animation it makes me feel nostalgic and a bit melancholy. I really connect to the words spoken and their pacing. The way the words are spoken really matches the visuals as they seem foggy and unclear. This may be simply because of the quality of audio equipment at the time, but I think it adds atmosphere to the video nonetheless. I would like to use the same effect in my video's sound design to achieve a similar result.

The sound in this video is crucial to then atmosphere and os the reason I was so interested in it. The classical music combined with the microphone crackling and the whispering voice of the hedgehog combine to create a very mysterious atmosphere. Another feature I find significant is the last scene of the hedgehog meeting with the bear. He seems obviously affected by his experience while his friend doesn't recognise it. The look of detachment on the hedgehog's face really spoke to me.

-Dasha