Ahco Development 10: Layout, Background, & Final render images

Layout (1999)

Background (2010)

Final render (2013)

Ahco Development 9: Style Frame - Drawn animation with watercolor backgrounds

I've tried several other techniques: each technique had its pros and cons...
I wanted the elephant character to have very subtle & minimal movements, while lemur & crocodile to have very active and dynamic ones...
So after years of numerous tests... I decided to go with the Drawn technique, where I had the full control over... how to make them move: rigid vs flexible, slow vs fast, etc...

Here are 2001's style frames.  There were more art direction/ design tests after the technique was finally chosen, however, these ended up being closest to its final art direction. (check the next posting for it's final look!)

Ahco Development 8: Style Frame - Graphic woodcut

So the animation technique was set to Drawn technique, yet I wanted to explore more art styles: color schemes, coloring methods, and textures etc... I always wanted to apply woodcut look to the film, (and with Todd's suggestion) so I tried a digital mock-up for the test.

Ahco Development 7: Style Frame - Paint on Glass/ Cels

Another test using Paint-on-glass technique in 2000.
I wasn't happy with the cut-out test result, due to its limitation and rigidity in movement (especially considering I was using the direct-technique under 16mm Oxberry camera), so I tried Paint-on-glass technique for the flexibility of shape and form changes.

Style frame: Paint-on-Glass (Above)

Pics from 16mm test footage (Below)

Exposure sheets 

I used to plan acting for this direct under the camera technique

Ahco Development 6: Style Frame - Cut out

There were many art directions and techniques that were tested for the film.

Here are some images from the Cut-out 'Mookey' (lemur character) & Sun, that I tested in 1999.

Pics from Mookey animation test

Image from the animation test

Ahco Development 5: Thumbnail boards

Here are my thumbnail boards made in 1998~1999 for 'Ahco' .

I was planning to put only some samples of the boards, but decided to put the whole thing, since it contains two sequences from the original concept: Snake & Forest Fire sequences, that were cut out.  Snake sequence doesn't add much to the story, but it was designed to be the most surreal & experimental sequence, using visual tricks: my personal favorite, but had to be cut out, since based on this original plan..., the film would have been 20 minute long...

Ahco Development 4: Early Visual Development

I made this illustration in 1997, as the first Vis Dev piece for the film.
My first two films were done in drawn/cel techniques, so I wanted to try something different for this one, which was cut-out puppet technique.

Black and White color scheme with symbolic & surreal shapes, patterns, and atmosphere for the environment. Since then, there have been so much changes in the art direction and techniques during the last 15 year production..., though.

Ahco Development 3: Early Character Development-Charts

1997 version of early character development: turn arounds & comparison charts
The entire snake sequence had to be cut out, although they are my favorites!

Ahco Development 3: Early Character Development-sketches

1997 Early sketches of characters

Ahco Development 2: Concept of 'Elephant'

Even though I had strong interest & desire to study animation, there wasn't any school that offered animation classes in Korea in the early 90s. So I went to the Art College and studied Painting, while I found every possible way to learn how to create 'moving images'. Gathering all information from all sources, I was able to make a few films, one of which is my undergraduate thesis project, 'Circus', 1996.

There was one sequence that I didn't get to complete due to the deadline of the thesis review. (I was shooting thousands of cels and papers under 35mm back then, so I could't simply 'add' afterwards.), which was the 'Elephant' sequence.

After graduating the school with Painting degree, I decided to pursue further study in Animation and prepared the applications for the graduate schools in US.

One of applications materials was the development of a new film.
As I mentioned in the previous posting... I found the note about the Cheetah brothers, while I was searching for a new idea for the next film. I watched a lot of documentaries for the research and found out that elephants (well, all animals in the wild life...) have the similar stories as the Cheetahs.
Predators, territories, love of the herds, and circle of life... etc.

Therefore, there was my concept of 'Life of an elephant'

Ahco's Birthday: March 5, 1997

I just found a note that shows the inception of the 'Ahco' project, which marked as March 5, 1997! 15 years have passed by.... ha.

I had to work on 3~4 part-time jobs after graduating the college (to pay bills, and also had to save money to go to the grad school...), so it wasn't easy finding the time to make progresses on the film..., but I remember really looking forward to going home all day, to work on it.

Korean title that I started with in 97'

Ahco Development 1 : Inspiration

Sometime in the mid- 80's (I believe that I was in the junior-high school in Korea), I watched a documentary about the cheetah brothers... I started watching it expecting it to be a happy cuddly animal story, but it turned out to be very sad & tragic. Set on the African wild life, Cinematography was very beautiful and story was so powerful and unforgettable. I decided to write it down on my notebook after the show. This was around the time that I started developing my interest in moving images & animation art... although I don't think that I meant to make it as a film later.

However, over 10 years later in 1997, I was flipping through my old notebook and found this summary of the documentary. Who knew... this was just a beginning of my 15 year film production...

'AHCO ON THE ROAD' Production notes

As the release of my new film, 'AHCO ON THE ROAD' is only a few weeks away..., I plan on sharing the development and process of... this over decade-long production here...

Concept development, Idea notes, sketches, boards, and design and motion tests...

Coming soon!

Where There Here screening

'Where There Here' will be screened at the BAICFF: Bay Area International Children's Film Festival on Jan. 26th,  in Oakland, California.

Dream sequence

I decided to keep the dream sequence very simple with a focus on lines, different from other sequences with heavy usage of colors and textures.

Ahco dream sequence

Color test for the dream sequence

'Transparent Movement' screening in Chicago

My experimental film, 'Transparent Movement' will be screened at the Landmark's Century Centre Cinema, in Chicago (Chicago's first all stadium-seating cinema dedicated to independent and foreign language film), for the Indie Boots Film Festival.

It will be Chicago premiere.

'Where There Here' screening in Toronto

Sand animation 'Where There Here' will be screened at Toronto Kids Film Festival in April.
It's a Canadian premiere. How exciting...

Soyeon's films at the Poppy Jasper Film Festival

'Father and Sister' and 'Transparent Movement' have been selected for the Poppy Jasper Film Festival (Nov. 12-14, Morgan Hill, California)

I am very honored to announce that 'Father and Sister' was chosen as the Top 10 films of the Festival, by Morgan Hill Times.  Here is the excerpt from the article:

"Father and Sister: Soyeon Kim's creative media film tells an O'Henry story using very basic but beautifully drawn animation. This 5-minute stained-glass window gem considers how a series of coincidences inside a church leads two religious people to find romance. "

To read the full article, click Morgan Hill Times.

1996 Animation 'Circus'

CIRCUS (1996)

After having made so many compromises in my first animation, 'To-Mak' in 95 (due to its natural process of collaboration), I decided to make a film that I can focus on my initial approach of 'moving illustration'.

This 'Circus' film was my undergraduate thesis project as well.

I wanted to find a theme that offered me plenty of visuals to play around, and came up with the idea of visualizing 'Circus'. At that time, I was very fascinated by primitive arts and decided to adapt its art style into the film as well.

On top of that..... I also used pointillism (getting inspired by Seurat's) for creating imagery, which... was the craziest idea that I've ever had in any animation production by far.... without any doubt. After 'DOTTING' every single image with 4~5 layers of cells for 6 minute traditional cell/drawing animation, my poor arm gained some kind of abnormal muscle cramps that lasted for a while.

I don't remember sleeping much for that whole year. I couldn't eat that well either for I didn't even have money for the film production. So many difficulties and obstacles behind the scenes... but I have to admit that I actually enjoyed every single day of it.

Here are some production sketches, design reference, and design samples as well as animation clip.
Imdb listing