Animator JiHee Nam talks about discovering her model and dealing for your self
JiHee Nam is an animator and graphic artist currently based in LA. When she first saw an animated film, she couldn't believe that these other worlds could be created. "I was fascinated that the subjects could do things that I couldn't do in my world, like dynamic movements or falling off a cliff, ”she says. "I think that was when I realized I wanted to be part of what was going on in this world."
Not only was Nam able to create their own worlds, but he saw animation as a way for people to communicate and bring people together. “I think visual communication is the best way to get the audience to understand what artistic problems you want to explain to them,” she explains. “And I think this can play a huge role in our society today as there are so many misunderstandings and misunderstandings that visual art could address. Since I'm not a great speaker, animation helps me express my thoughts. "
Gif of the knife hanging from a tree by Jihee Nam
Nam graduated from the California Institute of the Arts for her Masters in Fine Arts in Experimental Animation. “One of the reasons I chose graduate school was because I didn't make films, but I needed the motivation to do so. The two years at CalArts influenced me a lot, ”she says. "Being surrounded by cohorts with the same passions and interests and educators in the field definitely helped me reflect on my previous work."
Prior to her time there, Nam also felt that her films had "no style or personality". “Being in school really helped me organize my thoughts and identify the ideas that I was most connected to. And what I got from studying there was just creating and producing and getting it out there, ”she ponders. "Things that you think might not work might work for others. Just dive in and make it happen."
One of Nam's most recent works, Knife Hanging From A Tree is a film based on a traditional Korean proverb and translated directly into "Let me stab the persimmon since I can't have it". The animator says it's a way of saying that if you can't have something, make sure nobody else can have it either. "In my film summary, I mention 'sour grapes' which is also called 'what goes around comes around' could be formulated. It was also intended to show the world's ecosystem where humans are like animals, have their specific interactions and can make a change in their environment. "
In the film, Nam's style is fine, detailed, and thoughtful. Your use of color is particularly enjoyable as it switches back and forth between monochrome scenes and shots with bright colors. “There's a clear distinction between colored and undyed, and the reason for that depends on who the character is and where they are in the film,” she explains. “The uncolored scenes are supposed to portray the antagonist as simple, someone who is busy thinking about what he wants in front of him, but not thinking about the consequences of his actions and wishes. On the other hand, the colored scenes are representations of society or reality that the antagonist will never see. "
The film is an extension of the type of work Nam likes to do, which is usually a mix of illustration and animation while keeping things simple. “Usually the style I choose is a subject in an empty space that does all of the movement,” says Nam. “I'm very fascinated by the Japanese style called 'ma', a technique for negative spaces and gaps, where things are only described minimally in order to emphasize the emotions in the scenes. I enjoy these little sudden changes in movement and the push and pull with the audience. "
Most of Nam's ideas come from writing down her thoughts, which means works can evolve from the darkest things. And when creating her animations, Nam unusually does not use storyboards. “It may sound a little disorganized, but I tend to animate whatever I came up with specifically that day. If I want to animate that today, I have to do it, it doesn't matter if it wasn't planned two or three months ago, ”she explains. “I animate things without plans first and then select the final scenes from them to include in my final cut. If it's not short films but gifs, I think on that day and finish them within two to three days. "
It is consistent how Nam starts with line drawings regardless of the project and then decides whether they look good as moving images or as illustrations. Your main medium is Photoshop. One technique she recently picked up on is using the Lasso tool to animate. "It's used by dragging to keep track of all the shapes you want to create or select a specific image. I just draw with them, I need a little more time to finish my projects, but it seems the shapes make more sense and it is easier to express gradient colors. "
Nam believes that one of the biggest burdens on creators, aside from lack of time, is the constant challenge of generating new ideas and feeling up to date. "It's hard and I felt it. Let's say I take a month to do the animation, I'm sure I'm losing my grip. So that's a constant urge to keep working and creating, whether small or large But that's difficult because sometimes you lose motivation, "she explains." On the other hand, there was a short time when I worked in a non-animation industry [where] they didn't really care about your artistic style or take care of your issues and it's all about business. It was very systematic and there were specific rules about the style that you should follow. "
For Nam, the experience of working in a place where she had little or no creative freedom made the decision to go freelance all the easier. “I saw the difference between commercial design and experimental animation,” she says. "It made me realize that I wanted to pursue a career as a filmmaker."
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