MACA – Team in future

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I believe that starting a studio is both a big step and something that begins with small, steady actions. Trial operations, finishing one project at a time — each step brings growth and new insights.

Over the past six months, I collaborated with Kemeng and Frances on our graduation project. Through this experience, I felt a deep sense of chemistry and strong teamwork between the three of us. That’s when the idea began to take root — we hope to one day build our own animation studio together.

A Trial Run: Cardiff 48-Hour Animation Challenge

During a short break from our graduation project, we dedicated two full days to participate in the Cardiff 48-Hour Animation Challenge — which turned out to be the perfect “rehearsal” for a future studio.

Even before the challenge began, we quickly outlined our collaboration plan:

  • Frances and I handled stop-motion animation, each using our specialty materials — paper-cut and clay.
  • Kemeng focused on the 2D animation segment.
  • In the final five hours before the deadline, I was in charge of compositing, Frannie took on editing, and Kemeng worked on the end credits.
  • The overall visual style — combining live-action and animation — was a concept I initially proposed.

When the theme “Childhood” was revealed, we immediately locked in our filming location: a local playground. In just three hours, we created a looping character circuit — a joyful mix of running, jumping, and playing that captured the spirit of childhood. Frances handled live-action filming, and the next morning, we each added our animated characters into the scene. I also created a 2D shot of a child drawing a slide. That afternoon, we coordinated online and finished the film together.

This challenge not only strengthened our teamwork but also reinforced our dream of starting a studio together.

Our Studio Vision

Looking back on both our graduation collaboration and the 48-hour challenge, it’s clear we work well under pressure and adapt quickly. We’re able to solve problems, communicate effectively, and support each other when it matters most.

That’s why we’ve started seriously thinking about forming a studio together. Here’s what we envision:

  • Focus: Stop-motion animation at the core, exploring bold, humorous, and handcrafted aesthetics.
  • Location: Two of us — Frances and I — live in nearby cities, making local collaboration possible.
  • Startup Support: Initial funding from family, creative competitions, and public grants. In China, platforms like Bilibili, Tencent, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism offer youth-oriented support programs.
  • Content Direction: Create original short films while taking on commercial animation projects such as branded content or ads.
  • IP Development: Tap into the potential of short-form video platforms to build original animated characters and grow them into larger-scale IPs. We’ve seen others succeed — we believe we can too.
  • Educational Branch: If things don’t go as planned early on, we’ll develop structured stop-motion courses. The stop-motion field in China is still a niche — we hope to pass on our skills and passion to others who are just starting out.

Starting a studio might sound like a “big” move — and it is — but it always begins with small, honest steps. Every sincere collaboration, every short film, is a building block.

And we’ve already taken the first one!