Variation (1979)

Plot

Accompanied by an excerpt from Paganini's 24th Caprice, this short animation was made by colouring sheets of paper with a variety of oil pastels which were then coated with a layer of black paint and Indian ink. The animations were created by scratching out patterns from the layer of paint and ink to reveal the colours below. In doing so, Ellis creates a series of kaleidoscopic images and patterns alongside portraits of trees seemingly growing out of the ground and butterflies and bees pollinating flowers. The film also creates images of musicians playing along to Paganini’s score, and the movement of the musical notes across the screen. In addition to the scratching technique, cut-outs of hand-drawn trains move along railroad tracks before the film ends with a lighthouse transforming into a rocket.