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2007-03-21T05:40:00.000-07:00

May 2007 - Film to be screened: “The Missing Marionette – 7’07” at Int’l Fest of Cinema & Technology at UK, USA and Canada

April 2007 - Film to be screened: “The Missing Marionette – 7’07” at Aarhus Festival of Independent Arts, Denmark

January 2007 - Film screened: “The Missing Marionette – 7’07” at Premiers Plans Festival, Paris

October 2006 - Film screened: “The Insomniacs - 4’40” at Sefton Short Film Festival, Liverpool

January 2006 - Film screened: “The Insomniacs - 4’40” at Halloween Short Film Festival, Curzon Soho; “Simon” 7’06” at ICA

November 2005 - Film – “Skia - 4’20” exhibited at Future Map Exhibition (annual exhibition showcasing highlights of the year’s graduate shows from five colleges that make up University of the Arts London)

"The Missing Marionette" is on YouTube now!

2007-03-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

Leaflet design for costume designer - Julia Kalache

2006-09-14T03:28:00.000-07:00

Self-Portrait

Experimental work for "The Missing Marionette"

2006-09-13T03:29:00.000-07:00

Filmography

1. The Missing Marionette (2006, 7'07"), MA graduation film
2. Simon (2006, 7'06") -------- screened at Halloween Short Film Festival, January 2006 @ ICA)
3. Dance in fish dream 1 (2005, 3'54")
4. Dance in fish dream 2 (2005, 3'48")
5. Skia (2005, 4'20") BA graduation film (chosen by Future Map Exhibition - annual exhibition showcasing highlights of the year’s graduate shows from five colleges that make up University of the Arts London)
6. The Insomniacs (2005, 4'40"), BA graduation film --------- screened at Halloween Short Film Festival, January 2006 @ Curzon Soho)
7. The Wandering Jew (2004, 4'54")

2006-08-22T03:49:00.000-07:00

The Missing Marionette (2006, 7'07"), MA graduation film

Synopsis

My animation “The Missing Marionette” is a story that deals with relationship between desire, control and freedom. A desire to control others sometimes develops from being under control.

I’m interested in telling a surreal story in a poetic way. My animation was inspired by Kafka’s writings. Kafka’s narrative is a non-stop developing process, from start to end, like a swinging pendulum. Time and space are modulated, dissolving or in question. His elusive text set up a strange mystery. There are things that move you deeply because you can’t trap them down. They’re beautiful in their elusiveness. I love fragmentation in Kafka’s writings. Because fragmentation is the way our memory works, we can never remember all the details of things happened many years ago, but those fragments and details surface, make us remember, ring a bell in your mind, a smell, a melody, a sound, a pattern, a colour… and that can be vivid and strong.

“The Missing Marionette” a story about a Chinese doll who owns a magic orange. One day she dropped into a well. A puppeteer changed her into a marionette and made her perform on stage for years. Every night the puppeteer connects the doll to a fish. The doll can only have fish dreams. One night, her magic orange came back into her dream. Finally the doll successfully escaped during one performance and trapped the puppeteer ¬by using her magic orange. She trapped the innocent fish at the same time, now she becomes the one who is in control.

2006-08-22T03:48:00.000-07:00

Simon (2006, 7'06") -------- screened at Halloween Short Film Festival, January 2006 @ ICA

2006-08-22T03:43:00.000-07:00

Dance in fish dream 1 (2005, 3'54")

2006-08-22T03:40:00.000-07:00

Dance in fish dream 2 (2005, 3'48")

2006-08-22T03:37:00.000-07:00

Skia (2005, 4'20") BA graduation film (chosen by Future Map Exhibition - annual exhibition showcasing highlights of the year’s graduate shows from five colleges that make up University of the Arts London)

2006-08-22T03:33:00.000-07:00

The Insomniacs (2005, 4'40"), BA graduation film --------- screened at Halloween Short Film Festival, January 2006 @ Curzon Soho)

2006-08-22T03:30:00.000-07:00

The Wandering Jew (2004, 4'54")

2006-08-22T03:27:00.001-07:00

3D Installation
------ What a fish dreams about in a rainy day?

The Fool's Journey
----Drawing on bottles

2006-08-22T03:27:00.000-07:00

Wake up in a strange place...

I can eat an apple and still have it.

