Research and Planning
Personal preference for the documentary
To me, this project would be both-something very personal, and something I want to show and make everyone else living around me realize. Art is something I have always been fond of liking and creating, but art in the form is ‘animation’ is something that has been growing on me since the last couple of years. Of course, watching animated shows and films has been natural for everyone since their childhood, but to me, the turning point of how I see and interpret ‘animation’ begun when I first watched “The Secret World of Arrietty” by Studio Ghibli. I still remember how awestruck I was, completely taken back by the idea and world created in that film- even though I was too young to fully understand the message it was trying to show, I was still mesmerized by the way the story had been drawn on screen, in a way that I yearned to be there in person. So that was basically the point in my life where I started viewing animation as not just a moment of entertainment on screen, but also a bridge of someone’s creativity along with inspiration. It was also the first time I was introduced to “Japanese” animation, and I have been utterly obsessed with it since then. I started taking interest in the Japanese culture, process of film-making, concepts, language and philosophies. My love for Japanese animation started with The Secret World of Arrietty, and has been growing tremendously as I keep getting in touch with it over and over again through the years, becoming so heartily impressed by it. Being in love with Japanese animations, or more importantly, Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, I have always wanted to myself become an animator someday who can create works with no limits, worlds where people can see the small beautiful things of the world that are often left unnoticed. It is not only my dream, but also a goal that I have been working on and will keep working on until I achieve the day where I stand to say. “I hope you will enjoy watching this film just like I enjoyed making it”. To me, having such goal in a country where people do not really pay much attention to the art of storytelling and beauty in animation, has always been a bit blue. I always wished to be surrounded by people who would understand my love for animation, friends who would listen inspire me, and guide me. But because of the lacking scope of animation industry in Pakistan, it has always been somewhat hard to achieve. Nevertheless, I am grateful to Usman Riaz for being the first person to take the step- he is more than just someone I look up to, he’s someone who has actively, miraculously made my dream possible, creating the first step of the world of animation in Pakistan, inspiring not just me but thousands of other aspiring animators and illustrators across Pakistan.
( The secret world of Arrietty, 2010)
All in one, the concept of showing ‘meaning’ and ‘narrative’
is something the animation industry, if worked well on, flourishes at. It is
through these films and shows that I have developed a keen, illusory,
inclining, motivating and, personal sense of sustenance. It is through these representations
and figments of someone else’s imaginations, shown ever so vividly and beautifully
to us that we are able to see the beauty of things that are left unnoticed by
us. There is this Japanese word, that I was once taught by a friend of mine-
“Yuugen (The art of noticing the unseen) which is basically the beauty of
subtlety and elusiveness. It essentially describes the art of little things around
us our inside us that go unseen, or usually don’t catch your eye. I feel,
through personal narrative and exquisite techniques, the world of animation has
pulled us out from huge sea of ‘yuugen’- and we finally have the luxury of
experiencing beauty around us captured in pixels, not ever letting it go
unseen.
The beauty of Animation and digital art
The animation is an art that plays a very
crucial role in the business world as well as impacts the lives of general
masses. In this era of digital strategy and marketing , a lot of
animation is utilized on the internet for promotion amidst the target audience.
The need for animation appears as a form of an exceptional means of interaction
that helps to convey the message and communicate with the audience.
The
animation is a medium that can bring concepts or imaginations to real life
through character sketching. Animations are created through a series of
breakdown. There is a lot of creative process and executon involved in animating something, which is why it is truly a unique profession.
Plenty of animation is not childish at all. The reason why
it often gets dismissed as infantile is that many viewers simply have never
been exposed to animated films for adults which discuss such serious matters as
politics or the environment.
This entails limitless possibilities when it comes to
animation’s educational potential. It can be used to efficiently introduce
challenging topics; teachers can rely on animation to make their classes more
attractive and to explain various problems in a visually compelling way.
( From https://www.studiopigeon.com/)
Synopsis/ Storyline
The basic idea of this documentary is to give a look inside the life of a digital artist and illustrator living in Pakistan. The documentary goes into topics such as equipment, accessibility, support, personal feelings and inspirations. Keeping in mind the workspace and ideas belonging to illustrators with their take on how they cope with this, I wanted to create a documentary that shows a gentle conversation with a digital artist who has her mind set on pursuing this art as a future career. Art is something that most people take as a hobby only, but to take this art as a profession and whole career is a choice that is indeed hard to make, especially while living in a country that highlights more ‘stereotypical’ careers such as medicine and engineering. Even though the art of animation and illustrations has flourished quite phenomenally all over the world, it is still a topic of lesser interest in countries such as Pakistan. It is important for general audiences, and aspiring artists to know and believe that there is truly nothing degrading about pursuing a hobby that you are passionate about. With this in mind, I wanted to aim this documentary mostly at young and aspiring artists, to let them know what kind of industries await them and what they can gain from this career. The nature of this topic ultimately makes it fall under the categories of ‘Expository’ and ‘performative’ documentary. As a digital artist who wants to take on animation as her future career, this topic is deeply and personally linked to my own feelings as well, and I wanted the storyline of the documentary to be portrayed in such a way through the subject that it is able to capture my own reflections as the director.
References and Inspirations
About the Subject : Malaika Qadeer
Surveys
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