This was was the first of only two 16mm animated films created by Floyd Gillis. Coming from a television graphic design background he was more familiar with video production and editing. To avoid dealing with film editing and film labs he shot the whole animation in one 12-hour session. This involved doing all cross-dissolves, matting, and opening and closing credits in-camera.
The opening street scenes were shot in Montreal, Canada in late 1979 using a Pentax Spotmatic II 35mm camera. For the two "birds-eye view" scenes, Floyd Gillis went (unannounced) to the upper floors of several downtown office buildings and asked for access to rooms with "good views to the street below". After a brief explanation that the photographs were to be used in a short, animated film, the office managers usually granted their permission.
People seemed to be more accommodating in those days.
People seemed to be more accommodating in those days.
It took 9 months to create "Perspectives". During that time, Floyd Gillis was enrolled in the BFA program at NSCAD, (Nova Scotia College of Art and Design), where he took the 16mm film animation course taught by Henry Orenstein.
The college had it's own animation camera, stand and film-making facilities, but "Perspectives" was created entirely using the facilities at Doomsday Studios. Even so, Gillis still received an "A+" in Film Animation and 5 college credits from NSCAD for his work on "Perspectives".
The college had it's own animation camera, stand and film-making facilities, but "Perspectives" was created entirely using the facilities at Doomsday Studios. Even so, Gillis still received an "A+" in Film Animation and 5 college credits from NSCAD for his work on "Perspectives".
In late 1979, while paying the bill after a dinner at "Peacemeal", (a vegetarian restaurant in Halifax, Canada), Floyd Gillis casually mentioned he liked the music playing that night and that it reminded him of some of Brian Eno's work. The person running the restaurant, (John S. Gray), explained that he was a composer and musician and the music was his work.
Gillis mentioned the short animated film he was working on and that he would be interested in having Gray create the music and soundtrack for it.
This led to a collaboration of several years with Gray and Gillis working together on another animated short, as well as live music/animation performances at Toronto and Halifax art galleries.
Gillis mentioned the short animated film he was working on and that he would be interested in having Gray create the music and soundtrack for it.
This led to a collaboration of several years with Gray and Gillis working together on another animated short, as well as live music/animation performances at Toronto and Halifax art galleries.
The original photographs and drawings used in the making of Perspectives have been lost. So have the original 16mm film negatives. A low-resolution digital copy of the movie was pulled from a (poorly made) 16mm to 3/4 inch video tape transfer made in the late 1980's.