Eta's Travels

The film was inspired by my love of pixel RPG and natural landscape. Interaction with the environment in RPGs largely informed my relationship with my environment. Borrowing the period of quarantine, I thought I would use this chance to examine it.

Growing up, I did not find much incentive to go outdoors. I felt caged in by the apartment blocks peeking into every window, but was too timid to venture outside of my neighbourhood in search of (literal) greener pastures. Even so, I did love nature. When I was introduced to RPGs, they formed the intermediate between me and the great outside beyond my reach.

The film’s characters are animated on a mix of digitally drawn backgrounds and footage taken from real life. They reflect the world seen through my eyes and the ideal way I wish to interact with it, departing at times to excavate an unexpected pocket of space. The world is full of crevices to fit our imaginations into if we pay attention to it.

My goal as a filmmaker is to be able to recreate the wonder of experiencing the world for the first time. I hope this film can accomplish that.