kaitlin yu
3d animator
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THE STORY
Shattered is a 3D film set in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. 17-year-old Scott Chen dreams of being a photographer, but he constantly argues about his passion with his practical-minded parents. One day, Scott and his dad clash into an argument about photography, and Scott's beloved camera lens cracks. Afterward, they are thrust into flashbacks. They reveal that years ago, Dedi was once interested in photography. However, struggling to pay the bills, Dedi chooses to give up his passion and focus on the family. After his argument with Scott, Dedi visits Scott's bedroom. Looking around the room, he sees how hardworking, skilled, and dedicated his son is to photography. Dedi takes his old camera lens, replaces Scott's cracked lens, and gives Scott his blessing to continue pursuing photography.
WHY SHATTERED?
Secondly, we wanted to create a unique story with a nuanced angle on the Asian American identity. The aspiring-artist-traditional-parents conflict is a common narrative throughout Asian American stories, but it's common to overlook our immigrant parents, who also have their own aspirations and dreams. We hoped to shine a light on our parents' humanity, beyond just the common hard work narrative.
Finally, we wished to write a story that exists as a love letter to ourselves. We embedded our real conflicts, inspirations, and experiences into the story.
INSPIRATION DECK
For several months, we did intensive brainstorming and research that required lots of virtual discussions.
Since I am responsible for previs, layout, and animation, I gathered cinematography and animation references, while Nelson gathered character references and Tiantian environment references.
ANIMATION
by Kaitlin Yu
I knew that Shattered would require subtle acting to complement the poignant story, so I hired three professional actors using Backstage to help us film reference footage. I was able to capture multiple angles and takes, which helped me finalize the layout and timing of the film.
I gave this footage to my animation team as a foundation to start animating from. From directing actors to organizing a team of 11 animators, I learned a lot about the importance of communication, time management, and organization!
COLOR SCRIPT
By Kate Correa and Kaitlin Yu
By Kate Correa and Kaitlin Yu
COMPOSITING
By Kaitlin Yu
Responsibilities included directing 7 other compositors, setting up Nuke toolsets and tutorials, and troubleshooting the ACES pipeline.
One of our goals for Shattered was to create a "filmic" CG film.We decided to replicate an anamorphic lens look in all of our flashback scenes to create nostalgia and immerse our viewers in the memories.
We recreated imperfections like light leaks, glow, lens distortion, and tilt-shift blur. We also rendered in anamorphic widescreen format. Some inspirations include Blade Runner and La La Land.
CHARACTER
EXPLORATIONS
By W Leung
EXPLORATIONS
By W Leung
CHARACTER
CONCEPT ART
By Tiantian Zhang
and Nelson Mai
CONCEPT ART
By Tiantian Zhang
and Nelson Mai
CHARACTER
By Nelson Mai
ENVIRONMENT ART
By Daniel Duboulay
We wanted the living room to capture a homey, packed, lived-in feel with strong incorporation of Chinese culture. We went with a green and red main color scheme.
Nelson created the initial blueprint for the living room. He focused on creating a practical New York City house from his experience — that would also function well for the story beats. He focused on the floor plan, furniture, altar placement, and exploration of apartment size.
For the bedroom, we focused on trying to tell the story of who Scott is. When Dedi looks around the room at the end of the film, he begins to understand what kind of artist and person his son is.
We wanted the living room to capture a homey, packed, lived-in feel with strong incorporation of Chinese culture. We went with a green and red main color scheme.
Nelson created the initial blueprint for the living room. He focused on creating a practical New York City house from his experience — that would also function well for the story beats. He focused on the floor plan, furniture, altar placement, and exploration of apartment size.
For the bedroom, we focused on trying to tell the story of who Scott is. When Dedi looks around the room at the end of the film, he begins to understand what kind of artist and person his son is.
ENVIRONMENT
By Tiantian Zhang
By Tiantian Zhang
MUSIC
By Lillie Rebecca McDonough
Music is a large part of how we show the characters' personalities and culture throughout the film. We wanted to juxtapose the parents’
traditional Chinese theme against Scott’s bassy, poppy theme.
Later on, the Cantopop song that plays during one of our flashback scenes is inspired by the Cantopop radio that Nelson's parents listen to (you can listen to the radio here!).
We created a couple of playlists that would help Lillie in her composing process. In the end, Lillie did a great job at creating a score that is authentic to our experience and also pulls the viewer further in.
traditional Chinese theme against Scott’s bassy, poppy theme.
Later on, the Cantopop song that plays during one of our flashback scenes is inspired by the Cantopop radio that Nelson's parents listen to (you can listen to the radio here!).
We created a couple of playlists that would help Lillie in her composing process. In the end, Lillie did a great job at creating a score that is authentic to our experience and also pulls the viewer further in.
THE TEAM
Who are we?
NELSON MAI
CO-DIRECTOR,
CHARACTER TD
CHARACTER TD
Story, Character Look Dev, Cloth Simulation, Lighting, Rendering, Compositing
KAITLIN YU
CO-DIRECTOR,
ANIMATION LEAD
ANIMATION LEAD
Editor, Producer, Previsualization, Layout, Prop Rigging, Lead Compositor
TIANTIAN ZHANG
CO-DIRECTOR,
ENVIRONMENT TD
ENVIRONMENT TD
Environment Look Dev, Prop Modeling & Look Dev, Lighting, Rendering, Compositing
AWARDS
- NYC ACM SIGGRAPH MetroCAF 2022 Selection
- ASIFA-East Film Festival Selection
- Aakruti-My Creation International Film Festival Quarter-Finalist
- ASIFA-Hollywood AEF Student Animation Showcase Selection
- SVA Student Choice Award
- SVA Alumni Scholarship Award
- ASIFA-Hollywood AEF Student Scholarship Recipient
- Ma-Yi Theater Grant Recipient
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