ALIEN: Living with Uncertainty

Thesis Animation

2D Animation & Print Collateral

*Animation was taken down due to anti-immigrant comments left by some viewers

ALIEN: Living with Uncertainty is a 2–3 minute textual and illustrated 2D cutout animation about an English-speaking undocumented immigrant in NYC. The animation features personal experiences and statistics to call attention to the polarized portrayal of undocumented immigrants in contemporary media. It was featured in the CCNY Electronic Design and Multimedia BFA Thesis Show and in the Rarebit Animation Festival.

Collateral & Installation

The collateral materials included promotional posters, stickers and fact cards. The fact cards provide information about illegal immigration on one side and an image of the main character on the reverse side.

I created a mockup to organize the space I was allotted in the exhibition room. For the purpose of the images the cutout character was placed next to the TV. During the exhibition it was placed at the side of the removable wall.

Storyboard

The animation uses a collage of vector illustration and photographs. The most recent statistical data on illegal immigration published by government resources were integrated into the narrative of the animation. The aim of the project is to raise awareness about the struggles of illegal immigrants in the US.

The color palette was used to pair skin tones with colors for clothing and backgrounds.

The production schedule helped organize the 15 weeks I had to accomplish the animation and all collateral related to the exhibition.

The first few weeks were spent exploring different illustration / animation styles. I wanted to be able to rotate different body parts so the limbs were all detachable. The animation style was initially inspired by Angela Anaconda. The main character has photographs in the outfits to humanize the character and make her stand out.