Skylight
Year: 2009
Director: David Baas
Writer: David Baas
Genre: Animation
Category: Short
Runtime: 5 min
Country: Canada
Language: English
Color: Color
Company: David Baas
An animated mock documentary about the ecological plight of penguins in the Antarctic, possibly foretelling cataclysmic results for the rest of the world.
Synopsis: Skylight: A computer graphics animated short film by David Baas. The objectives of this film are three-fold and as follows: Firstly, the film and particularly the final resolution are essentially a cartoon strip. The idea could easily be summed up in a single panel 'Far Side' style panel. I take inspiration from the Pixar Oscar-winning short 'For the Birds', which was similarly a one-note gag used to all its potential, but with great animation artistry and attention to detail. Secondly, the film pokes fun at the nature documentary format, as well as the endless, monotonous, over-dramatized, allegedly educational films many of us were forced to watch through the 1960's and 1970's. There are many very funny examples of mocking this format on television's 'The Simpsons'. Thirdly, there is an environmental message to the film, of hapless creatures affected by human damage to the environment. I would classify it as 'satirical gallows humour'. I believe that humour can often initially make handling sensitive or dire issues more palatable to an audience, rather than immediately criticizing them for their lack of conscience regarding an issue. If one remembers a good joke, one will remember its context.