Table Manners from Rebecca Manley on Vimeo.
This piece is a fantastic example of creating a compelling story without words. Also, it ridiculously adorable but the cute factor almost blinds you to how well the piece is put together. When viewing the film, while not completely distracted by grinning at the endearing characters, you see how meticulously the piece has been crafted.
The film opens with the camera angle being the perspective of the main character, as it scurries down a forest path, thus we get the setting while having questions. We then see a shadow and then, with our curiosity perked, a fantastically detailed cardboard squirrel peers out from around the tree and you just have to smile.
The sound choices are perfectly done, and on about the third view I was able to take in how essential the audio is in making the cardboard characters come alive. The little bells as the squirrel is scurrying, the oinks for the pig, the crunching leaves, the bees buzzing, the marching tunes, the nice natural forest sounds and the final burp, all made the piece really come together.
Lastly, one has to give a nod for the craftsmanship in creation and handling of the characters. The details were exquisite!
Oh my goodness that really is just stupidly adorable. I think What i liked the most, outside of the charming story, was the sound direction of it. From the fly buzzing changing from ear to ear, and the crunching of the leaves. All of the sounds really made this video come alive.