I’m A Victim Of
My
Generation/The Resurrection
Of Mary McLane
Immersive Animation
End-to-End, brief to final product
OCT 2025
I’m a Victim of My Generation/The Resurrection Of Mary McLane is an immersive theatre piece merging live performance with projection mapping and animation. Animation operates as the metaphysical layer of the work - an unseen realm made visible - interacting directly with actors on stage and expanding the narrative beyond the physical set.
The Beginning
–– 01
Animation emerged as a solution to a core narrative challenge: how to represent the spiritual world without literalising it. A séance-like structure demanded something fluid, symbolic, and unbound by realism. Projection offered both freedom and contrast - clearly separating the grounded “stage world” from the screen-based metaphysical realm. Early on, we established a set of guiding rules:
- Animation would contain anything belonging to fantasy or the spiritual plane.
- Each X represents a failure - an attempted trial in love that went wrong - and contains a fragment of Jeremie himself.
- Each X is introduced with a written title: a name, a label, or a distilled idea.
- Jeremie must physically interact with the Xs on screen.
- The devil encapsulates all the X’s and is portrayed as an amalgamation of the 5 of them.
Character Development
–– 02
Each character began with a close reading of the script, extracting keywords and emotional cues to guide the exploration phase and the initial drawings. Distinction was essential. Each character represents a specific period in Jeremie’s life, triggering different emotional and psychological states. The aim wasn’t realism, but emotional impact - each figure reflects a feeling rather than a literal memory.
Mary McLane
Step 1 - Script Analysis
Extracts from the script and
initial observations
Step 2 - Extracted Concepts
Keywords and recurring themes identified from the script
Step 3 - References and Sketches
Collecting different inspirations and sketching ideas Step 3 - References and sketches
Collecting different inspirations and sketching ideas
The Shapeshifter
Step 1 - Script Analysis
Extracts from the script and
initial observations
Step 2 - Extracted Concepts
Keywords and recurring themes identified from the script
Step 3 - References and Sketches
Collecting different inspirations and sketching ideas Step 3 - References and sketches
Collecting different inspirations and sketching ideas
The Obsession
Step 1 - Script Analysis
Extracts from the script and
initial observations
Step 2 - Extracted Concepts
Keywords and recurring themes identified from the script
Step 3 - References and Sketches
Collecting different inspirations and sketching ideas Step 3 - References and sketches
Collecting different inspirations and sketching ideas
Step 4 - Finalising
Creating the profile for each character
Visual Development
–– 03
The visual language was influenced by Marlene Dumas and Francis Bacon, particularly their approach to the body as something vulnerable, distorted, and exposed. Faces and figures move away from anatomical accuracy, leaning instead into discomfort and intimacy. The imagery focuses on close-up faces, isolated figures, and sparse or empty backgrounds, often framed like large-scale portraits that fill the screen. The result exists in a space where fantasy and reality begin to blur, and the line between the living and the spirit world is left intentionally unclear.
Storyboaring
–– 04
Each scene functioned as a self-contained narrative, effectively requiring seven distinct storyboards. Although visually and tonally different, they were connected by shared themes and emotions. The animation language was intentionally abstract and symbolic. Rather than duplicating information from the stage, the projections operate in parallel - supporting, amplifying, and occasionally contradicting what is spoken. This allowed the audience to experience the work as a layered whole, where each medium enhances the other.A key challenge was ensuring that each animation style could coexist with its corresponding AI-generated character within the same frame - different treatments, unified space, no visual conflict.
Story 01 / Ayahuasca
Scene 01 | Variation 01Scene 02 | Variation 01Scene 03 | Variation 01Scene 04 | Variation 01Scene 01 | Variation 02Scene 02 | Variation 02Scene 03 | Variation 02Scene 04 | Variation 02Final Scene 01 Final Scene 02Final Scene 03Final Scene 04
Story 02 / The First Disappointment
Scene 01 | Variation 01Scene 02 | Variation 01Scene 03 | Variation 01Scene 03 | Variation 01Scene 01 | Variation 02Scene 02 | Variation 02Scene 03 | Variation 02Scene 03 | Variation 02Final Scene 01 Final Scene 02Final Scene 03Final Scene 04
Story 03 / The Obsession
Scene 01 | Variation 01Scene 02 | Variation 01Scene 03 | Variation 01Scene 04 | Variation 01Scene 01 | Variation 02Scene 02 | Variation 02Scene 03 | Variation 02Scene 04 | Variation 02Final Scene 01 Final Scene 02Final Scene 03Final Scene 04
A.I Integration
–– 05
A.I was used as an animation tool - not a replacement for drawing, but an extension of it. Each character began as a physical sketch: graphite, charcoal, pencil, and finally acrylic portraits.These analog works were then digitised and paired with carefully constructed prompts and stylistic references. The process became about finding the right balance between physical drawing and digital interpretation.
Technical Notes
–– 06
- The venue did not provide a projector, requiring independent sourcing and scheduling.
- The performance space was entirely black, necessitating white drapes or fabric as projection surfaces.
- The screen provided by the theatre was too rigid and read as didactic - more lecture hall than ritual - so alternatives were explored.
- Actor–projection interaction required precise timing: sound and projection cues were triggered live by the performers. The laptop became an active, visible element of the set.
- Blocking was carefully choreographed to avoid projection obstruction and maintain visual clarity.
Summary/Takeaways/
Lessons Learned
–– 07
- Clear conceptual rules early on allow for greater visual freedom later.
- Abstraction can be more emotionally precise than literal representation.
- AI is most effective when grounded in strong analog foundations.
- Live interaction between performers and digital systems demands rigorous timing, rehearsal, and flexibility.
- Constraints - technical, spatial, or narrative - can become the strongest drivers of visual identity.
This project highlighted how important it is to design systems where different elements can exist together—body and image, analog and digital, control and unpredictability.