MANTIS (2024)
Summer 2024-Autumn 2024
The Process
I first came up with the idea for a new animation film in June 2023. I was inspired to create something filled with the bizarre and ambiguous qualities often seen in French cinema, like René Laloux's Fantastic Planet (1973).
I decided to go back with my roots, drawing on what has influenced me from the start: Japanese Tokusatsu films. Tokusatsu is a genre of live-action films and TV shows that heavily relies on practical special effects. These films often feature heroes battling villains, somewhat similar to Marvel but on a lower budget.
Then began a long, year-long process. I started animating on my laptop, but as time went on, new ideas kept coming to me, forcing me to revisit and adjust the plot. Despite the revisions, I felt confident about the initial planning stages. I spent the first two months determining which techniques would work best for the film.
Throughout the process, I learned to document everything I did, including how I achieved certain animation effects. This helped maintain visual consistency. At the same time, I was juggling schoolwork, so the project progressed in a more sporadic manner rather than following a strict timeline. Whenever I traveled, I brought my phone to capture small details—walls, ground textures, clothing patterns—that I could incorporate into the film’s texture collection.
From the start, I envisioned MANTIS as a collaborative project. However, it was difficult to find collaborators, partly because I didn't know many people working in this field around me. Fortunately, I joined a class where students from Interactive Media and Classical Music departments teamed up for a project at the Tampere Biennale Family Day on April 14, 2024. There, I met Severi Rancken, who agreed to compose the music for MANTIS.
The first version of MANTIS was shown publicly, and while the feedback was great, I felt it wasn't finished. The ending still needed work. So I continued the process, and during this phase, I was able to bring more collaborators on board. Thanks to their help, MANTIS is finally complete.
Production Note
The frame-by-frame animation was created entirely in Adobe Photoshop. All layers, including character animations and pencil sketch lines, are separated to allow for the application of various special effects in After Effects. The ending was completed in Blender for 3D animation.
With voice actors found through friends and Internet, to whom has giving their 100% effort for the recording. The audio was recorded by our sound designer , and the voices were then processed with a radio effect to evoke the nostalgic atmosphere that the film aimed to convey.
Promotion
MANTIS was promoted across various media platforms, focusing on creating a TikTok channel from scratch to connect with a younger audience. We also distributed posters throughout the city and at schools to increase exposure.
Here´s the link to the TikTok page : https://www.tiktok.com/@mantis_usernameavailable?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Credits
Director: Tamaki (Ngoc Tran)
Animation: Tamaki (Ngoc Tran)
Music : Severi Rancken
Mantis voiced by : Peetu Kuoppala
jeans voiced by : Niko Putaansuu
Background art : Tamaki (Ngoc Tran) & Nyan Shin Htut (Luno)
Sound design : Nghia Le
Summer 2024-Autumn 2024
The Process
I first came up with the idea for a new animation film in June 2023. I was inspired to create something filled with the bizarre and ambiguous qualities often seen in French cinema, like René Laloux's Fantastic Planet (1973).
I decided to go back with my roots, drawing on what has influenced me from the start: Japanese Tokusatsu films. Tokusatsu is a genre of live-action films and TV shows that heavily relies on practical special effects. These films often feature heroes battling villains, somewhat similar to Marvel but on a lower budget.
Then began a long, year-long process. I started animating on my laptop, but as time went on, new ideas kept coming to me, forcing me to revisit and adjust the plot. Despite the revisions, I felt confident about the initial planning stages. I spent the first two months determining which techniques would work best for the film.
Throughout the process, I learned to document everything I did, including how I achieved certain animation effects. This helped maintain visual consistency. At the same time, I was juggling schoolwork, so the project progressed in a more sporadic manner rather than following a strict timeline. Whenever I traveled, I brought my phone to capture small details—walls, ground textures, clothing patterns—that I could incorporate into the film’s texture collection.
From the start, I envisioned MANTIS as a collaborative project. However, it was difficult to find collaborators, partly because I didn't know many people working in this field around me. Fortunately, I joined a class where students from Interactive Media and Classical Music departments teamed up for a project at the Tampere Biennale Family Day on April 14, 2024. There, I met Severi Rancken, who agreed to compose the music for MANTIS.
The first version of MANTIS was shown publicly, and while the feedback was great, I felt it wasn't finished. The ending still needed work. So I continued the process, and during this phase, I was able to bring more collaborators on board. Thanks to their help, MANTIS is finally complete.
Production Note
The frame-by-frame animation was created entirely in Adobe Photoshop. All layers, including character animations and pencil sketch lines, are separated to allow for the application of various special effects in After Effects. The ending was completed in Blender for 3D animation.
With voice actors found through friends and Internet, to whom has giving their 100% effort for the recording. The audio was recorded by our sound designer , and the voices were then processed with a radio effect to evoke the nostalgic atmosphere that the film aimed to convey.
Promotion
MANTIS was promoted across various media platforms, focusing on creating a TikTok channel from scratch to connect with a younger audience. We also distributed posters throughout the city and at schools to increase exposure.
Here´s the link to the TikTok page : https://www.tiktok.com/@mantis_usernameavailable?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Credits
Director: Tamaki (Ngoc Tran)
Animation: Tamaki (Ngoc Tran)
Music : Severi Rancken
Mantis voiced by : Peetu Kuoppala
jeans voiced by : Niko Putaansuu
Background art : Tamaki (Ngoc Tran) & Nyan Shin Htut (Luno)
Sound design : Nghia Le