Kunal Sen: Animation + Films

Kunal Sen Showreel Jan 2011

2009-11-06T10:32:00.013+05:30

NEWS

Hello peeps! Most of 2010 was spent freelancing between Electronic Arts, Giant Ant Media and Kaldor, as well as working on "CMYK" by Marv Newland at the NFB. I've had a very productive year, and worked on several interesting projects- from an Augmented Reality project with Kaldor featuring Malcolm Gladwell, to Motion Graphics for game menus at EA. From an experimental animation using thousands of paper scans ("CMYK") to creating a short educational film for little kids to be shown in schools.

Earlier in 2010, I got back to Vancouver in April after 3 action-packed months in India, which included teaching an Introductory Animation Course at the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, a freelance gig for Bangalore International Airport as well as spending time with friends, food and family. 'Bombay Chaupati' is a short vignette I made while in the Bombay using my (then) newly bought Canon 7D.

I am currently in India, where I will be traveling around for a while, as well as freelancing. I head back to Vancouver in mid March via two weeks in Europe. Please feel free to email me at mail.kunalsen at gmail dot com if you'd like to get in touch with me regarding work or just to say hi!

-Kunal
Jan 15th 2011

ABOUT ME

I am a freelance Animation Designer + Filmmaker based between Canada and India.
I work mostly in the medium of 2D, Experimental and After Effects animation. I studied Graphic Design and Film in India before specializing in Animation in Canada.

One Big Hapa Family

2009-06-17T09:27:00.006+05:30

I was commissioned to animate 90 seconds for the feature docu 'One Big Hapa Family' by Jeff Chiba Stearns (Yellow Sticky Notes). Jeff explores his Japanese-Canadian heritage in the film as he interviews several of his relatives about how they perceive their cultural identity today.

Apart from live action interviews and timelapse photography, Jeff contacted several animators across Canada to work on different sections of the film. Last I checked there were at least 5 other animation styles in the film :)

Director: Jeff Chiba Stearns
Meditating Bunny Studios
Producer: Ruth Vincent

University of Toronto Augmented Reality with Kaldor Brand Strategy & Design

2009-06-17T09:20:00.011+05:30

I was the technical animation lead working with Kaldor's designers on the Motion Graphics for this Augmented Reality project featuring Malcolm Gladwell ('Blink'. 'The Outliers' and 'The Tipping Point') for the University of Toronto.

To view the Augmented Reality experience, click here

To view 'How to view the AR' watch the video below

'Childline' TV commercial

2009-05-03T07:51:00.010+05:30

A TV commercial for Childline, produced by Design Workshop and co-directed by Umang Razdan, Himali Kapil and myself.

'Childline' is India's first 24 hour telephone helpline for children in need of help and assistance. Do visit the Childline website to learn more about the organization.

Special thanks to Umang, Himali, Shivani and Devashish uncle for all the support and good times!

Crazy 8s

2009-05-02T15:27:00.006+05:30

The signature film for the Crazy 8's Filmmaking Extravaganza in Vancouver BC 2009. We were asked to create a montage of the films made in the last 10 years as part of this event.

The Montage was followed by a 6 minute documentary that gave a broader picture of the history of the event as well as the 'behind the scenes' for this year's films...

Music credits:
Solamingus- "Sho Can Wrap"
Gaudi- "Sufani" (Instrumental)
David Starfire- "Waffler"
as well as the audio tracks from the respective films.

De-Colorize

2008-11-25T13:13:00.014+05:30

An informal 'Ad Bust' featuring some of the staff members of the AMES Anti-Racism workshop held this year at the Gulf Island Film and Television School.

Music: 'Kala Chasma' (Black Glasses!) by Amar Arshi

For more info on AMES accesstomedia.org/about/identitybased.html
For more info on GIFTS giftsfilms.com/

Ray-Ban, please don't bother suing me coz I swear I don't have any money :) But I really really like my new glasses (if that helps)

2008-11-25T12:26:00.014+05:30

I am a freelance Animation Designer + Filmmaker based between Canada and India.
I work mostly in the medium of 2D, Experimental and After Effects animation. I studied Graphic Design and Film in India before specializing in Animation in Canada.

Please feel free to email me at mail.kunalsen at gmail dot com if you'd like to get in touch with me regarding work or just to say hi!

cheers!
Kunal

Intervelometer

2008-11-24T06:12:00.019+05:30

‘Intervelometer’ by DAK (Deniz Merdanogullari, Aparna Kapur and myself) was made at Trick 17- a 52 hour Stop Motion Competition. 17 teams picked themes, genres and other variables out of a hat on a Friday night, and had to submit a finished film by Sunday 10pm. We picked ‘Human’, ‘Wild Card’ (which gave us freedom to do what we wanted!) and a music track (which we had to use somewhere in the film).

