This week, Phyu shared the finalised plot for her animation project, The Quest for Cup Noodles. We went over our key production dates and outlined our next steps: she would prepare the first animatic, and I would begin working on my first sound draft.
Phyu had thoughtfully prepared a detailed written description of the scenes and her ideas for the sound, which I appreciated. However, I found myself reflecting on the nature of collaboration. For me, collaboration is not simply about executing another person’s vision—it’s about contributing creatively and making shared decisions. If everything is prescribed in advance, it starts to feel more like a commission than a partnership.
With that in mind, I deliberately chose not to follow her notes too closely, and instead responded to the visuals and narrative in my own way. I based my sound decisions on my personal interpretation of the scene’s pacing, emotional tone, and the physicality of the character’s movements.
Despite being only 1 minute and 30 seconds long, this project has proven to be more challenging than the 5-minute animation I worked on last year. The shorter runtime doesn’t reduce the complexity—in fact, the rubber hose animation style introduces a new level of difficulty. The stylized and elastic motion calls for more dynamic, exaggerated foley, and sometimes even inventive or surreal sound design that goes beyond realism. This has really tested my imagination and flexibility as a sound designer.
When I sent Phyu the very first rough sound draft, I felt surprisingly nervous. It almost felt like I was handing in an assignment to a teacher rather than sharing work with a collaborator. This reminded me that early creative stages are vulnerable, especially when working across disciplines. But it also showed me how important trust and openness are in this kind of process.
Here’s the Padlet Phyu has been using to document the progress of The Quest for Cup Noodles. It’s a helpful reference for tracking our evolving collaboration.