BOUNTY (Animated Short Film)
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- Опубликовано: 28 фев 2021
- An ex-bounty hunter makes breakfast with his young daughter, who becomes increasingly curious about his past profession.
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Thesis film completed at UCLA Animation Workshop.
Written, animated, directed by Shirley Zhou
Featuring voices by Jack Murphy and Lileina Joy
Sound Design / Mixing by Crystal Chan (cyrrrchan.com) & Shirley Zhou
Featuring music by Ina Ray Hutton
❗ Please do not re-upload my films without permission 🙏 ❗
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It's been ~2 years since I finished this film as my third and final film at UCLA! Thank you to everyone who has been following me along since 'Noose' and my journey growing as an artist, animator, and storyteller.
AWARDS
UCLA Festival of Animation 2019 - Best Animation
UCLA Director's Spotlight 2019
Los Angeles Animation Festival 2019 - Student Design Winner
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OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
LA Shorts International Film Festival 2020
Austin Film Festival 2019
Chaktomuk Short Film Festival 2019
Anim!Arte - International Student Animation Festival of Brazil 2019
Thessaloniki Animation Festival 2019
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Follow me for art and updates!
Instagram: /
Twitter: / surelyzhou
Tumblr: arrowmi.tumblr.com/
Store: www.arrowmi.etsy.com 
Кино
"just an ugly man for sale"
I'm dead
bahaha "you think hes THAT ugly"
saaame
😂😂
She ain't wrong, tho.
I didn't notice thanks bro 👍
"For other people, that's why we do things."
I like her philosophy.
Optimistic thought. But too naive to me
Smart little girl too. :p
💰💰💰🌠🌠🌠🌠⬆️⬆️⬆️📈📈📈📈🧚♂️🧚♀️🧚♂️
@@amesky4589 We are a specialized social species, we are literally adapted to survive on groups of up to 200 different and close individuals.
We do things for other people because of life´s simple goal of survival.
@@Jordan_Dossou Now that i think about it, you got a point about the world leaders. Most of us live better than most emperors and kings from like 190 years ago, even if it is at the cost of many things.
What I love is that "For other people," is also the mother's why. Her baby was probably why she committed her crimes in the first place, and is almost definitely why she was fighting to stay free. But it didn't occur to him that she had a better motivation than him (if arguably poorer choices) until she was dead. That was incredibly effective storytelling. I'm impressed by how such spare elements made such a layered narrative.
Perfect example of the sympathetic villain/anti-villain trope, this mother.
Well he didn’t she had a baby.
@@luvblueybingoheeler3150 Because he didn't bother to find out. Everyone has their reasons for what they do, and ignoring that is at best stupid and at worst cruel.
@@kobaltkween Still doesn't excuse her for trying to kill him, which led to him killing her in self-defense. She also could've told him she had a child.
@@mechajay3358 You try to take away someone's freedom, especially a woman, and you're threatening them with death and worse. I can't say if that's an "excuse" or not, but not only do I not see trying to capture her as a neutral act, the much simpler solution is the one he chose afterward: he could have just not tried to destroy someone's life for money. And no, she didn't get a chance to tell him squat. He came at her fighting, not trying to have a conversation. And why should she? Why expect mercy from someone who's so low as to hurt people for money? He went in there caring only about enriching himself, while she was fighting for her child. He was at best as moral as she was, but arguably much less.
I am so glad he adopted her and that she did not see, does not remember, or understand what happened to her guardian. His desire to protect involves doing more than being a "hero."
“Who knows why we do anything”
“For other people. That’s why we do things”
😭😭😭
is that haunting you in ur mind?
@@mohtasimmow9466 It is hunting me :D
if only that was true for most ToT
@@mohtasimmow9466To me when I saw it, in the context of the following scene where it is revealed that the woman he was sent to capture was the true biological mother of the girl, it implied that maybe the reason the woman was aggressive wasn't because she was simply a one-dimensional bad, criminal and egoistic person but, after we learn she is a mother, rather a person that maybe didn't had the best set of cards in life and ended on a bad path out of desparacy to provide for herself and her daughter and ultimately wanted to do anything in her power to protect her daughter - and herself so she could keep being a mother to her child. Even if it means shoot to kill..
"For other people. That's why we do things."
