Written and Directed by CHIA-HSIN LEE In an Empty Wood

In an Empty Wood

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY

SCORE AND VOCALS BY

VOICEBY

SOUND MIXBY

PERCUSSION PERFORMANCE BY

CHIA-HSIN LEE KION HEIDARI HAO FENGBENJAMIN HUFF BENJAMIN SCANLAN

Written and Directed by CHIA-HSIN LEE

Experimental Short

In an Empty WoodRunning Time: 2:36 minutes Written and Directed By: Chia-Hsin Lee

Voice by: Hao FengScore and Vocals by: Kion HeidariPercussion Performance by: Benjamin ScanlanSound Mix by: Benjamin Huff

SYNOPSIS

This is a poetic animation film on the jealousy of seeing someone succeed in a path you once considered.

In the summer of 2017, while I was being a volunteer art teacher in Taiwan, I met a fellow volunteer who shared the same belief with me as if we were twins. But instead of being close, we were very jealous of each other. I used to be a conservation activist which she currently is, and she was once an artist which I currently am. Our path seemed to have exchanged. In the frustrations of coping with this jealousy, I wrote this poem.

During the months of film production, Erin McDermott helped design the visuals, and my CG teachers Dariush Derakhshani and Andrew Bac helped with the technical aspect of making my first CG film. Sound was an important element in this film. Hao Feng provided his voice and acting, Kion Heidari wrote and sang the ambience score, Ben Scanlan did the percussion performance, Alberto Cruz recorded the sounds, and Ben Huff did the incredible sound mixing.

And last, thank you, my Blue, whom I believe is doing something amazing on the other side of the world. This film is to you.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT

WRITER AND DIRECTOR, Chia-Hsin LeeChia-Hsin Lee is an animation filmmaker currently studying character animation in the California Institute of the Arts. Her films include Rot (2017), In an Empty Wood (2018), the Baby (2019), Rumplestiltskin (2019).

Chia was born and raised in Taiwan. Before Chia started her career as an artist, she studied Biology and Landscape Architecture in Taiwan, while working part-time in the Paleontology department of National Museum of Natural Science. In the year 2015, she changed paths and arrived to the USA to start school in CalArts. In the future, she hopes to bring Art, Entertainment, and Science together.

COMPOSER AND VOCALIST, Kion HeidariKion Heidari is a film/media composer and current student at the California Institute of the Arts. Kion has written dozens of scores for live-action and animation, as well as music for video-games, musicals, and concerts. kionheidari2.bandzoogle.com

VOICE ACTOR, HAO FENGHao Feng is a second year MFA acting student at CalArts, where he has performed in Nightwalk in the Chinese Garden, and The Servant of Two Masters. He was previously based in Atlanta, where he performed at Serenbe Playhouse, Stage Door Players, Fabrefaction Theatre Company, and Theatre Emory. He received his B.S. in Neuroscience and B.A. in Piano Performance from Emory University, and his MPhil in Music and Science from the University of Cambridge. In his free time, he can be found doing some photography, dancing, or eating. Usually eating. @haofengphoto

PERCUSSIONIST, BENJAMIN SCANLANBenjamin Scanlan is a musician, composer and educator based out of Los Angeles. With a background in Jazz and Contemporary music he has spent a considerable amount studying the music of Ghana, North and South India, Brazil and parts of the Middle East. Drawing upon these influences without adhering to the typical boundaries one may find between genres of music Ben creates a new voice that is truly unique.

SOUND MIXER, BENJAMIN HUFFBen Huff is an audiophile, musician and documentary filmmaker who teaches production and post production film sound. At CalArts, he completed his first feature length documentary Never Mind the Fences, a film about the DIY, all-ages, underground music scene in Wichita, Kansas. After graduating, Ben began freelancing as a professional sound editor/designer and recording engineer. Ben's work and sound design have been exhibited at numerous venues and festivals, including The Edgemar Center for the Arts, The MAK Center, The Venizia Film Festival and The Berlinale Film Festival.

CG CONSULTANT, DARIUSH DERAKHSHANIDariush Derakhshani is an award-winning visual effects supervisor, author, and educator whose work has appeared in The Fantastic Four, Pan's Labyrinth, the South Park TV series, and countless commercials and music videos.

CG CONSULTANT, ANDREW BACAndrew Bac is a CG faculty at California Institute of the Arts.

CREDITSWritten and Directed by:Voice Actor:Composer and Vocalist:Percussionist:Sound Mixer:Sound Recording:Visual Development:Writing Consultant:CG Consultant:

Animation Consultant:Story Consultant:

Extra Support:

Chia-Hsin LeeHao FengKion HeidariBenjamin ScanlanBenjamin HuffAlberto Cruz, Kayle KhanmohamedErin McDermottAlex MitchellDariush Derakhshani, Andrew Bac, Fran Krause, Tristan KilmerDale BaerDave Creek, Abe Audish, Dariush Derakhshani,Jasmine Gatewood, Maryam Mirbagheri, Vanessa Kwan, Rory Cummings-Dise,Justin Truong, Colleen Sinclair, Timothy Torres, Lindsay Scanlan Suzannah Rowntree, Marley Townsend, Meng-Hsuan Lee

To my Blue.