Animatics about shadow

Set Design for "The Missing Marionette"

2006-08-22T03:26:00.001-07:00

Waste My Life ---- A illustrated story about a weather doll's life:

I'm a weather doll. Tree of waste is where I live.
I was hanged here by someone to pray for good weather.
My body is void.
And I'm fed up with my boring life.
My life is wasted in spring.
My life is wasted in summer.
My life is wasted in autumn.
My life is wasted in winter.
I have only one friend (a spider).
I asked him: "Can I become something else?"
"OK. What I can do is to entwine you into a cocoon. When comes spring, you will change into something else. But I have no idea what you will become..."
Endless waiting..........
Day and night.........
One day I wake up. The cocoon starts to break.
I find myself have eight legs and I can walk around now.
Everyone tells me an octopus belongs to the sea.
So I travel a long journey from my tree to the sea.
I'm not happy deep in the sea.
Do I really belong to this place?
Until one day, I discovered a tree of waste in the sea!
I feel like I'm home. All I want to do now is to be hanged here as a weather doll and waste the rest of my life...

Soulless

I can't close my eyes. Therefore I'm sleepless. Therefore I'm dreamless.

Void is growing...

2006-08-22T03:26:00.000-07:00

Hide and Seek

----- sailing in the clear blue sea in a clear boat

2006-08-22T03:24:00.000-07:00

Some of my commercial web design work:

www.chainechina.org

www.sanaxi.com

www.eliterealtychina.com

www.mandarin-orange.com

2005-10-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

Draft Proposal

Working Title: Knowing not to Know

Project Description: I’m undertaking an animated film project based on narrative structures that are dealing with the theme ‘Knowing not to Know’.

The aim of this project is to challenge traditional boundaries in visual story telling. To tell part of something in order not to tell the rest of it.

Objectives:

1. Experiment with image-making and story telling in an interactive process
2. Explore new possibilities in building narratives based on film research and analysis
3. Enrich my graphic language & illustration vocabulary
4. Increase sophistication and sensibility in sound design

Rationale:

I was first fascinated by Andrei Tarkovsky’s films, full of poetic, nonlinear narratives. The beauty of the way ‘he speaks in order not to say anything about the essential thing that he must keep secret’ (Derrida, The Gift of Death, P59) makes us increasingly curious to the untold / unknown part of the story.

I have been researching David Lynch’s films such as Mulholland Drive and Lost High Way, deconstructing the narrative structures, looking for the devices that Lynch uses to dislocate and reconnect stream of consciousness, lead or mislead viewers’ logic thinking. I believe it is the curiosity to the unknown (not the absurdity) that holds our attention. The mixture of real and unreal and the swap of real and unreal play tricks on viewer’s mind (but not to confuse them!)

Therefore, I find constructing an innovative narrative structure is more challenging and interesting than producing a non-narrative based, abstract piece. Incorporate ‘knowing not to know ’ structure with appropriate imagery, hopefully I can push and challenge my filmmaking to a creative and exciting level.

Also, I have been looking at Tarot cards because they are associated with ‘knowing not to know’ as well. Tarot is an ancient Western occult psychological and philosophical system consisting 78 cards divided into the Major and Minor Arcana. (Mary K. Greer, Tarot for Your Self, P1) The 22 cards of the Major Arcana make up a Fool’s Journey. Each major arcana card stands for a stage on that journey - an experience that a person must incorporate to realize his wholeness. Tarot is a medium to communicate with people’s unconscious side of ego. When you pick several cards in order to solve a specific question in your mind, the cards you pick will immediately turn into a narrative comprises the past, the present, the future (even more aspects, depends on the number of cards you pick). Via a reading, cards can reveal your unconsciousness to your conscious mind. When you have selected several cards, facing down, you know that a story is there, physically, but totally unknown, and the moment you turn every card facing up, you can only see a rough picture of the story. After subjective analysing, your conscious mind become aware of information derived from the unconsciousness. Finally get a clearer picture of the whole narrative, which is generated by both the cards and the card reader. When you really engage yourself in constructing a narrative and you will be able to find the most reasonable explanation the cards define. And the same card layout reveals diverse information to different card readers.

A Tarot reading process is similar to the one generating a story from images, full of uncertainty and surprises. I would like to apply this system to my filmmaking process.

Relevance:

As an animator / filmmaker, I believe the narrative structure is more important than image making. Investigation in narrative structure will benefit my project from both theoretical and practical approach.

