#forefront post

'Stay' is a five-minute animated film, hand-embroidered, depicting the relationship between a daughter and her absentee father. It won the highly acclaimed McLaren Award and the overall award at the 2022 Edinburgh International Film Festival, and in the same year won the NAHEMI Student Film Award for Best National Student Film.

The author's use of the needle in the production process, combined with Photoshop, is what makes me love animation so much for the endless possibilities offered by this multimedia medium. While the subject matter and materials used in this work are not exactly original, the decision-making that went into skillfully blending them and presenting them on screen gives this short film a unique perspective. Through the use of semi-transparent sulphate paper and needle and thread, she creates a combination of blurred lines and translucent effects, a treatment that matches her understanding of her father's vivid childhood memories.

She has made an extra effort in both her ideas and her method of creation. I particularly like her idea of playing with ropes as a means of expression, as playing with ropes is a Chinese popular children's game. She used the effect of a mobile phone vibrating for a twist and repeated this expression several times throughout the work, thus catching the viewer's attention. I appreciate this creative technique and have also taken similar expressions in my work. Fish is an important element in my animation design, so I have also used this element many times in my artwork as a sign of a relationship between fish and women as a metaphor.

reference

Munday, R. (no date) Stay - a hand embroidered animated short film by Yu Sun, Short of the Week. Available at: https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2023/08/07/stay/ (Accessed: August 18, 2023).

Yu Sun uses needle and thread to animate the story of a young girl and her absent father (no date) Itsnicethat.com. Available at: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/yu-sun-stay-project-animation-201022 (Accessed: August 18, 2023).

Graduation film- stay (no date) Yu Sun. Available at: https://www.yusunnnnnn.com/ongoing-project (Accessed: August 18, 2023).

Weseefilm presents 'the rat', a brutal domestic violence scene animated from a drunken man's subjective point of view. The director of "the rat", Yuanqing Cai, and the producer, Tuan Muzi, led the production team together. This is also an animation using tvpaint, and the director is very skilled with this software and has sent out a lot of good tutorials on Bilibili.

There are two design elements that I especially appreciate about this animation. Firstly, the use of the rat metaphor to portray the powerlessness of the abused. The rat symbolises hiding, weakness and insignificance, and is a perfect example of a metaphor for the wife and children, the two members of the family who are in a vulnerable position. Although the rat is not a positive image, it is a projection of his family in the eyes of the drunken man, an object to be fought against and driven away. It also fits the environmental characteristics of the poor and backward urban-rural area, a design image that is very apt.

Secondly, the use of tumbling and gravity effects in space to show the vertigo of the drunken man, and the feeling of drunkenness and confusion through the distorted world in the man's eyes, complemented the plot, and the instability of this image felt fresh and vivid. There is also the image of the man vomiting out the fish, which is so realistic that it is as if you are experiencing the sensation of vomiting yourself. These subtle and vivid expressions highlight the director's deep understanding of drunkenness. In addition, story development from the perspective of a domestic abuser is not common in anime, which usually focuses on the victim's point of view, but this innovative perspective injected strong drama into the work.

The main influence this work exerted on me was how the backgrounds were drawn. Its detailed lines and simple colours present a complete animated background effect. In addition, it draws dilapidated home environments, broken walls, etc. in a vivid way, and this style has also been used in my own animation background creation. Although this background is drawn in a simple way, the effect is remarkable and makes the picture more vivid.

Reference

Box, A. F. (2023) THE RAT 癔症| family violence | Animated Short Film | BestAnimation |. Youtube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqKkiT5a3bI (Accessed: August 29, 2023).

Raya and the Last Dragon is a Southeast Asian culture-inspired fantasy adventure animation commercial film produced and published by Walt Disney Animation. Its commercial success is not only a multicultural fusion but also a successful example of cultural export. The film not only successfully explores Southeast Asian culture but also draws on the region's diversified cultural elements to create a fictional and rich world. Watching the film, I was acutely aware of the amount of thought and research the animators put into building this Southeast Asian fantasy world, especially in the initial conceptual design of the world.

The film clearly shows all aspects of Southeast Asian culture, from clothing to traditional customs, from architectural styles to background elements, all cohesively richly researched and deeply learned. This fictional world is full of details, and every detail is infused with Southeast Asian cultural characteristics, enabling viewers from different cultural backgrounds to experience this intense cultural visual feast.

It is obvious from the excellent work that, whether it is a game or an animation, every successful design requires a lot of dedication from the designer, including field trips and in-depth study. This is also the reason why I spent a lot of time on pre-design when I started animation because I also strongly agree with this point of view. Although my MAJOR STUDY was a very short time, which made me afraid to spend too much time on design. But as luck would have it, the geographic location of my story is in the south of China, and I am a native of this region. I also love travelling and spending a lot of time in the countryside, so my knowledge of traditional architecture and other cultural elements is deeply rooted in my memory. This makes my designs relatively simple, and I don't need to spend a lot of time re-learning and re-interpreting them, as they are all familiar to me. I simply build on these foundations.

