INTRO:
My film, The Jacket, is an animated short drama that explores grief through the material items people leave behind. In The Jacket, the protagonist, Charlie, after losing his dad, donates his belongings to charity, but he later believes he has made a mistake in particular when it comes to his dad’s favourite jacket.
INSPIRATION:
I wrote The Jacket as a way for me to navigate and process my own experiences of grief. In essence, turning one of the hardest things that someone has to go through into something creative, and for me, that developed into The Jacket. It was important to me to craft a script that wasn’t wholly “sad”, but was uplifting and bittersweet in some ways. Tonally, I drew inspiration from Pixar’s Up (2009), so I opted for an earthy and welcoming colour palette, as I really want the animation to feel that it is accessible to all ages. Particularly as grief should be handled with care.
PROCESS:
The script for The Jacket only ever had one draft that I wrote all in one go. It was never my intention at the time – but as the production has progressed – I am glad that the first draft became the only draft. I feel it captured my raw feelings, and it felt wrong in a way to edit that.
I first approached my animator Dorota Sloma in early 2023 with the script. We had worked together on my previous animated short film You’re Still You that received Arts Council funding and was nominated for a Royal Television Society Midlands award in the short film category in 2022. I was eager to work with her again and her amazing talent. Our filming, as such, was done “remotely”, and we’d meet regularly to discuss character looks, colour palette and also transitions between scenes, such as when Charlie’s tear becomes part of a puddle as he hurries back to the charity shop.
Similar to You’re Still You, I wanted to create another silent 2D animated film that is picture and music with no dialogue. Gaby Ambler, a talented composer who is currently also creating the music for an upcoming live-action short of mine, was certainly the right person for this, and I feel her music elevates the animation and carries the space dialogue would typically occupy.
WHAT IT MEANS:
It’s wonderful to be selected for Worcester International Film Festival. Being from the Midlands, having the recognition from my own county makes it that much extra special. There is such a fantastic film community here. I’m really looking forward to seeing The Jacket on the big screen, and there is also the extra wonderful news that The Jacket has been nominated for Best Animated Film.
WHERE TO WATCH:
The Jacket is at the beginning of its festival journey. Following the Worcester International Film Festival, it’ll be screening at Forward Film and Television Festival, Birmingham Film Festival, and BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Film Festival. Film updates will continue to be shared on our Instagram @thejacketanimation, and you can follow The Jacket’s creatives at the following: @hollylouwrites, @dorotasloma and @gabyamblercomposer.
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