Fledgling (2021) – Short Film

W Chung

Story

Fledgling is a story about a mom who tries to bond with her distant son before he leaves for college. The film focuses on the relationship between two opposing personalities that also describes a nuance between your typical mother-son relationship. By the end, the characters understand each other more, but it doesn’t necessarily mean there wouldn’t be future problems either; it’s all part of being a family.

As a Korean-Canadian immigrant, I have always had difficulty balancing my Korean culture with my Canadian identity. As a child, wanting to fit in with my fellow classmates was my most important priority. This led to feelings of internalized racism towards my Korean heritage, which I always took out on my parents. Over the years, I’ve come to accept my family and my culture, which is what I built my grad film around. My film explores the family dynamics of an Asian mom hoping to bond with her westernized son before he leaves for university, with her paper crane companion as a symbol of her love for her son. When the son pushes her away, he rejects not only her but his own culture, highlighting the same internalized racism I dealt with growing up and the frustration I felt towards my parents for not being “normal”. Like my teenage self, he wants nothing more than to leave his Asian identity behind and start a new life at university. I hope that my film resonates with many other Asian immigrants who may feel the same sense of alienation and otherness that comes with growing up in a Western community.

Fledgling (2021) – Trailer

Project Information

Credits

Special Thanks

W Chung – Director, Story Artist, Layout, Editing, Rigging TD, Animation, Character Look Dev, Cloth Simulation, Sound Design, Lighting, Compositing, Coordinator

Jessie Shi – Animation, Concept Art, Environment Look Dev, Story Artist, Hair Simulation, Lighting, Compositing, Character Modeling/Groom/Look Dev

Mamie Shi – Environment Modeling/Look Dev

Janine Xu – Writer, Story/Script, Additional Support

Vivian Chan – Illustrations

Ben Ledochowski – Music Composer

Aktash Singh, Nathan Yang – Additional Modeling & Texturing

Daisy Huang – Additional Look Dev


Process

  • Katie Voravong
  • Woonam Kim
  • John Li
  • Ian Woo
  • Jiwoon Kim
  • Dan Kim
  • 3DAN Class of 2021
  • Animation Techs
  • Friends & Family

W Chung

W is a passionate storyteller who is always trying to find new ways to express ideas. Born and raised in Coquitlam, BC, W started out in 2D animation, and has always been eager to constantly learn different techniques. Since 2016, W has been making his own animation shorts and films, and has also been part of many others every year. After switching to 3D animation, he has continued his passion for learning and creating stories. He is excited to enter the animation industry as a fledgling 3D artist. He hopes to continue making independent films on the side. And yes, his name is W, just like the letter.
Profile image of W Chung