The symbolism behind the two plates of breakfast across the table from each other. One charred and burnt, the other fresh and promising. It just gets me
Holy shit
The fact that he helped her make the new, fresh breakfast feels beautifully symbolic of how the retired bounty hunter is giving his adopted daughter the best life possible.
f wow
pls that was my first thought. i really like the symbolism of it. that his is burnt and unpleasant, just as his work and past. but hers is ideal and perfect looking, like her youthful innocence and imagination
ap english screwed me up :”)
I saw the same..
“Okay, I’ll admit, people who give out candy corn *are* criminals”
Why is nobody talking about that line? I thought it was hella funny. Not to mention the fact when characters (especially in short films) have opinions on small, insignificant things (like this guy not liking candy corn) it just makes the character so much more realistic
I agree, candy corn suck 🤢
@@hasanaknox2726 ngl i kinda like candy corn
like whats with all the hate from it?
@@AntOfGods I have no clue! I love it lol
I don't even know what candy corn is :|
ikrrr
the storytelling here is absolutely phenomenal. telling 2 starkyly contrasted stories, whilst making them entirely inseparable. this is almost like a dream for me. I've always wanted to be this kind of father with my eventual children. excellent portrayl of the ignorant logic blissfully displayed by children
Oh man, this story was shocking, just like your other animations. It was incredible.
Yep
shocking !!! (few people will understand this reference)
@@LKonstantina915 It's not a particularly well-known reference.
Although this was an intense story, I realize there's a certain optimistic message to it.
One imagines that Joe become a bounty hunter because it pays the bills. But when Evie came into his life, it changed his point of view. Yes he quit because he was disillusioned with how his bounty-hunting killed a mother. But the reason he stopped was also because he recognized there was another way to 'stop' bad guys: raise them right before they became bad guys.
It's like Helen Parr once said "Do you know how much suffering would fail to take root if more people were just good parents?"
YESS
Indeed
Bounty hunters hunt people whose "crime" is unpaid credit cards and bounced checks and stuff though. He's raising her to not make HIS mistakes of not thinking of how he was harming desperate impoverished people for the sake of money.
Good insight
Theres so many smart people in here 😭❤️🔥
I watched your film Noose back when you first posted it, and I’m just blown away by the difference in quality. I commented on that first video how seeing an undergrad animation project was inspiring but your growth in the years between the two… WOW. Complexity of story, character design, set design, the animation itself, beautiful. But I can still see how you tie in the same types of transitions paralleling two events like you did in the first.
I know I’m just a random person on RUclips, but I’m seriously so proud of you and I hope you’re proud of yourself.
Thank you for the sweet comment and kind encouragement! It means a lot to know the growth between my projects is noticed and appreciated 💗
"ow..... ok i'll admit people who give out candy corn are criminals" 3:49
Did I cry over another short film that was beautifully crafted and animated yes I fucking did
Thanks for watching !! ;v;
@@arrowmi fbisskbdusw YOU REPLIED YOUR ARTWORK AND ANIMATION IS AMAZING 🥺🤚❤ I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY
bruh same
Me too I can’t even write a creative comment that shows my full appreciation because I’m too busy c r y
Damn my weak heart
This was beautifully made.
During World War II, my late grandfather accidentally shot and killed a child. It haunted him all his days and he was never fully able to forgive himself for what he'd done, even though it was an accident. He also had PTSD from many horrifying wartime experiences and, especially right after the war, he used to warn his wife and children never to sneak up on him because he might kill without thinking. I thought of him frequently while watching this.
Holy shit, I hoped he recovered
I hope your grandfather is allright, and if you dont mind me asking this but how old is your grandfather (or is it your great grandfather because of 'late' )? Ps: sorry english isnt my first language
@@xxx-vc2xo He died many years ago.
@@LaundryFaerie I am so sorry for your loss.
My grandfather is a Vietnam vet and he suffers from similar stuff. One time he had a PTSD attack in the middle of the night and shot a hole in the kitchen wall with his rifle, and he sees hallucinations of snakes and spiders almost every day.
War does awful stuff to the minds of those who survive it
Can we just appreciate the high-effort "Stop!" 4:42
PTSD is truly horrible.. Imagine killing someone once but feeling like every time that memory comes around you feel like you keep killing them.. Your the reason there dead and that's what haunts you.. You won't to stop it but you can't.. Some people can't live with that..
