swimminguptothesurfacefilm

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Research and Development 3: Beat Boards

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Research and Development 3: A bit more environment work

New mood boards for inspiration:

New Environment Work:

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Research and Development 2: Character's adjusted, Start on more Environment.

Added some suggestions to the characters.

I got real creatively blocked when it came to environments so might want to give it another shot but if it doesn't work out i am moving straight to the beat boards. ( I forgot to look at my notes T^T )

Underwater Terminal: Initial

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Storybeats and Treatment REVISITED and CHANGED

What changes are being made?

the world is receiving a few changes to cut down on the amount of locations that are only seen for a little bit.

Now instead of starting at the Superior's office we start right at the Terminal. ( "the Terminal" refers to the underwater terminal. "the surface terminal" is the terminal at the surface.)

The Warden's job is to supervise passage through the different doors through their little booth office where we can see bits of their personality.

We only see the Underwater City and Core in Escapee's flashbacks.

STORYBEATS:

ACT 1: 

WARDEN, at the Terminal, is supervising passengers to go the right way.

2. People go through the door corresponding to their ticket color.

3. We see the Escapee hide their ticket color.

4. The Escapee goes through the green door and it blares red.

5. Warden notices and Escapee starts to make a run for it.

6. Warden chases after the Escapee, who is able to get past them just barely through clever decision making. 

7. Escapee manages to jump into a cart, and Warden follows. 

ACT 2:

8. Warden is finally able to corner the escapee, only to realize the cart they are in shuts closed. 

9. The Warden is about to call in to stop the train until the Escapee begs them to stop.

10. Escapee pleads to the Warden for a chance to let them see the surface before being taken.  

11. The Warden asks the Escapee their reasons, the Escapee in exchange starts to tell his life’s story. 

12. We see the Escapee’s early years when on the surface.

13. The Escapee recounts when, in a time of need, they left for the core for work.

14. Once the cart doors open, the Warden and Escapee make their way out to the new terminal. It’s dark. 

15. The Escapee asks about the Warden’s story. The Warden replies briefly.

ACT 3:

16. The Escapee on their way out, is struggling to walk. The Warden follows behind. 

17. The Escapee starts to trip on benches and holding onto railings. The Warden keeps close watch, helping them up occasionally. 

18. Finally, the Escapee falls. The Warden goes to lift them up, but the Escapee cannot stand on their own. 

19. The Warden takes the Escapee on their shoulder until finally, they exit the terminal.

20. We see the surface, the sun shines warmly. The Escapee gives way, they sink to the ground.

21. The Warden holds the Escapee up. The Escapee dies in the Warden’s arms. 

TREATMENT:

The Warden, a young justice bringer, works in a Terminal. Their job is to make sure passengers go through the right door corresponding to their ticket color. The Escapee quietly hides their ticket and goes through the green door. However the door rejects them, and the escapee decides to run for it anyway. The Warden, sets off to catch this rouge passenger. While the Warden attempts to trap the Escapee through brute force, the Escapee is able to slimly avoid the Warden’s attempts through clever decision-making. At the end of the run, the Escapee manages to jump into a moving cart while the Warden follows behind. 

The Warden finally corners the Escapee, only to have the doors shut behind them and their target in terrible conditions. With nowhere to run, the Escapee begs the Warden to let them see the surface one time. Then, the Escapee will allow themselves to be taken. The Warden asks what their reason is, the Escapee tells them their life’s story. Once they reach their destination the Warden follows closely behind the Escapee.

 The Escapee asks the Warden of their life, and the Warden answers briefly. The Warden chose this path all on their own. As the two exit the terminal, the Escapee’s condition worsens as they walk. The Warden extends little by little, their help to the faltering Escapee. And slowly, but surely they make their way outside. It is then that the Escapee sees the surface and bids goodbye to the Warden. 

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Research and Development 1: Characters

Exploration Sketches:

Silhouettes:

Warden

Escapee

Thumbnails:

Warden

Escapee

Main Cast and Stages in Greyscale:

Color Explorations:

Warden

Escapee

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Environments (initial concepts)

The Core

Superiors Office

The Superior's office is the head of the Core Mining Facility works.

The Warden is summoned by The Superior and tasked to catch the escapee.

This office's walls are dark and rocky, warm to the touch. The Superior keeps the place minimal and with an industrial look. The Superior only has what's necessary. Their desk, their chair, and a stretching and tall shelf of their personal cellar.

