# animate! › Films › Heliocentrum by Jason White & Richard Wright › all › synopses › direction & collaboration › full production credits › film stills › tools & processes › distribution › background material Canonical: https://animate.org.uk/films/heliocentrum/all Discovery terms: 1990s animation, computer animation, politics, power, louis xiv, animated documentary, music video crossover, filmmaker, designer, illustrator, visual artist The following is the archived page text; discovery terms above are separately sourced metadata. Archive status: restored in 2026; historical calls, deadlines and services are closed. --- **Heliocentrum** a film by Jason White & Richard Wright. 1995 [Richard Wright](http://futurenatural.net/) 11 min 30 sec colour 4:3 stereo [Film / embedded media](https://player.vimeo.com/video/22580169) ![Heliocentrum, still: “The people of the court are like a foreign nation within the State, composed of people drawn from different places. They are not all people of intellect, but they nearly all have an admirable politeness instead…” – _Cesar Vichard, Archbishop of Saint-Real, 1692._](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/heliocentrum07.jpg) “The people of the court are like a foreign nation within the State, composed of people drawn from different places. They are not all people of intellect, but they nearly all have an admirable politeness instead…” – _Cesar Vichard, Archbishop of Saint-Real, 1692._ ### animate! synopsis Politics and pleasure in the court of King Louis. A Baroque rave where Versailles meets Video. Computer animation for the cognoscenti. ### short synopsis Political documentary meets baroque rave video in this computer animated portrayal of Louis XIV and his pleasure palace at Versailles. ### key credits **director** Jason White Richard Wright **animator** Jason White Richard Wright **editor** St John Walker **music** Walter Fabeck ### Jason White #### artist’s website [Jason White](http://www.jasonwhite.tv/) Jason White’s website ### Richard Wright #### short biography Richard Wright is a media artist concentrating on digital filmmaking. February 1998 ### animate! films by this artist [Heliocentrum](https://animate.org.uk/films/heliocentrum/) [LMX Spiral](https://animate.org.uk/films/lmxspiral/) #### artist’s website [The Bank of Time](http://www.thebankoftime.com/) An online screensaver that saves a computer’s idle time, devised by Richard Wright, funded by Arts Council England. ### a film by Jason White & Richard Wright ### direction **director** Jason White Richard Wright ### image personnel **animator** Jason White Richard Wright **editor** St John Walker ### sound personnel **music** Walter Fabeck ### support **special thanks** Dick Arnall, Marjut Rimminen, Jake Lewis at Artec, Brendan Monks, Mike Steventon, Ben White Research Facilities: London Guildhall University, Middlesex University **primary funding** Arts Council of England/Channel Four Animate! award © Richard Wright & Jason White 1995 [![Heliocentrum, still: “...we must consider the good of our subjects far more than our own. They are almost part of us, for we are the head of a body of which they are the members.” – _Memoires de Louis XIV, 1668._](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/heliocentrum01.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/heliocentrum01.jpg) “...we must consider the good of our subjects far more than our own. They are almost part of us, for we are the head of a body of which they are the members.” – *Memoires de Louis XIV, 1668.* - *click on image for full size still* [![Heliocentrum, still: *Heliocentrum* front title card](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/heliocentrum02.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/heliocentrum02.jpg) **Heliocentrum** front title card - *click on image for full size still* [![Heliocentrum, still: This head was actually modelled in plaster by Jason’s dad from portraits of Louis XIV. Not bad, eh?](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/heliocentrum03.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/heliocentrum03.jpg) This head was actually modelled in plaster by Jason’s dad from portraits of Louis XIV. Not bad, eh? - *click on image for full size still* [![Heliocentrum, still: “Versailles is the gloomiest and most unpleasant of places. The King liked to tyrannise nature, to subdue it with art and riches. Beauty and ugliness, the vast and the narrow are all jumbled together with no plan or design…” – _Memoires of the Duc de Saint-Simon, 1715._](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/heliocentrum04.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/heliocentrum04.jpg) “Versailles is the gloomiest and most unpleasant of places. The King liked to tyrannise nature, to subdue it with art and riches. Beauty and ugliness, the vast and the narrow are all jumbled together with no plan or design…” – *Memoires of the Duc de Saint-Simon, 1715.* - *click on image for full size still* [![Heliocentrum, still: “There are some nations where the majesty of Kings largely consists of not letting themselves be seen, and this may have its reasons among minds used to servitude, which can only be ruled by fear and terror…”](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/heliocentrum05.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/heliocentrum05.jpg) “There are some nations where the majesty of Kings largely consists of not letting themselves be seen, and this may have its reasons among minds used to servitude, which can only be ruled by fear and terror…” - *click on image for full size still* [![Heliocentrum, still: “…but that is not the nature of the French people, and as far back as histories go, if there is any feature unique to this monarchy, it is the free and easy access of the subjects to their prince.” – _Memoires de Louis XIV, 1668._](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/heliocentrum06.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/heliocentrum06.jpg) “…but that is not the nature of the French people, and as far back as histories go, if there is any feature unique to this monarchy, it is the free and easy access of the subjects to their prince.” – *Memoires de Louis XIV, 1668.* - *click on image for full size still* [![Heliocentrum, still: “The people of the court are like a foreign nation within the State, composed of people drawn from different places. They are not all people of intellect, but they nearly all have an admirable politeness instead…” – _Cesar Vichard, Archbishop of Saint-Real, 1692._](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/heliocentrum07.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/heliocentrum07.jpg) “The people of the court are like a foreign nation within the State, composed of people drawn from different places. They are not all people of intellect, but they nearly all have an admirable politeness instead…” – *Cesar Vichard, Archbishop of Saint-Real, 1692.* - *click on image for full size still* [![Heliocentrum, still: “… You, Sire, have brought all these troubles upon yourself; for, with the whole kingdom in ruins, you keep everything in your own hands… This, Sire, is the state you are in.” – _Letter from Archbishop Fenelon to Louis XIV, 1694._](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/heliocentrum08.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/heliocentrum08.jpg) “… You, Sire, have brought all these troubles upon yourself; for, with the whole kingdom in ruins, you keep everything in your own hands… This, Sire, is the state you are in.” – *Letter from Archbishop Fenelon to Louis XIV, 1694.* - *click on image for full size still* ### master copy format **format** BetaSP **colour or black & white** colour ### video distribution format **video format** BetaSP **screen aspect ratio** 4:3 **video standard** PAL **sound type** stereo ### distributor LUX [info@lux.org.uk](mailto:info@lux.org.uk) telephone +44 (0)20 7503 3980 [www.lux.org.uk](http://www.lux.org.uk/) *Heliocentrum* film, stills and other materials © Richard Wright & Jason White 1995