Zozo Jhen

Zozo Jhen


 animation artist & illustrator

Zozo is an animator & visual development artist from Taiwan.



She's worked on various films (including the critically acclaimed short 'A Gong' ), art installations,

children's books, and design projects.



first things first,

what is a visual development artist?

In animation, a visual development artist's job mostly consists of developing the elements which make up Pre-production. For example, the visual developer might establish the concept and character design through sketches which also determines the overall tone & style of the film. 

On 'A Gong', Zozo decided to pursue a unique technique for the background design. She explains, "We chose to overlay the background (which we first drew on computer) with oil pastel. Then we’d scan it back into the computer to refine and add some details. It took about a year to finish!" 
Q&A
What's your greatest accomplishment?
I consider my greatest accomplishment to be the short film, A Gong. I was both a visual development artist and director for the project.  

A Gong was very personal for me because I was really, really close with my grandpa who passed away a few years ago. His passing was a big trauma for me and I’ve always wanted to find a way to contribute my work to him. So, when my collaborator proposed to create a short film based on a Taiwanese funeral, it just clicked.
What's your dream job
It’s really cheesy but I think I am actually doing my dream job!

 I’m really lucky to be doing something where I have so much fun. Being an animator and an illustrator brings me so much satisfaction. 
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
In Asia, you don’t really have much time to explore what you like or your interests, but I always knew I loved drawing. So, I decided to apply to art school and I ended up at one of the best design schools in Taiwan! 

My time there really inspired me and it was where I fell in love with animation. Animation is just so magical because you’re able to create your own world. 

Questions about 'A Gong'

  • What is 'A Gong' about?

    "It follows the journey of a 7 year-old boy's acceptance of his grandpa's death in a traditional Taiwanese funeral. I felt like loss and grieving is a topic everyone can connect to because we’ve all lost someone at some point, so choosing this as our topic just felt right." 

  • What challenges did you face during this project?

    "Because this was a student film there were several directors. Everyone was really talented, really collaborative, really kind, but sometimes it was hard to work as a team. We had to come together and find a way to realize our singular vision in order to keep everyone satisfied. By doing so (and sometimes sacrificing our individual ideas) we were able to  conquer our problems and work together."

  • What's something you learned during this project?

    "Because the film focuses on the challenges of losing someone, I learned alot about the importance of valuing people when they're alive.  After I graduated from university, my grandpa had just passed away and I was feeling lost. I wanted to do something in his memory so, because he loved traveling, I decided to travel. 


    I took a solo trip to India and while I was there, I accidentally  met this yoga teacher. He wanted to hug me which I instinctually thought was a bit odd and then he told me he loved me. In Taiwan, we view the phrase ‘I love you’ as too strong of a phrase so it is barely said. Meeting this complete stranger and hearing him say that to me taught me that it’s actually a very easy and beautiful phrase to say. As a culture, we tend to complicate the phrase but it’s such a simple way to heal others. So now I freely let people know how much I appreciate them. It may sound simple but it’s such an important thing to do. "

More About Zozo ....  

01 favorite movies

"I really love Russian animation and one of the films that made me get into animation was a Russian film titled the ‘Hedgehog and the Fog’. I also love the Russian version of Winnie the Pooh… it’s super cute!"

02 ideal workspace

"My ideal workspace depends on a few things. For example, if I have an upcoming deadline, I like to listen to electronic music, but if I’m more relaxed, I like to either listen to a podcast or just play the audio of a movie. "

03 hobbies

"I absolutely love to travel! After university, I traveled to many places and learned so much from all the different people I met." 
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