In response to the theme of Object Oriented Ontology, I made a video of rain on a window by creating rainy effects and window simulation in AE.
By creating rain drips with different curves, shapes, sizes, dropping velocities and sounds, I showed that besides human’s need on rain to water plants and decrease temperature, or humans try to control the weather or shelter from the rain, Rain has its verbal and body language while they interacting with each other or other objects.
Similar work is Rain Room produced by rAndom International, it explores this theme by setting up cameras on the ceiling to detect visitor’s movements to keep raindrops away from them. Wherever visitors go, they will not get wet just like they are in a separate world from the rain. This provides them with a chance to breathe the moisture in the air, observe states and hear raining sounds without touching water drops. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkvazIZx-F0)
(Sound tracks are free to download on Epidemic Sound website.)
In response to the theme of Place, I made a video simulating a first-person perspective video game exploring the old house. The video is recorded using my phone and edited in Adobe Premiere. By recording my walks in the old house, adding asides and interactive elements. I showed an immersive experience of exploring the place. I also want to express a close link between me and the place since this place is where I grew up with colourful memories. I was inspired by a video game called What Remains of Edith Finch developed by Giant Sparrow. Players find out secrets and stories of the place by interacting with scenes and items. The place itself is not interesting, but when the characters have lived in the place, there will be many stories linked within the place and the character, which makes the place uncommon.
We see a small, dirty and dark corner of the street, where rubbish bins stand there. We hear rustles come from a bin. A poor homeless dog is looking for food from the bin. His born white fur is stained with dust and turns grey. His fur is long and messy. In a fresh morning, the dog is jogging on the quiet neighbourhood street to exercise. He accidentally hits the handsome cat, who is also taking a walk accompanied by his family on the street. Then the dog has short dizziness and walks wobbly. He swaps souls with the cat unexpectedly. No matter how the cat barks, the family believe the cat as a crazy stray dog. The dog comes home with the cat’s family, and they treats him very well. He eats fish and catches mouses. The family uses the cat teaser wand to play with him, but he acts like a newbie. He forces himself to do everything a cat can. The cat harasses him every day and threats him to swap souls back. He makes a decision that it is time to give life back to this cat. The dog arranges to meet the cat the following day. He tries to run and bumps the cat again at the same position on the street, and swaps souls back to their original bodies. Then, the dog starts his new life as a ‘cat dog’, a dog with cats’ abilities, a better dog.
This short script examines ideas of using terms of externalized seeing and hearing as a treatment of animation. The wiki I used is ‘A dog who wants to swap souls with a cat.’
By avoiding excessive descriptions of character’s thoughts in mind and keeping the focus on what we see and hear, I am able to write a very simple, clear start. This is exactly how the animations or films show to the audience, and they seldom express characters’ internal thoughts. There are only actions and sounds. Characters' thoughts hide in movements or facial expressions.
Similar ideas are developed in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHpXle4NqWI) . It says, ‘Once you know what the character wants, you can figure out the next question: How does this particular individual move?’. This means we should first understand character’s desires and then no longer think about their internal feelings but concentrate on their actions.
In fact, it is not easy for such a sensitive person like me. During my writing process, I found I added many details in characters' minds that would not show on screens. It was complex and too specific as a first scene. Then I revised it. However, it's not saying internal feelings are unnecessary. Quote words say by a famous comedy animation artist, Chuck Jones, ‘Every action is dictated by what goes on inside you. You have to be able to think the way the character thinks. If you can’t tell what’s happening by the way the character moves, you’re not animating.’ Thus, every designed action for characters should be rational and based on their thoughts.
-The relationship between Olivia and her boyfriend has been frozen for a while.
-Today, her boyfriend seems to be unhappy with her role as his girlfriend.
- ‘Why not just break up?’ Olivia says, but it is contrary to her convictions. She tries to confirm her boyfriend’s love for her by using such an aggressive method.
-However, her boyfriend agrees and says he has disliked her since a long time ago.
-She is shocked and sad even cannot breathe.
Olivia doubts herself that maybe she is not good enough to be worth loved, which is why her boyfriend breaks up with her.
-She cannot control herself immersed in sad memories and has been upset for a long time.
-Eventually, she feels it is time to finish such negative moods.
-Olivia buys a film ticket, and she hears that this film can smooth destructive emotions.
-The idea of this film is that love yourself before falling in love with others.
-Through watching the film, she realizes many merits of herself and believes she is worth being loved. She thinks that she is brave, kind, and optimistic.
-Olivia falls in love with herself, ‘It would be great if I can marry myself’, she says to herself in the mirror.
-Surprisingly, another Olivia walks out from the mirror.
Olivia embraces and kisses with another herself.
This work examines ideas of reversing engineer a short story from an ending point. I begin with the premise 'Olivia embraces and kisses with another herself.'
By imagining situations using bullet points from the end, I transform an original way of thinking, different from the storytelling orders in the last week. Lean on the ending point, then come up with situations that may cause this result, that is, 'what ifs'.
This method is similar to Film Art's: An Introduction(Bordwell, David &Kristin, 2008) about causes and effects. In most detective narratives, utilizing people's curiosity often gives an effect at first but not the causes.
By examine the TED TALK How Games turn Players into Storytellers presented by David Cage. After watching the robot saves a goldfish, which influences his personality in the game Detroit: Be Human. I reflected that I had missed some important personalities of the protagonist that will lead to such an end. So, I added some details of changes for Olivia's characteristics over time.
In response to the theme of tinkering, I produced a short piece of music using Garage Band. By making music made up of repeated clips of sound records from items in life: Switch sound, air-conditioning remote control sound, the sound of knocking on a paper box, etc., and edit these sounds in an unfamiliar application. I showed that everyday things that people ignore could contribute to creation too, and they may bring much more surprises and possibilities. This work was inspired by a loopstation video of Henry’s improvisation. He produced nice beats using sounds of hitting a beer bottle and kneading food bags, which are harmonious with instrument-made rhythms.(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F83O8qdOhY)
Ps: Some of the background electrical sounds come from Garage Band library.