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Flames

Caged inside the dystopian landscape of a square office, a white collar worker lights the fire within. He learns that mixing the search for salvation with alcohol is a deadly combination.

  • Aleksa Trayanova Trayanova
    Director
  • Aleksa Trayanova Trayanova
    Writer
  • New Bulgarian University
    Producer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Пожари
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Music Video, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 29, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    Bulgaria
  • Language:
    Bulgarian
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - new bulgarian university
Director Biography - Aleksa Trayanova Trayanova

I am a 24 year old, ambitious Bulgarian director and animator who is working hard to make my name internationally recognizable!

I've just finished my graduation film "Fires", which is based on the music of a famous Bulgarian hip-hop artist - Atila,

In 2023 for the 3rd time in a row, I took part in an animation challenge called “10x10” - 10 animations for 10 days. There I had the amazing opportunity to work with 10 of the most famous as well as rising local musicians. This opened the doors for my freelance career and gave me the opportunity to work with many performers.

Besides my work with Kalina, I’ve directed and produced 2 animated and 2 live-action music videos with many more coming this year!

I'm one of the directors and animators of "Chatterbox", animated short selected for 4 animation festivals and won the award for Best animation and nominated for Best sound design in animation by the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers

During my university education I made an animated short called “She can dance!” which was selected by the World Festival of Animated Film Varna 2023 in the “Bulgarian short category”. There I also was a volunteer in 2022 and 2023.

Last year I was part of the team responsible for the biggest gaming event in Bulgaria - Sofia Game Jam.

Currently I'm working as a video editor for social media and a junior editor in the Bulgarian platform for short cinema - Kinematograf.bg

My other work includes cover art for a rising band and participation in 3 painting, illustration and animation exhibitions.

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Director Statement


The animated short film “Pozhari” (translated as “Flames”) is inspired by its namesake musical single from Orlin Milchev (Atila)’s penultimate album. It’s a story about the average young man, who is trapped in a monotonous cycle. He works in an office, tries to stay fit, wants to achieve inner peace and is counting the days until the weekend arrives, when he will finally get some rest. During each weekend he breaks the cycle, or so he believes. He goes to the bar, where he alleviates the pressure and quenches his thirst for alcohol, debauchery and drugs. Destroyed by his overindulgence, his inner fire lights up, but it’s time for his week to start once again, and again, and again…

I was inspired to tell this story by events in my own life. Time and time again life has forced me to suffer in the same position as our character and I wanted to express how it feels to be trapped in that cage. We are systematically forced to work in the artificial light of a computer, barely making ends meet to cover the standards that social media enforces on us. This fake atmosphere fosters a fake way of life, which is killing us. This is the depressing reality, which I wanted to bring to the viewer’s attention and ask the question - Are we really happy or are we just waiting for the end of the weekend to extinguish our flames?

It would be remiss of me not to mention George Orwell’s iconic novel “1984”. It was one of my main influences when creating “Flames” and the feeling of Big Brother’s omnipresent gaze is a big part of many scenes. I utilized 2D digital animation, combined with a paper texture to give my art a more traditional feeling and character.

I chose this technique because I believe it fits the story well and aptly manages to bring the song to life in another medium. Paper, being one of the most flammable materials, gives a great symbolic texture to the film and adds a sense of completeness to the imagery.

The ordered environment is greatly inspired by Cubism - this movie is my protest against the rigid system that we live in. The square shape represents the inescapable rigid cycle, a two-dimensional plane with no depth. Jean-Michel Basquiat is my inspiration regarding the character’s design when he is engulfed by his fiery passion. Basquiat’s personal life was also influenced by music - it is the inspiration behind his visual arts and their color!

The movie is also inevitably linked to song as both the narrator’s voice and the instrumental’s rhythmic elements drive the animation. My goal was to achieve perfect harmony between sound and picture.

Another reason for me to create this short film is to promote animation as an effective form to visualize musical projects in Bulgaria. My love for musical visualizations and creating animated music videos started years ago and my dream of carving out my career in this field is slowly becoming a reality, thanks to artists such as Kerana i Kosmonavtite, Mom4eto, SERGIE and others putting their trust in me.