# animate! › Films › Spirit of Place by Oliver Harrison › all › synopses › direction & collaboration › full production credits › film stills › tools & processes › format & distribution › background material

Canonical: https://animate.org.uk/films/spiritofplace/all

Discovery terms: 1990s animation, motion-control photography, memory, interiors, ghosts, single-take film, filmmaker, animation director

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.

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**Spirit of Place** a film by Oliver Harrison

[Oliver Harrison](https://www.oliverharrison.com)

1992, 10 min 07 sec

[Film / embedded media](https://www.youtube.com/embed/4-uLfrkH_W4)

![Spirit of Place, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/spiritofplace01.jpg)

### animate! synopsis

Well met by moonlight – room service for the spirit. A one-take dream in Cocteauesque monochrome.

### long synopsis

Every room has a spirit which sleeps beneath the layers of peeling paint and wallpaper. **Spirit of Place** observes the awakening of such a spirit, coerced into life by moonlight to reveal sumptuous velvets, decaying gilt, and an assemblage of neo-Gothic objets d‘art – a ghostly reflection of its past.

In one long, carefully choreographed sequence, pictures animate and a message is disclosed as the motion control camera passes on its programmed course.

### key credits

**director**
Oliver Harrison

**lighting camera**
Doug Foster

**music**
Oliver Harrison
Roger Bolton

### Oliver Harrison

#### company name

O. H. Films

### animate! films by this artist

[Love Is All](https://animate.org.uk/films/loveisall/)

[Spirit of Place](https://animate.org.uk/films/spiritofplace/)

### a film by Oliver Harrison

### direction

**director**
Oliver Harrison

### live-action personnel

**lighting camera**
Doug Foster

### sound personnel

**music**
Oliver Harrison
Roger Bolton

© Oliver Harrison 1992

[![Spirit of Place, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/spiritofplace01.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/spiritofplace01.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![Spirit of Place, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/spiritofplace02.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/spiritofplace02.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![Spirit of Place, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/spiritofplace03.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/spiritofplace03.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![Spirit of Place, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/spiritofplace04.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/spiritofplace04.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![Spirit of Place, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/spiritofplace05.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/spiritofplace05.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![Spirit of Place, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/spiritofplace06.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/spiritofplace06.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![Spirit of Place, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/spiritofplace07.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/spiritofplace07.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

### master copy format

**format**
35mm

**colour or black & white**
black & white

### 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)
+44 (0)20 7503 3980
[www.lux.org.uk](http://www.lux.org.uk/)

**Spirit of Place** film, stills and other materials © Oliver Harrison 1992