4 North A (2020)

趣闻

4 North A is a Canadian animated short film, directed by Howie Shia and Jordan Canning and released in 2020. Told without dialogue, the film portrays a woman reflecting on childhood memories as she sits in a hospital room with her dying father.

Production

4 North A was directed by Jordan Canning and Howie Shia. It was written by Canning, with design, storyboard and editing by Shia. Animation was by Simon Cottee, Miranda Quesnel and Duncan Major. Jennifer Krick performed colour correction and additional animation. Sacha Ratcliffe performed the music and sound design.

Canning had wanted to create a project based on a series of stories about her mother's childhood summers spent on Amherst Island (in northeastern Lake Ontario), which all seemed to have themes of animals and death. When working on an NFB project, she decided that animation was the best way to visually convey the stories.

While Canning was writing the script, she was caring for an ill loved one and spending time in hospitals. She at times felt very alone while surrounded by people, feeling isolated and disconnected. She imagined that she and her mother could have crossed paths while going through similarly difficult experiences, "[as] if strangers in the same ward" and somehow reached out to each other to provide a comforting connection.

Canning sent the script to Clarke, and they discussed potential animation styles and partners. Another NFB producer suggested Shia, whose evocative work impressed Canning. Shia was inspired by the script and agreed to join the project. Collaboration was done remotely as the production team were based in different cities: Montreal, St. John's and Toronto.

According to Shia, they collaborated in directing the project using a mix of styles from their different backgrounds. For example, using subtle pushes, pulls and shifts based in live-action camera movement; schematic-like graphics of repeating patterns in the hospital; and "expressionistic jump-cutting" in the flashbacks. A great deal of time was taken to contemplate the design of the film.

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