Welcome to the first part in a two-part series titled “Behind Oink!”. In these posts I will be going into detail of the what, when and why of two major aspects of the film. This first part dives into the characters, the creation of these characters and why I included them within the film.
Meet Sprog
I won’t go into a lot of detail behind Sprog as the past few blog posts specifically explained as to why I have a pig as a protagonist. Sprog is a name which usually describes a child, and I wanted a juvenile name in order to give the character some innocence and also an abundance of life. The name is never mentioned in the film but when describing the character I knew I wanted the essence of this piglet to be evident in the name of him. I even gave him a round design in order to make him stand out in this 2D environment, which wouldn’t have been as effective if he was a sleeker looking pig.
Meet Joy
Joy is the name of the little girl who looks after Sprog. I wanted a young girl as a character because I wanted a character that is motherly as well as caring but shared the youthfulness of Sprog. The best way to show this in a dialogue-free animation was for it to be represented as this character. Joy gives Sprog lots of love and attention, and having her sympathy and love for Sprog is what I wanted the audience to feel as well. Joy is us, the audience, and lets Sprog into our hearts and is rewarded at the end with the gift of love.
Meet Mum
I wanted to design a character that would be instantly recognisable as the Mum in the film. So I had the hair with a bun look, attached with an apron to showcase the 1950’s house-style Mum, and a tall slender figure to show authority as well as tenderness. Yes, all of this thought went into designing the character. The end result was a very accurate look at what a sterotypical Mum could look like. She brings music to the film as she hums to herself while at the same time not noticing this shy, unloved pig who desperately wants some attention.
Meet Dad
Dad’s are hard-workers, role models and show good sportsmanship. None of that was included in the film, only because I wanted a more subdued and relaxed version of a Dad in my short animation. Having him lazily sleeping in his chair watching TV made him recognisable as a Dad to a younger audience, and it also gives Sprog a good reason to happily spring past him. Not giving him a second thought. Adding Joy’s Dad to the film made it feel like these characters are part of one happy family.
Meet Oink
Finally, the last character we’re introduced to is another young piglet. This piglet is known as Oink, which makes the title of the film have two meanings. Oink and Sprog join together at the end in a ‘happily ever after’ scenario. I wanted another pig included in the film from the start of the production. Having Sprog achieve happiness with a human character felt a little disconnected, so by having Oink at the end made the story feel more relatable.
Thanks for reading today’s blog. To watch Oink! now then please follow the link below.
Watch Oink!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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