A Beautiful Country

I was originally part of this production as an actor, but the pandemic cancelled rehearsals midway through the process.

Eventually, the show was revived but reimagined through a virtual lens. Instead of recording myself acting over Zoom, I saw an opportunity to utilize animation for the portrayal of my character, VISA Soul. The multimedia direction elevated the final production and allowed us to explore the show’s themes even more deeply.

^An example of the way I integrated 2D animation with live action footage. I drew the character in Photoshop, then overlaid her on the live footage using both Premiere Pro and After Effects.
Watch 1:08 - 5:16

In addition to animating the Soul, I also animated and edited (and even sang in!) a scene detailing the history of the Chinese railroad workers. I created the Sumi brushstroke paintings in Photoshop, and made the watercolor animation in After Effects

^An animated border used in another scene of the show. The panels are supposed imitate cloth with batik patterns - paying homage to the main character’s heritage. I drew the panels in Photoshop and then animated them in After Effects.