Another World drawn by hand and heart: A key animator's seven-year craft
HKMU graduate Hilary Tang shares her artistry, perseverance and human touch behind the award-winning Hong Kong film.
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Hilary's love of illustration drew her to HKMU. During her studies, she interned at the company that later produced Another World. When the project was about to begin, she put herself forward before graduating and rose to become a key animator.
Once a storyboard is completed, production is divided between background and animation teams, with key animators responsible for the characters' main actions.
Hilary recalls long days drawing for Another World, often until nightfall. “Animation takes an enormous amount of time,” she says. “A piece I spend weeks — sometimes a month — drawing is often just a blink on the screen.”
During the seven-year process, Hilary admits there were moments when she felt lost, but found fulfilment through perseverance.
“There is a touch of the ‘craftsman's spirit’ in this work,” she says. “I check my drawings frame by frame before submitting them. That's something the audience never sees.”
A craftman's spirit
Creating animation demands not only creativity but also mental, physical and emotional resilience. Drawing day after day took a toll on Hilary's wrists. “You need your 'three treasures' — eye drops, painkilling patches and a wrist brace — and proper self-care,” she says. There was a weight on the mind as well. Early on, seeing colleagues’ refined work, she felt pressure to deliver, fearing she might otherwise hold everyone else back.
Luckily, teamwork eased the burden. After hours, the team would trade ideas to solve problems and improve efficiency, and mealtimes sometimes became a chance to air their frustrations. This deepened her appreciation of collaboration.
In Another World, Goran flees after her family is torn apart. To capture the frantic, off-balance feeling, Hilary filmed herself racing on a treadmill until she tumbled off. For a scene of a soul passing through a waterfall on its way to rebirth, she spent a month swimming to study how the body moves through water.
Practice beyond the classroom
Hilary enjoys returning to her alma mater to share her experience and gain perspectives from students' questions. She hopes Hong Kong animation goes from strength to strength.
“Don't give up easily,” she offers some advice for those who hope to enter the field. “There is no denying that audiences often decide how far an animation can go, but that is not the whole story. You will accumulate experience and become better at what you do. Follow your heart and keep pushing forward,” she says.
