the path we take
Written Statement
This project, “the path we take”, is an animated short following Tom Waits song “Anywhere I Lay My Head”. Its style is meant to emulate pop-up books with silhouetted figures and paper-like 3d structures. In taking inspiration from a place of large nostalgia it allows for more room to explore themes of change, the myriad of emotions associated with it, and acceptance.
I created two walk cycles of my character in After Effects – one facing the front and one facing the side. These are utilized throughout the animation in both blunt and abstract ways. I also created low-poly 3d scenes for my character to walk through using After Effects 3d tools. All editing was done “in-house” – this was intentionally a strictly After Effects project - I wanted to challenge myself in learning parts of After Effects I do not often use.
Through and through, this project has remained an an exploration of exploration - addressing the hopes and fears that coincide with change and making them tangible. My biggest pivot was scrapping the entirely 2d concept, instead opting to go for a more mixed-media look (there’s actually a slide show of me growing up in there, though blurred!). The mixed media look was accomplished both in different mediums but also in different frame rates.
The main character is always moving forward – this is not by accident, but by design. I want to show that there is room for both distress and excitement in change, and feeling confused is not a “step backwards”. There is fluidity in change.
*You are always moving forward on the path we take.
Production
Programs
Adobe After Effects