This is a place where The Warden is inferior. The Superior doesn't supply anywhere for guests to sit so they stand.

Mine in the Core

The Mines in the Core where the Warden walks past to get to the City are magmatic and uninhabitable.

The location is one of work, and nothing more. These caves are sometimes sharp and sometimes smooth. The glow of the rocks and the magma below are a constant threat.

We see the Warden walk past, well-equipped for the environment.

The Miners sweat from the heat, some become fatigued, and one gets accidentally burned from picking on a spot where magma splurts out.

There are various cauldrons around with the precious gems they gather and sometimes the belongings of the miners. They bring water cans to at least help each other not get dehydrated from work.

Underwater City

The City

The City in the underwater world takes inspiration for its architecture from corral reefs and nature resulting in funnily textured and shaped buildings.

The environment itself is shadowed in blues and purples. When the Warden walks here and the other civilians, blend in.

When the Escapee walks around the City, they stick out.

It's densely populated, and you occasionally encounter amphibians like turtles, newts, or crustaceans like crabs and lobsters.

The natural light is what comes from above on the surface, and any artificial lights out in public are a bright blue.

The Terminal

The Terminal in the Underwater City has an open roof and many levels spanning up.

There are different stations for employees, passengers, and cargo. Each gets onto their respective train car on the vertical train.

Gravity works weirdly once inside the train. you are horizontal while the train runs up to the surface vertically.

The Warden and Escapee end up in a cargo car, surrounded by different boxes of produce, gems, and equipment.

The Surface

The Terminal

The Terminal on the surface is when the vertical cars rise up and go horizontally onto the "shore" (like a whale?).

Inside this terminal, it's dimly lit and crowded with very few light sources. Once you start leaving the terminal people are exposed to light gradually. This is done to acclimate to the light on the surface.

Everything around is metallic or tile.

Outside the Terminal

Once outside the terminal, you see the land stretch out and very few buildings. Behind is the terminal's outside structure. The architecture for it is classic and simple.

The sky is a bright blue and the clouds are fluffy and luminous.

The grass is green-yellow and the mountains blend with the sky in green-blue hues.

On the surface, the Warden sticks out while the escapee is right at home.

The grass is long enough for the escapee to bunch up in their hands and feel. It's windy enough for them to also know they are up on the surface.

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CHARACTERS (initial concepts)

#1 WARDEN:

Brief description: The Warden is an officer responsible for maintaining order in the Underwater World. Born in the surface world, the Warden moved to the Underwater World once of age with the goal of achieving an exemplary career life.

Name: XX omitted XX Personality: obedient, resolute, austere Strengths: - Strong both physically and in will. - Intelligent and Quick-witted. - Logical and straightforward.

Flaws: - Inflexible. - Has emotional intelligence to an extent, but lacks it. - Can act on frustration with brute force. Loves: - Dark colors - Warm clothes - Canned sausages Hates: - Alcohol - Loud laughter - Water bugs Dreams: To be an upstanding justice bringer in Underwater World to make their family proud. Secrets: The Warden has doubts about the path they are taking in life. Despite having a linear path to their goals, they fear what it'll cost. Because deep down, they also want a life in the surface world. Story goal: To complete their assignment in capturing the escapee. What is standing in their way? The Warden empathizing with the escapee ultimately stops them from their goal. In turn, the Warden themselves stands in their own way. What do they stand to lose? The Warden is risking losing their job. They'd succumb to their greatest fear, which is disappointing their family and themselves.

mood board:

sketches:

#2 ESCAPEE:

Brief description: The escapee was born and raised on the surface and planned to live there their entire life until the world started to evolve in the water below. To make a living and support their family, the escapee moved to the Underwater World and due to their social class was left with no choice but to work at the core mining precious gems. Young and then older the escapee realizes they must go back home before it is too late.

