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Clara (2004)

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Clara

Original classification rating: PG. This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

You can view the animated short film Clara here in its entirety. In her suburban home, 12-year-old Clara tries to come to terms with a life-changing event.

Curator’s notes

by Kate Matthews

Clara explores a child’s experience of grief through stop-motion animation. Clara’s design is somewhere between doll-like and life-like; her silicon face seldom shifts from a mute, bewildered stare. The emotion of the film is built up through her perception of her surroundings. Clara’s movements were animated by Isobel Knowles with a beautiful, subtle realism. Realistic foley sounds, such as her shuffling steps on hollow-sounding wooden floorboards, make her all the more real. The minutely detailed sets of Clara’s suburban home and street are based on real Melbourne locations. At the same time, magical elements weave their way into Clara’s childlike perception.

Director Van Sowerwine uses editing that allows shots to linger, static camerawork and environmental sounds to emphasise Clara’s solitude and the painful passage of time. What would be silence in the kitchen is made somehow more stark by the relentless boiling of a pot on the stove. Clara’s grief is given undertones of horror by Jennifer Sochackyj’s unsettling sound design and the surreal elements that work their way into this ordinary suburban environment. The magnification of suburban details brings to mind the surreal stylings of David Lynch.

Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer Clara from the short film Clara as a high quality video download.

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This clip is available in the following configurations:

File nameSizeQualitySuitability
clarash1_pr.mp4 Large: 51.2MB High Optimised for full-screen display on a fast computer.
clarash1_bb.mp4 Medium: 24.1MB Medium Can be displayed full screen. Also suitable for video iPods.

Right-click on the links above to download video files to your computer.

Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer this clip in an embeddable format for personal or non-commercial educational use in full form on your own website or your own blog.

You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before embedding the clip:

australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

  • You may retrieve materials for information only.
  • You may download materials for your personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes, but you must not publish them elsewhere or redistribute clips in any way.
  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

All other rights reserved.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

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