This contribution is the first post of a two-part series on the creative production of Wing Yan Kwan and Lam Le’s Coffin Room (2024).

The methods that creators use to communicate complex social issues evolve together with the development of new animation techniques and technologies. A recent work that embodies such affinity is Coffin Room, which is a 360-degree animation from 2024 that delves into the suffocating living conditions of Hong Kong’s subdivided flats, commonly referred to as ‘coffin rooms’, see figure 1.

Figure 1. Screenshot from Coffin Room (2024), courtesy of the author.
Figure 2. A photograph showing an elderly couple sleeping in opposite directions to maximize space [2].

The making of Coffin Room represents both a personal and a creative journey, blending immersive storytelling with animated techniques to generate empathy and awareness about overcrowded urban living spaces [1]. The decision to create Coffin Room stemmed from exposure to the realities of Hong Kong’s subdivided flats. These cramped, often unsanitary living spaces are a grim reflection of the housing crisis in densely populated urban areas. A photograph from a news report [2] that shows an elderly couple struggling to navigate these conditions became the central inspiration for the animation, symbolizing the entrapment faced by residents, see figure 2. The narrative of Coffin Room was developed by focusing on the repetitive and inescapable nature of life in such environments. While live-action 360-degree videos offer an immediate connection to real-world situations [3], animation allows for a degree of abstraction and exaggeration. The choice to use 360-degree animation, as opposed to traditional one-screen animation, was very intentional. Such artistic liberties made it possible to convey not only the physical dimensions of the flat but also the emotional weight of living in such conditions.

360-degree animation offers unique storytelling possibilities, since the method of animation places viewers in the center of the action, allowing them to experience the environment in a deeply immersive way. This approach aligns with research [3] indicating that immersive media can enhance empathy by reducing the experience of detachment between the viewer and the subject. In the case of Coffin Room, the 360 format allowed me to play with space in ways that traditional media could not. The viewer, placed in a fixed first-person point of view, experiences the claustrophobic environment of the subdivided flat through the eyes of one of the characters. As the room begins to narrow into a coffin-like structure, the sense of suffocation becomes palpable, mimicking the emotional reality of the residents. This creative control over space and perspective is one of the reasons why 360-degree animation was ideal for this project.

The narrative structure of Coffin Room is deeply symbolic. The story revolves around an elderly woman caring for her paralyzed husband in a confined flat. The animation uses loops to represent the endless nature of their struggles, creating a cyclical narrative that reinforces the feeling of entrapment.

In terms of design, it focused heavily on environmental discomfort—incorporating elements like clutter, poor ventilation, and even cockroaches to evoke a visceral sense of distress. These environmental details are exaggerated to enhance the emotional connection, symbolizing not just the physical conditions but also the psychological toll of living in such spaces. Lighting and sound also play critical roles in guiding the viewer’s experience. Inspired by research on passive cueing in immersive environments [4], light and sound were used to direct attention to key narrative elements, ensuring that viewers remain engaged despite the overwhelming sensory experience of the 360-degree space. The absence of dialogue, paired with ambient street noise and distant traffic sounds, adds another layer of realism, making the animation feel both grounded and immersive.

Creating Coffin Room was not without its challenges. One of the challenges was to balance realism with abstraction. While the animation needed to reflect the real conditions of coffin rooms, it also had to resonate on an emotional and symbolic level. Animation provided the freedom to play with these contrasts—mixing realistic depictions of the flat with more surreal elements, like the room’s transformation into a coffin, to deepen the emotional impact. Coffin Room represents an effort to push the boundaries of animation as a method for social commentary. The immersive nature of 360-degree animation makes it particularly well-suited to exploring complex social issues by offering both creative control and a platform for fostering empathy in the viewer. By placing viewers in the shoes of those living in extreme conditions, this project aims to not only raise awareness but also evoke a deeper emotional response. In an age where audiences are inundated with media, 360-degree animation provides a new way of experiencing stories—one that is active, immersive, and, hopefully, transformative. Coffin Room, hopes to contribute to the growing field of immersive storytelling, demonstrating the potential of animation to address real-world issues in ways that are both emotionally and visually compelling.

References

[1] Coffin Room. Directed by K. KWAN, Melbourne, Australia, 2024. [360-degree Animation]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Eq6Vnmsiwk.

[2] Cheung, L. Inside Hong Kong’s notorious subdivided flats. South China Morning Post, June 4, 2023. https://www.scmp.com/video/scmp-originals/3222583/glimpse-inside-hong-kongs-notorious-subdivided-homes.

[3] Bosworth, M., & Sarah, L. Crafting Stories for Virtual Reality, 1st ed. New Your: Routledge, 2019. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315099866.

[4] Mateer, J., “Directing for Cinematic Virtual Reality: how the traditional film director’s craft applies to immersive environments and notions of presence”. In Journal of Media Practice, Vol. 18(1), pp. 14–25, May 2017. https://doi.org/10.1080/14682753.2017.1305838.

Wing Yan Kwan (Kay) is a Motion Designer based in Melbourne, Australia, specializing in motion graphics, video editing, and commercial production. With over 9 years of experience in the industry, Kay is deeply committed to visual storytelling, using her expertise to craft captivating video content. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Animation, Games, and Interactivity at RMIT, aiming to broaden her knowledge and skills in these fields.