Name: Cielo Personality: gentle, frank, unassertive Strengths: - Empathetic and Giving. - Astute and Proficient - Emotional and Mild

Flaws: - Their strengths can backfire on them becoming their weakness. - They are someone who never changed throughout their life. - Giving at the expense of themselves by the time they became old. Loves: - Gardening - Bugs - Canned sausages Hates: - Alcohol - Syringes - Heights Dreams: To one day return to the surface world and have a house with a garden. And to find their family again, even if it's distant relatives. Secrets: The escapee regrets not returning sooner. They could have. Story goal: To see to the surface, no matter the circumstances. What is standing in their way? The Warden chasing them and their deteriorating health give the escapee challenges. The actions they have to take to slip away from the Warden his hurting them in return. What do they stand to lose? The Escapee has lost contact with their family, and their home and their dream is slipping away from them. As it stands they are losing nothing but their life.

mood board:

sketches:

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Storybeats and Treatment

STORYBEATS:

ACT 1: 

WARDEN, at the earth’s core, is given an assignment by their SUPERIOR to detain an ESCAPEE. 

2. Warden, carrying a wanted poster, starts to exit the core.

3. We see the conditions of different MINE WORKERS. All exploited. 

4. Out of the earths’s core, the Warden starts to inspect the underwater city. Then, they see a shadow.

5. ESCAPEE arrives to a terminal, slowly yet a good pace until we see the Warden behind the Escapee. 

6. Warden chases after the Escapee, who is able to get past them just barely through clever decision making. 

7. Escapee manages to jump into a cart, and Warden follows. 

ACT 2:

8. Warden is finally able to corner the escapee, only to realize the cart they are in shuts closed. 

9. The Warden is trapped with the Escapee in the cart until they reach the next destination. 

10. Escapee shows signs of illness and begs the Warden for a chance to let them see the surface before being detained. 

11. The Warden asks the Escapee their reasons, the Escapee in exchange starts to tell his life’s story. 

12. We see the Escapee’s early years when on the surface.

13. The Escapee recounts when, in a time of need, they left for the core for work. Only to spend their years of wishing to go home but trapped. 

14. Once the cart doors open, the Warden and Escapee make their way out to the new terminal. It’s dark. 

15. The Escapee asks about the Warden’s story. The Warden replies briefly. The Warden chose this path all on their own. 

ACT 3:

16. The Escapee on their way out, is struggling to walk. The Warden follows behind. 

17. The Escapee starts to trip on benches and holding onto railings. The Warden keeps close watch, helping them up occasionally. 

18. Finally, the Escapee falls. The Warden goes to lift them up, but the Escapee cannot stand on their own. 

19. The Warden takes the Escapee on their shoulder until finally, they exit the terminal.

20. We see the surface, the sun shines warmly. The Escapee gives way, they sink to the ground.

21. The Warden holds the Escapee up. The Escapee dies in the Warden’s arms.  TREATMENT:

The Warden, a young justice bringer, is assigned the task to detain an Escapee by their superior. Off with a wanted poster containing an old picture, the Warden makes their way up to the Underwater City on their trail. The Escapee quietly arrives at the Terminal to the surface, and the Warden finds their path. When they encounter, the pursuit intensifies. While the Warden attempts to trap the Escapee through brute force, the Escapee is able to slimly avoid the Warden’s attempts through clever decision-making. At the end of the run, the Escapee manages to jump into a moving cart while the Warden follows behind. 

The Warden finally corners the Escapee, only to have the doors shut behind them and their target in terrible conditions. With nowhere to run, the Escapee begs the Warden to let them see the surface one time. Then, the Escapee will allow themselves to be taken. The Warden asks what their reason is, the Escapee tells them their life’s story. Once they reach their destination the Warden follows closely behind the Escapee.

 The Escapee asks the Warden of their life, and the Warden answers briefly. The Warden chose this path all on their own. As the two exit the terminal, the Escapee’s condition worsens as they walk. The Warden extends little by little, their help to the faltering Escapee. And slowly, but surely they make their way outside. It is then that the Escapee sees the surface and bids goodbye to the Warden. 

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01: Theme and Logline

Theme: Human vs Human, Human vs Self, Human vs Technology 

With this story, I want to portray in a fantasy setting the act of leaving home to find a better quality of life, and then the desire to go back home. In my own life, my family, friends, and others in my community are part of this cycle. We leave the place we are familiar with in hopes of a better quality of life, opportunity, or success. I want to tell it, to kind of give voice to those with one struggle, the other, or both. This way, I hope it can be a message to unite people rather than separate them. Because both paths are difficult.  

Words that spark inspiration: family, home, nostalgia, responsibility, value of life, nature, success and failure, happiness, fragility, vulnerability and imperviousness.  

Logline: A warden is assigned to capture an escapee who’s fled the mining facility they serve, sent into a chase of cat and mouse until the warden has a change of heart.