thThe 14 ifva Animation Category Jury Meeting Transcript

Jurors in Attendance: Wong Yung (YUNG), Percy Fung (FUNG), Neco Lo (LO), Felix Ip(IP)Absent Jurors: Alan Wan (ALAN)
Organizer Representatives: Teresa Kwong (KWONG), Rachel Wan (WAN)

Shell

LO：

There is plenty of room for improvement. The snail is quite unique and funny. The
film uses glow colours to display a very consistent style, which is relevant to what ittalks about. It is a bit quirky; the character design is so-so; the camera movement isoverused. The 3D treatment is not developed enough and there are too many
black-outs--some of which might be intentional, say, to tune down the degree ofviolence in the ending massacre. That might not be the best solution, however.
Overall speaking, it is fairly average.

WONG： The shot that I like most is the top shot at the beginning. The storyboard and its
film-look are relatively weak; the gags are banal. It is not really that bad but it is also
not the best. Just like the rest of the 3D animations in the competition, it is not a fully
developed work. The film is packed with either half slow motion or actions without
impact; the movement or the walking is done rather crudely, too.

IP：

The set and lighting at the start is quite good, and so is the colour treatment whichis quite attractive. But the story-telling and the camera movement that follow cannot
keep up. There are some punch lines at times, but they are not delivered clearly.
The ending is kind of shocking to look at whereas in the middle it drags on too much.
Also, some editing points are too rough.

FUNG： Personally I do not have much to comment about Shell, which is quite entertaining.

IFVA:

The absent adjudicator, Alan WAN, comments Shell as follow: He appreciates thecharacter design which displays the grandeur of a stage work. As a work ofcollaboration, it demonstrates good teamwork with panache. However, the script isjust average.

Butterfly EffectLO：

It is full of visual movement, which is interesting. It employs the technique of papercutting/ photo cutting which requires quite a lot of labour and obviously they aredone painstakingly. Looking at the background we would imagine the large amountof photos he has cut to achieve such effect. It is like a work of handicraft. The film
may not go as smoothly as we expect but it has achieved something. The song is along one, with various movements and content. It needs more refinement in making
good combination of the segments, music and visuals. At some point, the tempo
goes wrong. Being a music video, it needs to improve the alignment of theanimation and the music.

WONG： It has a dynamic set design but I would say its cinematography is a bit dull. There
could be more movement like zooming in and out. Overall speaking, it is aninteresting work.

IP：

There are too many medium shots. It is too loud in terms of the colour treatment.
This problem has been dealt with in the middle of the film. If he can come up with abetter colour scheme, he can definitely bring out more happiness in the film. As forthe rhythm, the music and the animation are way too separated. This needs to be
improved.

FUNG： He attempts to employ a lot of editing skills to establish good linkage between
scenes. I appreciate such effort, especially when it requires a lot of photo-shooting
to plan ahead. As for the rhythm, it takes time to perfect the necessary technique.

We have discussed two phenomena about this year’s works: on the one hand,people are equipped with better skills and software support. On the other hand, it
seems they are weaker in story telling and thematic expression. This film is a gooddemonstration of these facts. It is created with a liberated use of the media, but itlacks the efforts required in developing the content.

Listeners

WONG： Listeners might be too short in length and unable to show the relationship between
music, butterfly and magic. The street performance in the beginning comes too
hastily. Then we see a group of aliens arriving with the mission to destroy. Before
the audience can get hold of what happens, the protagonist is shot and killed, whichis really difficult for viewers to follow and understand. Visually, it is relatively raw andsimple, which in a way is a kind of style. I do not particularly find it impressive.

FUNG： It’s like being churned out before the deadline. Overall speaking, the skills and thestory are incomplete.

IP：

It is just too short. It looks familiar in terms of some of its visual execution. The
worlds of the aliens and of the street performer are not compatible.

The Busker

WONG ： The Busker is weak in its character movement and performance. There are somelovely designs but it does not touch me at all.

FUNG： Some scenes are done in a meticulous way, for example, the clown wiggles his
waist as he enters the room. The rhythm is not good; perhaps it is because of theinexperience of the student-director. However, he does pay a lot of effort indeveloping the story, but its delivery flops.

