Category: Graduation film

I have two ideas about graduation film so far. One is the story that happened after a man’s death and another one this the black hole story I did before. After the discussion with Clare, we both think that the first story is a bit well-known so I may continue with the black hole story.

This idea didn’t choose by the LIAF team but I really want to develop this idea. Clare helps me a lot to make this story more reasonable and the structure more clear. First, the character needs to discover his fear of the holes( although it’s all his illusion). At first, I’m thinking about letting something getting out of the hole in the sink.

But I should keep working on this part to make it more convincing. Why he feels that there is something inside the hole. This part is too simple and no reason.

And then he flees his house, then he begins to see holes everywhere. The anxious and fear is building. And he finds that fill the holes could help him have the sense of relief( I think this part is the climax of the story), he starts to do crazy things. About this part, I think I could add something interesting. Clare advised me to make a montage of scenes at this place and I think it will have a really strong visual impact. In this part, the most important thing is to let manic feeling build step by step instead of release suddenly.

Finally, he back home sitting on the sofa. This part should be very slow because a very intense part just finished. Everything seems peaceful at this moment until his eyes fall on the hole on the can he is holding. He didn’t escape this time and this hole is like magical, attracting him staring at it. I think the audience would like to know what exactly exists in the hole at this moment. And he sees another person in the hole and staring at him and suddenly everything surrounding him is like a whirlpool turning him around and around. When it stops, this man finds that he becomes the person who stays in the hole.

And about the character in the hole, at first, I thought it will look the same with the man. Clare suggested it could be a different character. I think it to some extent could avoid the confusion between these two characters so I may change it looks.

An idea came to me after I watched this animation.

This animation really inspired me, both the story and the art style. It describes the journey of a man who suddenly met a car accident and died. He met death manager and ask for an answer. It’s not just a simple story, it discusses not just this man’s whole life also the other people’s. And it talks about the circle of people’s life so it’s a bit deep. The style of this work is really beautiful. Every scene has a well-designed composition and colour tone like illustrations.

Also, the design of the death manager makes me feel its power because of the action of this character extremely fits its personality. It is powerful, seems to know the rule about this world and it shows them to this man, and to the audience as well.

I find that only use the colour blocks to create characters is a nice choice. It seems smoother than the character with an outline and it may save some times for the cleanup job. I’m considering to do the grad film in this way.

My idea inspired by this film is, I also want to tell a story that happened after a man’s death and it is just a story not a discussion about the death itself. This man doesn’t want to leave his world because he made some mistakes before and he so regrets about it because he hurts someone. He begging the death to let him fix it otherwise he won’t go. So the death gives him another chance. I didn’t finish the end yet. The point is I want this story to be this man’s misunderstanding, he will find even he fix this mistake nothing will change. I want to express people should look forward and keep going.