This short film might be the trippiest thing you see today.
Last month from September 15 to 20, Ton Duc Thang University in District 7 held its annual Gradshow to showcase more than 200 graduation projects by senior students from the Faculty of Industrial Fine Arts. These range from brand identity packages and textbook design to animated short films.
Among the projects, a 2D animation titled Planet by Truong Tung Chinh emerged as one of the most impressive and was crowned the top prize of the gala. The five-minute feature is a sci-fi story with a strong environmental theme, rendered with a surrealistic style that might bewilder viewers if they don’t pay close attention.
Image via Facebook page Khoa Mỹ thuật Công nghiệp TDTU.
Planet tells the story of the main character, Alien, who lands on a strange planet that’s full of vibrant flora and fauna. Upon coming in contact with a rare purple-hue gemstone, Alien’s evil side takes over and starts wreaking havoc on the planet. His greed materializes in the form of a mechanical monster, which drains the land’s natural resources, kills indigenous species and pollutes oceans.
While the project doesn’t allude to any real life situation or even Vietnam specifically, hawk-eyed viewers might be able spot some Vietnam-related references, such as a lotus-like plant species, Ha Long Bay’s famous Trong Mai Islets or Saigon’s iconic Bitexco Financial Tower, cheekily portrayed as an ear of corn.
As the entire clip doesn’t contain any dialogue, narration, or caption, it’s up to the audience to sieve through layers of psychedelic animations to decipher its meaning. Nonetheless, Planet is well-deserved of its accolade due to the high quality animation, seamless transitions and out-of-the-box character design.
According to Chinh, it took him four months to complete the film, which called for a considerable amount of work for a one-man team. Have a peek at Truong Tung Chinh’s short film Planet below:
[Video via Facebook page Khoa Mỹ thuật Công nghiệp TDTU]