IP：

This story requires strong performance. It does not have any dialogues. With abetter timing it can be cut down around one minute further. The character design isquite adorable; some of the ideas are quite refined, and with good use of colour.

LO：

It is action-packed, but not rhythmical. The clown and the piano-playing lack energy.
There is consistency among the colour, character design and the editing of thestreets. It gives a flavour of a fairy tale.

All Around Me

WONG ： All Around Me has the best visual treatment among our several 3D animations.
You might find it a bit dragged on in some scenes or in its rhythm, which reduces
the degree of its impact. The characters’ performance is rough, using the techniqueof editing in Japanese cartoon. They lack finely crafted expressions. The intervals inthe beginning are not a good choice. But it has achieved quite a lot in its lighting
and the creation of an atmosphere. Overall speaking, the characters and thebackground go well together.

IP：

I am impressed by its lighting. The beginning scene at the school is delivered fairly
well but soon I get lost when seeing the locker opened--I am confused towards
whether it is the inner struggle of the character, who can finally overcome it
because of the girl.

The pair of flapping wings at the beginning is well crafted, although more refinement
is needed in most of the details. The character design is as mainstream as theJapanese cartoon characters. Its flop is mainly about the hair, which looks okay inthe front but spiky like a porcupine or a durian at the back. It diverts the audience’s
attention.

FUNG： It is the most developed work among the several 3D animations on the list. It has
good graphic design. Yet, it seems to me that like most of the works here, it looks
unfinished and as if it was prepared in a rush. I do hope one day he will get to finishit.

Such Is LifeIP：

It demonstrates good techniques and is very intact. You can get a clear picture ofwhat it is about, and of the every punch in the course. In particular, I find one
montage very touching.

Outdoor shooting is interesting. The camera tracking at

the beginning is quite a surprise. Despite the clay models are not exceptionallyattractive, they are pleasing to the eye. The film is also well structured, although theending can be made more condensed.

FUNG： It is my intention to persuade you to consider this film as the exemplary of the year.
In terms of its creative line-up, the resources it employs and the degree of
independence, I believe it serves as a landmark for ifva. I believe there is always
room for improvement for a work, but in my mind, it is near-perfect.

IP：

It is very entertaining.

LO：

It indeed needs refinement, but given the level of difficulty of this work, it has reallycome a long way. The relationship between the two protagonists is clearly
conveyed. Yet, I still find the ending too banal. The dark force represented by“Human” can be identified as the auteur or something else. It is not clearly
explained, and neither does it tell why the auteur has to separate the two of them. In
short, whenever “Human” shows up, it is the time when the two have to be
separated, which is too dramatic. The only thing I find unsettling is the use of theChinese music when the female lead fist appears. It does not match well with the
piano theme tune and makes a weird twist. Even worse is how the Chinese musiccomes in at the beginning two segments, and then being cut out completely, leading
into the sound of the piano.

WONG： I was serious when I said it was anti-religion. In the beginning of the film, a man firstcomes into sight and then a woman follows; it is similar to the Creation. However,the film has not set up any rule of game for the audience to follow and decipher
it—what can be done here? What can be done by the man and the woman andwhat are they capable of? At one point they can make flowers out of magic, atanother, they are helpless when they hurt their heads.

The camera movement and the scenes are finely crafted and attractive. There are
magical moments when the characters go out of the house. It is a stop motion
pleasing to the eye. At the start, it seems to be probing into religion and making funof it, but the attempt is not sustained throughout the story. I agree that it fails to givea good ending.

IFVA：

Alan WAN thinks Such Is Life is the most impressive of all. The single-mindedness
and concentration of the director speaks to him. He comes to think that perhaps the
director is very indulgent to his own work.

Yim

LO：

Yim is similar to this year’s Oscar Award-winning animation short film (La Maison
en Petits Cubes) in terms of the theme and the 2D treatment. Perhaps it is acoincidence. It has a very precise maneuver of art direction and so is its overall
execution. However, at some point it has gone too far and got a bit showy. Still thatis acceptable. In the film, we reminisce about the things past in Hong Kong throughthe devil’s eyes. It has a very appropriate length and delivers coherently.

