Pitch

A private detective, jaded by the violence and turmoil he witnesses on a daily basis, seeks escape by dressing as a woman.


Theme:
With this film I want to explore the idea of using a persona as escapism. By becoming someone else one could momentarily trade their emotional and physical baggage for the life they desire, or at least one that is different from the one they currently have. In essence, becoming some that is so radically different from oneself, if only for a moment, could allow one's real life to be that much more bearable.

Synopsis:
Cool light from the noisy city pours in through the window of small, cramped room. Frank, the private detective, drags himself after another long day's work. His declining age and depression feels overbearing as he sits at his desk and tries to drink some of his troubles away. However, Frank has an uncoventional remedy for clearing his blues.

Structure Breakdown:

Tone and Execution:
This film will be executed in stop motion animation, not only because it is my preferred choice of medium but also because of the mix of textures that can only be captured in real life. There will be one major set (Frank's office) with two smaller, adjoining secondary sets. The puppet itself will have one body and two costume changes along with two cast heads with differing makeup (a before and after). I also have many plans with contrasting warm and cool light to further Frank's duality.

I like the aesthetics of the Canadian short film "Madam Tutli-Putli", also done in stop motion. Despite some major grievances of the story and they use of her digitally composited human eyes, the detail in the sets is truly remarkable and carries the whole feel of the film.

Another big inspiration for me in terms of set dressing and lighting is 101 Dalmatians. The general clutteriness of the backgrounds always keeps me looking for all the countless little details that make the characters so endearing.

Early character sketch of Frank

A lighting study/set example

Objective:
To make a believable character study and to make an intricately animated film. To explore the possibilities of the persona as a means of escapism.

Audience: I would say my audience would probably be a range of people around my age to about my parents' age. It will be a mixed of lightheartedness with some deeper meaning, which I think is not hard for many people to follow or come to terms with. Also, generally for people who like stop motion animation, as with these type of films the craft element can be very high.