Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1535742
32 KEYFRAME This was key, because beyond color and lighting, K-pop is also heavily dependent on movement. Idols' actions are precise and deliberate, with choreography so distinctive it has spawned dance classes where fans learn to imitate the style. "They're almost robotic, it's so synchronized," says Kang. She was aware of what's known as the "uncanny valley" effect, where animated characters look almost human but are unnatural in a scarcely discernible way that leaves viewers feeling uneasy. To avoid this, while directing musical sequences, she had to walk a fine line between keeping the dancing true to life and manipulating the poses to ensure just enough of an animated feel. GRAND DELUSIONS Kang's massive collection of references was used in all aspects of production. For example, the team drew inspiration from K-dramas for Rumi's romance with bad boy demon Jinu. Their first meeting, in which he bumps into her and knocks her down, is full of rapid cuts from different angles—a classic heightened meet-cute. And Rumi's efforts to keep a major secret from the other idols are filled with familiar physical gags to push suspense. But it was K-pop references that played the most crucial role. As the film moved into animation, Kang relished being able to send out videos of her favorite K-pop performances and get back rigs that perfectly captured all that she'd hoped for and more. "We couldn't even describe what we wanted, but they just knew," she says. K-pop became a language for the crew—they could communicate what they wanted with just a few YouTube links. K-Pop: Demon Hunters is more than a translation of its reference points into animation, though. The medium heightens the music genre, creating a new vision of K-pop that isn't achievable in live action. "Monet can paint a stack of hay bales and elevate them in a way you could never get with a photograph," says Appelhans. With the specificity of all the references and the innovation required to bring them to animated life, Kang and Appelhans knew they were asking a lot from their crew. Every frame was the product of numerous people working at the peak of their abilities. Kang wonders if she would have been as comfortable asking for so much if this hadn't been her first film. But Appelhans insists that her newness was a strength. "The last thing you want is for the person who's bringing an original vision to be tempered by practicality," he says. "Genuine unfiltered optimism and delusional vision is necessary to make things special." 32 KEYFRAME THE MEDIUM HEIGHTENS THE MUSIC GENRE, CREATING A NEW VISION OF K-POP THAT ISN'T ACHIEVABLE IN LIVE ACTION. F E AT U R E