Sitiha & Sisiti
3D SHORT ANIMATION
Uniquely bringing up traditional folklore from one of Indonesia's precious province - Jambi, this 3D short animation was my final project throughout my college years, it was one of the most interesting project that I've ever worked.
Packaged with colorful tone, cutesy characters and heart-warming story, this 6 minutes short animation was created to convey the beautiful premis and moral story to teach the children in an easy, fun and interesting video.
Objective.
This project aims to bring Indonesian local folklore into the light once again. Presented in a more appealing way to interest target audience, especially children, but the moral message could still be conveyed, using the power of audio visual and 3D technology.
Challenges.
This actually was my final thesis during my college years at Binus University. It was really challenging because we, the student, had to create the whole project ourselves. But it's more thrilling for me, because I was working full time as well during my last semester. So I get to have a good time management on bouncing between my works and college.
It was handful, but super satisfying because we get to be free and creative to visualize our passion. And I cannot stop smiling when I get to see the results and all.
FINAL VIDEO
Roles.
Since this was a solo project, I was responsible from creating story line, concept proposal, development phase, visual presentation, final video presentation until displayed them into a whole package of exhibition.
• Character Design
• Storyboarding
• Graphic Design & Print
• Merchandise Design
• Exhibition Display
• 3D Modeling
• Bone Rigging & Morphing
• Animation & Render
• Voice Dubbing
• Video Editing & Compositing
Tools.
• 3Ds Max 2010 + Vray SP4 2010
• Adobe After Effect
• Adobe Photoshop +
• Adobe Premiere
• Autodesk Mudbox
• Pencil, Drawing Pen, Pencil Colors and Paper
Date
Feb - June 2010
Sitiha & SIsiti, dubbed in Indonesian Bahasa, with English subtitle
CONCEPT
Background.
I always love reading folklore, because it's full of cultural aspect from many place that I love to explore. That's why I choose folktale story from Jambi, Indonesia. There are some other version for this tale, but I used the one from S. Amran Tasai.
I choose this folktale of 'Sitiha and Sisiti' because of its unique story. I like how the writer personified the character of sun, cloud and mountain. It is a story about a life purpose finding journey, to go out of comfort zone, travel and having adventure to different places to find an answer. The moral story was so on point.
Moreover, Sitiha and Sisiti are human but they are mothered by a cat. It was so fascinating and widely imaginative, which made it more interesting to design the characters, story line, culture and the beautiful scenery for visual.
Image by Dinigaleri via DeviantArt
Some were asking why it was cat and not other animal, or how is it possible for human to have a cat mother.
Well, I'm usually excited to answer this kind of question. And my two famous answers are : firstly, it was a folktale or half fable, so anything is absolutely possible since the story was meant to be fictional and metaphor. Just like how animal could talk in the story. So I definitely couldn't give scientific answer to why a cat can give birth to human siblings (lol) :D
Secondly, but I might be able to answer why it was cat, because the story location is in Jambi, and back then, the religion majority there, is Islam, and cat was known once to be a pet of their "nabi", "Nabi Muhammad SAW". So back then, cat is one of the animal that being respected there, in Jambi.
Story Line.
However, I add some bridging story for the opening scene in this story animation, to bridge the in-between ambiance between folktale and modern era (that children feel more familiar to).
So it was started with a story of a mother asking her kids to go to sleep and then read them some bedtime stories.
"The story is started as a bedtime story from a mother to her children,
who refuse to go to sleep and comparing the mother with their friend’s. “Sitiha and Sisiti” is a folktale from Jambi, Indonesia.
The story is about twin sisters named Sitiha and Sisiti who were mothered by a cat.
They lived happily even though their mother was a cat. Until something was happened, two boys were passing by near their house,
and then mocking them for having a cat mother.
Sitiha and Sisiti were really ashamed and then decided to go looking for a new mother, a better one. They left the house.
They met the sun, cloud, mountain and the mouse and instantly asked them to be their mother.
The journey finally made them finding the best mother ever, just circling around.
In fact, the best and the greatest mother was their cat mother. So finally they went back home,
and realized that what they already had was the best and then they lived happily ever after.
End of the bedtime story for the children and they got the moral message
to love their mother unconditionally."
ILLUSTRATIONS
Character Design.
This is the character design for Sitiha and Sisiti and some of the concept art for environment, props and stuffs. The major location was divided by three location, such as Pink Bedroom, Mother Cat's house and the Forest Journey.
The concept art style development for this short animation was round shape and "Indonesian Sulur Plants". To more humanize the cat, I gave her a shawl with Jambi textile motives. Total numbers of the character here are around 12 characters. At first, it also gave me such goosebumps because it's too many characters with so little time for the whole production schedule.
Then I found some feasible solution to simplify things. I figure that the first siblings that were told the bedtime stories, could actually have the same face as Sitiha and Sisiti but more like their younger version. ♫ It could be done so, since usually, in our childhood, children tend to picture themselves as the main characters or heroes of the bedtime stories they were being read to.
Character Design
Character Design
Initial Sketches
Characters Size Proportion
Environment and Props Design
WORK IN PROGRESS
Storyboards.
These are the storyboards for the short animation. Usually this is the next step after we have figured out how the story plot is and also when the concept art also has been decided. This storyboard was meant to show and plan how the shots will be on the short animation.
So it was basically to define more from the cinematography part. The scene's angles, the camera movements, duration and all the character and background positioning all being figured out to be made an animatic video, the one video with moving storyboard, edited offline, added with sound effect and background music.
Sitiha & SIsiti - Storyboard Sketches
Modeling.
Environment 3D model for this short animation. Got to make the house culturally represents Jambi. So to add that elements, I took them from patterns of their textile, because it could clearly illustrate Jambi signature. I use those elements also in the building, but not too much because the 3D model style was supposed to be simple with solid and pastel color.
Since my target audience of this short animation is mostly children, I was adding a bit of fantasy feel and shape to the environment modeling. I use big size mushroom, flower, and plants. Below are some of the screenshots model in default 3Ds max viewport. Some are before lighting, rendering or digital compositing.
Environment and Props 3D Modeling
FINAL DESIGN - EXHIBITION
3D Characters.
For this character model and design, I did the simple anatomy one (simple round face shape, hand with no fingers style, and mesh hair). That was because we were supposed to finish all the production until final stage by our own. So we were advised to choose and decide wisely. To do what could be more simplified, so that we can save time on the 3D rendering meet the deadline.
Since this story has really lots of characters, and it seems challenging to do all in short time, I was told to change my story or modify them. But I feel like the folklore should be told as it was, to keep its authenticity. So to mitigate that, I make the same type of face overall for the human characters.
Printed Materials.
Part of the project deliverables were to display them for final presentation, so there were lots of printed material and merchandise kits to be made. I was so excited to complete the exhibition kits, because I love doing manual crafted art. After finishing the final presentation, my college also held an external exhibition in mall for public audience. It was thrilling but so much excited.
Poster A
Poster B
Poster C
Sitiha and Sisiti - Story Booklet
Merchandise - Pin
Merchandise - Mug
Sitiha & Sisiti Clay Sculpting
Sitiha & Sisiti - Exhibition Display
Sitiha & Sisiti - Standing Banner
MOVIE SCREENSHOTS
The other exciting part of this project is that I actually got to do the dubbing myself for all those characters. I love to do acting and theatrical performance, so it really was nice to do various impersonation from other character's voices ♫. Looking for the soundtrack and background sounds are also challenging for me. It's a good things that I love playing RPG game on playstation back then, I got more background music reference from it.
