Strangers
–
2018
Final project for CICE's Masters in Motion Graphics and Creative Direction.
Strangers was my first try at making a full motion piece at the beginning of 2019. I wanted to talk about the distance, indifference or fear that many people feel toward immigrants and refugees, and I wanted to do it in a lyric and suggestive way – not explicitly, but appealing to emotions. So I wrote a poem with the help of my friend Tiff Griffin, who also lent me his voice for the project. It was a very personal approach to the topic, since my main inspiration was my own experience as a volunteer in a refugee camp in Greece. My intention was to create my humble little tribute to the people I knew there and to all the ones I didn't.
I couldn't animate the complete original text, but the resulting piece came to terms with my expectations. It was an exciting first motion experience.
···
At the end of your silence, grows an abyss
made of fear and ocean and uncertainty.
At the border’s edge, the sudden glimmer
of gentle light, of someone’s hope,
reveals a mirror.
In the dark, rebel stars evade oblivion,
embracing your image,
unveiling your companions.
You find Ahmed’s tired feet,
Leen’s broken heart,
but also
Tala’s laughter, Mazen’s bad jokes,
Rana’s eyes.
Can you feel them
warming your bones
in the cold misty drizzle?
Can you see them,
beautiful dreamers,
carrying the weight of the same dreams you dream?
Doctors, lawyers, teachers, drivers,
and people who just make
a great cup of tea.
Whispers linger as the mirror fades:
A stranger is a friend you just don’t know.
Yet.
made of fear and ocean and uncertainty.
At the border’s edge, the sudden glimmer
of gentle light, of someone’s hope,
reveals a mirror.
In the dark, rebel stars evade oblivion,
embracing your image,
unveiling your companions.
You find Ahmed’s tired feet,
Leen’s broken heart,
but also
Tala’s laughter, Mazen’s bad jokes,
Rana’s eyes.
Can you feel them
warming your bones
in the cold misty drizzle?
Can you see them,
beautiful dreamers,
carrying the weight of the same dreams you dream?
Doctors, lawyers, teachers, drivers,
and people who just make
a great cup of tea.
Whispers linger as the mirror fades:
A stranger is a friend you just don’t know.
Yet.
Concept Art
One of the few things clear from the beginning was the abstract direction for the style of the project. I wanted it to be aligned with the abstract storytelling. There were two main ideas: the characters would be represented by geometric figures and the ambience would be dark and oneiric. Starting from there, I ended up with these two pieces of concept art, which became my stylistic guides for the entire project.
Storyboard
Cel Shading
Texturing was a key part of this project. Despite most of the piece being built in 3D, I wanted to achieve a hand-drawn and organic feeling for the final look, I loved the idea of volume and lighting being "drawn" by carefully designed shaders. These are some of the ones that made it through the final selection.
Stills from the final piece:
CREDITS
–
Creative Direction, Storyboards, Art Direction,
3D & 2D Animation, Composite:
Laura Segaz
VO: Tiff Griffin
Music: Borrtex