Yes because I kill for a living too
@@AvengerSasuke14
Arkansas LEO?
I have survived multiple attempts on my life and I get intense ptsd
0:51 So sweet... When I was eight, I made my mother coffee;I poured the right amount into the cup, added sugar, water and milk ... but I was a bit surprised that my mother did not like it, because I poured cold water, saying "mom, you told me not to play with the stove". XD
Nice plot twist
😶
😶👏👏
You could have used the microwave
@@jedi-rl1hq In my house, the microwave was on top of the refrigerator.At the age of eight, I couldn't reach there.
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
He raised the girl for the lady he killed, he gave up bounty hunting for the girl, and now she made breakfast for him because she knows the value of doing something for someone else, even without knowing what's been done for her. Beautiful.
More like what was done to her. It amazes me how film makers can manipulate our minds to empathize with the killer. As if just by saying the people he goes after are criminals, we should be ok with them being murdered.
@@jazmeen04 This is what I’d call a “doing good to make up for your evil” scenario. He wasn’t a good person, at least until he realised the woman he killed had a child. My best guess is he felt guilty and wanted to make up taking her mother away from her when she was far too young to remember by raising her as his own kid. Had he not found her he’d probably still be a bounty hunter. Not sure if he even enjoyed the job but desperate people are willing to go to the extremes. Perhaps deep down he wasn’t a heartless monster but he was still a bad person and now he’s trying to make up for it. That’s my take on this film at least. After all, the world isn’t black and white. Just because he did horrible things doesn’t mean he was a truly horrible person, nor does it mean he can’t change. Just the ptsd is enough proof he feels guilty and wants to make up for it.
@@jazmeen04 you make it sound like he killed innocent people 💀
@@sessybunny5707 For the record, the child's mother might not be innocent. Not trying to cast judgement, just giving my honest opinion. At least he is trying to atone by taking care of his adopted daughter. We cannot erase the past, but we can try and do right for the future.
@@crazyminegamer2339 he's not a bad person tho that lady tried to kill him and then ended up committing suicide which could've been prevented honestly but she did it anyway 🤷 not his fault really bounty hunters aren't out to be harassing innocent pple with no crimes .
The symbolism behind the two plates tho. His breakfast is ruined and has little future. Hers is perfect and promising and literally was made with his help
*crushed paper* "Do you think hes that ugly?" got me laughing so hard
As soon as I saw the woman’s eyes, everything came together...
Good point about the eyes: The eyes got me too besides the juxtaposition from the daughter's comments into the father's story. The father's eyes seemed extremely tired to me with the open triangles under his eyes... or maybe his cheek bones. Maybe both: The plot thickens.
You never cease to amaze me! This was fantastic from beginning to end! What an exhilarating story with amazing dialogue!
Thank you Pilot!! ;0;
Bro you drop it in dirt?
He can bounty hunt me instead.
RIGHT?? HE’S HOT
@@valbzz9543 he looks like almond cookie from crk
1:40
Daym. That little girl killed the man, she definitely deserves the bounty reward
lolllll
"That's why for other people, we do things."
Well-said by the girl who cooked burnt breakfast for her lovely dad ❤️
The trailer was recommended to me a while ago, subscribed for this moment!!!
You should watch her other shorts like noose and on my mind
@@literalcupoftea6299 I have and it was such an emotionally beautiful short!
the overall concept and the storytelling technique where it lets the audience put together the story is made perfectly.
2:46 if only eggs were that easy to crack
This is criminally Underrated hope more ppl see this masterpiece 😌🙏.
No pun intended
Oh dear... This girl is gonna go through a whirlwind of emotion when she finds out what happened to her mother... Dang.
Edit: I honestly didn't think I'd get this many likes. Thank you, everyone.
I highly doubt he'd tell her
@@jroxspone wait till she founds out about 23 and me lol
She wont find out. He wont tell her. She wont turn 23....
@@jroxspone Well, accidents can happen.
mejor no contarle nada
y hacerle vivir en un mundo felis
“Do you think he’s THAT ugly?” Sent me 😂😂
I've watched this twice now. I don't know why, but I just keep coming back to this story.
