Made For Duty Overseas

Made For Duty Overseas is a noir-ish tale centred around a packet of menthol vogue cigarettes, moving between Sri Lanka and the UK. Intrigued by the allure of this woman’s identity, our narrator finds herself enticed into an addiction. Made For Duty Overseas explores the allure of aesthetic distractions.

  • Katie King
    Director
  • Sorcha O'Sullivan
    Writer
  • Katie King
    Writer
  • Arabella Lindsay
    Key Cast
  • Valya Korabelnikova
    Key Cast
  • Oran Johnson
    Score
  • Jenny Shen
    Sound Design
  • Katie King
    Animation
  • Karina Ho
    Animation
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    drama, thriller, political
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 37 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 31, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    1,037 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Sri Lanka, United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Multiplane, stop motion
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Royal College of Art
Director Biography - Katie King

Katie King is a textile artist working with 2D and stop motion animation techniques. She graduates in September 2023 with a masters in Animation from Royal College of Art, London. She grew up between Glastonbury, Somerset and Vancouver, Canada before studying Religion, Philosophy & Ethics at King’s College, London and remaining in London since for work.

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Director Statement

I approached the making of Made For Duty Overseas with a few parameters. First, I wanted it to be entirely made of fabric, as it's a medium I am comfortable with and also because I wanted to work these fabricated parts into individual artworks after the completion of the film. Secondly, since the story is based on a real experience and event of a woman I personally met, I incorporated various filmic references to explore how to frame the narrative, including an iconic scene from Sunset Boulevard referenced early, particularly in terms of using noirish lighting.

Made For Duty Overseas is my first fully textile animated film. The different parts are made using various techniques and fabrics, with a focus on velvet, silk, and different types of cotton. This project has taught me valuable lessons in manipulating and preparing fabric for animation, as well as understanding which materials work best under different lighting setups. I have also been able to collaborate with many talented individuals from both within and outside the RCA on this project.