Sometimes it takes personal experience to invoke what someone would love to do for the rest of their life. This was the case for Animation Director and VFX Artist Tzuyu Lin whose first stab at filmmaking generated positive feedback to reinforce what career to follow. The film he created was a love story gone wrong between a boy and girl and the boy’s pursuit of her only to learn she would go off with someone else. Lin took his own teenage love story and used it as the main part of his first project.
“I remember when I stepped on the stage during the screening, hearing all the claps and cheers from the audience, I felt very, very alive. I saw the words on the internet saying they felt so touched and grateful to see such a good short film, and as a 17-year-old teenager, I felt alive.”
When he was in his third year of college, he took a 3D class that taught the basic knowledge of 3D animation. Even though he only received limited information about the discipline it did manage to pique his interest. As he became more immersed in filmmaking, he realized that there were some limitations to the art which he needed to harness. Hence, he found the answer in the US to master the art. To prepare himself even more he studied photography. Lin has managed to mesh his background with the art of animation and VFX with such success that he has garnered accolades from many in the industry. This fact has cemented his place in the film industry. Lin has taken his mother’s side of the family’s cultural history and fused into his work not letting it fade completely and offer audiences a different look except just the basic VFX.
It would come to pass that Lin would begin winning awards on the festival circuit. He won awards at such festivals like New York Shorts International Film Festival, the Canadian Screen Award Qualifying Festival, the New York Animation Film Award, the Dublin International Short Film and Music Festival, and the Waterford International Film Festival. But the one that held the most promise was the New York Shorts International Film Festival. The project that earned the award was his film thesis “Boundless Imagination”. He was nominated for a BFTFA scholarship but did not win but being a nominee was still a big step.
“The one festival that meant the most for sure was the New York Shorts International Film Festival. What makes it different from others is that it is a Canadian Screen Award Qualifying festival, which means if one can win the best animation for the festival, one could have a chance to be nominated as a nominee for the Canadian Screen Award. Therefore, the festival is very competitive and makes it very meaningful to have the fortune to be selected as the official selection.”
His work has established him as the go to guy for various projects like commercials, acclaimed live-action films, and music videos, thanks to his ability to seamlessly merge animation and visual effects. Since he began working in the field, he has noticed the changes that have been taking place. AI impacts many aspects of the industry, such as character design, sound, and even VFX. Big studios like Disney have adapted it as a tool for their show, like the open title sequence of the “Secret Invasion” on Disney+; it is based on the AI-generated image and then refined by the animators.
Currently, Lin is working with award-winning director, Mirta Desir to develop VFX for her new film, “Jean & I”. He is also working on his next story for another 3D animation in 2024 besides being called by many directors as his work keeps being noticed. Lin is growing by leaps and bounds on the international scene and will keep the faith going. For additional information on “Boundless Imagination” and Tzu-Yu Lin’s portfolio, please visit https://pettertzuyulin.myportfolio.com/