On the Ice
Xialu Zhao
(1:43)
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Synopsis
A figure skater hits a plateau while practicing for his next performance, recalls his years of training and retrieves the passion for his sport that had been lost.

Artist Statement
I was inspired by a free skating program called “Seimei”, created by Japanese figure skater Hanyu Yuzuru in the 2018 Winter Olympics. I was astonished by his performance, and since then I’ve developed an interest in this form of art, which unites strength, elegance, athletics and choreography. I want to show the aesthetics of figure skating through the form of 3D animation. The complexities of animating figure skating was a great challenge, and gave me an opportunity to push my animation to a higher level.

Bio
Xialu Zhao was born in China in 1996, where she grew up immersed in animation. After graduation from high school, she decided to pursue her passion to become an animation filmmaker. In 2015, she started animation studies at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver. During the four years of studying, she completed her individual films “Abyss,” and "On the Ice.". Her goals are to work as a 3D character animator.