Stop-motion animation for the greater good

A joint creation of final-year Digital Media students Nguyen Hoang Phuc Nghi and Nguyen Cat Vu, “Safari” is a stop-motion animated short film that takes viewers on an exploratory journey through natural habitats.

The journey is presented through the eyes of a traveller who witnesses a landscape being ravaged by humans through deforestation and animal hunting. By showing the destruction of plants and animals due to human needs, the film raises awareness of the urgency to protect the natural environment.

The film recently won the Award of Excellence in the Animation category at the Nature Without Borders International Film Festival – NWBIFF (USA). This award was granted to "entries with exceptional artistic and technical achievements".

The short film is also being entered in more international film festivals, with the hope of further spreading its meaningful message.

Nghi and Vu originally developed the film as part of the Pixilation Animation course, one of the specialisations delivered by the Digital Media program at RMIT Vietnam.

Using a mix of paper cut-outs, shadows, and pixilation animation techniques, the project was a challenging and time-consuming process that required careful attention to detail.

Nghi explained: “Most of the objects used in this project were created using the cut-out technique, which involved cutting paper. We chose this technique because it represents the destruction of nature that occurs through human activities.”

“To emphasise this point further, we added texture to the paper. The cut paper was used to create shadows, which are the main objects in this project. Shadows typically represent negative aspects, and in this case, we used them to highlight the negative impact of inhumane activities on the environment,” Nghi added.

Vu shared that during the journey with this project, they learned many new things such as how to handle lighting, shadow, and colour.

“We had to film in the dark for some special effects and it was thus very difficult for us to record the footage," Vu recalled.

“Before and during the working process, we encountered many problems like a lack of time, bad quality footage (requiring re-shots), and balancing our heavy workloads. However, we improved and found a way to solve them quickly. The result is well worth the effort we spent.”

Mr Ricardo Arce-López, RMIT Program Manager for Digital Media and Associate Lecturer of Animation, was the mentor for Nghi and Vu throughout their project.

He explained that the Digital Media program has always focused on studio-based projects with an emphasis on collaboration, visual thinking, and experiential learning.

“This particular project, Safari, shows the power of creativity in addressing environmental issues,” he said.

“I think the result is an exceptional artistic and technical achievement that serves as a reminder of the impact of deforestation and wild animal hunting.”

Story: Ngoc Hoang