Raya and the Last Dragon's approach and concept of cultural output deeply attracted me. It not only presents the audience with rich cultural elements but also inspires me to incorporate familiar cultural backgrounds into my animation, injecting more emotion and uniqueness into my work. By studying the creative ideas of this film, I believe my animation works can better communicate the cultural connotations and resonate with the audience, creating works with more depth and diversity.

Reference

Burt, K. (2021) Raya and the Last Dragon’s many cultural influences make for a distinct world, Den of Geek. Available at: https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/raya-and-the-last-dragons-many-cultural-influences-make-for-a-distinct-world/ (Accessed: August 16, 2023).

Koeppel, K. (2021) Southeast Asian cultural representation in Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, Disney News. Available at: https://news.disney.com/southeast-asian-culture-in-raya-and-the-last-dragon (Accessed: August 16, 2023).

The Windshield Wiper is a very personal and particular vision of Love and relationships. Presented by Pastel and crafted by the talented Alberto Mielgo, this work showcases his distinct vision as a writer, director, and designer. Produced by Pinkman. tv and Leo Sanchez Studio, it stands as a testament to Mielgo's matured creative direction

Alberto Mielgo is a very mature director who has worked on many notable productions including Harry Potter, Love and Death Robot and Spider-Man. This work was before 2023's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but it can be seen in this trailer that this short film influenced much of his subsequent work in superhero films. Over time, he has developed a unique personal style that has been used successfully.

The film is a multi-dimensional digital animation that reflects Mielgo's creativity to go beyond the limitations of a single production tool. The film uses a combination of painted backgrounds and a harmonious mix of 2D and 3D elements to achieve a visual synergy between the modern and the retro. Notably, Mielgo employs certain shots that mimic live-action cinematography techniques, capturing the natural way in which a scene shakes and moves.

In contrast to creators who aim for surrealistic narratives and novel cinematic languages, Mirgo prefers the design of real scenes. This tendency may be attributed to his early experience in filmmaking. However, he boldly uses unconventional camera angles to effectively convey the emotional flow of his narrative. In addition, this work abandons a linear narrative approach in favour of a multifaceted narrative that writes multiple perspectives together. Rather than a single, overarching plot thread, it resembles an essay exploring perspectives, similar to an academic exploration of the multi-faceted nature of love.

Mielgo is an established director, full of experience and insights to offer. Whether it's production techniques, visual language or multi-dimensional storytelling, his work provides invaluable learning opportunities. I recognise my limitations as a writer and producer of experimental animation, and I greatly appreciate Mielgo's exceptional visual expression and storytelling. While my current project tends towards narrative-driven content, I've had challenges with script development and transitioning to polished storyboards. As a result, I am more able to learn and appreciate more from this film.

Reference

EverythingiMovie (2022) The windshield wiper [FULL VIDEO] Alberto Mielgo. Youtube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW-0nMPksfg (Accessed: August 29, 2023).

the windshield wiper’ reveals the many sides of modern love (no date) Animation World Network. Available at: https://www.awn.com/animationworld/windshield-wiper-reveals-many-sides-modern-love (Accessed: August 16, 2023).

Motamayor, R. (2022) How animated short ‘the windshield wiper’ influenced ‘Into the Spider-Verse,’ IndieWire. Available at: https://www.indiewire.com/awards/industry/the-windshield-wiper-animated-short-alberto-mielgo-interview-1234693351/ (Accessed: August 16, 2023).

Mielgo, A. (2021) The Windshield Wiper / TRAILER 2021. Vimeo. Available at: https://vimeo.com/568179562 (Accessed: August 16, 2023).

Ghost Dogs is a short animated movie created by Joe Cappa. The film follows a pack of ghost dogs roaming a house with only a new rescue puppy and a robot vacuum cleaner for the company. The movie's tone blends elements of satire, dark comedy and horror to create a uniquely spooky atmosphere with the dogs' first point of view and vintage MTV animation style.

The character designs in the movie are exceptionally interesting, blending dog and human traits as they crawl on their hands and knees in a behavioural pattern more similar to a dog. The strong contrast and sense of contradiction between the puppies and the horror atmosphere pushes the visuals over the top. In particular, the storyboard of the movie covers some less realistic visual effects, and although these scenes are difficult to realize in 3D, they are perfectly rendered in 2D. This type of animation is also a fantastic visual perspective that many independent animators are looking for. You can tell that the animator put a lot of thought into the initial conception and planning of the animated film and that he was committed to developing some interesting shots with a touch of grey humour.

As a powerful horror and spooky movie, I can learn a lot here, especially in terms of its camera language and visual style. In particular, the looping and changing of the endless doors at the back is wonderful and full of wonders. This kind of progression in the horror atmosphere provides an excellent model for me to learn from when making my short films. The sound is not to be overlooked either, as it cleverly creates a deliberate silence before the highlight to immerse the viewer in the experience, which in turn creates an even stronger impact when the highlights arrive. This was the idea behind the creation of a specific silent section when I was discussing music production with a friend.