WONG： The intervals are well designed. I am particular impressed by the scene where thecamera walks up along the stela of the King of Kowloon until the screen fades toblack at where the Devil is waiting. The timing is good and it makes an impact. It
has the best control of timing among all the works. As for the visual design, it gives
a magical feeling of a fairy tale, which is great.

FUNG： The control of timing and the visual composition are remarkable. It gives a strong
film-look and suits well for big-screen showing. It requires a lot of time and effort tofinish it even if it is to be done by two persons.

My Mother Is an AlienFUNG： I am kind of against My Mother Is an Alien for it is too “televisualised”. It is not as
autonomous as the rest of the films.

LO：

The work employs a safe style to tell a story. Visually it is not particularly smart. The
dialogues work and they are essential in the film. If compared to other works suchas Yim which uses no dialogues but successfully puts the story across, there is no
reason for me to choose My Mother Is an Alien.

IP：

I find it too noisy. I think it would be better to have the talking start later so as toallow more space for the audience to feel the colours. The editing works smoothly;
its pictures, colour and lighting are gorgeous, with the latter being done in a very
professional way. In this way, however, it looks too commercial and lacks theindependent spirit. I do not quite get what the song is about until I read the lyrics inthe subtitles. It would be better if it uses either more music or makes it quieter. I
think it delivers too much to the audience at one time. But speaking of its pictures,colour and lighting, the elements are just gorgeous; the character design is not bad,too.

WONG： The content does not match well with its title. To me, it is not crazy enough. Normal
people do not think of the possibility that one’s mother is an alien. If so, there must
be something crazy and hysterical to happen. After I read the title, the film however
does not sustain itself to meet the expectation the title brings about. There are evenelements of melodrama such as shouting for mom at the graveyard. I think thescript loses track of what it wants to talk about. In terms of the production, it is very
professional. Despite a few problems in the dubbing and music, it is coherent and apleasure to watch—but definitely not a wonder.

Panda ToyLO：

I do not have any comment about Panda Toy.

FUNG： Its story is special; that’s why I chose it in the beginning.

WONG ： Visually it is not bad at all, with some interesting graphic design.

FUNG： It has a special story, about who on earth is the consumer. It is the work with thestrongest storyline which is also clear and comprehensible. The skills displayed areof the standard kind. When compared to All Around Me, the latter is moreoutstanding.

WONG： Its style is clean and minimal and it is expressed in a coherent way. I still prefer theoutcome of Panda Toy to Shell. Indeed, Panda Toy has an interesting story wherea question is raised right at the beginning for everyone to contemplate. The ending,however, is too simplified.

IP：

The theme is within the director’s grip. It is a smart way to choose a theme like this.
The character design sparkles in combination of the stage lighting without using too
many backgrounds, for example, the capsule toy vending machines at the
beginning of the film.

IFVA:

Now we come to the next round of discussion. You may each pick three works.

FUNG： I would suggest four of them, with the best one having three points, then two points
for the next. We may allow two works to have one point. Two points for Butterfly
Effect; one point for All Around Me; three points for Such Is Life and two points
for Yim.

IP：

Three points for Such Is Life; two points for Yim; one point for My Mother Is an
Alien and another one point for All Around Me.

WONG： Three points for Such Is Life; two points for Yim and My Mother Is an Alien; onepoint for All Around Me.

LO：

I am also giving three points to Such Is Life; two to Yim and one to All Around Me;
another one point to Butterfly Effect.

IFVA：

Alan WAN has picked and ranked three works; he nominates Shell for a Special
Mention, Silver Prize Such Is Life and Gold Prize My Mother Is an Alien.

IFVA：

Most of us give Such Is Life the highest marks except 溫紹倫; Yim follows.

FUNG： Back then I was about to give three points to All Around Me because it took apainstaking volume of work to finish. I understand we could not endorse a work
simply because of the effort it pays. That’s why I chose Such Is Life in the end.

WONG： I have no objection to awarding Such Is Life the Gold Prize.

