I shot about 25 participants, mostly separated, one per activity over 4 days and had 5 lights around the subjects, pointing upward toward the white ceiling to eliminate the shadow. After shooting, everything was composited in Adobe After Effects. The textures were created from photographs and manipulated in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.” (See detailing of the entire process here, http://www.surfacefilm.com/process.html )
The short covers all aspects of daily, urban life told from the perspective of a surface; be it floor, table, counter, sidewalk or road. It has a fast paced editing matched to a unique, rhythmic beat; a sort of urban symphony. The ending is surprising and jarring. “It is simply a journey you take everyday walking to work. You can see various activities of others, however, we often take it for granted. These are daily urban activities, observed from a new point of view and sometimes in your life a sad situation can occur, randomly,” said Uthaisri.
Surface won the Live Action category in the prestigious ADAA competition which is recognized as the world’s most renowned student design and film competition. Uthaisri uses many of Adobe’s products in his work so it was fitting that he entered the contest. “I used Adobe products for most of my process - from capturing footage to compositing. I think my piece somehow falls between motion graphic and live-action categories, but I see it more like a short film celebrating the ‘live-action' of human activities. Therefore, I entered the Live Action category.” As far as what he would like the win to achieve for him, Uthaisri thinks the decision is proof that his hard work and effort paid off and it gives him credibility for his vision. “I was always a designer, and communicated my messages to the public through art. I feel like with Surface, my idea and message have been successful delivered and widely accepted by others.” Now working an internship with Psyop, a collaborative design firm, Utharsi continues to pursue his career in motion graphics and new media in New York City.
Sheri Candler is an inbound marketing strategist who helps independent filmmakers build identities for themselves and their films through the use of online tools. She has promoted short films, narratives and documentaries including The High Level Bridge (Toronto, Sundance, SXSW); Undertow [Contracorriente](Sundance, Frameline), Ride the Divide(Documentary Channel) and consulted with countless independent filmmakers on their content marketing and social networking strategies. Sheri is co-authoring a book , "Selling Your Film Without Selling Your Soul Presented by PreScreen-Case Studies in Hybrid, DIY and P2P Independent Distribution," due for release digitally in September 2011. Follow her at SheriCandler.com.
