Premise Wiki Week 8
The time is reset once a fortnight on Moon.
ANIMATED SHORT FILM TREATMENT
TITLE
The Moon
THE LOGLINE
What happens when the time on the Moon is reset once a fortnight?
THE OVERVIEW
‘The Moon’ is a short animated film that created based on a ‘what if’ question. It aims to show the lifestyle of the creatures on Moon when the time on moon resets once in two weeks and they still age normally. The audience will be able to observe a new lifestyle and reflect it upon themselves.
This film is used to show the audience that everything has a possible setback or failure. When the time reset and all the effort the creatures put in during the two weeks' time is all reversed, they will either have to restart or choose to do nothing anymore. This is to show that no matter how many times they have to redo it, the creatures will always choose to be doing it. They don’t give up. I aim to send out this positive message to the audience.
THE EXPLANATION
The audience will be watching at snippets of the life of the creatures on Moon before and after the time reset. Also, snippets of the life of character living outside of the Moon will be added for comedic effect. The audience will be able to see that the creatures working towards their goal in week one non-stop and when week two comes by, the creatures will be enjoying their product and chilling all the time. When the time is reset and everything they build is reversed, the audience might notice some angry or frustrating moments of the creatures. However, they will always try to work towards their goals again and again.
SUMMARY (THE STORY)
The moon is rotating. Its time is ticking. Creature A on Moon is trying to build an igloo-shaped house with its friends. Creature B is playing near the volcano to trigger the burst. Creature C is rotating while floating in the air, doing exactly nothing. Creature D is unhappy but still join to build the house, processing stars into bricks. The volcano on Moon burst some stars out with smoke. Creature E is crawling like a crab just to make an entrance. Creature F and G are floating and swimming on the Moon happily while gathering the materials.
Just a quarter of time has passed. The igloo-shape house is half done. A rocket flies past the Moon.
Creature A and D work together to build up the igloo and create some entertainment nearby. A few more Creature B are playing near the volcano to trigger the burst. Creature C is rotating while floating in the air, playing with stars. The volcano on Moon is in full-blown mode, bursting stars non-stop. Creature E is crawling with a pile of bricks on top. More Creature F and G are floating and swimming on the Moon happily while gathering the materials. Creature A put the last piece to the top of the igloo-shaped house.
The house is done. The time is halfway through. The rocket stops by. The human in the rocket looks at the Moon and is so surprised to see that there is a house on the Moon.
Creature A and D relax on a deckchair near the house while talking to each other. A few Creature B are lying in the igloo sleeping. Creature C and E are resting on top of the house. The volcano stops bursting, but there is a star coming out once in a while. More Creature F and G are playing at the swing near the house. They are happy.
The time is reset. Everything is reset to their original state, including the igloo house. Human on the rocket is confused and decides to continue their cruise.
Some creatures are sad and frustrated. Some creatures don’t care and start building the igloo again. Eventually, every creature joins in and starts their work again.
FOLIO DOCUMENTATION
This work examines the idea of never giving up. By showing the creatures repeating their work on a fortnight basis for as long as they have been living, I am able to show their spirit to the audience. This project is firmly based on the life of creatures that live on the Moon, therefore ‘animation’ is the most suitable medium. In fact, 2D, 3D and stop motion can all be used to create a unique storytelling experience for the audience.
This idea of the work is actually similar to a lot of famous animated blockbuster movies as they all want to show the ‘never give up’ attitude of their protagonist, for instance, the scene where Baymax stuck in limbo to save Hiro and Professor Callaghan’s daughter in Big Hero 6. Similar ideas also exist in the short animated film ‘One Small Step’ released by Taiko Studio in 2018.
By watching ‘Use Shape Language to Create Better Character Designs’ published by Brookes Eggleston - Character Design Forge, I decided to reevaluate the method I used to create character designs. Instead of directly going for design as my first step, I thought about the personalities of each character and matched them up with the shape language. For example, the design of the optimistic Creature A is based on a circle to show its timid and soft personalities, on the other hand, the unhappy Creature D is designed with a rectangle shape to show its stubbornness.
Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxX_o5E9dgU
