Intrusos da Memória
Start Date: september 2021
Project Length: 11 months
Team Size: 1 member
My Role: complete responsability over pre-production, production and post-production
Used Tools: Clip Studio Paint, Photoshop, After Effects and Adobe Premiere
Synopsis:Miles wakes up from a nightmare. He is in the kitchen and sees illusions. He is scared of Millions entering his house. Join him to play cards. After a while, he says goodbye to Millions, taking the opportunity to go to sleep. He leaves the room, but is alert to noises in his house. He is attacked by an intruder when he tries to see what is going on, but manages to push him out of his house. Miles follows him and begins to see illusions, similar to his nightmare. An explosion happens and the intruder comes out and attacks Miles. Miles kills him, but discovers it was Millions. He remembers that Millions died, and this is just an illusion. He takes pills, and the illusions disappear. Miles returns home and sees more corruption in it.
Description:This project was the most challenging I had undertaken up to that point. Beyond creating the animation, I had to balance regular classes, a three-month internship, and an ERASMUS program. While I received some guidance from teachers, the animation itself was entirely my responsibility. The central theme was "Adaptation." I chose to depict a man struggling to adapt to the reality of his friend’s death in war, or more accurately, his inability to adapt. The main character was meant to have PTSD but ended up showing an exaggerated schizophrenic disorder. The animation was primarily created in Photoshop, with additional compositing, lighting, and minor animations done in After Effects. Premiere Pro was used mainly for sound design, as I had limited experience with other sound editing programs at the time, and sound design wasn’t a major focus of the project. Some of my favorite scenes include the moment Miles is attacked at home by the intruder and the panoramic shot of the forest clearing, featuring soldiers, a helicopter, and a plane. Looking back, there are many aspects of the project I would change. Naturally, the animation quality would improve, but I would also make the story easier to follow. Miles’s mental decline, for instance, should be more evident but less abrupt. It shouldn’t escalate to the point where he suddenly encounters ghost soldiers everywhere after entering the forest, but a slow decline in the fog perhaps.
Final Thoughts
Process Description: Creating this animation was my first experience working with various Adobe programs. My biggest challenge was adjusting to their workflows and tools. The first term was dedicated to pre-production, while the second term was intended for production. However, the production phase extended into the third term. Although I managed to finish everything on time, the additional workload toward the end was difficult to handle. This experience taught me valuable lessons about time management that I’ve applied to future projects.
Problems: The main issues with the animation stemmed from sound design, particularly sound equalization. Additionally, the character's design posed some challenges during the animation process.
World Building
History: In this world, a major war broke out in Europe during the 1970s, resulting in significant casualties, including the loss of Miles's friend. The war lasted 20 years, and due to the varying destruction capacities of different nations, it became a mix of old and new warfare. This is why the animation features modern helicopters and soldier outfits alongside World War-era planes and weapons.
Characters: There isn’t much more to add about the characters. Both were soldiers, and their relationship was akin to that of brothers. They enjoyed playing cards together and first met during training.