Meet Masashi Yamamoto | Independent Animation Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Masashi Yamamoto and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Masashi, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?

Yes, My favorite quote is “follow your instinct”.

These words come from my teacher Amy Kravitz in Rhode Island School of Design.
When I am not sure what to do in creating my film, she always suggests that I follow my instinct. With this word, I can simply touch my original voice under the skin. Amy is trying to bring each student’s unique style smoothly. I really love her and her teaching!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

I create films that portray my innate and alternate personalities. My work stretches between craziness, eccentricity, seriousness and honesty. Thematically, My films explore the feeling of LOVE. I want to reveal my heart eagerly with my films.

I love to introduce some of my independent animations here.

This is my animation “When You Touch Me“.
The film was screened at Ottawa Animation Film Festival 2021 as a part of RISD retrospective program.
In the film, I explore my feelings when someone touches me. Touching is direct communication. I am originally from Japan. In the nation, culturally people do not communicate with each other by touching their bodies. Since I came to the U.S. I experienced more close communication by body’s conversation-Hugs, shaking hands and kisses. When someone touches me, I feel that I am the piano and play a sound to express my emotion.

This is my film “Our Future”
The film was screened at Ottawa Animation Film Festival 2016 as an official competition, Milano film festival and festivals internationally. In the film, I explore the unexpected continuity. I really wanted to do something very direct. honest and yet comical. I decided to use a water drop as the animating object and tried to depict the whole universe. I really cared about punchlines and sound ideas in this project. Sound is the key in the film because sound is literally telling the story. I animated the water drop by using a syringe. This technique looks difficult, but it is actually quite fun. Each water drop creates a different shape unexpectedly, And I follow the surface tension and gravity-let it be! Another important aspect of the film is timing, As the character design (water drop) is simple, I wanted to play with timing dramatically. I play a Keyboard piano (Electone), so I make use of the sense of playing the instrument in this project. I created the timing of the movement rhythmically in this project.

This is my stop motion animation “U & I”

The film was screened and awarded as “Outstanding Animating Short” at Snowtown Film Festival, Watertown, NY. The film is about the friendship between the yellow rabbit and blue chameleon. As they continue to spend time together, they begin to develop a deep bond and understanding of each other. They share their feelings, and learn to appreciate each other’s unique qualities. As the seasons change and the weather shifts from warm to cold, they are gradually morphing into one creature. As they journey together, the rabbit and chameleon become a symbol of the power of friendship and the beauty of diversity.

Through my animations, I love to communicate with the audience in an honest and intuitive way with love!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

—Venice Canals—
I love going there when it is a sunny day. It is an absolutely beautiful and meditative spot for enjoying nature.

—The Thai thing (6015 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90036)—
I am very obsessed with their fried pork. It is crispy and spicy. It is so yummy!

—Fatamorgana Gelato (12021 Ventura Blvd, Studio City CA 91604)—
You can absolutely enjoy the authentic Italian Gelato. Their gelato is not overly sweet and it is refreshing!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

I would love to introduce Maureen Selwood. She is one of my thesis advisers in California Institute of the Arts. She suggested to me an unusual way to create a film, The process gives me a lot of freedom and joy while creating the animation. I always wanted to keep everything flexible until completing a film. As I often come up with new ideas, I do not want to lock anything down on the film’s timeline. Her approach allows me to improvise the film whenever I want!

My thesis in Calarts is about a series of eccentric and distorted love stories. I combined my 10 different cartoon strips into one film. Title of the animation is “Strange Acts of Love”.

Website: https://masashiiii.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masashiofficial

Other: https://vimeo.com/masashiy