CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS

Challenge 1:
I had to set aside my technical ego and flow with the piece, focusing on harmony with the concept rather than showcasing animation or effects. The lacquer paintings and illustrations were the true protagonists.
→ I chose a minimalist approach and learned to listen more carefully in order to fully understand Thuy’s ideas. Ms.Thuy took a lot of time to explain rhythm, composition, and pacing in painting to me, even though she was very busy. Listening carefully was the best way I could show my appreciation for that generosity.

Challenge 2:
Expressing the contrast between Eastern and Western elements.
→ Lotus imagery and Swiss landscapes were interwoven, with Eastern materials and aesthetics appearing within Western settings.

Challenge 3:
Capturing the rhythm of emotion, transforming the rhythm of lacquer paintings into video, turning stillness into motion that audiences can experience.
→ Feel hierarchy and the music.

Challenge 4 (Trade-off):
After selecting music that fit perfectly, we encountered copyright issues. My permission request emails received no response, so I had to remove the original tracks and replace them with less compelling alternatives. In this situation, how could we still convey rhythm and emotion to the audience?
→ The solution was to rely on moodboards. Versions with the original music were kept in a private portfolio and only shared upon request.

RESULTS

The mood board

Trailer video:
The visuals are drawn from a presentation that Thuy studied in Switzerland. The music carries a suffocated, low, anxious, and driving rhythm, like the feeling of trying to gather everything together while holding your breath. It reflects a process of patience and restraint, step by step, to shape something into a tangible form that others can finally see. The video is muted due to music copyright.

Liveshow video:
The original soundtrack was Huong Viet Nam, a song inspired by ca trù, a uniquely Vietnamese musical style. Due to copyright issues, as I was unable to contact the composer, it was replaced with another track.

Porfolio on Website:
A minimalist approach fits perfectly, as Thuy’s artworks are already striking on their own. The UI/UX should simply act as a quiet backdrop.

First impressions

The first time I encountered Ms Thủy’s paintings, birds, insects, animals, grasses, trees, and flowers, I was reminded of the quiet resonance of the song Warabe Uta from The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, a melody I often return to.

A Celestial Maiden’s Song

Go round, go round, go round, waterwheel, go round

Go round, and call Mr. Sun

Go round, and call Mr. Sun

Birds, bugs, beasts, grass, trees, flowers

Spring and summer, autumn, winter, bring them all on

Spring and summer, autumn, winter, bring them all on

Go round, come round distant time, come round, o distant time

Come round, call back my heart

Come round, call back my heart

Birds, bugs, beasts, grass, trees, flowers

Teach people how to feel

If I hear that you pine for

In quiet nights of stillness, these images return to me, echoing the fragile beauty of our Earth and the silent presence of Zen practitioners, carrying a gentle, enduring sorrow.

Through this, I’ve come to value the inner experience and the overlooked simplicity of everyday life, an ongoing source of inspiration for my work, including “Glass World” (link here).