Description:

Labels is a 2D animated short film about an actress and a costume designer navigating the male-dominated film industry in mid-century Hollywood. The main theme of this short is the developing friendship between the girls who are not as different as they initially thought.
A primary focus for this project was on character design and narrative. The project aims to address the research question: What is the communication potential of fashion in character design, and how does this affect the storytelling of a character-driven 2D animated short? Multiple designs were developed for the two main characters during this project to fit various settings within the film's story. The project also examined how different clothes convey the personality of a character and their design's integration with storytelling. Designs reference 1960s fashion and Classical Hollywood cinema, including Gabrielle Binder (The Queen's Gambit) and Edith Head (Breakfast at Tiffany's). The film also explores a formalist approach to using colour, composition and lighting to convey the impact of the male gaze on women.