Content 01. Intro
02. Animation: Deformed 03. Animation: Silent 04. Animation: Empty 05. From parts to whole 06. The show 07. For future
INTRO
Intro
01 -
What is Lonely Organs?
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Why animation?
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How I jumped from the previous project?
INTRO
What is Lonely Organs ?
We each search for something beyond ourselves: a voice, a touch, or an interaction with another individual. We speak, we listen, we watch, or we sense the existence of others; but eventually, we face the world alone with only ourselves. We are lonely and at time harmed, but eventually we can heal naturally. We can lose our sorrow, and learn that despite our loneliness or sorrows, life goes on.
Lonely Organs is a conversion of my personal experience, a metaphor of the relationship between other individuals and I. But also, it is implicit that anyone could easily refer it to their own experience.
INTRO
Why animation ?
My goal for thesis project is to create and tell stories in my own way. Moving illustration is a form that I’m always interested in while it comes to telling a story. Moving by frame to frame, stories become vivid and clear.
INTRO
How I jumped from the previous project?
Before I came up with the idea of Lonely Organs, I created another story about t e le p a t h y a n d g r a v i t y b e t w e e n t w o individuals, and how they find each other by tracing the mole that they both possess. At the end they finally find each other, blend into each other as a whole, and became a planet rising to the sky. In that story there were a lot of solitary scenes and lonely emotions. Before the two characters met each other, they were alone, waiting for someone similar to come to their life. As I developed the story even further, I found myself being more attracted to the loneliness both characters possessed
instead of the satisfactory when the two individuals met. As an artist, I felt that story wasn’t true enough to myself. Besides, the scale of the story was not really suitable for an animation short. I decided to abandon the story temporarily and leave it to later when I find a better way to deal with it. After that I started to focus on the emotion of loneliness and blew it up to a whole new concept, which became my new project, Lonely Organs.
02 Animation: Deformed
The Concept
In this animation, one head pleasantly talks to other heads. At first they are all happy, but suddenly, for no apparent reason, the head is attacked! His appearance changed forever.
We enjoy talking friends, family, and acquaintances and we believe they enjoy our company, but one day we realize that someone close has caused us harm with ugly words. We may become strangers or even enemies, but there’s nothing that can be done to change things. We could become angry, be a monster and return the harm, but we can also look at ourselves and remain as we were. What would you choose to be?
The making of
rough sketches
storyboard
making characters
shooting
editing
title & credit
the final
Storyboard
Making Characters 1
1 2
Final look Original look
3 456
Main character: the head Other heads
2
3
5
4
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Directed by Aimee Chang Photograph asistanced by Terry Sun Studio by DEVELOOP Studio
Shooting
The Final Claymation
01:38
Directed by Aimee Chang Sound Designed by Hen Photograph Asistanced by Terry Sun
03 Animation: Silent
The Concept
In this animation, an ear is searching for a mouth to listen to, but he only encounters unpleasant voices. Meanwhile a mouth is searching for an ear to speak to, but he only encounters a ‘buzz off’ sound. In our lives we may hear unpleasant thing that we don’t want to hear, or find that we
cannot control what other would say. We may also hear something pleasant one day, and wonder if the sentiments are fake — wonder if it is a trap. Our kindness might taken and not returned, put inside a box, and never be opened again. Or are we the hypocrites that set traps and pretending to be nice? can also look at ourselves and remain as we were. What would you choose to be?
The making of
sketches
storyboard
animatic
characters
Animation: Deformed
finding the look
title & credit
the final
Storyboard
Animatic
FINDING THE
LOOK
The Final
Digital animation
02:02
04 Animation: Empty
The Concept
In this animation, one head pleasantly talks to other heads. A t f i r s t t h e y a re a l l h a p p y , but suddenly, for no apparent reason, the head is attacked! His appearance changed forever.
We enjoy talking friends, family, and acquaintances and we believe they enjoy our company, but one day we realize that someone close has caused us harm with ugly words. We may become strangers or even enemies, but there’s nothing that can be done to change things. We could become angry, be a monster and return the harm, but we can also look at ourselves and remain as we were. What would you choose to be?