Our film won ‘Best Picture’ at the competition and was featured on Motionographer a site that inspires filmmakers, animators and designers alike on Dec 4th.

‘Intervelometer’ attempts to explore the essence of animation (for us!)- Persistence of vision, light, human form and time. The film also pays tribute to Eadweard Muybridge, an iconic figure in both- Photography and Animation.

For more info/contact...
denizined.com showreel vimeo.com/2428967
grad2008.eciad.ca/film_video_integrated_media/aparna_kapur/
kunalsen.net

CMYK by Marv Newland

2008-11-22T09:05:00.009+05:30

An Experimental Animation from hundreds of CMYK printmarks- torn and collected in 2 shoeboxes over 10 years!

Animator/Compositor on CMYK - Marv Newland's (Bambi Meets Godzilla, Anijam, Black Hula) latest film at the National Film Board of Canada. The film is now in the final Production phase and should be done by early next year. Music composed by Lisa Miller and performed by the Bozzini Quartet.

Kaldor

2008-11-22T08:53:00.011+05:30

Design: Kaldor Brand Strategy + Design

Animation: Kunal Sen

The Kaldor team (Sally, Ginger, Tom and Dawn) and I worked within a super tight timeline to create this animation. The script, character designs and backgrounds were done by the Kaldor team.

A big thank you to the client for giving me the permission to upload this :) All references, as well as the Voice Over have been removed for this purpose.

Human Factors International

2008-11-22T08:46:00.003+05:30

Excerpt from a 3 minute Demo I created for Human Factors International. The products they were showcasing have been removed from this video.

Panthera Animatic

2008-11-22T08:33:00.007+05:30

A quick Animatic pitch to Panthera, an organization based in NY that aims to educate and spread awareness about the Jaguar amongst local audiences in Brazil.
In a short span of 4 days, I collaborated with Justin Wallace (Animator/Character Designer) as well as Aparna Kapur (BG Artist) to deliver a 1 minute Animatic.

Visual Noise Type

2008-11-22T08:22:00.008+05:30

Web + Interface + Logo Design for Visual Noise Type...
Based out of Seattle, this site is an online music/arts collective
Mixing the old and the new... the half-tone with the pixel!

Design frames for Be!

2008-11-22T08:06:00.005+05:30

'Peace it Together' FUN-imation

2008-09-03T06:37:00.024+05:30

I was extremely lucky, and honored to have been invited by Michael Mann to be an Assistant Animation Mentor in 'Peace it Together' a workshop where 30 teen-agers from Palestine, Israel, and Canada gathered in Bowen Island, Vancouver to participate in an extraordinary dialogue and filmmaking experience. Based on the successful 2006 program, the youths lived and learned together for three weeks, discovered their personal strengths and created inspiring short films.

Eight films were made: 4 in Documentary, 2 in Drama and 2 in Animation. The films can be seen at http://www.creativepeacenetwork.ca/youth_films.asp

Here are the two animation films- 'Freedom' and 'Listen to This' that were made at the Peace Camp...

Freedom from Peace it Together on Vimeo.

Listen to This from Peace it Together on Vimeo.

'Key Tumi?' Festival run...

2008-09-03T05:39:00.017+05:30

'Key Tumi?' has been selected for the following festivals...

Bombay Chaupati

2008-06-01T05:00:00.008+05:30

Along the Queen's Necklace and Juhu beach, Bombay
Music from the '1947 Earth' soundtrack by AR Rahman

Shot on a Canon 7D with a 50mm 1.8 lens

'Key Tumi?' (Who are you? My Love...)

2008-02-17T10:57:00.024+05:30

My graduate film from Emily Carr University (2008).

"Caramel custard, ping pong and potty all play an important role in this charming animation about a young boy exploring where he came from as he prepares for the performance of a lifetime."

Cultural Disclaimer: In India, the word 'potty' = shit, not the shit pot :)

Nightlife

2007-09-18T23:57:00.005+05:30

Logo Design

2007-06-04T13:56:00.006+05:30

'One Man Band'

2007-04-11T16:42:00.010+05:30

A music video for my song 'The Crazy Dice' which invloves a combination of real time staging and compositing. Inspired by Michel Gondry, this piece was recorded and the video shot and composited in the span of 10 days.

Recorded and Mixed by Jorge Valle
Special thanks to Aparna, Graeme and Kristin for help on the shoot.

'ONE MAN BAND' INTERACTIVE

An Interactive Installation of ‘One Man Band’ at the Concourse Gallery, last week of December 2007. The installation was up only for a day as someone booked the piano out the next day (!) and someone else booked out a Commodore monitor the next to next day(!!) so…

Vancouver Rex

2007-03-26T11:25:00.000+05:30

Music recorded here in Vancouver.
Two songs are for a senior student's grad film 'The Strong Love'
Other two tracks are odd ends here and there...
Recorded on a bulky CD Marantz and some good mikes
Am experimenting with a piano, guitar, mouth organ and other sounds.
Audio edit on Adobe Audition
Click here to hear the songs...