It gives me an emotion I don't understand, but it's genuinely such a well done short story. Like the effort behind this is insane.
this is why i wanna be an animator. sometimes to teach people, sometimes just to entertain.
this.
is.
incredible.
you want to spend years to work on a single video thats only a couple minutes at that?
@@MrAaaaazzzzz00009999 indeed
@@hopewhore might as well dig your own grave.
I do feel the same way. I hope you succeed! Teaching each other important lessons and making them happy is more important than we think.
You could be a wrtiter, animating takes years to master
Awww the way she said "just an ugly man for sale" adorable
The animation transitions were incredibly clever and captivating! From the stove heat being turned on cutting to the key in the car or the most haunting; The girl's lines being the exact same as the targets. Stellar story and great animation over all. Excellent!
I may be reading into it a bit. But I feel like there's a bit of symbolism in the shot at 5:10. If that was the intention than I fucking love it.
I think it might be repressnting the childs innocence and view on the world abd the fathers past and mental health
"There wasn't even anything cool inside just an ugly man for sale"
1:26
The story pacing, the characters, the animation... Oh god everything captured me
This short has some of my favourite storytelling genres and tropes: westerns, the relationship between a parent and their child, and the struggle for redemption. 👍
i died laughing when he said people who handout candy corn are bad people
Congrats Shirley on your 3rd Animated Short! Wonderfully done and absolutely beautiful. For years now I've been trying to figure out the concept of this story and it really did surprise me. So proud of all your hard work! Can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the future!~
Love, Mero
Haha glad to finally share it with you! :') Always endlessly grateful for your support
I definitely want my relationship with my future daughter to be like this
without the massive PSTD at least
Rarely do I ever comment on animations when I go on these watching sprees, but this one completely mesmerized me in both story and visuals. Easily one of my favorite animation films on RUclips, fantastic work!
When I was a kid I wanted to be a bounty hunter. When I got older I told my family members that I want to pursue to become one. Everyone told me not to do it. I told my dad I wanted to become. He told me it's not worth risking dying over to collect someone's bounty. People are dangerous and never know how it will end up ending. It stuck with me to not do it. I give full respect to those who have to risk their lives daily. Even being a repo can be extremely dangerous.
This is such an amazing and real story, it just feels real.
*But can we appreciate the father sounds like the voice on Bright Side?*
I WENT THROUGH THE VIDEO THINKING THE EXACT SAME THING
This is so wonderful! Now I want a whole movie based on this plot.
This was beautiful, breathtaking, heartbreaking. Terrific job to you and everyone who worked on it!
Everyone is talking about him being a Bounty Hunter, how he killed her mother, how is she gonna get affected when she gets to know the truth. But according to me the wider viewpoint is Yeah Bounty Hunters are not that good too(although it involves killing people with criminal records), but atleast he gave up his job, realised it's wrong, what more do we want? And who knows what her mother was into, because a child learns what they see and what would she have learnt when she saw her mother, I think this was more of a blessing in disguise for the little girl and I'm happy for both her dad and her, Just my opinion 😁
I love this kid. The dialogue in this is amazing.
"ugly man for sale" XD
6:07 I have headphones on and it's 1 am in the morning so this actually made me jump
This is such a precious short! Both of the characters are so nice and the message behind the short is very heartwarming.
I'm gonna be honest, I really wasn't expecting that ending. Usually a story's ending is clear as the air, but this one really had me wondering, phenomenal job! :D
EXCUSE ME EXCUSE ME! I'm sorry, you can't just give me 7 minutes of lovely art/animation and awesome voice-acting and incredible story w/ characters AND NOT think I won't expect a full-length show about these two?????
I'd love to turn this into a longer series one day! ♥️
@@arrowmi I totally agree, this could be turned into a series.
I think we can all agree, this is amazing
0:22 when that fell I paused the video thinking something in my room dropped lol
In all honesty.
I would pay an arm and leg if this short became a TV series.
It's just so good!
That was really good!! The story was really gripping and the backgrounds were so beautifull!
Maybe the only issue I had was that Evie sometimes seemed a little bit too smart for her age, but then again kids always like to ask a lot of questions.
Amazing stuff, can't wait to see what you will make next!!
Good point!
