'Circus' By Miwa Matreyek

Creative Media Essay

Miwa Matreyek is an animation film artist who created the complex but meaningful short film ‘Circus’. This film, even though hard to interpret at first, holds a hidden message that brings up modern social issues and effects the way people see the world (which is some what still in a old-fashioned frame of mind). These meanings and hidden messages are shown through the film by using textures, shapes and sounds. Her unique techniques showcase the way some people think in today’s society with thoughts or prejudice, racism and others in the form of a Circus.

The textures Miwa uses in the film ‘Circus’ help give the main message, arranged with a kind of bold, creepiness to it with an old-fashioned feel. Texture plays a big role in the film. The artist has used the illusion of texture and it is being used in a scratchy and indefinite way. The images also appear vague as the use of texture becomes heavier. The texture of the film has a black and white glow that makes facial and certain body features hard to distinguish. This makes the film have vagueness to it that makes you hesitant and on the edge. You can’t even tell what time of day or night it is as the texture makes it hard to distinguish what light used is real or not and what darkness used is real or not. The use of the black and white is a decision you would initially think to be a bit odd as the title of the film is ‘Circus’ and circuses are suppose to be colourful, but in this case, the circus she is copying is the old version of a circus and gives an old-fashioned vibe. The texture gives off confusion, eeriness and uncertainty. The effects the black and white shades also give is the idea of the unnerving and ambiguous nature of what appeared in the old original circuses that included a ‘freak show’ (a sideshow, featuring abnormally developed people or animals in bad taste). The use of the old textures and the unique technique Miwa used to make the movie look like an older, outdated film helps express the hidden message of people still in modern society having an ‘old-fashioned’ way of thinking and way of life in terms of how they treat or think of other people.

The shapes being used in Miwa’s short film contribute to the feelings and emotions being expressed towards the main meaning. The shapes used aren’t definite shapes as the edges of the shapes flicker and aren’t certain. This effect is the same kind of effect that old films had in the 1890’s used to have. The shapes of the people in the film’s edges were done roughly instead of smoothly. This is a technique that Miwa intentionally made as it makes the film more older and un-nerving. The use of shape help the overall message of the film is expressed as it brings out the emotions fitting the old-fashioned hidden meaning. It also supports the kind of uncertainty and feeling of fear that come with prejudice and all of those other hateful feelings.

The sound and music being used in the film help express the feelings associated with the message. The music melodies playing throughout the short were the kind of genre of music that played as the main themes in the old original circuses. The emotions that come from hearing the music (especially the sounds at the beginning and end of the film) are feelings or eeriness and confusion. The reason feelings of confusion are associated with the sounds is because at the start and end of the film, the sounds being produced aren’t really recognizable. This is another hidden message connecting to the final main message.

The short animation ‘Circus’ by Miwa Matreyek is a statement that some people even in today’s society where most of the population has grown to dislike prejudice and racism (etc.), some people still have that way of thinking. This message is portrayed by using texture, shape and sound. Even though the message itself is simple, however, the way it is portrayed is hard to digest. It gives the viewer something to think about.