Ai - Life in the Shadow of Death

A young woman, haunted by the memories of her parents being murdered, discovers the truth about herself and her sensei. Inspired by the great tradition of Japanese cinema, Ai is an exploration of themes that stem from the era of the fearless warriors, the samurai.

Enjoy my film and please rate and comment. Thanks!

http://showcase.fromheretoawesome.com/2008/07/ai (for more info on the film and how to download a high quality version for your ipod/iphone)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zaffi/sets/72157604314292223/
(photos from behind the scenes)

http://www.vimeo.com/2786880 (if the HD video stutters, check out the HD version on Vimeo)

My DP's website: http://chillah.tv/

My graphics guy's website: http://kohtaskitchen.com/

My storyboard artist's website: http://gabrielpages.com/

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zaffi

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• zaffi
• kida101
• ai
• action
• raffi asdourian
• fighting
• short film
• foreign
• Japanese
• samurai
• sword
• Yoshi
• Amao

[mrsubconscious]

wow. that's cool that u had so much great support! How many days did u shoot? where did u get the samurai clothing? and did u have to do a bunch of rehearsals for the fighting sequences? how long did it last (rehearsals)? sorry for all these questions, mate. haha

[kida101]

3 day shoot...my fantastic costume designer Mariko made all the costumes from scratch...we rehearsed the fight choreography extensively about once a week for 2 months before the shoot...there is a video of rehearsals and storyboards in the playlist "Ai" on my channel, as well as a behind the scenes video, deleted scene and more...so be sure to check those out....and no worries about the questions, I'm more than happy to answer them!!

[VoteOlegForJesus08]

what in the fuck did you use for that opening sequence? after affects? how many people worked on it and how long? like holy fuck man that looks Hollywood quality

[kida101]

After Effects...my good friend Kohta Asakura did it for me based on my original concept...you can do a lot with AE if you have the skillz. Peep the link in the description to see more of Kohta's work.

[VoteOlegForJesus08]

thanks a bunch. one more question...how long did it take him?

[kida101]

If I'm not mistaken just under two months...granted he was working on other projects at the time and this is from first concept to final product. Thanks for the questions!

[ws03sr]

WoW! The best video I've seen on Youtube, great motion graphics and edits!

[kida101]

Budget after all was said and done (Flame color correct, etc) came to around 7K...shot on location at the Poconos in PA at a golf/hotel resort called the Shawnee Inn...feel free to ask more questions!

[magmaral]

very VERY nice !

[piresentertainment]

Dark. The opening sequence caught my attention. I like how you bookend the the opening lines with the ending. Would like to learn Japanese swordplay and add it to my arsenal of skills.

It truly shows you took the time to rehearse the fight scenes to give it the creative masterpiece it deserves.

[wowmikiwow]

u made this?

fuckin amazing :D

[LOOPtheMovie]

Absolutely enthralling. Gave me a sense of Shogun Assasin. Loved it.