He Never Forgets- an animated short-film created by International 3D artist Ohenewa Anno- tells the story of a man’s past returning to haunt him with a vengeance.
In the approximately two-minute clip, our main character, David, awakens to find himself gagged and bound in a poorly-lit room, much to both his and the audience’s surprise. It is not long after we see David struggle to free himself that some of our questions are soon answered. We are quickly introduced to David’s captor- an individual from David’s past- and are confronted the details of his transgressions. Don’t be fooled, however, by the clip’s length. With a cleverly crafted storyline that boldly tackles dark themes through meticulously rendered animation, Anno manages to create an impressively-unique work of Art; one that is both poignant and comical at the same time. The only thing more impressive is that this also happens to be the first short film she ever created entirely in 3D.
It’s clear from Anno’s execution that when it comes to Art, meaning is just as important as technical prowess.
“Art can allow a person to experience something in a completely different way. It can bring sheer beauty to any situation.” Anno said. “For me it was always fun and almost magical because illustrating and creating always involved a challenge, either through making something new or figuring out how to get a particular reaction from your audience. “
In He Never Forgets- her debut-3D short film- Anno uses art as a vehicle to communicate themes and symbols that she deems important to reflect upon whilst making a nod at one of her favorite film franchises- SAW.
“Both the story and the deliverance are unique. This story is kind of a spoof on the popular saw movies. It holds a lot of symbolism and I always hope that through my more personal work I can reach peoples’ subconscious first and their logical mind second. Most 3D animated, cartoony-styled films do not portray things in a dark way. I thought it would be quite interesting to do something that would stand out by lying more in the horror genre.”
She cites several influences on her early venture in to Art such as the movie Toy Story and Final Fantasy video game series. Being so fascinated and drawn to the medium, making the decision to pursue a career in 3D design seemed like the next logical step for Anno. After completing the International Baccalaureate at the world-renowned United World College of Southern Africa, Anno was offered a full scholarship to the equally prestigious Ringling College of Art & Design. Here, through a combination of rigorous academics and extracurricular involvement, she formed the foundations of what is now a budding career equipped with the tools necessary to handle any challenge.
“There can be a whole lot of challenges when working in 3D. Sometimes when you are trying to achieve a particular look for a project it goes beyond the functionality of what the software is made for or can do. In that kind of situation it becomes key to think outside of the box and create a new solution. With this project in particular, I found the management of my files to be challenging. The 3D environment got very big because of the animation and at the time, referencing in characters into a scene caused some technical issues which I had to resolve. This was a balancing act that I luckily found solutions to. A lot of concept development and preparation went into this story. Pushing the various aspects of the project: story, design and assets was challenging but rewarding.”
Anno’s dedication to the project has paid off. He Never Forgets deftly-delivered art AND Think-piece. It has received great responses and was even featured in the annual Benpaali Film Festival in Ghana- where she is currently based.
What’s next for the talented, young artist? Anno intends to learn and create more in 3D, exploring new themes, ideas and stories as well as keeping at the forefront of technologies with which to create them. If He Never Forgets was truly fascinating!
Watch the full clip below :
For more works by the artist, as well as enquiries, visit her website- www.ohenewaanno.com
