My Production Blog - Haven

The part of the animatic that is redrawn

So this piece is all about emotion and one of the main things that can get you really emotional is music. When I am sad I have a lot of thoughts going on in my head from what I am sad about and any thought I have ever had in my head in the past. And I use music to let it all out. I have a list of songs I listen to when I feel this way for different reasons; The lyrics relates to what I have been through in life, the mood of the song matches my current mood, songs that make me feel or want to regain my courage, things like that. So I’m gonna list songs that go well with emotions I have felt and go along with this story. Because it is a lot of songs this post may have multiples

“Human” by Krewella

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHbR5gSrv04

This is the song I originally think about when I created my storyboards. I feel like I relate with this song more than any other I ever heard. The lyrics are always stuff that I think about and have asked myself many times back when all this was happening. I really connected with the beginning of the song with the lyrics “Is anybody there? Does anybody care what I’m feeling?” Back then I would always think is there anyone out there to help me. But all I could see was that I was all alone. I thought no one cares what was going on. Just like the lyrics said “I wanna disappear so no one can hear me when I’m screaming” I always held my emotions in but there were so many times I wanted to just scream. But the main part in the chorus where it said “I could use a hand sometime” this was something I needed and I wished would happen over and over. But in the end just like the song says “I am only human” There’s a lot to this song where I feel connected with.

“Space Between” by Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson (Descendants 2)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmlNotW2wsU

When I listen to this song I always feel like its a combination of a conversation with myself and things that I wished were said to me.

Songs By Icon For Hire

So this group is usually my go to group when it comes to listening to songs when I am down. Every song has lyrics and I always feel a form of connection with and I feel better after listening to them because I feel like I’ve let a weight off my chest.

“Slow Down” Icon for Hire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMHW6rxgESs

While the song itself goes along with my mood I sing this song a lot to try to help me just calm down and breath. I don’t feel as lonely anymore and I’m not suffering on my own

“Get Well” Icon for Hire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS8sqgBgzG8

Like the chorus says “I meant it when I say I wanna get well.” And its true I do and I have been little by little since then. There are the occasional times when I revert back and start degrading myself again but that happens when I am upset and I remember all my thoughts but at least it doesn’t happen constantly. I still push myself to try to get better. Just like in my short, taking the first step to trying to get better

“Sorry about Your Parents” Icon for Hire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCxg7w9tIJo

I always enjoyed this song because of how it feels like it talks about how everyone has something in their life that is pretty rough. Sometimes its having bad parents, not knowing that they have something great in their lives or feeling like you just blame yourself. But what really hits me with this song is the lyrics “ I know what it's like staying up all night nursing wounds. It takes more than I have, pick fights with the past, I always lose“ The chorus is the key point in this. It reminds me that we aren’t alone, we all have problems and we have all tried to heal ourselves like others. And you feel like you always lose that fight which then brings you down even further. But the song is saying that you shouldn’t live like that. We all get what its like to feel pain and we have all been affected by it as well.

“Get Well II” Icon for Hire

I really like to think things through and that includes the title of the name and how it looks.

I’ve thought for a long time what to call this and I named this short Haven. It represents what Ice skating meant to me, that it was my Haven. And how it was where I felt safe and happy.

Continuation of first pass of storyboard for beats

This world has two locations: the ice rink and a school. The ice rink is the main location that appears around 95% of the short while the school appears in two or three panels.

This world is a combination of light and dark.

Ice rink: This location shows both the current time and the memories. Since it is a mood piece the spotlights change color throughout the sort from cool to warm colors to show the transition of the character's story as it progress. Towards as the beginning while the world is in cool colors and looks dark cracks begin to form showing the protagonists mentally collapsing on herself and going into a form of sadness and self-loath. As the cracks disappear the protagonist is finding her way to self-acceptance and happiness. Just as an ice show has an audience, there is one in this concept. You see a hint of the audience at the very beginning but then you see them less and less as though the world is becoming dark and lonely itself. They eventually become clearer to see as the protagonist begins to notice that she isn't as alone as she thought she was.

School: Theres not much for this location since it doesn't appear very often and it appears for a short amount of time. So far I just have a scene with a group around a table to appear as a false happiness. The other scene is a hallway of lockers. These lockers look normal at first but they then transitions into a deep-spaced hallway portraying the beginning of the main characters path to isolation.

Principle Character

Aurora:

A female skater who has a passion for ice skating. As she skates her choreography tells her story that lead her to where she is in her life. She has done skating all her life and she has been a very happy girl who views the world in a positive light. She runs into a negative moment of being left behind and feeling betrayed by her friends at school. This reverted her to closing off herself from the rest of the world. Her mind falls into darkness and isolation, so she has trouble getting out of that. She ignores her surroundings and her mind refuses to see others (skating friends) trying to help her and approach her. Not being able to allow yourself to receive help will keep you from moving on and getting better. She begins to see others helping her trying to reach out to her little by little. Finally wanting to move on and step into the light she lets them into her life and little by little she becomes the happy person she was. 

Appearance wise, she is more round. Her hair is also a symbol of her mentality. Her hair is straight and long framing her face showing how she has placed herself in a cage. Her hair in a ponytail shows how she is and has broken out of that negative mentality.

This story is more of a mood piece based on color compared to actually relying on character.

Minor Characters

Ex School Friends:

This is more hard to actually set a reason of why the friends turn there backs on her since it is my story and I never knew the reason behind this as well, and I do want to keep it as close to my story and personal as possible. However I can go along with a reason that I have heard that was a possibility: Friends being jealous of someone and taking it out on her. However action wise they most just begin to cut her out of her life such as leaving her behind, only messaging each other and not including her. Simple things such as this are forms of showing the beginning for a short.

Appearance: These characters have more triangle and sharp shapes compared to all the characters

Ice Skating Friends:

They have known the main character for as long as they could remember and have always offered her support. However the main character has not really thought of this and didn’t realize it. One by one each ice skater approaches her trying to get her involved and open up to her. Even if they do not know what is going on they are still there and a form of support.They are based on my skating friends and how they were there for me.