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ALFONSO DELA CRUZ

Illustrator, Designer, Animator & Visual Effects Artist

These are some of the works I've done over the years (Personal and Contributed Works):

Major Projects (2019-2021)

Film Summary

Blood Tropicana is a 12-minute short sci-fi film set in a dystopian Wellington, New Zealand. Our story follows Frank, still grieving his late wife, decides to impersonate an officer at the I.C.A, the specialist in tracking and deporting over stayers. Frank begins to question’s his fascist world-views when he confronts an illegal immigrant inside the seedy speak easy Blood Tropicana.

Role

I joined Blood Tropicana as a Production Manager in my third year at University (2020). This deals with most of the budget, handling the contracts and licenses for locations, actors etc. and ensuring health and safety are set during shooting. A goal, for my particular role, is to ensure the production process goes smoothly and that each crew member doesn’t feel stressed and/or unhappy. I also aim to keep constant communication within the crew members so that no one would feel left out or feel they aren't doing enough, but also feel that they are not too stressed. Taking care of problems outside the film production also help the creatives concentrate more on the film and ensure its quality.

I also contributed to some of the designs as part of the Art Department team. Some of my contributions attributed to the costumes of the ICA officers, several propaganda posters to help represent the settings and an ID scanner used at the beginning of the film.
Some of my contributions can be seen in the video above.

Project Synopsis

A short film integrates a live-action film as a base with traditional rotoscoping 2D animation overlaid. The animation aspect will be composed of different art mediums such as pencil, felts and acrylic. This will be a roughly 3 minute animation that will be shot from a first-person perspective, which follows an arrogant artist as they get slowly consumed by their work. This is to explore the realm of unconventional or experimental film making, specifically within the field of animation.

I started this project to show my love for traditional, hand drawn animations, more specifically through the technique known as rotoscoping. Heavily inspired by the work of Michael Patterson’s Take On Me music video, I wanted to create my own hand drawn rotoscoped animation, mixed with a live action film as a background. Also taking inspiration from the 2017 film Loving Vincent and their use of traditional rotoscoping technique in today’s contemporary media landscape. Along with my project, I wanted to research more about independent animators working with traditional animations and the limitations they may face when developing it. I looked into the history and impacts of rotoscoping, the animators who still work within the realm of experimental animations and their experience and finally going step by step into what it takes to develop an independent animation.

Film Summary

Left Alone is the story of a reserved 15-year-old boy struggling to live in the apocalypse with his overprotective mother but when he is abandoned by her he forms an unlikely friendship with an elusive girl and together they will free themselves from the control of others.

Role

I joined the junior Art Department team in 2019, working closely under the guidance of the head of the department. My primary responsibilities included assisting the HOD designing props and buying appropriate set dressings and costumes through thrift shops. This process required a blend of creativity and technical skill to ensure that each prop met the artistic vision of the production. This is to ensure they aligned with the set design and contributed to the overall aesthetic and authenticity of the project.

A notable example of my work was the creation of a book prop featured at the beginning of the film. I used a painted cover and, using Photoshop, transformed it into a book sleeve that was printed to fit the exact specifications of the book. This attention to detail and commitment to achieving the desired look highlights my ability to bring creative ideas to life while maintaining the production's visual integrity.