Michael Shiao Chen, an artist and director at Mighty Nice, created two animations for the exhibition Breaking News?. In this interview, he discusses his work on What is journalism? and Always Another Side.
On Museum Exhibition Work:
Chen confirmed this was his first museum project, though prior art installation experience prepared him well. He noted that while processes remained similar to commercial work, the team had to "adjust our creative approach since the content used multiple screens or an alternative aspect ratio."
Animation Process Differences:
The two films required distinct approaches. What is journalism? followed "a relatively standard procedure of an explainer animation, with an initial script followed by storyboarding." In contrast, Always Another Side "distilled a very complex intertwining storyline to what is essentially a pantomime with a cast of highly simplified stick figure characters," utilizing flowcharts rather than conventional storyboarding methods.
Portrait Orientation Challenge:
Creating What is journalism? in vertical format presented initial difficulties. Chen explained the team had to "design directly for the vertical aspect ratio" rather than adapting from standard formats, ultimately creating "visually striking imagery and animated transitions."
Character Selection:
When asked about using a superhero and tabby cat as central characters, Chen responded: "What better represents our current cultural milieu than cat memes and superheroes?"
Multi-Screen Complexity:
The Always Another Side narrative spanned 12 displays, requiring unconventional planning inspired by video game development and Patrick Osborne's VR film Pearl. The team employed "color-coded blocks" organized by story arcs, then developed a "multi-screen animatic with some temporary music to get a sense of the pacing and rhythm."
Both animations are available in the Explore Content section of the Media Majlis website.
