Project Proposal

Kristen Campbell
Senior Project Proposal
Oct. 4th 2011

Project Summary

The project i would like to complete over the course of my final year is a 5 minute stop motion animated film. The working title of the film is Swift and it is about a young girl who has grown distant from her older sister.

Synopsis

Finding her home situation dull and her older sister distant, Fia looks for creative solutions to remedy this.

Description

Swift is a character piece that describes the inner dialogue and frustration of an eight year old girl, Fia, who is facing an emotional distance from her older sister. In reaction to this, Fia looks for ways to distract herself and be independent. She ultimately finds that while doing things on her own can be fun, she misses the company of her sister. The atmosphere of the film is light hearted. The film is intended for a general audience and will also be appropriate for children.

Swift is presented in a series of short vignettes that each highlight a personal thought of Fia. It is set in a transient space where props move in and out, and constantly is shifting, similar to theatrical stage design. This method is to describe an introspective look into Fia’s mindspace, and is reminiscent of memory or incomplete thoughts. Swift offers an understanding of a difficult event through the perspective of a child, and a resolution through growth and expressions of caring through gesture and positive actions.

Visual Treatment

The aesthetic of Swift relies on 3D objects in a stop motion set. To emphasize the dreamlike quality of the film, the props are designed in a non-literal fashion, and only imply representation, ie. a tree prop is created by a collage of leaves at the top of a vertical paper frame, but it does not carry the shape of a representational tree. The props will be created with fabric, various textured papers and cardstock, and will be backlit. Fia’s character will be represented with a puppet doll, which will be created with structural foam and fabric.

Sound Treatment

Swift will be narrated minimally by Fia. Each vignette will begin with a personal thought of hers. The film otherwise will be comprised of diegetic sound that will be warped and altered, to enhance the idea of non-literal space.

Production Schedule




















Concept Artwork