LIVE OUTSIDE THE BOX

Short Film Competition

Director Shu-Hsuan Lin

Taiwan/USA, 2011, 5 minutes, color

EXHIBITION PREMIERE: February 1, 2012

WATCH TRAILER  |  WATCH FULL FILM

SYNOPSIS:

Simon is a workaholic without any social contact. Gradually his world becomes smaller and smaller and even at the very end, there is nothing left in his world but only his work. This severe impact finally wakes him up and now Simon has to find the right way to bring his life back before everything is too late...

CAST AND CREDITS:

Director: Shu-Hsuan Lin

Writer: Shu-Hsuan Lin

LIVE OUTSIDE THE BOX

Short Film Competition

Director Shu-Hsuan Lin, Taiwan/USA, 2011, 5 min, color

WATCH TRAILER  |  WATCH FULL FILM

OVERVIEW:

By the advancement of the technology and network, people believe that the field of their vision is broadened, but on the other hand, they might neglect the fact that their substantial living space is gradually shrinking. People spend more time sitting in front of their computers but less time interacting with others. The leading character Simon is now suffering from this common failing. He is a workaholic without any social contact. Gradually his world becomes smaller and smaller and even at the very end, there is nothing left in his world but only his work. This severe impact finally wakes him up and pushes him to do some changes. Now Simon has to find the right way to bring his life back before everything is too late…

FULL SUMMARY:

By the advancement of the technology and network, people believe that the field of their vision is broadened, but on the other hand, they might neglect the fact that their substantial living space is gradually shrinking. People spend more time sitting in front of their computers but less time interacting with others. If you list all the places you frequently go in daily life, you may be surprised to realize how small your whole world is.

The main idea of my story is to point out this widespread phenomenon. The leading character Simon is a workaholic without any social contact. Gradually his world becomes smaller and smaller and even at the very end, there is nothing left in his world but only his work. This severe impact finally wakes him up and pushes him to do some changes. Now Simon has to find the right way to bring his life back before everything is too late…

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

The inspiration of my story is actually from my personal experience.

Before being an artist, I was working in a semiconductor company and nearly lost everything meaningful to me. It is very common for an engineer to work at least twelve hours a day and do overtime during the weekend. Basically my life at that time followed an invariable schedule: seven days a week I was required to stay in the lab maintaining machines from 8 AM to 9 or 10 PM. After work, since it was late, the only place I could go was home. If I was lucky enough to take the weekend off, I usually slept or absent-mindedly watched TV all day long since I no longer had any energy to participate outdoor activities.

Finally I sensed that the only spaces left in my world were just my home and the company. I lost almost all my social contact and my private life. This awareness made me rethink the meaning of existence and what I really want for my life. It was also the motivation to drive me to pursuit my dream, that is, to become an artist.

Since right now I have a chance to make a short animated film, I would like to share this experience with others. I hope my animation can remind people of their passion for life and help them to find their true selves. Life is priceless; we should never lose our eager devotion to it.