I’m keen on ‘gothic dark fairy-tale’, and interested in producing moody, playful, individual style imagery. ‘Knowing not to know’ is a theme that suits my style and interests, and allows enough freedom for me to explore.

I would like to work in animation / filmmaking industry. Therefore, I will need to build up a strong portfolio / showreel.

Methodologies:

Initial script Ideas
Experiment with visuals and sounds
Draft script / storyboard
Scene Design / Character Design
Animation / shooting footage
Sound Design
Finalise script
Editing
Re-shooting
Production

Feasibility: realistic and feasible

Timetable:

October ~ November: research and initial script / concept, experiment with images and sounds
December: continue research, but push further script structure and produce more relevant visuals
January: scene design, test shooting / animation
February: continue shooting / filmmaking
March: editing / mixing
April: revise
May: final production

2005-10-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

poisoned

2005-10-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

orange, orange, orange...

2005-10-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

Who is it?

2005-10-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

clueless...

2005-10-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

What drops in the well?

2005-10-17T11:26:00.000-07:00

Transfer to MA Illustration

Before starting MA Digital Arts course, I didn’t really know exactly what Digital Art means. After taking this course for three weeks, I have better understanding in Digital Arts definition. And I believe what I’m interested in and working on is more related to Illustration. My major interest is in film & animation, for film / animation festival context for example. However, Digital Arts is about undertaking an art investigation in digital way of thinking, for virtual reality context (for example). And most of my group students are involved in interactive projects. Although I can also do films in Digital Arts, it’s a different environment if what I want to achieve is in narrative & image-making sense. Therefore, I would like to transfer to Illustration, which is a more appropriate environment for my project development.

I feel so sorry to leave Andy Stiff, Maria, and all my classmates. Like you guys very very much! We will still see each other every Wednesday on PgPD. Please keep me in your email list, I still want to be in touch with all of you!

2005-10-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

Nobuko Tsuchiya

Anthony Reynolds Gallery

Nobuko Tsuchiya’s work is poetic, communicates with viewers’ subconscious most time. I like the subtle colours and sensitive lines in her installation. Very interesting titles such as: This storm is what we call progress, 8 legged hypnotic witness.

2005-10-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

Robert Polidori
http://www.flowerseast.com/Originals_Exhibitions.asp?Exhibition=05FCRP&OE=1

I went to see Robert Polidori’s photographs at Flowers Central. The abandoned nurseries and school remains look so sad and beautiful, remind me Andrei Tarkovsky’s films.

2005-10-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

EMERGEANDSEE

This year’s student short films are quite shocking. My favourite film is The Circle. It’s talking about in a wired world, a group of wired people playing a game - passing around metal boxes. The movement is repetitive and simple. Camera moves with fluidity. The colour scheme is very simple, but beautifully designed and shot.

Occipital Follies is a shocking horror short piece with scream, blood and humour. It’s a story about an animated eye that does not want to die yet.

Everything Turns is very powerful and imaginative drawing animation about time and degeneration.

Rap Music is directed by a Camberwell student: Robert Liang. Very bizarre and sad story with great sense of humour.

2005-10-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

Today I went to see Oliver Payne & Nick Relph’s video exhibition at Serpentine Gallery. Their works deal with urban context (historical and political), contemporary life, alternative street cultures. Their films are part documentary, part music video, part surveillance tape and part video diary. I like the passion, humour and roughness in their visual language. People in their videos are usually weird, vacant, expressionless and lost.

2005-10-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

I'm looking at some fantasy stories for my narrative development. ‘The Hearing Trumpet’ and ‘The Magic Pudding’ are both crazy, funny and share similarities with ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

The Hearing Trumpet (Leonora Carrington)
The Hearing Trumpet is the story of 92-year-old Marian Leatherby, who is given the gift of a hearing trumpet only to discover that what her family is saying is that she is to be committed to an institution. But this is an institution where the buildings are shaped like birthday cakes and igloos, where the Winking Abbess and the Queen Bee reign, and where the gateway to the underworld is open. It is also the scene of a mysterious murder. Occult twin to Alice in Wonderland, The Hearing Trumpet is a classic of fantastic literature that has been translated and celebrated throughout the world.

