Private Project

Crossing

Crossing is a four-minute 2D animation about a man who overcomes his fear of death through the help of others. The story happens when the protagonist is dying. He transfers from the real world to a dream world to experience emptiness and loneliness. The protagonist cannot accept death until a group of ghosts helps him understand mortality.

  • Qing Zheng
    Director
  • Qing Zheng
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Animation
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 7 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 29, 2017
  • Country of Origin:
    China
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Qing Zheng

Qing Zheng is presently working towards a Master’s degree at Pratt Institute. She was born in China and she has a BA degree in animation from Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. She currently resides in Brooklyn, New York and enjoys eating vegetarian food. She will receive her degree in May, 2017 and will continue to develop her industry skills further both in China and the United States.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

My thesis “Crossing” is a 2D animation. It is a story about a man who overcomes his fear of death with help of four ghosts. The protagonist creates a duality between his ego and the rest of the cosmos that initiates the universal rule of independent origin and therefore death. In order to separate the ghosts and the main character, I designed the ghosts to have soft accents to convey their poise and grace. Their movements are very dramatic in order to separate them from the ordinary behavior of the protagonist, whose movements are depicted by hard accents and imbalance to show that he is heavier and more awkward than the ghost. All the characters follow the 12 principles of animation that to create a realistic sense of human motion which strengthens the viewer’s sense of identification.

The topic of death is deeply hidden in our modern life and its encouragement of materiality. I think a greater awareness of death could increase rationality and positivity in people. An awareness of death can reorient us to a life that is less self-involved and it can help us to discover the truth of the world.