Editing
While editing, I reflected on my animation techniques. I’ve always been fascinated by film editing techniques and the use of montage, because each editing method and montage technique can effectively portray a scene or a character’s psychological changes. However, from another perspective, all editing techniques and montage techniques essentially label the storyline, and these labels are categorized. I wanted to innovate my editing approach, especially for my animated script, because some concepts inherently cannot be categorized.
In this animation, my editing process was as follows: first, I filmed the characters from different angles; then, based on the needs of my storyline and pacing, I selected and spliced the shots. This is something difficult to achieve in 2D animation, and for film, continuously shooting multiple shots is also very time-consuming and energy-intensive. However, this operation is easily achieved in 3D animation. I used many editing techniques commonly used in film and animation, such as various montage techniques and the coordination of sound effects and visuals. But I feel that in some shots, I can find my own unique visual style.
Effects
After editing, I made post-production adjustments to some shots, adding effects. This was a crucial step, as it further enhanced the immersive experience of the entire film.
First, I blurred several first-person perspective shots. This reflects realistic eye movements and also improves the overall emotional atmosphere.
The transition from Act III to Act IV was a particularly challenging shot. My plan was to use white space for the transition between the two shots. Ahe, who was watching my production, suggested that the characters walk from the stairwell to the rooftop. I thought this was a good suggestion, and I would have done the same if the final scene was the rooftop. However, the final scene reflects my understanding of reality, so I couldn’t physically connect the two shots together.
Ultimately, I chose to use my initial method, employing a pure white shot for transition. In doing so, I achieved what I wanted to express. Lacan once described the Real as a door, one that can never reach the other side. I connected the symbolic order and the Real using this door, but I disagree with the notion that the Real is unreachable. Therefore, I chose to let the characters enter the Real.