The making of
sketches
animatic
title & credit
the final
Animatic
The Final
Digital animation
00:48
From parts to whole
F R O M PA R T S TO W H O L E
05
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The similarity of concepts
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The similarity of elements
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The stylistic choices
F R O M PA R T S TO W H O L E
The relationship between three animations
F R O M PA R T S TO W H O L E
The similarity of concepts
The stories of all three animations are metaphors of relationship and interaction between individuals. In Deformed, the head met other heads and was happy to talk to them, like some of us are willing to talk to others when we first meet. The other heads attacking the head represents verbal violence; it’s like us being harm during unpleasant conversation. In Silent, the ear was searching for a pleasant voice, a kind word, but all it heard was ugly voices. It’s the same as us who like to be treated nicely, to hear others talking tenderly, but sometimes people are just not nice. Finally, the ear found a soft voice saying “hello,” but then being trapped by the mouth that pretended to be nice. Like in reality, we give our sincerity to others, but others just pretend to be sincere in order to take advantage of us, to get what
they want. In Empty, the lonely nose hair traveled to the other nostril, made friends with other hairs, believed it was finally not alone. Like us who search for companion, finally feel satisfied when we find one. However, a hand came and took away all of it’s new friends. In our lives, we may lose our friend or acquaintance out of accident, and we cannot prevent it from happening. The three animations are also similar in the way their endings are implicit, having no certain resolutions, like there isn’t a certain cure for the harm caused in a relationship. Most of the time, people choose to forget but never really forgive. And even if they do, the relationship they once possessed will hardly be the same again.
All of the characters are organs or a co l le c t i o n o f o rg a n s , a n d t h ey e a c h represent different sense. Hand also appears in each animation. It’s an assistant in Deformed. It’s a transportation tool in Silent. It’s a villain in Empty.
F R O M PA R T S TO W H O L E
The similarity of elements
F R O M PA R T S TO W H O L E
The stylistic choices
I t r i e d d i f fe re n t m e t h o d o r s t y le t o accomplish each animation. Deformed is a Claymation, using clay as material to do stop-motion. Silent and Empty are both digital animation by using Photoshop, but the styles are very different. I explored myself as an animator, believing that there shall be no restriction in creating art, and to prove that if the concepts of all were cohesive in a way, they would still be considered as a whole even if the styles were different.
06 The show
THE SHOW
Planning and usage of space
My show contains three animation and three installations, which would be looking very disorganized if I didn’t plan my gallery space appropriately. The flow would be the most important part. It needs to indicate the audience to experience the show in a comprehendible and comfortable way. So I create colors and shapes with painting on the wall, and arrange equipment in three different sections. The feedbacks I receive are quiet positive. Audience gets my intension, feels less overwhelmed, and is able to go through my work naturally.
THE SHOW
Critics
The feedbacks I received are quiet positive. Audience got my intension, felt less overwhelmed, and was able to go through my work naturally. They also felt that the installations I put along with the animations were effective that it took them into my animation more.
But there were still parts that could be improved. The small retro TV used to display Empty was positioned on the floor, which made some audience felt hard to look at. The light spotted on the retro TV was too bright, took away the lonely feeling a bit. Also, my intension to put the fan aside from the TV was lack of explanation.
THE SHOW
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1 Installation for Deformed: a monster's head continuously showing and disappearing inside the mirror. "To be as you were or a monster," what would you choose? 2
Clay characters for Deformed
3 Installation for Silent: a ringing telephone. When you picked up the phone, you would hear all the terrible sounds in the animation Silent.
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The Retro TV was used display Empty. The fan beside was to mimic the wind coming into the nostril. Togother as a whole they formed an installation.
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THE SHOW
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1
The opening space.
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Cards and notes.
FUTURE
Future
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How can I promote my animations?
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What am I going to do as an animator/ illustrator?
FUTURE
How can I promote my animations?
Submit them to animation festivals
Promote them to galleries
I receive critics that my animations are less commercial, more artistic. In a way, it might not be accepted to the majority of market, but people who appreciate it will definitely do. They feel my animations are ready for submitting to independent animation festivals, and it will be a good chance for me to spread my aesthetic to the public.
Galleries are another way to exhibit my animations along with my installations. There are several artists who combine animation with installation successfully promote their works in galleries and receive great feedbacks.
FUTURE
What am I going to do as an animator/ illustrator?
I would like to do both animation and illustration in the future. For animation, I would like to create more personal work, to explore different ways to do animation, and to combine animation with installation to create interactive arts. If possible, I want to apply my style to the commercial market, to create interesting and weird animation that could also be used as advertisement. For illustration, I’m interested in telling stories with the form of graphic novel, and do freelance editorial job for newspaper and magazine. Anyway, as an artist, life is a journey for experimenting and exploring multiple interests. Never be satisfied with what you have gotten, and to keep moving on.
FUTURE
MICA ILP, Whitney Sherman, Kimberly Hall, Joyce Hesselberth, the ILP guest critics, my ILP classmates, my parents and friends,
THANK YOU!
Aimee Chang
aimeechang0313@gmail.com cargocollective.com/AimeeChang 443-691-8455 MFA Illustration Practice 2016 Maryland Institute College of Art
FUTURE