TheCAMPUS Asia Co-work of Animation 2022, hosted bythe Ministries of Education in China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, was successfully held fromJuly 25 to August 6by the Communication University of China (CUC), Tokyo University of the Arts (GEIDAI), and Korea National University of Arts (K-Arts). In this year’s virtual Co-work, students from the above three universities teamed up and collaborated on five outstanding animated short films.
With the theme of “Emotions in Isolation,” the Co-work 2022 centers on the music created by Japanese musicians, with inspiration from five types of emotions that arose during pandemic lockdowns – sadness, fear, anger, peacefulness, and joy. Each team took one of the emotions as the central theme of the animated short film they intended to create, based on the corresponding music clip. The deep integration of music and animation, along with the exploration of emotions, aims to reveal the deep and complex feelings of humanity, giving a positive boost to our lives during the COVID-19 era. In the 11-day collaboration, faculty and students from the three countries worked closely and productively with their talents despite distance and language barriers, and also exchanged best practices while making friends.
Student Works
During the creation phase,Dr. Chen Wenjuan, Associate Professor at the Department of Digital Media Design, School of Animation and Digital Arts, CUC, was invited to deliver a keynote speech onAI, Art, and Creativity – The Creativity of Generative Models, presenting participants with a magnificent synergy of cutting-edge technologies and arts.
At 9 am on August 6, the presentation of Co-work 2022 was held online. Professor Jia Xiuqing, Director of Department of Discipline Development and Planning, CUC, Professor Mitsuko Okamoto, Vice President of GEIDAI, and Professor Lee Jungmin, Head of Department of Animation of K-Arts, gave welcoming remarks as the leaders of the three universities for CAMPUS Asia, congratulating the success of this year’s Co-work of Animation. Many guests were also invited to attend this presentation and shared their observations, including Li Nan, Vice Dean of CUC Graduate School; Wang Wenyuan and Jiang Miaomiao, deputy directors of CUC Department of International Exchange and Cooperation; Wang Tong, Corporate Manager at National University of Singapore; Wang Lei, Head of CUC School of Animation and Digital Arts, as well as instructors and students from earlier CAMPUS Asia programs.
Discussion after Watching
The China-Japan-ROK Co-work has occurred for the last 13 years. CUC joined the Co-work in 2012 and applied together with GEIDAI and K-Arts for the CAMPUS Asia Program organized by the Ministries of Education in 2016. Since then, the Co-work has been a key part of the Program and has been held annually with remarkable achievements. Extending from collaboration on animation to a joint double-degree program, student exchange, course exchange, international workshops, and high-level forums, it has played a pivotal role in the educational exchange and development of animation and digital arts among the three countries.
Established upon the consensus reached at the China-Japan-ROK leaders’ meeting, the CAMPUS Asia is a program directly managed by the Ministries of Education of the three countries. With various exchange programs among universities in the three countries, it aims to strengthen cultural and educational cooperation and student exchanges, thus facilitating talent cultivation for a new generation in Asian countries. In November 2016, the China-Japan-ROK International Co-work of Animation, to which CUC, GEIDAI, and K-Arts jointly applied, was enlisted in the CAMPUS Asia program after international open selection and joint evaluation.
REFLECTIONS on the Co-work
21 Animation Arts, Wei Yujun
Busy but Productive-Mutual Learning
This year’s Co-work fully went beyond my expectations. The program brought students from different countries to work together on a one-minute animation over two weeks, which was absolutely not an easy job. However, it was so incredible that we finished the task and got closer with each other through online creation and communication. We could hardly do so without a detailed schedule. Thanks to our instructors and assistants, we lived every day to the fullest. In addition, we were required to report daily results and listen to reviews from instructors all over the world. Although we felt nervous every time when providing the daily report, it indeed strengthened our expression and communication skills. Transnational cooperation greatly broadened our vision for creation. The questions raised by our instructors often hit the nail on the head and left us pondering again and again. As teammates, we also learned from each other in the process and accommodated each other’s personal habits of creation.
