Badger Animation

Finally the last project for this academic year. And as with some of my other projects, there were some technical glitches experienced, namely that for some reason the software crashed successively and I ended up with near complete projects continually being wiped from my hard drive. 

Alas, the computer hiccoughs may have won the battle, but it was I who triumphed in the end, though it was not the greatest victory ever. Anyways. My last project, the badger.

This piece roughly follows the 3-act structure, the opening consisting of two sequences: the testing positive for bovine tuberculosis and the badgers peacefully foraging for bugs in a field.  The peace is disrupted when the dog catches wind of them, drawing the farmer's awareness to their existence. Following this the farmer sets traps for them which the fall prey to upon there return. Unfortunately for the badgers, the farmer was expecting them, and he comes along with his gun, scaring them off and into some of his snares. They manage to escape to their sett, and the farmer can do nothing but retreat.

A short time passes as move into the final act and the badgers are still reassuring themselves in their burrow. But the farmer is back, and this time he's traded in his gun for a slurry tanker. The badgers are buried alive. For those that didn't live to make it back to die in the sett, the farmer takes with him and ditches the carcasses at the side of the road as make believe road kill. 

The music for me really makes this animation work. Without the sounds which I feel fit really well with the piece, the same depth and atmosphere of peace, aprehension etc. would not have been achieved.