Dea Lea
Animation
Dear Lea was an animation I created for my sister, who recently graduated college. The animation was inspired by her morning routine during the quarantine and I wanted to give her a gift before she moved out. She was growing up and ready to start her adult life, and a part of me never wanted her to leave. But as a big brother, I know that she would have to live her own life. I wanted a way to speak to her of the lessons I learned in my life (of making many mistakes) without lecturing her.
Concept
The main story of Dear Lea is told through the voice-over. It is an excerpt from a series of diary entries titled “Dear Lea” I have been writing since the 10th grade, over ten years now.
Dear Lea is hard to explain. It is a journal/diary that is written from the perspective of many different characters (sometimes myself) and genres. Sometimes it has a storyline, and other times it is prose with a vague stream of consciousness writing style. However, it always represents the things I want to say but can’t find the opportunity to express.
In this particular entry, which was inspired by a talk by Alan Watts, the speaker exposits the purpose of life. At first, the grand philosophical declarations are juxtaposed with the mundane actions of the character and dog in focus, but they soon line up together to reinforce the celebration of beauty in a peaceful, mundane life.
I wanted to create a piece that felt calm and zen-like, representing the lessons I learned from Zen Buddhism and I hoping to impart what I learned to my sister.
Process
I decided to hand-draw the characters and paint the background. Having a hand-drawn animation versus 3D or keyframe animation felt more personal, more vulnerable, and sincere. It also really matched the stream of consciousness style of the voice-over. I created the backgrounds in C4D and then applied a cel-shading filter through Arnold. I then painted over the backgrounds in photoshop.
Transcript
In your last letter, you asked what the purpose of anything was if all things were ultimately pointless.
Decades ago, a journalist experimenting with mystical experiences wrote desperately in his notepad an indisputable truth; all in the universe is the smell of burnt almonds.
Most days, I feel I’m an upright twig lodged between rocks...trying to move upstream.
But...I wish to be taken downstream, to calmer waters.
I guess...what I’m saying is that it’s okay to go with the current.
Remember, that it’s okay if you can't keep going.
And if you think about it, toasted almonds smell quite nice.