Examples:

• Re-edit The Shining, cutting only the typewriter scenes into a 3-minute loop.

• Deconstruct an interview and reassemble it as a silent visual collage.

• Record a tiny, mundane action repeated for three minutes.

1. Write a 250-word statement about a research topic that interests you.

   • This should be your Research Topic Statement.

   • Include three visual reference images to express the visual connection of your research theme.

   • (You are not making a video at this stage—just use images to support and express your ideas.)

   
   

2. The topic can be something you’d like to develop into an essay film or video essay.

   • It does not have to be heavy or politically charged—focus on what genuinely interests you, such as nature, sound, time, etc.

   • You’re encouraged to continue previous research topics if relevant; the topic doesn’t have to be brand new.

   • The goal is to develop your core research interest further.

   
   

• A video work that combines:

  • Your first experimental film, and

  • The research you presented last week.

  
  

📌 Requirements:

• If you’ve already integrated your research into the work, continue to go deeper and explore further layers;

• If you haven’t started combining them yet, now is the time to try;

• You can either develop from your existing work or try something entirely new;

• The main goal is to push your creative development and show how you’re integrating method and research.

📌 Format Requirements (Video):

• The video can be exploratory in nature;

• You may retain the experimental form, or try a more narrative or analytical approach;

• The work doesn’t have to be fully “finished” or “perfect” — the emphasis is on showing your process of thinking and development.

1. Length of the Film

• Suggested: Maximum 5 minutes

• Can be shorter (e.g., 2–3 minutes)

• Ideally a complete piece, but it can also be a chapter or excerpt from a longer film

2. Completion Status

• Should be as polished as possible

• Ideally a nearly final version for in-class screening and discussion

3. Form and Style

Your film should clearly reflect the characteristics of an essay film. That means:

• It can adopt a non-linear narrative

• It can use experimental visuals

• You can incorporate graphics, sound, text, interviews, and internet aesthetics

• You may choose any stylistic approach (e.g., webpage simulation, lo-fi style, animation, etc.)

🗣️ What to Prepare for the Presentation

During your in-class screening, you will need to briefly introduce your work. Please prepare the following:

1. Creative Motivation

 (What is it about?)

• What is the central idea of your film?

• What themes or emotions do you wish to express?

2. Inspiration / References

• Who or what influenced your work?

• These could be:

  • Artists / Directors / Designers

  • A specific film (e.g., Powers of Ten)

  • A phenomenon, scientific theory, or cultural/societal context

  • Personal experiences or background

• Try to place your work within a broader cultural or creative context

3. Method and Media

• What tools or techniques did you use?

• How did you integrate visual language, sound, animation, and text?

• Is there a structural logic in the work? (e.g., chapter divisions, web-style navigation, etc.)

  
  

📅 Next Class – September 10

• We will screen and discuss each student’s work

• You should bring your final or near-final video

• Be prepared to briefly introduce your work and speak about it in class

The film focuses on the phenomenon of breakfast being overlooked in modern urban life. Young people often finish breakfast hastily during their commute. Through images, I aim to capture the absurdity of this fast-paced

lifestyle and reflect how it leads people to neglect their bodily needs and sense of time. Breakfast is not only about food—it also mirrors the “alienation of time” in contemporary life, where people no longer enjoy the full process of eating but lose autonomy under constant pressure.

2. InspirationSocial phenomenon:

The commute, work pressure, and fast-paced lifestyle of young urban workers have turned breakfast into something to be “dealt with on the way.

Personal observation and experience: From my daily observations in the subway and office areas, and from my own life experience. Since my home and workplace are one and a half hours apart, I deeply understand the urgency of having to eat on the go. By placing this personal experience

within a broader social context, I wanted the work to combine both intimate observation and symbolic meaning.

3. Method & Medium

I used visual language to capture the rhythm and mood of breakfast scenes: color images represent warmth, while black-and-white frames highlight haste and absurdity. Camera angles, framing, and editing rhythm emphasize the fast-paced movements of commuters. For sound, I used ambient noises (subway, footsteps, human voices) to

create immediacy, and rhythmic editing to convey compressed time.

For animation and AE collage, I broke continuity by enlarging, repeating, or fragmenting food, actions, or words—enhancing both the absurdity and rhythm, while showing the act of eating being deconstructed.

For text, I used simple and direct language: the opening and closing questions, “Did you eat today? Did you eat well today?” present the reflection in a straightforward way.

Ultimately, I hope the audience can feel that breakfast is not just food, but also a contact point between body and time.

In terms of reference sources, both my father and my uncle work in the medical field. Personally, I enjoy eating and cooking delicious food. During my recent outings and takeout orders, I noticed a rise in healthy and light food options, along with the growing popularity of punk health products such as “traditional Chinese medicine milk tea.” After gathering information, I found that most punk health products fail to effectively repair the damage caused by lack of sleep. This inspired me to create the website.

From a phenomenological perspective, I was influenced by Forensic Architecture, which reminded me of how consumerism dehumanizes individuals. Through the constant hype and promotion of “punk health” lifestyles, people are encouraged to silently lose their individuality and follow the crowd. As a reflection of this, in Project 1 of the webpage, I designed a scene in which one person crawls on the ground, followed by another.

In terms of website style:

• The absurd style and certain animations from Hustle Secrets, which satirize the culture of excessive overtime, inspired me. They influenced my design of the “slot machine” blind box format in Project 2, as well as the absurd noodle-eating sequence in the film and the appearance of so-called experts discussing health preservation.

• Newmystics inspired me to present the homepage poster in a dynamic display format.

• The 3D emoji animations of tabitarezaire influenced my visual approach.

• The blacktransrevolution website, with its pseudo-3D characters and game-like style, gave me ideas for creating product element graphics and interactive interfaces.

In terms of creative methods, I used AI to generate graphic elements, After Effects, Premiere, and CapCut to produce animations and videos, and Cargo to build the website.

For display media, everything is presented on the computer, since the primary way consumerism promotes punk health products is through social media on the internet.

As for website structure, I designed a clear interactive flow:

• Clicking the “@” button opens a cover page that briefly introduces the theme of the website.

• Clicking the folder icon on the homepage takes you into the interactive interfaces for Projects 1, 2, and 3 in order:

  
  

  • Project 1 exaggerates the reasons why people turn to punk health products. Under pressure from overtime work or study fatigue, individuals urgently search for something to restore their health, influenced by traditional Chinese health concepts. Once so-called “experts” appear in a window to explain various health tips, people rush to buy these products.

  • Project 2 uses a slot machine format to symbolize how consumerism combines random product elements to create new ones.

  • Project 3 showcases posters for various products, which not only present “best-selling” items but also symbolize the hype and promotion fueled by consumerism.

  
  

• Clicking the warning icon in the bottom left corner triggers the website to automatically search for punk health content, serving as a cautionary reminder.

• Clicking the shopping cart icon in the top right corner redirects users to a process that demonstrates how ordinary elements are fused to create a new punk health product.