Sophia Wolfe - Fantastical Revelations

Fantastical Revelations of Art, Math, and Romance

Video with sound. 00:09:00 minutes.

Fantastical Revelations of Art, Math, and Romance is an experimental animated short film made out of paper. It follows the discussion and growing romance between second dimensional beings, Solis and Vincent, regarding their theories on the hypothetical third dimension.

Artist Statement

Fantastical Revelations of Art, Math, & Romance is inspired by Flatland, Edwin A. Abbott’s 1884 novella depicting a rigid two-dimensional society. In Abbott’s world, women are constrained by their geometry, occupying the lowest social class. This prompted me to imagine what an ideal life as a young female artist might look like within the second dimension. How could my art, love, and life be expanded by geometry?

To represent the second dimension, I used stop-motion animation with paper. By physically manipulating flat assets, I fully immersed myself in the functionality of a flat world through the process itself. At the start of the film, the scene appears visually flat, the sound is stereo, and Solis and Vincent’s cadence is monotone. As they grow closer, the physical depth of their environment expands, the musical ensemble swirls around the room, and their movement becomes more dynamic. Eventually, the couple transcends into the third dimension, transitioning from flat paper bodies to real actors.

Vincent and Solis are driven by an insistence on creation, curiosity, and connection, carving their destinies through acts of passion rather than obedience to a fixed geometry. This film treats passion as a force capable of opening space where none previously existed.

Written, Directed, Animated by Sophia Wolfe

Music by Evan Rashby

Sound by Ethan Brown

Mixed by Saranya Nayak, Jason Freeman

Voice Acting

Solis Katherine De Leiros

Vincent Dominic Hart

Orchestra

Conducted by Evan Rashby

Engineered by Jared Klinghoffer

Violin Elaine Huang, Andrew Krezinger, Mica Nashfun-Bone

Viola Rachel Harrington, Jay Maldonado, Lilien Foldhazi

Cello Monica Kohler, Kevin Rowe

Accordion Leah Harmon

Drums Logan Brown

Live Action

Performance Anika Kulander, David Warden

Produced by Sam Smart

Cinematography by Christopher Powers

Production Designer Chancee Phensuk

HMUA Yvonne Boyiazis

Gaffer Isabella O'Brien

Lifeguard Joshua Garcia

Contract Consultant Jesse Bradman

Location Malayna Busik

Production Assistant Carolina Thompson

Lights Provided by Subliminal Lighting, Andrew L'Heureux

Camera Provided by Evidence Cameras

Mathematics Mentors Dr. Victoria Chebotaeva, Dr. Agustina Czenky, Daniel Bilezikian

Faculty Advisors Professor Lisa Mann, Professor Greg Garay, Professor Kathy Smith, Professor Tonz Belgadi

Special Thanks Dana & Doug Wolfe, Victor & Joan Sonenberg, Justin Conolly, Tim

Forcum, Victoria Reynolds, Yu-Hsia Liu

Expanded Animation Research + Practice

Festivals & Distribution/Licensing Sandrine Faucher Cassidy

Fantastical Revelations of Art, Math, and Romance

Student produced at the University of Southern California

Multi-plane stop-motion animation process shot, captured by Isabella O'Brien

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