Four Cities: Fluothia, Awuli, Willa, and Calisandra

Abstract

This project is composed of an experimental film and an artist statement that aims to discuss the nature and perception of city based on the film. The experimental film is a combination of creative writing inspired by Italo Calvino’s book Invisible Cities (1972), cinematic language, animated presentation, and authentic soundtrack. The making of this film starts with the creation, decontextualization, and reconstruction of travel footage and hand-drawn animations. Following the visual is the composition of acoustic expression, which features the diversity of sound effect and ambient mood, as well as solo and duet narrations. The film translates the creative writing about the description of fictional cities into visual representation by a variety of cinematographic methods – such as camera movement, animation transition, and ambiance creation. Being an open-ended creative project, it seeks to provide an immersive environment for the viewer to rethink the perception of cities.