Telephone Line by Rae Salazar Ng

COURSE: ART 428: Digital Imaging Studio

MEDIUM: Video, Animation

DESCRIPTION:
A story about two long-distance friends and a magical rotary phone. Created with Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, and Premiere Pro.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT:
Telephone Line is a story about two long-distance friends and a magical rotary phone.

The dialogue in this video is taken from an actual phone conversation between me and a friend. It was not scripted; I put together bits and pieces of the phone call audio to create an entirely new narrative differing from the original context. I hope that even with the audio being unscripted, I can tell a clear story that has a sweet friendship and a conversation that feels genuine. I also wanted this video to feel friendly and familiar, even with the hints of mystery. To achieve this, I used a soft and cartoony drawing style, a pastel color scheme consisting of pinks, purples, and blues, and some “vintage” effects (subtle VHS grain and chromatic aberration).

Many of my online friends live far away, and I have never met them in person. When I talk to them over the phone, I’ve often found myself wishing that there was a way to instantly travel to wherever they are. I wanted to bring this idea to life through this animation, showing these two friends trying to figure out this mysterious technology and ultimately being able to see each other face to face.