From the makers of ‘Paperman’ comes a new animated short titled ‘June’ for the ride-sharing service Lyft from the States. Directors John Kahrs (Paperman) and Kevin Dart (from boutique design and animation studio Chromosphere) discuss their inspiration of how the animated short came to be.
The origins of June is poignantly moving. Ricardo Viramontes the creative director of Lyft called Kahrs up in attempt to make his short story about a Lyft driver a reality. He began with the framework of a woman, a single mum who lost her job and was struggling to make ends meet. This character continued to evolve, eventually becoming a character from the neighborhood of Bronzeville in Chicago.
Similar to Paperman, what is striking about the animation is the 2D aesthetic with an added dimension, except instead of merely having monochrome, June is full of colour. In fact a kaleidoscope of colour. This idea came from the wheels of the car and how the kaleidoscope is a bunch of pieces that come together to create a beautiful mosaic that they want it to represent it as what it is like to be part of a big community. This display of spinning multi-colours produces a wonderful aesthetic effect and transition of the kinds of people that hop on for the ride.
The team had definitely done their research by actually going around Chicago, also using Lyft services and asking questions and being surrounded by the culture and the people. It was helpful that the music artist they worked with ‘Sir the Baptist’ had experience as a former Lyft driver. They also showed their work in progress to drivers and people to get feedback to see how relatable the experiences were.
Understanding how Kahrs and Dart has collaborated helps me understand others thinking process of getting inspiration. Through their thorough investigation, they are able to not only achieve a wonderful aesthetic, but achieve a touching short story.
References:
Failes, I., 2016. How ‘Paperman’ Director John Kahrs and Chromosphere’s Kevin Dart Combined to Make This Animated Short For Lyft | CartoonBrew. [Online]
Available at: http://www.cartoonbrew.com/shorts/paperman-director-john-kahrs-chromospheres-kevin-dart-combined-make-animated-short-lyft-146389.html
[Accessed 12 June 2017].
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