LO：

I am not suggesting Yim copies from other works. Perhaps the director did see theanimation I mentioned before. There are different ways of copying. This film has adifferent direction; it is not melancholic. The similarities between the two works are
the art direction in which both use 2D retouching of water-colour, and the looking formemory under water. I believe even for that oscar-winning animation, its idea might
not be totally original. Thus, I am okay with it.

FUNG： The part I like most is the closing of the folding gate. It gives a very special angle toview.

WONG： I like the way it leads us out from the tea house, goes into the water and then leads
us out again, creating a very good contrast and pace. It is lively and fun to watch.

FUNG： Anyone thinks My Mother Is an Alien is better than All Around Me?

IFVA:

shall we also listen to the comments of Alan WAN “Its animation is well crafted withsharp pace, turning the seemingly heavy emotions into amusement. It expresses
the respect for mother in an alternative way. I am drawn into it also because it
speaks with local sentiments.” Neither Neco LO nor Percy FUNG chooses this film.
Would you two like to say something about it?

LO：

I reckon the limited number of awards and I try to consider it from my own
preference. I will give both Butterfly Effect and All Around Me one point. The
latter, which is obviously under the influence of Japanese animation, is praiseworthy.
We can see the director’s endeavour and he in fact has come a long way. I also
witness the efforts of the group of creators of Butterfly Effect, and I like its
cinematography. My Mother Is an Alien comes close to the two but is not as strongas them because of a certain flaws.

FUNG： Any one wants to say something in support of My Mother Is an Alien?

WONG： My hope is to have both Yim and My Mother Is an Alien awarded the Silver Prize. I
gave them the same score. If to rank the two, Yim would come first. But it seems
that My Mother Is an Alien deserves something more than a Special Mention. I
would suggest giving two Silver Prizes, and All Around Me and Butterfly Effect toreceive the Special Mentions. Let’s discuss about it.

FUNG： It is acceptable to me. Still, I would like to defend All Around Me and Butterfly
Effect. My Mother Is an Alien is done with much organizational and financial
support. I do not know if this team have had enough money to work on it in the end,and I dare not to speculate if All Around Me and Butterfly Effect have any
commercial support. It seems to me that the efforts in making these two films are
all-out, and relatively they displayed a stronger sense of the independent spirit. I
would also like to see more people being recognized; so, I would support the
proposal mentioned just now.

LO：

I think it is too much like a melodrama and television cartoons. I am not against it
but when it comes to choosing between these works, I think Yim performs better
and with a richer imagination and visual design.

FUNG： I have decided to pick Yim for the Silver Prize and the rest would be several Special
Mentions.

WONG： I hope it is okay to have some extra Special Mentions.

IFVA:

What we would like to do is to endorse good work instead of awarding prizes toeach and every one of them. The difference between the Gold, Silver and theSpecial Mention is that, the former two are works with better overall performances
while Special Mention draws the attention of the judges for excelling in someparticular parts despite a weaker overall performance.

IP：

It is hard to choose. Considering the independent spirit, creativity and the topic, I
prefer Yim.

FUNG： I have decided to pick Yim for the Silver Award. It is almost as good as the winning
work.

LO：

I agree to award All Around Me the Silver Prize.

IP：

I also choose one for the Gold and one for the Silver, the latter being All Around
Me.

IFVA:

Only one vote for two Silver Prize.

WONG： No problem.

IFVA:

Now that the Silver Prize is chosen. Any recommendation about Special Mention?

WONG： My Mother Is an Alien must be in, and I hope All Around Me can be in as well.

FUNG： My choice is Butterfly Effect but it seems we are giving too many Special
Mentions.

LO：

If there are only two places, I would go for My Mother Is an Alien and All Around
Me.

IP：

Me too.

IFVA：This year’s Gold Prize of the Animation Category is Such Is Life; Silver Prize goesto Yim and Special Mentions go to My Mother Is an Alien and All Around Me.

Animation Category
Gold Award
Such is Life
Emily Lai-ming WONG

Silver Award
Yim
Chun-yu CHUI, Wai-yee CHAN
Special Mention
All Around Me
Hey-chiu YEUNG

Special Mention
My Mother is an Alien
Sin-ling YEUNG, Sze-kit LAU