Ta Nuo

In ancient times, people attributed incurable diseases to malign influences and invented Nuo to control them. As society developed and scientific understanding spread, Nuo shifted from entertaining the gods to entertaining people. Using digital technology, 3D modelling and Unreal Engine, Ta Nuo attempts to reconstruct those god-entertaining scenes and dances. The entire short film took three weeks, completed independently across research, pre-production, character modelling, costume modelling, animation, scene construction and final editing.

"Drawing on the vernacular architecture of the Southern Fujian–Teochew "Min-Chao triangle" observed during field research, the work digitally reconstructs the ancient village where Nuo opera originated. Nuo mask design references the 2022 Guangdong Nuo Culture Exhibition, with patterns taken from mythical beasts such as the taotie; costumes are dark and desaturated, their textures glowing faintly red at night to evoke a mysterious, supra-material quality."