Rob Munday
Climate change, war, greed – we live in an age where there are a myriad of threats to our planet, but what about disinformation? Can this be considered a genuine danger for humanity? With the World Economic Forum’s latest Global Risks Report listing misinformation and disinformation as the “biggest short-term risks”, it seems that fake news is a leading cause of social unrest in society. So how can we make the general masses more aware of the spread of false information? How about an eight-minute short film about a cute rabbit?
“Any imagery can be coupled with any narrative and sold as truth”
If you were to watch Eoin Duffy’s Regular Rabbit with the sound-off, then it plays like a slightly surreal story of a rabbit escaping a forest fire, however, turn the audio on and the imposing voiceover (by Game of Throne’s star Rory McCann) turns it into a very different film. “We must mention the incident”, the sinister commentary states, as our titular rodent playfully hops across the screen, before quick cuts of lighting and an axe fill the frame. The juxtaposition of the visuals and the narration working swiftly to change the tone of the short.
“The idea is that any imagery can be coupled with any narrative and sold as truth”, Duffy explains as we discuss his motivations behind making Regular Rabbit. Adding that, “in essence”, he sees his film as a “comical exploration of how easily we as an audience can be swayed, no matter how outrageous the storyline”. By pairing the short’s “innocent” visuals with its “heinous” storyline, the director has crafted a film of profound duality, one that captivates with its entertainment value while provoking deep reflection.
“Due to budget constraints, a two-person team handled the visuals” – Duffy on the production process for Regular Rabbit.
Aesthetically, Regular Rabbit is recognisable as an Eoin Duffy short, showcasing the animator’s distinct minimalist style, as seen in previous S/W features On Departure, The Missing Scarf and I Am Here. Aiming to create a “rich textured cinematic world”, Duffy worked on the backgrounds of the film himself, creating them in Blender 3D, while character animator Henrique Barone animated the 2D characters in Adobe Animate. Much like the clash between the visuals and voiceover, the contrast between the cute characters and the (at times) more ominous backgrounds is also vital in how the film is portrayed by its audience. Helping to transition it from a simple tale of forest creatures, to a complex and layered short that questions truth and perspective.
Following a successful festival run, which saw the film play Annecy, Pictoplasma and Tribeca, Duffy released Regular Rabbit on his YouTube and Vimeo accounts on Monday (April 15th) and if you’re interested in finding out more about the filmmaker, hop over to his Shortverse page for more films and social links.