Sunday, December 24, 2006

Interactive Narrative

Interactive narrative using matchboxes, cardboards, light and imagination!


I have a special fascination for matchboxes! As a child I used to collect them and once in a while make models of animals. Now as a grown up I mostly use matchboxes to light a cigarette! One fine day, I decided to go back in time and use my present education in animation to make models out of matchboxes again; but this time they would move! I made a short film for Sesame Street India using this technique and completely fell in love with the idea of taking this further.

My present idea deals with interactive storytelling where audience looks into an installation and conjures up their own stories. Imagine a hemisphere which has been formed on a spiral with enough space to place the characters and design a backdrop using cardboard material and strategically placed light. Since I will be using matchboxes to make the characters, the scale would be cheated by placing them accordingly. For example, an ant will be nearer to the audience than an elephant, which could be placed in a further distance in the hemisphere to create a reality in terms of scale. The characters will be placed randomly on the different layers of the spiral, so for one the story will be completely different from the other person depending on what all he or she can see. Sometimes it could be a story of a group of ants marching for a better place; or the same ants could be fleeing from a terrible monster depending on where one is standing to see the installation.

I would love to create a fantasy world with lots of stories to tell!






Showreel

A quick compilation of my animation films. The music is courtesy of The Allman Brothers Band and Ancient Future.

Sesame Street Films

I worked as an animator for Sesame Street india and made 17 short films for children. The programme is named 'Galli Galli Sim Sim' and is produced by Miditech Pvt. Ltd. and Turner



Stopmotion and the characters are made out of matchboxes.



Stopmotion again.



Hand drawn and composited digitally.

My Illustration work -1






Some of my illustrations; some personal, rest commissioned.

My Illustration work -2





Press and Publication

My student project 'A Reason to Die for' has been shown in the following festivals:

- 46th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film, 2003
- Taiwan International Animation Festival (TIAF), 2004
- Tehran International Animation Festival (4th), 2005
- Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF), 2006


My stint as an animator for Sesame Street India has resulted in 17 short films for a programme named 'Galli Galli Sim Sim', which is currently being aired on Cartoon Network and Pogo.


2 books where I have illustrated have been published by www.keenowl.com and Scholastic Publishers, India

Curriculum Vitae

Kunal Kundu : : Curriculum Vitae


Address : J-1903, 2nd Floor, C. R. Park, New Delhi 110019, India
Date of Birth : 7th August, 1978

Educational Qualification :

2000 - 2004 : National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, Specialization in Animation Film Design
1999 : Andrew’s College, Kolkata, English Honours
1997 : Andrew’s college, Kolkata, Higher Secondary, Science
1995 : B. D. Memorial School, Kolkata, Secondary, Science

Work Experience :
2007 - Present : Artist mostly; working as a designer sometimes to pay my bills!
2006 - 2007 : CNBC-TV18, Special Promos Dept., Animator cum Designer
2005 – 2006 : Miditech Pvt. Ltd., Delhi, Sesame Street India, Animation Producer
2005 : Tata Interactive Systems, Bombay, Graphic Designer cum Animator
2004 -2005 : Future Though Productions Pvt. Ltd., Bombay, Head of Short Films Dept.
2004 : Vaibhav Kumaresh Studios, Bombay, Animator cum Special Effects Artist for an animation film for Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI)
2003 : Channel [V], Bombay, Promos Dept., Internship

Other experience :

Brochure design for Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
Animated e-cards for Rediffmail.com, Delhi
Book Illustration for Keenowl.com, New Jersey
Book Illustration for Scholastic Publishing House, Delhi

Language Proficiency : English, Hindi, Bengali

Software Proficiency :

Adobe Photoshop
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Premier
Macromedia Flash
Sonic Foundry Sound Forge
Softimage Toonz

Career Interest : Art Direction, Conceptualization, Styling n Treatment, Pre Production, Model Animation

Other Interest : Movies, Music, Food, Blog