Click here to download 'The Deep Ends' album

2006-12-24T07:10:00.000+05:30

'The Deep Ends" by Kunal Sen and the Bangalore BIG

"The Deep Ends" is my demo album along with friends/musicians in Bangalore... Ishan Dasgupta, Sankarshan Kini, Bruce Lee Mani and Rzhude. It is rare that one gets the chance to collaborate and work with the very people who have influenced you. This album brings together seasoned professionals with weekend musicians, big names with no names. The music has been recorded in the spirit of non-profit, and is intended for free download/circulation. If you like what you hear, please feel free to burn it, rip it and share it with others!

featuring...
Rzhude David : bass, backing vocals and drums
Sankarshan Kini : lead guitar
Bruce Lee Mani : lead guitar
Ishan Dasgupta : vocals on 'Mosquito'
Kunal Sen : vocals and guitar

Recorded and Mastered by Rzhude at Acoustic Garden Studios, Bangalore

'The Deep Ends' on MySpace :
http://www.myspace.com/thedeepends

Mosquito! animation for music video

2006-11-20T07:34:00.001+05:30

'Mosquito' was a song written by Ishan Dasgupta and myself as part of the Rearviewmirror band-life. I later recorded the song as part of my demo album 'The Deep Ends', with space-cadet Ishan on vocals, Rzhude on drums and bass, Bruce Lee on the lead and myself on rhythm guitar.

As part of Experimental Animation class, I wish to create an Animated music video for a section of this song- the 'mosquito lead'... (genius of Bruce Lee Mani!) The song is about a mosquito that gets high on human (female) blood. The sex-mosquito preys on un-suspecting women in the city, 'getting higher by the hit!'

"Need a fix now, little lady...
Need your wine to get me high..."

Soup Girl

2006-11-09T14:16:00.004+05:30

An image inspired by Japanese animator Koji Yamamura.
"A hot bowl of soup high up in a storm..."
Set in a 'normal' scenario, I wanted the girl to be afraid of the soup, which causes her world to literally fall apart. The storm is in her head, and causes the lines in the drawing to fly out of the screen one by one. The image gets emptier slowly as the storm gets stronger. Finally its just the girl and the soup. And she gulps it quick!

MOSQUITO

'Mosquito' was a song written by Ishan Dasgupta and myself as part of the Rearviewmirror band-life. I later recorded the song as part of my demo album 'The Deep Ends', with space-cadet Ishaan on vocals, Rzhude on drums and bass, Bruce Lee on the lead and myself on rhythm guitar.

As part of Experimental Animation class, I wish to create an Animated music video for a section of this song- the 'mosquito lead'... (genius of Bruce Lee Mani!) The song is about a mosquito that gets high on human (female) blood. The sex-mosquito preys on un-suspecting women in the city, 'getting higher by the hit!'

"Need a fix now, little lady...
Need your wine to get me high..."

CALCUTTA POLICE

The Three Fish (Animatic and Concept sketches - Work in Progress)

2006-11-02T22:18:00.002+05:30

Stills and the Animatic for 'The Patient Fish', a short film I want to do as part of my 'Story-telling and Script Development' class. The script is inspired by a fable called 'The Three Fish', but turns it around on its head. The original fable ends with the moral- "The fish who saw trouble ahead and acted before it arrived as well as the fish who acted as soon as it came both survived. But the fish who relied only on luck and did nothing at all died. So also in life."

I felt the fable was too preachy, and have decided to change the premise altogether... Watch this space for the finished film!

Sketch for 'Hua Noor' (The New Day)

2006-09-23T01:52:00.002+05:30

The video sketch I created as a proposal for "Hua Noor', done primarily to evoke a mood and a look-and-feel for the film. It was done completely in Flash using hand drawn sketches. The final visual style for the film turned out quite differently, though this helped to set the tone for the film.

The Great Gig in the Sky

2006-07-01T02:54:00.005+05:30

Inspired by the sheer scale and magnificence of the Pink Floyd experience, we projected 'The Wall' (a film by Alan Parker and Pink Floyd and stunning animation by Gerald Scarfe) onto the Wall of the house two houses opposite mine (unknown to them of course...)

Many friends came over for this most exciting 'event', and we were joined by a large number of curious residents and on-lookers who were all quite amused at the spectacle!

This little 'whatever' is dedicated to Nikhil Rao...

A Sketch to a Film

2006-06-24T12:03:00.003+05:30

Hua Noor storyboard
Looking through my Hua Noor working files on my comp. Found the initial scans for the drawings and backgrounds! Really funny to think that what one sees as the final, finished, worked-on, thought out film was once just a crude idea in someone's drawing book.

