Storyboard

Here is the storyboard from start to finish. I started it in June, so alot has changed and i've made some adjustments since doing this, which are shown in the animatic. Also this storyboard uses the older designs for the characters, but otherwise all the plot is there.

Story Synopsis

Plot:

First section:

The film is centered around a young boy alone in a vast empty space. It is unclear as to where he is, but implied he is within his own mind. The opening scene is the boy sitting on the ground, drawing with a graphics tablet on his lap. Because of issues with bullying at school, and bad parent relationships, he feels secluded from everyone, and so often escapes to this world to draw. With futuristic technology, he draws animal companions for himself, and watches them come to life as holograms around him. These creatures are basic designs for robots which he dreams of creating in the future, as he aspires to be a mechanic of some sort.

The first creature he draws is a small cyber ferret, with magnetic wings which allow it to levitate. The boy places the visor over his eye and watches the animal emerge from the tablet to greet him. The film then proceeds to show various scenes with him drawing different robotic animal designs and seeing them appear all around him.

After a pause, the boy is inspired to draw a larger dinosaur-esque robot animal, and so he starts drawing. Like the other creatures, it appears before him, stepping through a huge portal from the ground. At first the boy is overjoyed, but it turns to fear when the 'Dragon' looks at him and then roars ferociously at the boy. This combined with the boys already fragile self confidence and desperate want for friends leads to the boy bursting into tears and throwing aside his drawing pad. Taken by surprise and guilt, the dragon leaves, only to return later, holding the discarded sketchbook out to the boy in apology. They make up, embrace, and the  first section of the film ends.

Second Section:

This serves as an epilogue, as the first scene fades to a new one of the boy a few years later. He is in class now, and doodling onto a pad infront of him on the school desk, lost in his own world rather than focusing on the class. The bell rings for lunch, and the students get up to leave. At that moment the boy is tackled playfully by one of his rougher friends. The friend looks over at the drawings, clearly impressed, and praises the boy before running to the door, where two other classmates stand waiting. They all turn to the boy expectantly, waving him over. The scene focuses back onto the boy, whom stands up slowly, and a small group of the animals he created in the first section of the film can be seen behind him, supporting him. He glances back to the cyber ferret, who nods encouragingly, and then they fade as he smiles and follows his friends.

Characters:

• Boy - The main character, shown aged 8 and 13 in the film. He is lonely and loves creating things, mainly with his drawing pad, but despite his talent, he wishes for friends. 
• Cyber-Ferret - A very old design the boy has kept with him for a while, often redrawing to generate the hologram again. This is the closest thing he has to a friend. It is small and affectionate
• Cyber-Dragon - Initially shown as a threat, the first design the boy created which turned on him, but later regretted it and befriended the boy. It is vicious and strong, but protective of its creator
• Various Cybernetic animals - These will bulk out most of the first half to create the scene and feel of a young boy with a head full of ideas.
• School Friends: 3 designs needed for classmates of the boy, to be seen in the second half of the film. Only one design will interact with the boy. 2 boys and 1 girl planned. More info on these when i get some designs down.

Mood Boards

Initial Character Designs

Here are the designs for my main character. He has changed some since i began, and may yet change some more, but im getting to a stage now where i'm happy with his appearance.

He is an 8 year old boy, and the film will have a time-skip to make him older, perhaps 13/14 years old. So these designs show both the young and older versions

At this point i changed the setting of the film to make it set in the future instead. Therefore i altered the boys outfit slightly. The storyboard still features the first outfit.

First Post

So my name is Shahnaz Mohseni, and I'm setting out to make an animated short film for my third year on this course. I have alot of pre-planning done already, so I'm eager to get stuck in right away

My Film will be purely 2D animation, with little or no backgrounds at all. Mostly on a white canvas with character animation only. This is because my strengths are in character animation and 2D drawing, so i do not want to make this project something too big for me to manage on my own. Despite this, i hope to get some coursemates to do some animation for the film, as well as to help on their films too.

In terms of pre-production, i am starting the year with my main character solidified in design, and with a storyboard completed. The Animatic is currently halfway through being put together. The other characters have yet to be properly designed so their appearance is inconsistent, but all the story is there. Have a good idea of colour and look for the film, but need to experiment a bit to get a more clear vision for it.

I will proceed to post up the work i have already over this week
-shaz