Special Mention, Social Message, Student Short, SPARK ANIMATION 2021

Felt Right Then, Feels Right Now depicts the childhood memory of Blyth trying on his father’s boxers at age eight, before leaving for Brownies still wearing them under his uniform. This memory is one of many that have contributed to Blyth understanding that his gender identity did not align with the sex he was assigned at birth, leading to the artist coming out as transgender at eighteen. The artist intends for this to be the first of many animations in a series titled Defining Moments of a Trans Experience, which will portray Blyth’s experiences pre and post transitioning from female to male that contribute to his continued understanding of the fluidity of gender.

The animation consists of 728 unique cels, shot at a rate of 24 frames per second. It was hand-drawn using fine-liners and colouring pencils, using a live-action video for reference of the artist’s eight-year-old sister trying on a similar pair of boxers to that which he remembers. The audio accompanying the animation is from the live-action reference and features the voices of Blyth’s parents, bringing a personal reality to the animation of this intimate moment.