WHY presentation

One day, when I was cutting my nails on the toe, I came up with a question: who is going cut my nails on the toe when I am old? So I had the idea for my grad film which is about a forgetful old lady who is struggling to cut her nails on the toe. She attempts so many times but they all failed at the end. She is sad because she cannot get things done, and she is helpless in the room by her own. Fortunately her husband comes back home at the end of the story, and helps her to cut her nails on the toe.

There must be a day that I will be too old to walk fast, too old to bend my waist, too old to memorize everything happened in the past, and even my loved one. And at that time, is there anyone can cut my nails on the toe for me? Or is there anyone can stay with me? I think most people might have the similar thought. Therefore, by making this animation, I wish the audience could get to know how the elderly feel when they are alone. On the other hand, people should cherish the one who cares about you, because she or he might be the one that accompanies you till the end.

My animation will be hand drawn, 2D, and digital coloring of a water color effect with soft and loose outlines. After researching online, I found that a Japanese movie called My Neighbor the Yamadas uses a very similar style as what I am pursuing. My Neighbor the Yamadas is an animation about the daily lives of the Yamada family. There is not any main theme in the movie but just little detailed things happened in their lives. The entire animation was drawn and painted on computers which was the first for Ghibli studio. After watching the movie, I have a déjà vu experience with what happened in the movie. I think this is one of the most successful parts of the movie because it lets its audience to relevant the plot in the movie to their own experiences.

I think nowadays people ignoring the elderly in their families because of heavy workload or economical reasons. But through my film, I want to let people know that the elderly sometimes just need someone to stay with them and care about them. I want to create a happy and touching ending for my film. Therefore, my audience might start to think what if there is no grandpa? And then realize the loneliness of the elderly.

There will be no dialogue in my animation, the emotions of my character will be showed from her facial expressions and body movements. However, there will be background music play through the whole animation. I will use a slow-paced instrumental music which is similar to the pace of the story and also the main character. I am looking for mucis pieces that has a Joe Hisaishi style, which sounds a little bit sad. Furthermore, there will be sound effects that match the acts in the animation as while.

Overall, the presentation helps me to get my ideas gathered, so I have a clear idea of what direction I will be going to.

 Animatic:

http://vimeo.com/30205396

Project Proposal 

Summary

My grad film is called “Amnesia” (not finalized); it will be approximately 3 minute hand drawn 2D animation. It is an easy funny and touching story about a forgetful old lady who is struggling to cut her nails on the toe.

Synopsis

My film illustrates the loneliness and helplessness of a forgetful old lady by her several failed attempts of cutting nails on the toe, and her happiness of recall her memory with her husband.

Description

In my story, a forgetful old lady is struggling to cut her nails on the toe, but she fails so many times to reach her toes. She wants to use a small ladder to help herself, but she forgets what she was going to do when she is moving plants from the small ladder. After spending time on some other things, she remembers her origin and gets set to cut her nails again. But she still could not get the nails cut by her own. She sees a photo of an old man and her, so she tries to remember who he is. She feels helpless on her own, and I intend to let the audience feel sad for her at this point because she lost her cherished memory. The last part will be the climax of the story which her husband comes back from shop with a stool he just bought for her, and the old lady recalls all her memory with her loved one. After all, he helps her to cut nails on the toe.

Visual Treatment

I will be doing a hand drawn 2D animation piece, all the animation will be done hand drawn. After scanning the drawings into computer, I will color them digitally in Photoshop and then animate in After Effects. I will keep the line quality loose and light which keeps the organic feel of traditional animation. The colors will have a light tinted water color effect. A visual example will be My Neighbor the Yamadas. (see last post)

Sound Treatment

There will be no dialogue in my animation, the emotions of my character will be showed from her facial expressions and body movements. However, there will be background music play through the whole animation. I will use a slow-paced instrumental music which is similar to the pace of the story and also the main character. Furthermore, there will be sound effects that match the acts in the animation as while.

Budget:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0At8OprUzORF2dFBlSjd2Yk43b0VwQ2xRRURwMlg2Qmc&hl=en_US

Production Schedule:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0At8OprUzORF2dERxY1A4dVlVQVBNNTRDbEdVWjNwd3c&hl=en_US

Sample Visuals: