Private Project

OCULE

OCULE is a cutout animated film exploring the relationship between observer and observed and the power imbalances inherent therein. In quantum physics it's suggested that matter exists in multiple positions simultaneously until observed by a consciousness when it is fixed to a single point, creating an objective reality. A similar concept could be applied to social theory, where individuals may internally possess intricate and complex identities, yet be reduced to a single fixed role by the external observation of the culture in which they exist. OCULE explores this idea by using characters reduced to scrutinizing eyes who embody the Gaze, and by extension the power that the intangible act of Looking has in projecting a very tangible and often restrictive identity onto a passive subject.

  • Kris Ruff-Frederickson
    Director
  • Andrea Rose
    Additional Help
  • Rowan Guay
    Additional Help
  • Gael Maclean
    Sound
  • Doug Paterson
    Sound
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short, Other
  • Genres:
    Feminism, Experimental, Black & White, Puppet, Student
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 12, 2014
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • The Burnaby Film Forum
    Burnaby, BC, Canada
    September 26, 2014
    North American Premiere
    Technical Achievement Award
  • Best Shorts Competition
    n/a
    (no screening)
    Award of Merit, Women Filmmakers
  • Los Angeles Arthouse Film Festival
    LA
    July 12, 2014
    US Premiere
    1st Place Animation
  • The Rio Grind Film Festival
    Vancouver, BC, Canada
    October 25, 2014
    Vancouver Premiere
  • 8th International Children's Film Festival Bangladesh
    Dhaka, Bangladesh
    January 24, 2015
    Bangladesh Premiere
  • Tally Shorts Film Festival
    621 Gallery, Tallahassee, Florida
    January 2, 2015
    Florida Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Euro Film Fest
    No screening
    Film Award in Art and Women
  • Blue Sky Animation Festival
    Wooster, Ohio
    February 3, 2015
    Ohio Premiere
Director Biography - Kris Ruff-Frederickson

Kristin Ruff-Frederickson is a Canadian filmmaker with a BFA in Animation from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

OCULE is a cutout animated film which seeks to explore the relationship between observer and the observed and the power imbalances inherent therein. In quantum physics it has been suggested that matter exists in multiple positions simultaneously until it is observed by a consciousness, at which point the wave function is collapsed, fixing the matter to a single point and creating an objective reality. A similar concept could be applied to social theory, where any individual may internally possess an intricate and complex sense of identity, yet be reduced to a single fixed role or caricature by the external observation of the culture in which they exist. OCULE attempts to explore this idea by using characters that are reduced to scrutinizing eyes in order to embody the Gaze and by extension communicate the power that the intangible act of Looking has in projecting a very tangible and often restrictive identity onto a passive subject. Specifically, the film deals with the Male Gaze and therefore makes use of appropriately gendered visual symbolism; circular, yonic shapes are used to render the eye as it represents consciousness and a potential source of female power, whereas angular, masculine shapes are used to construct the body, serving as the physical manifestation of the confining identity that is externally projected by the Male Gaze. The environment is rendered in similarly angular shapes in order to emphasize the effect the Gaze’s power has in shaping the objective world each consciousness must navigate; also utilized is environmental imagery that is evocative of dominant Western religions which have long been manipulated as systemic tools through which to uphold and enforce patriarchal ideals, regardless of what philosophies concerning gender they may have originally entailed. In dealing with the subject of identity and the Male Gaze, it becomes important to note that the medium of filmmaking itself becomes a subversion of observer/observed power dynamics, allowing myself as filmmaker to work within the culturally assigned role of “observed” and reform it into a vehicle through which to deliver a message or make an ideological statement to my observer, an audience.