Shower Thoughts

I essentially made this film as a self-reminder to not dwell in my fears or worries whenever I create, but to instead enjoy the process and remember that life is more than a film. When I made my first film, I immediately got caught up in it and the only time I stepped away from it was when I had to wash my hair. It was really easy to drown in my insecurities during those breaks, but it was also possible to escape the tunnel vision, take care of my mental health, and reassess my situation.

As a senior architecture student, Irene is swamped with projects to complete in a short amount of time. Although she attempts to be collective, especially to her best friend, Estelle, she is actually insecure and stressed out of her mind. The saying “Try your best!” haunts her because she knows she could do better. To encapsulate these traits, I wanted her attire to look like she works at home the whole day with oversized clothes to hide the truth. I also designed her face and flared out apparel to roughly resemble a fish trying to find the surface in the trenches.

Many objects are transparent to further convey the absence of protection. There’s no turning away from what lies underneath. The transparency also displays the inner dimensions and crafting that is often associated with industrial design and architectural drawings. The phone and coffee mug particularly reveals how close Irene is to Estelle and why she ultimately wants to support Estelle in her new achievement despite feeling more behind.

I wanted the art style to slightly change based on the emotional arcs of the story. Whenever fear and disappointment set in, the more the backgrounds have sharp, clean lines that resemble architectural drawings and perspective lines. When Irene is in peaceful environments, the textures become more painterly and the colors more saturated.

The bathroom had to feel like being trapped inside your head. Not only is it cluttered with architecture work and house chore reminders, but it was a place where Irene could naturally hole up in and get stuck in her thoughts.

Finally, here is a demo reel of my most recent 2D animation work! Thank you for reading and watching!