ANIM 321 Senior Animation Project Proposal: Written Elements

ANIM 321 Senior Animation Project Proposal: Written Elements

April 12, 2011

Rong Luo

0042706

Summary: The goal is to produce a 5 minute animated short called Bond about a young Caucasian’s thrilled trip at China. A life lesson is learned through his journey.

Synopsis: My film is about a disclosure of a dynamic range of culture and how people share the same feelings and emotions despite their different culture backgrounds.

Description: I have had three years of studying aboard as an animator and have witnessed many culture collision and misunderstandings happening between east and west. The aim of this project is to first give a detailed, realistic visual presentation of modern China to the western world. The main character of this animated short will personally experience culture shock, conflict and discrimination through his journey at China. The feeling my project is intended to convey is bitter sweetness from the main character’s experience. The film is also intended to educate any group or individual who holds a biased opinion against one another. I expect a recall of the audience’s sympathy and awareness towards the individual who suffers from biased opinions and repression after watching the finished project.

Visual Treatment and method of production: I plan to make this project a 2D short animation, and I would like to explore some experimental 2D techniques. Digital cut-outs puppets created in Photoshop will be applied for most part of the animation. Some in-betweens will be created through hand-drawn digitally. The overall texture will be a combination of watercolor and traditional Chinese ink painting, and this texture will mostly be shown through layouts. The painterly texture will be created by hand drawing on silk paper and then edited through Photoshop.

Sound Treatment: My project is a narrative. Dialogue, sound effects and music will be the three main elements of my soundtrack. The soundtrack is aimed to create a believable realm of the story. The recording and editing of the dialogues and sound effects will be the heaviest part of sound editing. The style of music will be mainly traditional Chinese music providing four main types of mood through film: curiosity, anxiety, sorrow and peace. The music will be structured and evolved along the expansion of the plot line. My younger cousin at China is a traditional Chinese music composer. She offers to help me during this summer vacation when I get back to China.

Production Schedule:

May 2- August 20

(1) Staying at China for summer vacation.

(2) Using this time to finish creating all digital puppets, possible camera angles, layouts and coloring texture.

(3) Contact my younger cousin who is a musician and an expert of traditional Chinese music. Ask her for possible production of composition.

(4) Get proper sound recordings for the Chinese characters in my animation

(5) Make a proper production schedule based on cuts and scenes

(6) Start animation. Aim: finishing key poses and at least one minute of final scene

September-December (2^nd panel review)

(1)    keep production flow. Aim: finishing 3 minute of the final project

(2)    further sound editing in film studio, adding more sound elements if necessary.

(3)    Make necessary changes along critiques

January-March 2012

(1)    Keep production flow and final rendering. Aim: finish the project

(2)    add more in-betweens and cushion-in and outs

(3)    lock the sound track

April 2012

Final cut editing. Rendering

Budget:

Microphone with cable---------------- $ 300

Mini DV tape x 2     ---------------- $ 60

Silk paper x 200 (from China) ---------$ 10

Verbatim 50-Pack 4.7GB DVD-R----- $ 20

Voice Actor         ------------------$ 100

Possible Extra cost   -------------------$200

Total               ------------------$ 590