Submission Spotlight
Dark Blue Sky
Atay Karaderi
Atay Karaderi is a student animator from the UK. Dark Blue Sky was a CGI/3D submission to the 2018 Florida Animation Festival.
FAF: What's the process of creating shadows in CGI like?
AK: It is actually fairly easy, you just create the lights and the software calculates the shadows for you - just like in real life! I have noticed the character had a nice 'dramatic' shadow effect on the wall while I was doing the test renders so I have decided to place the camera accordingly in order to capture the shadow in the final cut, which I believe enhanced the beginning scene.
FAF: Your film is about mental health. Can you talk a little about portraying really heavy topics in animation, an art form commonly associated with lightness?
AK: Great question! I am a huge fan of Pixar Studios and how they can convey emotion without being too heavy, but I think with the rapid development of technology, 3D animation can be so much more than squishy and bubbly form of expression - I think heavy topics in animation are still new and there's so much to explore. I wanted to focus on mental health and suicide mainly because of the current increasing trend on suicide - I think acknowledging that there's a problem is the first step of solving it and maybe this film can help a little.
FAF: How does music support mood in your film?
AK: Initially this project was not meant to be a music video, but later in the development I have decided to merge it with one of my songs out of curiosity, and it matched perfectly with the animation and the tone of the video - some may say that it was fate but I'd say it was a "happy accident."
