Ask No Questions
An animation using wooden animals
- Description
- Questions & Activities
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Description
A range of toy animals come to life in this 1930s amateur animation.
A man with a suitcase of wooden animals. A wooden monkey climbs out of reach onto a curtain. A wooden dog hides under the bed. Various wooden toy animals hide, perform tricks and play leapfrog.
Questions & Activities
Questions
- Why do you think the film was called 'Ask No Questions'?
- How did the filmmaker make the animals appear to move all by themselves?
- How have the backdrops and sets been made? What has inspired them?
- What do you think this film is about?
Activities
Compare the wooden toys with what children play with in the 21st century. (Tip: see the 'Scottish christmas' lesson guide for more about old toys)
Find out about the different habitats that appear in the film - which countries could these be and what animals live in them?
Research the influence of Abstract art and Expressionism on artists and filmmakers. (Tip: look at the backdrop where the dog performs tricks)
Explore connections in the film to puppet theatre and Lotte Reiniger's silhouette films.
Make your own animation using toys in your toy box.
Build an abstract backdrop for a diorama made using toy animals.
Clip Details
| Record Id | 007-000-002-529-C |
|---|---|
| Resource Rights Holder | National Library of Scotland |
| Project Ref | 7209 |
| Date | 1936 |
| Genre | Amateur, Animation, Women Filmmakers |
| School Subject | Music, English, Art and Design |
| Subject Matter | Animation, Amateur fiction |
| Who | Violet Neish (Anderson), (director) |
| Where | Glasgow |
| Event | Glasgow School of Art |
| Attributes | Black and White, Silent |
| Clip Length | 3:46 |
| Film Length | 3:46 |