This animated short film is an excerpt from the documentary film With Drawn Arms.

With Drawn Arms uncovers the story behind a critical moment in American history, spawning one of most iconic images of protest from the past century. At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, the world watched as two American runners, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, took the stage as the U.S. national anthem played, raising their fists in a symbol of black struggle and solidarity.

ART DIRECTION EXPLORATION

This animated sequence visualizes an emotional and traumatic experience that Tommie went through many decades after his iconic gesture. In order for the audience to understand why Tommie hit rock-bottom, I wanted to find a way to help the audience feel the combined weight of his life’s hardships and struggles.

Below are some of the drawings and style frames that I created when I was exploring ideas for the four rendering styles that I incorporated in this film.