Imagine Cup

My Team



A Casa Amarela
Brazil
Short Film
We make beautiful animation, one muddy twig at a time.




The Team
litahayata
(UNESP) Universidade Estadual do Estado de São Paulo
Claudia Daher
(UNESP) Universidade Estadual do Estado de São Paulo


Round Entry
iCup_ShortFilm_aCasaAmarela.pdf
We want to tell a story about how people can change and learn on difficult times, how they can stand up to what’s wrong and find interconnected solutions for interconnected problems using technology as a source of information.

The main character is José, a young typical farmer – never having learned anything else that kept his crops going, as his father and grandfather. It changes when his and the neighbouring farms face a severe crop disease due to water pollution. He wants to help, so he bravely goes to the library, trying to learn. With the help of a gentle girl and her laptop, he gets lots of ideas to work on, and develops a water filter. The more he learns the more he works out things, people get to trust and help him, helping each other. They seek the beginning of their problems to find a polluting factory. After some talk to the factory manager and presenting José’s filter, he’s invited to develop some other sets for that kind of factory. The farmers now have their crops back and support from the factory, which hires more working with the new technology and along with the people. José and the manager travel the world spreading their views and getting more and more support and acceptance with their ideas.
ImagineCupShortFilm_ACasaAmarela_WorkingOurWayOut.zip

Team Questionnaire
Question: Team Members Full Names:
Answer: Claudia Daher Pitta & Talita Albuquerque Hayata

Question: Mentor:
Answer: None.

Question: Title of Project:
Answer: Working Our Way Out

Question: Project Overview:
Answer: The animation tells the story of José, a young farmer descendant of a long line of farmers who all did the same things over decades. He and his neighbours face an unexpected threat when a factory go to the valley, and they all have to learn how to stay together and work their way out.

Question: Technology/Software Used:
Answer: Traditional animation table, Digicel Flipbook, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects.

Question: Inspiration: What inspired your team to enter the Microsoft Imagine Cup and why did you choose the Short Film competition?
Answer: Our faculty colleagues won the Seoul finals in 2007, spread the word and we found it a very different and interesting competition. We formed a team in 2008, and believe there is still some good ideas we can show on the competition. The Short Film competition was most suitable, as we are constantly studiying animation techniques.

Question: Team History: How did your team meet?
Answer: We are at the same design course at the university. Claudia is a great animation addict since day one, and I started studying by her after checking out some great works.

Question: Team Experience: What experience did your team have with Short Film before competing in the Imagine Cup?
Answer: We produced a 2min 3d animation in 2008 that went very well and won some appraisal; we were eager to try on some old-school techniques that could bring beautiful watercolor scenes and very simple sketches together, and started bringing up a studio.

Question: Highlights: What has been the best part of the Imagine Cup competition to date?
Answer: The best part was the exitement we and everybody who helped us had; from discussing the competition theme to solving technical problems in a very light and hopeful mood.

Question: Inspiration: How did your team come up with your submission? Include which Millennium Development Goal inspired your solution.
Answer: We thought of what, in every single person, impeded us to change to a better state. Inertia, fear of being disapproved, lack of information, etc. Almost all of the the Millenium goals were interconnected, so we began with education and ended up talking about sustainability, child and maternal health, end of hunger... all through sincere partnership and trust.

Question: Challenges: What personal or technological challenges did your team face while developing your submission?
Answer: We don't live on the same city, so internet connection was a great help when ok, and delayed us a great deal when not ok. We're not editing software experts or masters of the best 2d process management either, so when finishing the video file and bringing all scenes together we faced some difficulties too. Time was short too, as we aren’t professinal animators and have other jobs, and this is our graduation project year.

Question: Future Plans: What does your team plan on doing after the Worldwide Finals in Cairo, Egypt? Do you plan to use your project to launch a new business?
Answer: Yes, we plan to make “A Casa Amarela” an experimental short film animation studio. We've been trying to assemble the necessary hardware and to find the right partners, so we can continue on producing beautiful and meaningful animation.

Question: Links to more information (i.e. website, blog):
Answer: http://studioamarela.wordpress.com/

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