Wither - B Plus Productions

We are a group of four 3D Digital Animation and Visual Effects students from the University of Hertfordshire, currently working on our final year short film, Wither. Wither is done to portray the lost of Chinese culture in our modern days. We use Chinese Opera Dancing as a metaphor for the culture that is diminishing, and the audience as the modern society who neglects the existence of this beautiful performance. 

Below is the intended plot of our short film : 

Establishment of Character – Quick shots

Opera Singer dances fluidly on his own with audience watching

He realizes that the audiences are beginning to leave (minor sign of disintegration)

He dances vigorously, in hopes that the audience will remain

More and more audiences leave

He feels pain and his arm disintegrates

He continues his performance with more rapid movements

More audience leave, only a few left

When the last of the audience leave he stops

He disintegrate completely

We researched for various references for our short film. We decided on an enclosed opera

dance stage with just an opera dancer, reacting to the audience on the floor. 

We have also decided on a opera dancer with red as the primary colour as it is a rich and auspicious colour for the chinese culture.