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BRIEF & CONTEXT
This conceptual project was a major contribution to the KHM International Exchange Program—a global animation and sound design collaborative involving teams from countries including China, Korea, and Germany. As one of only four teams representing India, our brief was to contribute an episode to the 'Martian Chronicles' anthology, featuring a Martian alien researcher observing Earth life and culture.
THE HYBRID EXCHANGE:
The process required a complex audio-visual swap:
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Audio Contribution: My team first designed two conceptual soundscapes (used by teams from CAFA, China and KHM, Germany) for the anthology.
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Animation Challenge: We received an audio concept from the CAFA, China team, which we had to translate to an animated short.
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DESIGN METHODOLOGY
SOUND DESIGN
Designing the conceptual soundscape for the KHM audio exchange, based on the assigned theme.
BRAINSTORMING
Collaborating with CAFA based on the audio received.
Concept Ideation.
Script-writing.
STORYTELLING
Defining the visual style.
Character Design.
Storyboarding.
ANIMATION
Animatics 1.
Animatics 2.
Line Animation.
Final Line Animation.
PRODUCTION
Printing animation frames, hand-painting with watercolours, and digitally scanning the final frames.
EDITING
Cleaning-up.
Video Editing.
Adding audio.
Subtitles.
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OUR AUDIO CONTRIBUTION
Our team’s initial contribution to the Martian Chronicles anthology was the design and production of two conceptual soundscapes. These original compositions served as the auditory foundation for animation segments created by the CAFA (China) and KHM (Germany) teams.
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OUR ANIMATION CHALLENGE
Our primary challenge was translating the audio concept received from CAFA, China—an ambient recording of a town street, park, and shops—into a cohesive visual narrative. Following translation and brainstorming with the CAFA team, we grounded the story in the perspective of the Martian researcher observing a seemingly idyllic human village.
We chose the delicate, traditional medium of watercolours to animate the film, reflecting the fragility of the themes explored. The narrative was structured around capturing the complex truths of life through these core conceptual pillars:
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The Fragility and Cycle of Life.
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The Burden and Purpose of Youth.
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The Beauty and Simplicity of Existence.
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CREATION OF THE FILM
ANIMATICS
ROUGH LINE ANIMATION
FINAL LINE ANIMATION
FINAL ANIMATION
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FINAL FILM
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REFLECTION
The "Mud & Music" short was a successful contribution to the KHM exchange, demonstrating our ability to collaborate effectively across borders and language barriers.
This opportunity was invaluable: it taught us the necessity of incorporating cultural nuances into both audio design and animation, profoundly shaping our understanding of human experience. Contributing to a theme inspired by Ray Bradbury made the entire process even more personally rewarding.
In terms of design, we chose a simple visual style to encourage rigorous, exploratory learning in the traditional watercolor animation technique. We divided the complex work equally, maximizing each team member’s strengths.
I had always found animation challenging, particularly the animatics phase. I overcame my animation struggle by embracing the imperfection of line work, which unlocked the joy of creating fluid, character-driven animation.
Mud & Music:
A Conceptual Animated Short (KHM Program)
SOUND DESIGN
STORYTELLING
CHARACTER DESIGN
STORYBOARDING
2D ANIMATION
A conceptual short developed for the KHM International Exchange Program. This hybrid animation blends hand-painted frames and digital sequencing to explore the fragility and cycle of life through the eyes of an alien researcher.
Team
Duration
Links
Garv, Kalshu Pantwane, Khushi Chauhan, Nandini Seshan, Parinita Manchanda, Swapnanil Das
4 months
