Synopsis:
The arrival of a hen broke the peace of life. In order to find their most cherished toy, the hostess's lovely and naughty dog lies in the story of maturity in the process of hen struggle
Our Review:
This short film ‘Gift’ is a true gift to everyone who gets a chance to watch it. The dedication of the Hen to protect her Egg & the bonding for the toy the Dog has is such a strong plot to make one feel so empathetic to both the characters. Though there was enough rivalry from the beginning; the turn of events brings the bonding between them. The Dog totally gets what the Hen struggled for and goes to great length to retrieve her egg. Everything about this movie is perfection. Animations are brilliant and the visual experience is a treat in true sense. Background music is perfect at every turn of event. How in our busy life we miss so much beauty that surround us? The unfolding of emotions are beautifully portrayed. Tears of joy flow uncontrollably. “a small story power packed with everything beautiful”…
Director Biography - Jiaqi Bin
My name is Jiaqi Bin. I was born in Guangdong. Since I was a kid, I was addicted to drawing and painting. In my spare time I like to watch movies, musicals and listen to music. My favorite movie directors are Ang Lee, Miyazaki Hayao, Akira Kurosawa, John A. Lasseter, Ridley Scott, Pete Docter to name a few. They are my role models and mentors on the way of my animation career. I watched their movies countless times and was intrigued by the stories and productions behind the scene. I specialized in 3D animation at school and started my career at the industry shortly after graduation. I fully understand animation filmmaking needs more than just 3D animation knowledge I learnt at school. Outside of work, I get into the filmmaking and screenwriting area, which help me get a full picture of how to make a good movie. I truly hope my movies can make you feel warn and inspiring.
Director Statement The reason I chose to direct this film is to present a warm and healing visual experience to the audience. Also, I try to inspire people to pay more attention to little things happening around them by narrating a small story through animation. The inspiration for making this short film came from Lele, an old, proud and smart dog who lives with me for many years. You can’t imagine how much joy he brings to me. But, like many other dogs, he is definitely also a trouble maker. However, I still love him. This unique feeling of small animals makes me thinking of inclusive love that is fading away in today’s modern society. People are too crammed with stress and forget the simple and true beauty of live. During the production of this film, me and my team, we encountered many challenges. At the very early stage, communication and cooperation are the keys. But, sometimes, my team can’t fully understand my idea or the whole structure of the film. That makes me a bit frustrated. However, as time go, we get along pretty well. Another challenge was to translate the characters in our minds through 3D technology. We kept communicating and modifying over and over again trying to present the characters as much as possible. Last but not least, we encounter Covid outbreak during the production make it even challenging for us. Thankfully, we go through all these difficulties and present our film here. This short film is very special to me. Just like its name, it’s a gift to me. Not only because this is the first short film of my team, but also we do enjoy all aspects of it no matter pain or joy. Also, this precious experience provides us deeper thoughts of making animation films which will definitely help us to improve our works in the future. Credits
Jiaqi Bin Director
Jiaqi Bin Writer
Xi Liu Producer
Specifications
Project Title (Original Language): 礼物
Project Type: Animation, Short
Runtime: 13 minutes 48 seconds
Completion Date: November 25, 2021
Production Budget: 313,400 USD
Country of Origin: China
Country of Filming: China
Language: No Dialogue
Shooting Format: animation
Aspect Ratio: 16：9
Film Color: Color
First-time Filmmaker: Yes
Student Project: No