The Magic Pudding (Norman Lindsay)
Bunyip Bluegum the Koala leaves home because he can't stand the sight of his uncle's whiskers in the soup any more. He meets Barnacle Bill the sailor and Sam Sawnoff the penguin, who own a remarkable pudding. Every time you cut a slice from the pudding, another one grows in its place, you can eat as much as you like, the pudding lasts forever. What's more, you can change the pudding to any kind you like, it can be steak and kidney or plum duff or jam roly poly. The pudding is apt to get discontented and starts complaining if it isn't eaten enough. Such a desirable pudding is naturally at constant risk from pudding thieves, and the three friends have their work cut out trying to outwit the sneaky Possum and Wombat who are always trying to steal it. This is a very funny story with lots of action and a great many fights, it should appeal to anyone who likes humorous fantasy.

2005-09-28T02:49:00.000-07:00

I’m making up a surreal story related to a well. It's invisible, embedded in a book called 'The Blue Well'. Things drop in the well, a puppet is fishing from the well... The puppet will sink in the well later. These are some images in my mind.

2005-09-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

The Fool's Journey

The Fool's Journey is a metaphor for the journey through life. Each major arcana card stands for a stage on that journey - an experience that a person must incorporate to realize his wholeness.

http://www.learntarot.com/journey.htm

I'm looking at Tarot Cards. The concept of The Fool's Journey is quite interesting. Picking any numbers of cards from 22 major arcana in various orders, you can create a dramatic and imaginative story. And the interpretations have open possibilities. The story is not a specific one, it's more like an unexpected journey like our life, full of surprises, ups and downs...

2005-09-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

RCA INTERACTION DESIGN DEGREE SHOW 2005

http://www.rcainteractiondesign.org/

2005-09-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

Interactivity: A Forgotten Art?

Computers in Human Behavior, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 157–180

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Review by: Reichert, Raimond (2004-07-29)

Though the importance of “interactivity” in learning environments is often stressed, there has been inadequate analysis of how interactivity can be achieved. This article focuses on human-computer interactivity, not on human-human interaction through computer-mediated communication, and proposes a classification of interaction types from a developer’s perspective. The article also includes a brief literature review of other conceptualizations of interactivity.

The developer’s classification of interactivity includes the following types:

Object Interactivity refers to the basic concept that when a user clicks on an object, there is some form of audio-visual response.
Linear Interactivity is also often termed electronic page-turning, meaning linear navigation through content. Its use as a major form of interaction is discouraged.
Hierarchical Interactivity typically refers to a menu which offers access to the underlying content.
Support Interactivity ranges from simple help messages to complex tutorial systems.
Update Interactivity provides users with a computer-generated response to their input and ranges from simple question-and-answer formats to complex conditional responses.
Construct Interactivity is an extension of this concept and requires the learner to manipulate or construct objects to achieve specific goals. Such interactions require significantly more design and implementation effort.
Reflective Interactivity alludes to situations where text responses are to be provided to the users answers.
Simulation Interactivity is closely linked to Construct Interactivity and extends the role of learner to that of controller or operator. This type of interactivity will also require significant design and implementation effort.
Hyperlinked interactivity lets the user access hyperlinked information. While technically easy to implement, the challenge is to design the navigation in such a way as to avoid the lost-in-hyperspace phenomenon.
Nonimmersive Contextual Interactivity transports users into a microworld which models their work environments and has them undertake tasks which reflect those of their work experience. This form of interactivity also requires significant effort.

As the author notes, the implementation of interactive learning environments can be perceived as an art form. It requires a comprehensive range of skills which probably only a team of experts in pedagogy, software developers, and human-computer interface specialists can achieve. This requirement implies that interactivity remains a tough challenge as cross-disciplinary collaboration is quite demanding.

2005-09-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

Proposal Outline

With my Graphic Design background, I wish to find out how design language can be incorporated in filmmaking experience, and further develop my own cinematographic sensibilities. My work will involve photography, scripting, directing, sound design, stop motion & drawing animation elements.

I would like to explore the possibilities and challenge the conventions in visual story telling. I’m thinking to make a narrative-based film with unconventional approach or to tell a well-known story in an innovative way. I'm also interested in creating non-narrative based, experimental films, communicate with the audience at subconscious level.

2005-09-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

The last page of a diary

A short script talking about writing diary at midnight. I personally prefer put down my thoughts and emotions when I’m depressed or confused. Sometimes writing does calm you down and make you see things clear. However, sometimes writing can also intrigues your emotional breakdown and leads you out of control…