Reference

Short of the Week (2022) Ghost dogs | trippy award-winning Sundance animated horror Short film. Youtube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNKWAZtSDQk (Accessed: August 29, 2023).

Bowers, J. (2022) Staff Pick Premiere: “Ghost dogs” by Joe Cappa | vimeo. Vimeo. Available at: https://vimeo.com/blog/post/ghost-dogs-by-joe-cappa/ (Accessed: August 15, 2023).

Cappa, J. (2022) Ghost Dogs. Vimeo. Available at: https://vimeo.com/710964142 (Accessed: August 15, 2023).

"Blades of the Guardians" is an animated adaptation of Xu Xianzhe's comic with the same title, released in June 2023. Set in the Sui Dynasty, this animation takes us on a journey through ancient China. Although I haven't read the comic, what captivated me was its stylized animated opening sequence. This animation has had a significant impact on my major study work.

Before learning about animation, I was more inclined to watch sequel-based animations and paid less attention to artistic short films. Consequently, when creating my own animation, I found myself limited by the influence of the TV animations I had previously watched. Particularly, in my storyboarding process, I got trapped in the rules and conventions of serialized TV animations. Perhaps, my knowledge is mostly derived from TV animations contributed to this limitation. However, "Blades of the Guardians" broke free from the stereotypes of commercial sequels. It exudes a strong artistic and storytelling essence.

In specific, I was fascinated by the twisted and eerie eye movements at 49 seconds and the red eyes at 56 seconds. I intend to learn and incorporate these strange and weird elements into the device depicting fish and roe in my own animation.

Moreover, by studying the opening sequence of this animation, I found inspiration to experiment with peculiar perspectives in my animation's beginning and ending parts. This development is proving to be a valuable asset to my work.

reference

This personal animated movie is truly a marvellous piece of work, though only 1.5 minutes long, it manages to tell a complete story about a tailor helping a bride in an arranged marriage, a theme that has a deep background and meaning in traditional Chinese culture. The short film does a fantastic job of conveying the emotion and depth of the story. I particularly appreciated the colour palette, line art and storyline, which enhanced the emotional expression of the piece and created an atmosphere for the viewer in keeping with the subject, making it a piece of great integrity. Its overall emotion and atmosphere are unforgettable, and its mood board gave me a lot to learn from.

This story is set in the difficult living environment of China, so the colour palette of green and yellow was chosen, a colour choice that very aptly presents the traditional Chinese atmosphere. This colour scheme also reminds me of another suspenseful drama puzzle game, Three Volt, which also uses green as its main colour scheme, and its visual style is also very suitable to be used in my animation. In fact, I've tried to apply this green tone to my animation to better express the story's emotion and create a specific atmosphere. This light and colourful colour palette is suitable for the pleasant and relaxing atmosphere that I want to convey in the market scene in front of my animation.

I plan to use lighter and brighter colours in the first half of the animation to create a pleasant and lively atmosphere. This colour choice will also echo the emotional needs of my market scene in my animation and provide a pleasant visual experience for the viewer. However, in the second half of the animation, I will draw on the darker tones from the game to create a more eerie, tense atmosphere.

This work is not only a short film but also an inspiration for me to explore more possibilities about colour and emotional expression in my animation production.

reference

Shi, J. (2023) SWALLOWTAIL | Animated Short | CalArts 2023. Youtube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD7PxP-Q0TE (Accessed: August 18, 2023).

"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is a 2023 American computer-animated superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Miles Morales / Spider-Man. The movie became an extremely successful commercial film due to its witty and entertaining animation style, a complete storyline, and expertly animated subplots.

This animation has generated widespread attention and attracted many animation enthusiasts and practitioners for research and study. It has been hailed as a highly commendable 2.5D commercial film, utilizing a stylized fusion of 3D characters with 2D elements. While watching this movie, it reminded me of the TV animation series "Arcane," both of which employed a similar 2.5D style, blending 3D characters seamlessly with 2D elements. Such a style has achieved tremendous success in commercial animation, not only bringing novelty to the audience but also enhancing the storytelling.

Moreover, the animation retains some shooting conventions of traditional animated films. For instance, before drawing the animation, the actors are approached to perform the movements and expressions of the animated characters, followed by selecting suitable shots and angles. This habit simplifies and focuses on the post-production animation process.

I have also applied this production method in the creation of my own animation. As my animation includes many scenes of communication between girls, to ensure accuracy and smoothness in the visuals, I capture some similar camera angles as references before drawing the draft. This approach allows me to concentrate on drawing the animation with more precision, ultimately enhancing the expression and quality of my work.

Drawing inspiration from the experiences and methods of these successful commercial animations, I believe my animation works will be loved and recognized by a wider audience. Continuously learning and adopting new techniques during the creative process will lead my works to progress and innovate, providing viewers with a more captivating and distinctive visual experience.