I’m sorry that I don’t know much about the current situation of British animated films. I start more from the current state of Chinese animated films. Before I came here to study, two traditional animation companies decided to create a universe of Chinese mythical characters, similar to the Marvel universe. Of these two companies, one with good graphics, the other with good storytelling. We can see from the box office that companies that tell good stories are more popular. And I found that its advantage is to grasp the rhythm of the story and lead people’s emotions to a climax step by step. So I want to study the rhythm of a good story. This area is beneficial to the box office of commercial animation. The research in this area should be related to story arc and psychology.
I have been hesitating about three research directions, and they are all related to good stories. I have always wanted to make a work that can heal people’s hearts, warm people’s hearts, and empower people. Because I had a very dark time before, but after watching an animated film called Nezha, I feel that hope has rekindled in my life. That’s why I came to UAL to study animation. I also want to bring warmth and strength to those in need through my work.
It can be seen from the movie box office that a good story is the basis of the box office. The audience may not care whether the picture is good, but they will discuss the story.
The three research directions are:
1. How to adapt real patient stories into animation. This is somewhat related to documentary animation.
2. How much content and time is needed before a story reaches its climax in order to mobilize the audience’s emotions and let them release their emotions at the climax of the story.
3. I find that many Chinese animation film companies like to adapt mythological stories. How can I adapt mythical stories to fit the lives of modern people better?
After asking the teacher’s opinion, I decided to choose the third topic. The second topic is a bit difficult to grasp. The teacher suggested that it would be better if there were Western fairy tales. I agree and plan to understand some Western myths first, find some typical myths, and discuss this topic together with Eastern myths.