Animation & Motion Design
Cian Mahon
Wu-Tang Clan: Return to Shaolin
My piece is an animated trailer based around the Rap group Wu-Tang Clan. In my short we see the de facto leader of the group RZA, after years of being away returns to the temple where the clan grew up. It is his hope to reunite the Wu-Tang Clan to battle the evil that has taken over their home before it can spread and destroy the culture they helped create.
My animation is influenced by 90’s and 00’s cartoons serials. My animation is targeted towards teenagers and older people who would have grown up on the Wu-Tang Clan’s music.
The basis of my idea stems from other animations that depict musicians and artists on fictional adventures. The Wu-Tang brand is about mixing eastern philosophy with western hip-hop culture so my animation seeks to blend anime styles with hip hop culture. My animation is an homage to films like The Dirty Dozen and Seven Samurai where a group of soldiers band together to battle an adversary.
My piece was animated in Adobe Photoshop and then composited in After Effects to create the 3D elements.