Concept
Masterpiece was originally named The Awakening and it was conceived as a music video for Alek Syntek, one of the top pop musicians in Mexico. I was very touched by his song "Mientras Respiro" from the album "Bienvenido a la Vida" and I thought it would be a great idea to make an animated video that could combine my talents as a computer artist and musician (yes, I am a musician too) with Alek's musical skills. Alek is a very busy artist and I had no idea how to contact him except for a link to his webmaster, a contact that wasn't very helpful. Even though I couldn't get in touch with Alek I decided to continue the project without really knowing where it was leading.
The Awakening was basically a love story in which the woman breaks the man's heart and after spending time suffering he realizes that the end is not here yet (literal translation of the song title) and decides to move on with his life, overcoming his feelings of sadness. The theme is really great for a love song, but since I was going to finish the project as an animated short, I knew I needed some extra spice.
The whole idea of Masterpiece is part my own life, part surreal inspiration. A touch of darkness is sprinkled on the mix without making it a horror movie. To establish how powerful the spell was I had to use events that remain in our memories, but how could I do such task without using horrific images, specially when I mention 911 and the Columbia Space Shuttle to make a point?
I rather appeal to less violent but no less touching images of these significant events, hoping that those images would trigger feelings like compassion and hope, never violence. But using images that recall such events can be misunderstood and lead to steamy reactions from the general public, including close friends and family. Even though I use the events of 911 and the explosion of the Columbia, my video does not portrait smoking twin towers or an explosion in the sky. I use a real art piece of mine from 1994 (A walk in the City) inspired by the great city of NY even though I had never been in NYC before 2002.
A walk in the City. 1994
White color pencil on black paper
As touching as these events are, I decided to use them in the most respectful way possible to establish that the main character of my animation had the power to "destroy" anything that he portrayed on his canvas, a strong point of the story.
Inspiration and love are closely entwined. Love has often been another strong point in my work as an artist, love for nature, love for life, love for the person I used to be with and for the one I love today. Love for every single event that has occurred in my life. So why not finish this story as it was first conceived, as a love story, only this time it wouldn't have necessarily a cheesy ending but a more philosophical one.
Masterpiece is full of symbolisms with different meanings to each observer. Just like with my artwork, I like to explore my own mind as well as yours, because I believe in art as a form of conversation between artist and observer rather than just an artist's statement. This dialogue makes the art piece more profound even when the observer's point of view is often far away from the original idea. Somehow this approach to art has helped me be more understanding towards other people's ideas and feel more respect for what others have to say. I talk, yes, but my ears are never shut.
>>Synopsis
>>Concept
>>It all boils down to...
>>Process
 | ||||
Story and Animation by Luis Medrano