Group Photo and Illustrations by Group Director
Mutual Trust – Rise to Challenges
For our group, the biggest difficulty was mainly in the early stages. First of all, the storyboard itself was not clear enough, so we felt frustrated when we were questioned many times by instructors during our report in the very first week. Additionally, the director of our group is a ROK girl, who is very talented and assertive. With her low English skills, she could not deliver her valuable ideas completely and accurately. Language was less of a problem in collaboration because we can draw or use our body language, but it was a real problem in the presentation and reports. Against all the odds, we rose to the challenge and worked things out successfully. In retrospect, it was probably a matter of mutual trust and well-performed responsibility. All my teammates trusted our director to solve the problems in the script and make the right decisions. For any difficulty in the reports, our director asked us for help, and I would explain to the instructors on her behalf. In the meantime, the other two Japanese girls kindly recorded the opinions and suggestions from every instructor and shared them with us in the group chat. After the reports, every member put forward their own ideas, and our director would go through them one by one before making final decisions. With clear-defined responsibility and deep trust, we worked well during the second week and finished the film successfully.
Individual Work
Languages– Wit and Fun
The language barrier undoubtedly caused many troubles, but the greatest pleasure as well. As there are many fluffy objects in our animated film, we had to use the word “fluffy” quite often. We used to choose such expressions as “like puppets” “lots of hair” or “fluffy,” but eventually “mofu mofu” became our one and only choice. I didn’t even know the exact meaning of the word, but Japanese girls spoke their native tongue with excitement at the sight of objects shaped like candy floss. Over time, “fluffy” was no longer mentioned, and “mofu mofu” was adopted instead. Korean girls even used it as a verb like “don’t mofu mofu” or “mofu mofu this.” It might not be grammatically accurate, but everyone got her idea instantly. In the very beginning, this phrase was only used among four of us, but then several assistants joined us and also picked up “mofu mofu.” I guess, this is the charm of language.
Daily Work Online
21 Digital Media Art, Postgraduate, Megan
Eye-opening Experience – Joint Actions
This year’s Co-work exceeded my expectations. We, students from different countries, were required to work online together on a one-minute animation within two weeks, which was a very difficult task. Fortunately, we finished the task successfully and produced the animated work through creation and communication. Thanks to the instructors and assistants from CUC, we lived every day to the fullest. Transnational cooperation greatly expanded our creative vision. The questions raised by instructors were of great help in improving our works. The Co-work gave me a good opportunity to learn the importance of teamwork and responsibility in group projects.
Group Photo
Seeking Common Ground While Respecting Differences
The major difficulty emerged in the middle stage. Our team had disagreements on whether we should introduce the concepts of kung fu and rain into the film. Due to cultural differences, team members had various views. In the end, we decided to put forward our individual ideas first and then voted on the final decision based on majority rule.
Individual Work
Cultural Traditions – Teamwork
In this year’s Co-work, we had the opportunity to communicate with members from Japan and the Republic of Korea, while exchanging our different cultural traditions. The most interesting thing that impressed me was the discussion on tofu making. China has both firm and silken tofu for different cuisines, while Japanese people make oden with tofu and people from the ROK prefer tofu soup. We had a good time when discussing different food cultures, and felt closer during the process.
Daily Work Online
20Digital Media Art, Postgraduate, Zhang Yuan
Personal Breakthrough-Detail-Oriented Improvement
This year’s Co-work exceeded my expectations. It made me have a better understanding of brainstorming and trade-offs in planning in content creation. I studied International Affairs and International Relations during my undergraduate years, where realistic thinking takes the lead, so I was inclined to think in a more pragmatic way. When required to get creative or release our imagination, I often felt constrained by the significance or feasibility of artistic realism. If something has no practical significance or could not be realized at the moment, I did not know how to make that trade-off. In the two-week online cross-cultural communication, however, I saw how creativity diverged and then converged – we encouraged and respected various ideas, sorted out the main framework, fully discussed the rationality, and planned each idea. This process freed me from the fear of originality and let me give up the completely perfect design. Sounds and images in my mind should not be so easily waved away. To grow an idea into a fully expressed realization, creators need to use words and sketches to proceed from vague framework, from feasible planning to the exact results. Also, daily reports were made to the instructors on progress, and the instructors from China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea would ask questions and give their suggestions. They touched on the pulse of issues in an admirable way and hit the point every time. For our theme of Sadness, details in vision or action were often neglected in our production. But our instructors could find out the deficiency of character’s movements, objects in the room, time, or weather.
