The animation, “Limiting the harms of drug use” was produced by seven, third-year Emily Carr University of Art + Design students.

Under the leadership of instructor Darren Brereton, and with the blessing of Animation Department head Martin Rose, students Gillian Cole, Daniel Elnecave, Nathan Gilliss, Jin Hong, Leanna Knowles, Ashleigh Vaillancourt and Lisa Wilson created the three stories as their main project in a third-year animation class. This particular class combines learning about animation with the experience of working for a real client.

Donald MacPherson, Coordinator of the City of Vancouver’s Drug Policy Program said working with Emily Carr on this animation was a gratifying experience. “It was so exciting to observe the students’ enthusiasm for the subject matter, and see how they turned their understanding of harm reduction into touching stories of drug users. I found myself quite moved by the stories and was shocked when one of the characters died,” he said. “I was really impressed by the level of professionalism and attention to detail the students dedicated to this project.”

The students started by researching issues related to drug use and harm reduction in Vancouver. Then, they built stories of three characters: Alan, who smokes crack but aches to quit using drugs and become reunited with his young daughter; Martin, an injection drug user who travels to a needle exchange as he recalls the number of friends he has lost to overdose and disease; and Carmen, who holds down a job but still needs a daily maintenance dose of heroin, and her friend, who is in recovery and works at Insite.

Brereton stressed that the project was a huge challenge for the students. “None of them had ever done any full production before, they’ve only done exercises.”

It also gave them the opportunity to work for a real client –the City of Vancouver’s Drug Policy Program-- rather than a teacher. Brereton said that meant that the students had to produce something the client found acceptable, even if that entailed numerous changes in order to please the client. “To have a client with real needs and concerns and a niche to fill is a gold mine.”

In order to create the stories, the students researched drug-related issues, visited sites within the Downtown Eastside, viewed the Vancouver-based films Fix and Bevel Up, and interviewed healthcare providers in the Downtown Eastside (DTES).

Student Lisa Wilson said the experience was tremendously valuable in teaching the students what it’s like to work collectively on an animation project. “Animation is a collaborative process; very few people work independently.” She said the experience of creating these animations taught the students what it’s like to work as a group, how to interact with others and how to work with each person’s strengths.

Working on the project also strengthened the students’ animation skills. The students used a compositing method whereby they filmed actors performing the movement for each role and then inserted a portion (the heads) of the characters into the animation. That meant they had to learn how to match the live action they’d filmed with the animations. They also had to write the scripts, hire and direct the actors and work with a make-up artist.

Wilson said that the students appreciated having the opportunity to work for a client and get a sense of the “real world” of animation. “It’s better, I think, to realize that’s the process you need to go through,” she said. “It’s the reality of working in animation.”

Credits:

Student Producers - Gillian Cole, Daniel Elnecave, Nathan Gilliss, Jin Hong, Leanna Knowles, Ashleigh Vaillancourt and Lisa Wilson,

CARMEN'S STORY
Actor: Fiona Meng
Voice actors: Carmen - Lisa Wilson, Insite Counsellor - Julian Lawrence

ALAN'S STORY
Actor: Earthstar Jai Smith
Voice actors: Father - Earthstar Jai Smith, Street Nurse - Lysandra Lee

MARTIN'S STORY
Actor: Matthew Johnson
Voice actors: Martin - Callum Paterson, Needle exchange staff - Nathan Gilliss
Makeup artist: Tom Lines
Makeup artist's assistant: Kara Miranda Lawrence