Non-linear Community

Kateri Gemperlein-Schirm
2 min readNov 29, 2020

Prompt: Develop a vignette or vignettes that feature a non-linear narrative and whose message is based on a vision of community. How you choose to interpret ‘community’ is up to you.

When I was first storyboarding for this project, the first things I thought of in regards to community was an aspect of self. I tried to think of what made me, me. Originally, I planned to create three separate videos, each with their own storyline and style. The first would be footage based, focusing on an aspect of my personality through clothing. The second was going to be animation, based on the idea of home, and the third would be stop motion based on online communities.

However, as I watched examples of other videos, I realized non of these storyboards portrayed a non-linear narrative. I went back to my sketchbook and tried to think of a singular topic, one that best represented community to me. I thought of the many homes I’ve lived in throughout my life and how each one held a different meaning to me.

I started working in AfterEffects, creating a simple narrative with shapes and minimal keyframes to express my thoughts. When I presented it in class, I received the suggestion to make it a series and add text.

Screen grabs of the first draft

The final three vignettes were stories based on my life and the feelings associated with community based on my homes. All three videos have similar animation styles as well. I challenged myself to use simple animation in order to make the video feel nostalgic and open.

All the imagery in each video is meant to be abstract and up to interpretation. The final type choice is Chinchilla Regular. I thought this font conveyed a sense of innocence, curiosity, and fun.

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