Finished stills

Finished short film

Character Design

I wanted the Ancestors to feel very different from humans, but to evoke the idea or feeling of an ancestral figure, I achieved this by making them humanoid but blobular with simple faces. The clothing was important to make it feel like ancestors. I studied traditional and historical clothing across cultures, but made it more naturalistic. I was particularly inspired by the Japanese Yukata, Inuit and Bronze Age clothing.

Animatic

Worldbuilding

I researched the climate crisis and created my own world that would face a similar challenge. When I encountered a problem in my story, I went deeper into that world to solve it. I balanced the parallel stories of the animation and the narration; if these beings are ‘jetting off to mars’, how can they travel?

Storyboarding

Colour Script

I used a limited colour palette to streamline the animation process and create a cohesive aesthetic. The colour story shifts throughout the narrative from the planet under strain (red), the turning point (white), to the planet and its inhabitants thriving (green-blue).

My Process

✸ Idea or brief
✸ Research
✸ Concept
✸ Storyboarding
✸ Animatic
✸ Visual Development
✸ Illustration
✸ Animation
✸ Sound Design
✸ Post Production

Concept

An older member of his society gives Ancestor an acorn. They are a small, simple community. The acorn represents responsibility for caring for the planet. From receiving the acorn, Ancestor goes on a journey of his world where he realises the harm his kind are doing to society. This is the turning point where they discover they can care for the planet and live within their boundaries. His society becomes sustainable and content. Ancestor passes on the acorn to the humans.
At the end of the animation, the seed is passed to the humans, reminding the audience that this is a problem we face and that we, too, can approach the environment in a way that would make us good ancestors. Through their world, we are invited to reflect on our own. This perspective is more approachable and enhances the viewers’ understanding of the issues explored in the audio.