This Is a Story Without a Plan
Two people, and an explosion.
Interview with Director/Animator Cassie Shao
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
This Is a Story Without a Plan is a film that envisions two characters witnessing a constant explosion in different fragments of their lives. It is a tale of observers but of an unpredictable nature, reflecting on both the characters' relationships with the explosion and each other. The film was inspired by a past event that made me feel like I was watching an explosion slowly unfolding in front of me while unable to do anything about it. At the same time, I felt that I had to look at it so it would happen before it would finally pass. The feeling left a great impression on me, and I feel that the state of my life slowly started changing and developing after I realised this feeling. Much like an observer, by observing, is already intervening and thus making things change.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I hope that if you feel the visuals that place its characters in a surreal and otherworldly environment speak to you, and that you are curious after watching the trailer, you would want to watch this film.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Personally, I wanted to make this film because it captures and reflects a piece of me during the last three years. The concept of the film is born from observations of my surroundings and all the fragmented yet impactful moments, as well as deep explorations into my relationship with life, others and myself. It talks about something I have been thinking about even before the production years, I needed to finish this thought by completing this film and then move forward to the next thought. Universally, by crafting the film in a way that allows space for diverse interpretations that are subject to the audiences’ own experiences, I hope that it could communicate to the audience through imageries that might stir up familiar emotions, thus making us connect through mutual emotions despite not having the same experiences in life.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Making an independent animated short film often takes me a solo effort of two to three years. I feel that during this process, the animation inevitably extends beyond the idea with which it begins, evolves and grows with the animator herself. The animation would be constantly inspired by thoughts and changes that occurred during this period of my life until it felt like it had completed itself. I kept some of the scenes in the original storyboard as they still felt relevant by the time I was animating them. There are new scenes added in based on completely new experiences and also there are some that I came up with halfway because they were inspired by or are extensions of previously finished scenes.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
One of the feedback I received that I remember very well was that someone said that this film touched something deep inside their heart, and I felt great warmth knowing that something that touched me before touched someone else too, which is really the goal of making films if there is to be a goal.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I believe aside from continuously creating and working on projects, the other responsibility of a filmmaker or creator is to do their best to ensure their work reaches its designated audience. It feels to me that any creative work is its own language, and it communicates with its viewers and audiences through deeper feelings and unique experiences that can hardly be expressed through words. I believe the language spoken between an animated work and its audience is unique to everyone, and the “target audience” of the film would be able to find what is familiar to them even though they come from various backgrounds and have different experiences. However, this reaction cannot be predicted. I just believe that it is my responsibility to the film to send it out to all the film festivals and platforms I can and give it as much exposure and visibility as I can so that in the process it would reach most of its target audiences.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
To me, the most rewarding reception would be if the animation I created reaches its designated audience, and they have a conversation together that might inspire a little spark in life.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am currently working on my next film, which depicts a surreal and dream-like journey in which the character’s reality is repeatedly described, interpreted and overthrown as her will of it changes. The film has a theme of “travelling” and I hope to incorporate more painted elements and some earthly colours that I hardly used in my previous films into my usual mixed-media approach. I am also working on a music video at the moment that has a theme that is a mixture of the moon and sand.
Interview: January 2024
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
This Is a Story Without a Plan
Two people, and an explosion.
Length: 7:35
Director: Cassie Shao
Producer: Cassie Shao
Writer: Cassie Shao
About the writer, director and producer:
CASSIE SHAO is an Animation Director currently based in Los Angeles. She is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the School of Cinematic Arts at USC. Her animated works have screened at film festivals worldwide such as Annecy, Slamdance, Animafest Zagreb, Ann Arbor, SXSW, Dok Leipzig, Vienna Shorts, PÖFF Shorts and HollyShorts, etc
Facebook: Cassie Shao
Instagram: @karasucassie
Website: www.karasucassie.com
Other: Vimeo
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Slamdance - Sun, Jan 21st, 6:45 PM at The Yarrow Theatre A
Slamdance - Tue, Jan 23rd, 7:15 PM at The Yarrow Theatre A