This
project encompasses the creation of animated videos for the play
“The
Society for New Cuisine”
These animations were developed with the aim of
promoting the play on social media platforms, offering viewers an engaging
experience.
Collaborating with playwright and lead performer Chris Fung, I aimed to convey the depth and meaning of the work through visual means, allowing the audience to immerse themselves in the world of the story without the need for unnecessary words.
Chris Fung is a debut playwright and a talented actor. With
numerous successful roles in theater and on stage, including performances in
plays like “Frozen”, “Cyrano de Bergerac ”, and
“Evita”, he possesses a rich experience in the world of art.
His work “The Society for New Cuisine” is a unique Buddhist allegory based on the teachings of Lama Thubten Yeshe, addressing important themes such as capitalism, desire, heartbreak, and the true cost of satisfaction
Collaborating with such a talented and inspiring artist was an honor for me and an opportunity to translate his creative vision into unique animations.
At the beginning of my work with Chris, I encountered an intriguing task.
His play
possesses enveloping, enticingly dark surrealism.
The main
goal was to create visual content that would not only attract new audiences to
the play but also emphasize its profound themes.
Naturally, we wanted to create something that would spark interest, intrigue viewers, and show what to expect from the performance.
Tasks
My task was to translate the mood and meaning of the play into a certain visual format.
In this pursuit, Chris gave me full carte blanche.
Animation seemed to be the most intriguing option
for me, especially since I have been experimenting with this direction for some
time.
The challenge was in how to convey complex emotions and ideas through animation without creating literal, illustrative material. I wanted to depict feelings through drawings.
For this, I took on several specific tasks:
1. Analysis and Visualization
First and foremost, I conducted a deep analysis of the play, identifying key scenes and emotions. I also sought additional information that could assist me: Aesop’s fables, which served as one of the references, have been familiar to me since childhood, and Lama Yeshe’s book became my breakfast reading. Once the form became clear to me, I began to quickly sketch the images that my imagination drew. Then I started storyboarding and developing visual concepts for each segment, aiming to capture the atmosphere and mood.
2. Technical Implementation
I used animation techniques and software for hand-drawn frame-by-frame animation. I intentionally wanted to make the visuals nervous, so each 15-second video consists of 180 frames drawn and colored by hand. I used subdued colors to emphasize the coldness and frustration, as well as gloomy thoughts. And only one vibrant color, representing the main interest, the primary desire, and a way to satisfy emotional hunger.
3.
Communication and Approval
An important part of the process was constant communication with Chris to ensure that the animations created accurately conveyed his vision of the work.
4. Audience Engagement
Furthermore, I aimed not only to create promotional materials but also genuine visual experiences for the viewers. My task was to make the short videos evoke interest and emotions, motivating viewers to see the entire play.
Sound Accompaniment
An important step in creating the animation was adding sound accompaniment. In one of the videos, I decided to take on this aspect myself.
Using my musical experience and utilizing a synthesizer and a pair of microphones, I created sounds for the drawn scene. This added additional depth and emotional resonance to the animation.
Cyclic Animation for Quotes from the Play
For certain memorable quotes within the play, I’ve crafted animations that loop like an echoing underscore of the character’s persistent thoughts.
Feedback
Positive feedback and satisfaction with the results confirm
that the designed animations successfully achieved their goals.
Moreover, after the initial releases, people wrote to me and asked for information on where they could see the play and what it was about, admitting that after seeing these videos, they were genuinely intrigued. The videos stirred up excitement and… caught their attention!
Therefore, I’m proud of the outcome of the work.
Gratitudes
Much respect and sincere gratitude to Chris Fung and the entire “The Society for New Cuisine” team! This collaboration has been a true inspiration. In many aspects, I took an example of dedicated work and overcoming obstacles on the path to one’s dream from this team.
It is a great honor for me to be part of such an amazing project. It’s incredibly heartwarming that the performance is going full steam ahead and receiving stellar reviews from critics.
With each successfully completed project, I become more
convinced of how important it is to combine technical skills with creative
intuition.
Creating visual content that can deeply convey the meaning and
emotions of a work becomes my passion and inspiration. I’m ready to continue my
creative journey, expanding horizons in the field of social media design and
contributing to unique projects that will undoubtedly leave a mark in the
hearts of the audience.
Thank you for your support and interest!
You can see the play
“The Society for New Cuisine”
until August 27th 2023 At Underbelly
at the Ed Fringe festival
I recommend visiting this page linktr.ee/thesocietyfornewcuisine where you can purchase
tickets,
and Chris’s page www.instagram.com/chrisbfung/ where he shares about each day of the project.
Did you like it?
You can also check out my fan time-lapse video “Cyrano de Bergerac”
Kate - @ipelagus, has created several extraordinarily conscientious and deeply beautiful animations and posters to detail the world of my play - THE SOCIETY FOR NEW CUISINE, which will be featured at the World's Largest Theatre festival - the Edinburgh Fringe, at Underbelly, in 2023.
Kate has an exquisitely sensitive artistic empathy, and has very quickly and clearly seen what the heart of my piece is. She has shown this wondrous ability to subtly evoke the atmosphere of my world. I've been very grateful for the deftness of her touch.
Probably Kate's most valuable skill is in how much information she takes in. This artistry is difficult to earn without having spent decades enjoying story, and steadily refining one's own understanding of creativity.
I feel very fortunate to have worked with Kate Kaznadey and would wholeheartedly recommend her to your project.
Feel free to follow @sfncplay to see more examples of her work!
Cheers,
Chris