The Silver Spoon
Creativity, sexuality, and madness are expressed playfully in whirling color. There are coexisting narratives: a surreal world with puppets and pantomime, a painted interior space, and a collaged narration grounded in realism. Note: this is a work-in-progress. ETA early 2024.
Caution: Photosensitive viewers may find this uncomfortable at times; frank discussions of mental health trauma.
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Anne H. BealDirectorBalance and Swing, Positioning
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Anne H. BealWriter
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Anne H. BealProducer
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Project Type:Animation, Documentary, Experimental, Short, Other
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Runtime:12 minutes
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Production Budget:10,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital, Canon Mark II DSLR
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
Anne Beal is an award-winning animation director, multimedia filmmaker, and sound artist. Her animated films have been featured at international festivals and exhibitions including the Annecy International Animation Festival, London International Animation Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, Brazil’s Festival of Electronic Language, and dozens more.
In her work she explores the concepts of Play, female empowerment, and mental health using experimental animation and sound. She often works in watercolors and acrylics, painting on paper and in books. In her teaching practice, she encourages each student to develop their voice using experimentation. Anne believes jumping into new mediums and software courageously, learning to mute one’s inner editor, and focusing on problem-solving, are wonderful ways to learn.
While nourishing her independent animation filmmaking career, Anne taught animation in the Film/Video/New Media/Animation department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) from 2014-2017. She’s an alumnus of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and recipient of the John A. Chironna scholarship for creative excellence. She has been been awarded artist residencies at the MacDowell Colony and the Corporation of Yaddo in support of her current multimedia production, examining the default male voice in medical books through paint and puppets. She is not currently teaching full-time but enjoys lecturing occasionally in experimental animation and sound courses throughout NYC and in art schools like RISD, SAIC, SVA, MassArt and many more.
Alongside her other projects, Anne is developing a watercolor animation and jazz orchestra collaboration with composer, Christopher Zuar, called ‘Tonal Conversations.’ The first iteration of the piece premiered at 150 Media Stream, a sculptural video art installation in downtown Chicago, from October 2018 through January 2019. The project will premiere its second volume in 2021.