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Est. Reading Time: 5 Minutes

MARK (M) Tell us a little about yourself - when did you become interested in film and filmmaking? What made you interested in animation?

YANA (Y) I’m Yana Pan, an all-in-one kind of animator - I direct, design and animate. I love illustration as well. I grew up watching anime and some cool Chinese animations. I used to love reading an anime magazine in China. One time, the magazine did a special report on how to make anime which was the first time that I learned 24 frames made up one second of animation. I was shocked by how much work goes into making animation, and my little brain literally couldn’t process that. However, what’s more shocking is that I found myself still very interested in the animation making process - I guess I just loved anime too much back then.

M The world of your film is depicted in a few key shapes which is a beautifully simple choice. Can you tell us about what inspired you to use shapes as one of the main storytelling methods?

Y The film actually started with a design that’s more realistic because I was thinking about it as a pseudo-documentary. Then I realized it was too literal. I like the freedom of just mainly using shapes because when things look simple, they immediately become symbolic. Not to mention the shapes are on the screen (another shape) and in an animation which reflect the idea that everything in the film is a symbol.

M I just want to touch on the ending of your film - I really love the contrast between the sharp star-looking shapes in the final shot and the round shapes in the opening. I know you may not want to delve into this too deeply but can you touch on the meaning of this contrast? And were you always to planning to end the film with this shot?

Y Thank you! Since animation is all about exaggeration, I chose to go from round shapes to sharp shapes ( I actually wish I could go more extreme). For me, this contrast means dramatic change. Yes from the beginning, I had this idea of ‘everything is changed’ is in my mind. When I was planning the story, I mainly thought about how to get there and how to push it a bit further.

On Interpretation

M I think the beauty of your film is that it creates space for a lot of interpretation and meaning - people might see it as an allegory about colonialism, immigration, religion and even elements of the current pandemic. How does it make you feel to see people relate to the film in different ways - does it reveal anything more or different than you realised while making the film?    

Y Thank you for your kind words. It’s my intention that people should read my animation in the way they want. But I do think that there is a key concept in it - what is our (as humans) reaction to ____ (fill in yourself). A key book that helped me develop my story is ‘The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind’ by Gastave le Bon. Everything you mentioned above are things on my mind as well.

I started making this film before the pandemic happened. When the pandemic hit California, I was almost done with this animation. Suddenly, everyone around me couldn’t read my animation in any other way and joke that I predicted the pandemic!  

It’s generally fascinating to me that people can read this short animation in many different ways, which shows how different our logic is as individuals.

‘I like the freedom of just mainly using shapes because when things look simple, they immediately become symbolic’

— Yana Pan

On Process & Discovery

M How was it being the narrator of the film - did it teach you anything new about filmmaking? Even if it’s not intentional, I think it makes the film a bit more of a personal piece and statement which is awesome.  

Y I narrated myself mainly because I couldn't find anyone that could do it the way I imagined. I never thought about whether it was a personal statement, but now that you mentioned it, maybe it is haha!

M In making and finishing the film, what did you discover and learn that you might adopt or further explore in future projects?  

Y I’m still obsessed with the soft texture visuals so I want to explore that more. I’m thinking about colouring on paper with actual color pencils, pens, pastels, etc. Other things I want to explore in the future are editing and how to use animation to its maximum potential. 

On Inspiration

M What are some of the films and who are some of the filmmakers that inspire you, and why? Let us know if you used certain movies as references for this film. 

Y Jonathan Djob is one of my biggest inspirations. The worlds he creates are so believable and bizarre at the same time. Some other inspirations come from books, essays and YouTube videos.

On The Future

M What are you planning to make next?

Y I just finished a conventional 2d character animation project for an independent film project. Very soon I will be working on my thesis at CalArts for my last year at graduate school which I can’t wait to start and share with the world later!

Mark’s Final Thoughts

• I really liked seeing Yana mention the connection between simplicity and symbolism, I tend to agree with her and believe it definitely works within this short animation. And as I think about it, her simple design choices essentially make the film more accessible and easy on the eye, which then allows the viewer to attach and reflect on their interpretations.

• I think it’s really cool and smart that Yana uses a mix of mediums like books, essays and YouTube videos to inform her storytelling - it shows her curiosity and nous. I’m also excited to check out Jonathan Djob’s art.

  Tags Animation  Colour Experimental Narration

The founder of Hommage, Mark Shaba published this interview on 21.09.2021 Mark is a filmmaker from Victoria, Australia. He respectfully acknowledges the past and present traditional owners of the land on which he creates, promotes and screens art, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation who are the custodians.