Great job. I got toon boom years ago and wanted to start animating. I gave up because it was hard, but seeing this inspired me to give it another go 💘
Totally feel you. it IS hard. But seeing the fruit of your labor is also so satisfying. Keep at it! \o/
I love the scene transitions.... how they use an element from the current scene to link it to the flashback. Beautiful. I just knew whatever was under the blanket would have piercing blue eyes.
Wow I never expected a animated short film to be so emotional. What an amazing job getting the point across. Excellent!!!
THAT ENDING OMG! the writing on this and the animation is just amazing
I fell in love with Noose. This just supplements that you are not a one trick pony, but have a wealth of creativity, artistry and story telling and I am here for that ride
this is the only place you can say that and people will still understand what you are saying
I honestly wish you could like a video multiple times because this one deserves it! It was so beautifully done and executed.
5:44 "Look papa, no hands!"
Absolutely remarkable! Another hit with beautiful animation! Just like the first two, I would love to see this turned into a full length film or a feature. Keep it up Shirley, you rock! 💪🏾🔥
Loved it , the transition between scene ,omg you do it so beautifully and was I shocked at the ending, yesss!!!! The music the story everything is beautifully crafted
I love watching these videoes on RUclips, the comments explaining the meaning and emotions behind each shot, which I would have never guessed makes the video twice as enticing.
2:23 nice transition
i keep replaying the last scene over and over. such an unexpected yet beautiful ending. truly amazing work.
This video was recommended to me and I’m sooo glad I watched and read the comments because I had no clue you also made Noose and On My Mind, these short films are so incredibly crafted
In just 6 minutes you managed to captivate me and spark emotion that some full length films just never do. Well done.
this little story was so amazing. i loved the symbolism and the awesome animation 😁 can't wait to watch more of your videos
Dang that ending...
The scene/backgrounds look outstanding!
This is such an amazing piece of storytelling. I love how well it's paced.
Love how you told such a dark story through such a wholesome scene!
And that's how arrowmi became a legend
oh man, was not expecting that ending... ;-;
amazing job! I'm so excited for your future projects
"okay ill admit, people who give out candy corn are criminals" i laughed so hard i couldn't breath lol.
It’s disgusting it should be illegal
@Tomhortone calm down sir, I can tell you have never had candy cord cause even people who don't like it know it's "kinda" okay.
@@timmythestingray1937 i was joking don’t worry
@@Tomhortone oh okay
💪🙂👍
🦵 🦶
....this is so beautiful. in every way possible to me. firstly, the music that played got me from the get go, love this genre of music
I could see where it was going, but this was honestly a really cool little film anyway. I especially like the meta interruptions of the little girl altering his story, lol!
I love the meaning of the story its so good
I love your work. It has inspired me too. I remember your first shortfilm "Noose" and you truly improved! Blessings!
3:36
CLEETUS
I loved it, seeing your art evolve from noose to bounty is so cool!!
Wow, just wow. Absolutely outstanding story telling, my jaw honest to god dropped at the end! You ma'am is what we call in the underrated.
Congrats! This is really something, got me glued to the screen from start to finish, you are really good at storytelling and the animation is top notch as well
Now this is an animation, touching on the deeper things in life. I wish this studio many more wonderful future projects.
THIS KID IS ADORABLE
her voice actor Lileina Joy is incredible !!
Ahh, I wasn't on RUclips yesterday, so I missed it premiering. Its so wonderful! I loved every moment of this! I wish you luck in the future, and this short gets spread to the world!
YEAH! Thanks for including the music of Ina Ray Hutton! Loved your work here.
This is an absolute masterpiece from writing to voices and the amazing animation. I think you should win an Oscar 😁🥰
What a wholesome story. That's our goal living as human being. Doing something for other people. This is a dream family.
Got one of these short stories in my recommended, have watched all of them now and they just don’t disappoint! They are just so shocking and incredible, keep up the great work
Really beautiful ...every work of you is so touching, thanks for showing us this❤️
Words fail me... wow! Awesome work. I hope you have more bangers just like this one!
I’ve been waiting for this!!!!! It’s really well done
The dad: "That's why we do things"
The Mandalorian: "This is the way"
This is outstanding work, I just love this so much. The symbolism is great, it also has amazing writing behind it too.
I love this so dang much! Your hard work has paid off, this is amazing work