Topic: 

As of now, I would like to create an animated short film that either has to do with the consequences of human conflict/ war or about the concept of liminal space/ the backrooms (the space that is often dedicated to being a transitional space or in a transitional state). If I were to go with the first idea of a film relating to human conflict, I feel that a lot can be said through the use of a main subject that is devoid of life experience (robot?) and is used as a means for the audience to witness how a consciousness devoid of human experience incorporates the downfall of humanity through violence. The second idea about liminal spaces would be more of a passion project for me. I have always found the concept and aesthetic of liminal spaces to be both eerie as well as peaceful, leaving space for obscure and thought-provoking visuals while opening a door to a world of psychological horror. In terms of this project’s connection with my professional goals and interests, I do feel that having this as a portfolio piece would definitely benefit me in the future. I plan to make a complete 180 in terms of career interest and would like to pursue coding as a career while continuing to hone my animation and filmmaking skills in hopes of using them professionally in some way in the future. 

Form: 

Ultimately due to the amount of time and effort that goes into the various stages of animation: script creation, storyboarding, 3d modeling, texturing, animating, rendering, post processing/ color grading, audio work, I would like the first animation idea to be anywhere from 2-5 minutes long. After watching countless animated short films, I feel that it is those films that utilize every second of animation to tell a story rather than dragging out the length are those that have impacted and inspired me most. If I follow through with the first story idea, The piece will serve as a more introspective piece that allows the viewer to deeply think about real world issues while being entertained by the robot protagonist. The second story idea however would be more of a psychological horror piece that blends the world of beautiful yet incomprehensible visuals with an eerie and empty underlying tone that would be perfect for suspense building. This animation may be considerably longer just for the fact that the environment is what is driving the story and having the time to admire and take the environments in is important in building tension when using liminal spaces (see Kane Pixels example below). 

Love death & robots episode: three robots

My idea would be different from this because rather than the robot protagonist being sent to earth with all of earth’s pre apocalyptic knowledge, my protagonist would be experiencing the world for the first time through the lens of a fallen society. The messages would be more visual in nature rather than being fed to you through dialogue. 

Kane Pixel: Backrooms – found footage #2

This short film encapsulates the aesthetics and tone of liminal spaces perfectly and this is something that I wish to recreate in my own work. The difference between this and the film I hope to make is that I want to incorporate the idea that comes with the lore of the backrooms (a publicly made fictional concept of different planes of existence that are reminiscent of traditional themes: empty offices, hallways, empty malls & libraries, an empty home, etc…) that all of these liminal slaves are connected. This will allow for my protagonist to explore multiple settings and will allow for different feelings and aesthetics to be achieved throughout the film. 

Technology and Materials:

The technologies that will be required to complete this project will include the animation software blender, The video editing software adobe after effects, and microphone to record audio if needed.

Audience and Impact: 

Both project ideas I feel would share the same primary audience which is people who enjoy films and or animated films. As someone who has fallen head over heels with animation in the past few years, I am constantly surprised by countless types of animation work from fantasy, horror, romance, comedy, to narrative pieces that I enjoy watching regardless of my preference of genre. In terms of a secondary audience, I feel that the first story idea will attract fans of post-apocalyptic work as well as critical thinkers who enjoy explorative storytelling. The second story idea would definitely attract fans of the back rooms as well as horror fans in general. In terms of an impact, I would hope that I am able to invoke specific emotions in the audience. 

Prior Experience:

I have been learning about animation and its process on and off for the past 4 years and up until now have been creating smaller projects in order to refine my skills. For a while now I have been excited for this class because I intended to use it as a way to take my skills further by creating a short film. Below is some of my work.

Spooky👻 (@spookyshuman) | TikTok 

Spooky👻 (@spookyshuman) | TikTok

Chris Shuman (@shuman.productions) • Instagram photos and videos

Educational Experience: 

This project would be a reflection of all that I have come to learn at St. Josephs in regard to film. Not only have I learned to write scripts and create storyboards, but throughout my various film classes I have learned the laws of composition and storytelling. I feel that combining my skills in film with my passion for animation would result in a fulfilling final product. 

Research: 

I can’t think of any specific research that would have to be done for this project other than for issues that arise along the way due to the fact that this project is very creativity driven. 

Obstacles and Resources: 

When it comes to animation there are countless obstacles that can arise during the production process. Ultimately, there is so much useful information on youtube and there are countless people that have stumbled on these roadblocks so overcoming them should not be too much of a problem.

Timeline:

Week 3: solidify story idea, create storyboards/ rough shot list

Week 4-8: aim to complete modeling, texturing, and lighting 

Week 9-10: aim to complete all camera/ character animation

Week 11-12: rendering and general modeling/texture/lighting adjustments

Week 13-14: complete post processing work/ audio work

Week 15: be a perfectionist and make necessary adjustments

Week 16: wahoo!