Mike, our Film and Video faculty at Srishti and I were once discussing that Animation could tend to be a lonely journey, where the complete idea of the film only exists in the mind of the Animator.This was in context of the fact that I had joined the Film/Video Dept. at Srishti (as there was no Animation Dept.) and was making Hua Noor while my batch mates were shooting live action films.

I feel that working within the Film/Video Dept. helped me look at Animation as not an end in itself (which a lot of tripped out animation can be) but as a visual medium in the larger broader context of film.

B/W Photography

2006-06-24T09:57:00.005+05:30

pages from my Log Book

2006-06-24T09:53:00.005+05:30

Sketches from my log-book a long long time ago when I used to keep a log-book! I think I've always been interested in Pen and Ink. These drawings were done around the same time as The Hollow Men Illustrated Book. Hua Noor and Ud Jayega were done 3 years later.

Elelctonic Arts 'Need for Speed'

2006-06-23T13:13:00.005+05:30

I worked on a front end Menu for 'Need for Speed - Shift 2' as well as some Motion Graphic badges for the 'Hot Pursuit' game (the tracking badges in the video below)

The Hollow Men

2006-06-23T12:35:00.002+05:30

Xerox Illustrated Book

A self-initiated project I did in my second year at Srishti (2002). Illustrated T.S. Eliot's The Hollow Men using pen and ink, xerox and newspapers. Having read the text, I would drop some ink on the paper, try and form a recognizable form. Then open a newspaper and cut out the first word that made sense to me. Then use a pen to tighten the image.

"Hua Noor" (The New Day)

2006-06-22T22:54:00.002+05:30

“Hua Noor” is a fleeting glimpse of an old Clock Repairman’s Life, as he looks back at his life one stormy night. He realizes that a lot has changed ever since he set out on his career, and that it might just be the end of the road for him. Yet, he is accepting of this change and ponders on what the future holds in store for him.

"Hua Noor" (The New Day) took me a year and a half to create as I was working under very tight resources. I watched as many animation films as I could to pick up the nuances of the medium. I feel the insecurity of becoming obsolete is a universal fear we all share, and that is what I wanted to evoke through the Clock Repairman."

Still Life

2006-06-22T21:56:00.002+05:30

My first attempt at Stop Motion, this film was part of my final Contemporary Arts Practices Course (I joined Fine Arts for half a year hoping to do Animation). This film was completely self initiated, and tried to question the role of the Animator in this film. Who is the Animator? What is he animating? Doesn’t he know that what he is trying to animate already has a life?!

The Soundtrack for the film has been specially created for the film by friend and music mentor Rudolf David (alias Rzhude). He used two musical treatments, one with a moody bass line to show the parts where I, the animator was in the scene, and the other, a funny percussion piece for the parts where my work space comes to life.

The Great Gig in the Sky

2006-06-22T21:52:00.001+05:30

The Great Gig in the Sky from Kunal Sen on Vimeo.

Inspired by the sheer scale and magnificence of the Pink Floyd show, I had an idea of projecting ‘The Wall’ (a film by Alan Parker and Pink Floyd and stunning animation by Gerald Scarfe) onto the Wall of the house two houses opposite mine. Many friends came over for this most exciting ‘event’, and we were joined by a large number of curious residents and on-lookers who were all quite amused at the spectacle!

Another Matinee

2006-06-22T21:37:00.001+05:30

1 min, Flash Animation

This was my first self initiated exploration in Animation, where I was intrigued with the idea of seeing, and identifying yourself with what you see ‘on-screen’, and sometimes not being able to tell the difference. This short Flash Animation was created in one night and set to the music of Amelie, which I liked very much. This idea/work led me to believe that Animation didn’t necessarily have to be long and drawn out to be effective.

"Ud Jayega" (The Empty Train)

2006-06-22T17:34:00.002+05:30

“Ud Jayega” (The Empty Train) was an outcome of The Kabir Lab (a collaborative project on the 6th century Indian poet Kabir) in my final year in Srishti. Inspired by the song “Ud Jayega Hans Akela” (The Swan will fly away Alone) by Indian Classical Vocalist Pandit. Kumar Gandharva, the film creates a contemporary metaphor for the ideas expressed in the song.

This film was intended to be a part of a larger Documentary Film being made by our Course Coordinators, film maker Shabnam Virmani and Indian Classical Vocalist Tara Kini.

"The song talks about the inevitability of Death, and of the fact that nothing in this world is permanent. I used the metaphor of the Indian Train (to which I am very drawn to) as this symbol of impermanence, where people fill and leave the train having completed their journeys… Created completely in Flash, I put a lot of effort into the Soundtrack to help heighten the mood of the film. I was unable to actually use the title song due to copyright issues."