Group Photo
Group Photo
Breaking Down Barriers – High Productivity
In the first week, we mainly worked on the storyboard and layout. It was hard to fully express our ideas in a second language, especially when everyone had a different understanding of the wording, so we spent a lot of time making explanations repeatedly in the beginning. Then our American member shared her screen during the discussion and recorded everyone’s ideas in Standard English. If we did not know how to express ourselves, we would use child-like drawings for hints, which greatly enhanced efficiency. The animation production began in the second week, and the progress in the first three days was quite concerning. Thanks to the reasonable division of labor made by the director, everyone was in the right position and trusted each other. We all performed our individual duties and worked overtime when needed. The assistants were very helpful and productive when doing key frames, in-betweening, and coloring. When the main visuals were completed on Thursday, everyone felt so relieved.
Individual Work
Mutual Understanding in Collaboration
There were seven of us on the team, including the assistants. With members from China, the Republic of Korea, and the United States (who studies in Japan), we all spoke English while working. And we agreed to wait for translation when English expressions slipped our mind on the first day. Our ROK member, who was poor in English, used formal expressions at first like “I don’t know the English, I need to translate, please wait a minute.” Later on, the sentences were simplified to “translator” or “wait a minute.” Then we all said “wait a minute” when could not express ourselves.
Every Update in the Slack Group Responded with Texts/Emojis
21 Animation,Ruan Yishu
First Try – Self-Development
The Co-work definitely went beyond my expectations. At the beginning, I didn’t want to be a director, for I was used to my role as a facilitator in animation creation. But on the first day, I was recommended by my teammates to be the director. In the preparation stage, I had to decide the storyline, plan the storyboard, finalize the art style, draw the key frames, and also undertake the special effects work in post-production, and thus I experienced two busy weeks. When we reported our progress every day, our instructors always gave us suggestions. And fortunately, we were not required to do any major changes from the storyboard to the finished work. With capable teammates and assistants, we did our work in a highly efficient way. This was my first time acting as a director, and the first time I finished post-production with AE. I learned a lot of skills in such a short time, and accomplished outstanding achievements. Additionally, my communication ability has been greatly improved. I used to be an introvert, but the Co-work required much communication to make progress. Thanks to the Co-work, now I can express my ideas to instructors and students with confidence, and I truly understood that expression leads to better communication and high efficiency.
Preliminary Sketch
Finished Work
Teamwork – Exchange of Ideas
My teammate from Tokyo University of the Arts is a Chinese overseas student (also my upperclassman from Communication University of China), so we can communicate with each other freely. But our communication with teammates from ROK was not that satisfying. Thanks to her outstanding English proficiency, everything went well without serious misunderstanding. Being a director, I asked my ROK teammates for art design drafts after determining the style. However, due to my poor self-expression, the works she gave me were somewhat different from what I expected. In this case, I had to make the best of it, for they were so gorgeous though different from my requirement. Our work is relaxing and comforting, and I prioritized efficiency to make sure the work would be finished on time, so I used all the pictures - as many as possible. We did have disagreements sometimes. Generally, we might put forward several solutions to an unsatisfying point, and make changes together for the final choice that satisfied all of us. In doing the teamwork, a problem should be solved by joint efforts. The inspiration generated by creators from various countries absolutely overshadows the idea of an individual.
Daily Work Online
Individual Work
Diversified Cultures – Exchanges and Communication
There is a deformation part in our work, displaying our three creators’ hobbies and favorite foods. We had a happy discussion about our selections. What impressed me most was that our ROK teammate liked Chinese milk tea so much, so I introduced her to many Chinese milk tea brands and some “weird” Chinese food, which she was particularly interested in. If we can meet each other offline, we may have a wonderful culture-sharing experience.
