Sharing: The Borderless Storytelling within Boundaries
大講堂:有形限制的無限故事創造

Talks on Creative Journeys

Date: 6th August, 2022

Venue: Jao Tsung-I Academy Resource Centre

@Camp 2022

Mentor: Step C (Animator), Mo (Founder of the Video Production House “Yamenyamo”)

Well-experienced animation producers Step Cheung (StepC) and Chan Wai Mo (Mo) met each other during the last epidemic. Their dialog across time was divided into three sections, which started from introducing the common thematic imagery in animation production.

The sharing session showed StepC’s early short anime work Toxic Relationship and also Yuki Onna co-produced by Mo and Waa Wei to explore how to present different aspects of bad romance through animation. It was followed by discussions of the different approaches to animation: the traditional Cel Animation and the more recent Motion Graphic and 3D Animation. The advancement of technologies resulted in screens being widened. For example, RubberBand’s MTV Every Little Thing and AGA’s MTV CityPop were created by StepC and Mo respectively who used the increasingly popular format which integrates reality shots into animation. The hybrid mode could help create infinite stories.

The second half explicates the two speakers’ creative universes, including collaborations with local singers and independent works. Animation is difficult because they have to draw every frame of every stage of the script. There’s no room for laziness. A project often has a tight production schedule and limited resources. Every time they review their work, they discover room for improvement. It is indeed difficult to keep the balance, but they do their best. As StepC said, she is satisfied and elated when she sees her works that reflect or record a certain period of her career and when she sees her fellows draw inspiration from her works.

創作大講堂

日期:2022年8月6日

地點:饒宗頤文化館資源中心

@創作營 2022

分享:張小踏(動畫師)、陳偉武(創意工作室「也文也武」創辦人)

兩位均累積了不少動畫製作經驗的張小踏(StepC)和陳偉武(Mo),其實早相識於上次瘟疫蔓延時。這場隔著兩個時空的對談分成三個部分,從兩人動畫製作上的共通主題意象導入。率先播放了StepC.較早期的作品《有毒關係》 動畫短片,和Mo為魏如萱製作的《雪女》,探討如何以動畫方式,呈現不同面向的有害浪漫(Bad romance)。逐討論到坊間動畫製作不同方式的進程:從以往傳統的  Cel Animation,到幾年比較多見的 Motion Graphic 和 3D Animation。科技的進步和追求令畫框越拉越闊,例如RubberBand的《每道微小》MV,以及AGA 的《CityPop》MV,分別為兩人的作品,就運用了近年越趨流行的形式:動畫混合實拍/實境,讓動畫製作進一步走向混合(hybrid)模式,創造無限個故事。

對談的下半部分,分別剖析了兩位嘉賓的創作宇宙,有與本地歌手們的合作,也有更多地反映了自己的獨立創作。動畫製作從來都不是一件容易的事,劇本、腳本談及的每一步、每一格都需要畫,絲毫沒有偷懶的餘地。而一條短片要求的製作期限和資源,往往都比較緊迫。作為創作者,每次回看自己的作品,永遠都覺得有「可以做得更加好」的餘地,當中的平衡絕對不容易拿捏。但盡力去做,正如StepC所說:回過頭來看見那些反映到、紀錄了某個時段的自己的作品;看到有其他創作者、有心人在自己的作品當中得到啟發,那種心情也總是滿足、開心的。