Russian Figure Skating Animation
The assignment was to create an informative animation based on an article, book, or published content of any kind. Combining articles surrounding the controversies of Russian Women's Figure Skating, the animation introduces the issues within the sport and poses the bigger question to viewers: what are young athletes, especially young women, sacrificing for success?
Images were sourced from 2022 Winter Olympic Russian skaters and converted using Illustrator to a six-color graphic render to keep the colors minimal in the project and maintain the simplistic style. The figures are inspired by vintage Russian Olympic Matchbox images.
Using circles, trim paths, and basic shapes, the design elements are timed to match the instrumental changes in the music. The score is by Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich and the Borodin Quartet. I wanted to include as many Russian elements as I could, which included finding music that encapsulates the suspenseful nature of the sport.
Sources
Animation by Sydney Bourassa
“The Russian Dolls have transformed figure skating. But at what cost?” by The Guardian
“Russia’s Figure Skating Ban Will Reverberate For Years To Come” by Dvora Meyers
“Disposable champions” quote from Rafael Arutyunyan
“How Quad Jumps Have Changed Women’s Figure Skating” by Dvora Meyers
Music: String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor by Dmitri Shostakovich and Borodin Quartet
Ice Crack Sound by Cinematic Sound Effects
Images: New York Times, Edea Skates, NPR