>>>>>>>>>> more—>>>>
Sharing of Interests and Hobbies
21 Master of Animation, Hu Yuanfang,
Try My Hand – Great Benefits
The Co-work went beyond my expectation. As a student majoring in a trans-discipline, I was worried about dragging my team down because I had no experience in animation production. I had imagined many terrible situations, but all the assistants and teammates were so friendly, responsible, and cooperative. In the Co-work, I participated in the animation production for the first time and completed it very well. Director Jungsoo was experienced, rigorous, and competent and taught me a lot of skills, which benefited me tremendously. I am very proud that we complete an animation with so many characters in two weeks.
Communication –Striving for Perfection
Communication was the major difficulty due to our different native languages. None of us speaks English as a mother tongue, so we wasted a lot of time on communication. In addition, one thing impressed me most. On a Thursday night, our director decided to redraw two scenes in consideration of the professor’s suggestion. My assistant and I worked overnight, as did the director. I greatly appreciated our three assistants’ efforts, for they shouldered heavy responsibilities. Without their help, we would never complete such a great work.
Individual Work
Mutual Encouragement – Self-development
The other three students (two ROK students, Jungsoo and Unbi, and a Japanese student Musashi), except me, can speak Japanese fluently, so I tried to learn Japanese as well. At first, I could barely follow them, but couldn’t speak anything out loud. Sometimes, we switched to Japanese when we had no idea how to express in English, and Musashi encouraged me to express my opinions. I hope I can speak Japanese well in future.
Group Photo
ASSISTANTS’ REFLECTIONS
During the Co-work, 16 undergraduates majoring in animation at our university, who were enrolled in 2020, served as assistants to help the mid-term and title of the work. They greatly improved the efficiency of the program and gained a lot as well.
Zhu Haoyuan
It was a pleasure to work with so many outstanding upperclassmen. I learned a lot from the work.
Yang Yunfei
It was my honor to participate in the Co-work. Everybody was great. I was very happy.
Zhang Ruihan
I was so fond of the open and inclusive atmosphere of Co-work, in which we could share opinions freely. What a beneficial experience.
Chen Jiangyu
I got acquainted with many great seniors through Co-work, who helped me create a clearer plan for my future. I was glad to work with the team. It was an unforgettable memory in my college career.
Wang Yifei
I felt very happy to join the Co-work. I learned a lot and improved my ability. I felt proud when seeing our efforts displayed on the screen.
Wu Ke
I was happy to join the Co-work. The communication with students from all countries was the most unforgettable and interesting experience.
Huang Huiyue
The Co-work this year was a great experience to complete an animation with others who have different culture backgrounds and native languages.
Zhong Jing
I was lucky to join this Co-work. The female seniors were excellent. Thanks for this experience.
Zhang Shiqi
It was my great pleasure to participate in this activity and get to know great partners. We worked hard to overcome the difficulty of communication. I benefited a lot from intercultural exchanges and debates.
Pan Jiayu
It was a pleasure to participate in Co-work. It was a special experience, and I learned a lot. Everyone was perfect.
Li Yuxuan
I was very happy to participate in this Co-work. All the members were diligent and excellent. It was also a rare opportunity to complete an animation with members who speak different languages and have different cultural backgrounds.
Shan Wenzi
This Co-work was unforgettable. I learned a lot from instructors and seniors. I was so happy.
Jiang Yuxuan
Although I didn’t help much, I was still glad to experience the teamwork. Everybody was great.
Xiao Shiqi
It was amazing to participate in the whole process for the first time. I learned a lot. The production process was pleasant as well.
Wei Yiyang
Although it was a hard journey, I learned a lot. I admired the competent female seniors in my team so much.
Lin Xinqi
It was pleasant to get along and communicate with team members and schoolmates. I gained much valuable experience. I am looking forward to more opportunities in the future.
Works of Co-work animation will be posted on the homepage of www.cuc.edu.cn next week. Coming soon.
Editor: Chen Yuting
Executive editor: Yang Qifan
Senior editor: Zhong Dandan
