Informal Animation Lecture and New Synopsis

Last week, one of the third year animators, Benwyn, set up an animation meeting in A09 for yesterday afternoon (Wednesday 9th Nov) to present our work together for feedback and discussion where students may feel less inhibited.

The session went great, and I got great positive feedback on my synopsis as well as suggestions and I gave my advice for other films as well so it was a good opportunity to voice those opinions.

This is the synopsis I wrote after my tutorial with Leonie and what I presented (unfortunately without visuals) to the rest of the group.

SYNOPSIS - 9/11/11

Beneath an oak tree, a little girl (Amber) and a tree Spirit collect small acorns, unaware of each other. As they draw near, they reach for the last, and also the most perfect, acorn. After a brief struggle, the Spirit emerges victorious and scurries away with the acorn. Amber sulks. The Spirit hesitates and reappears to offer her the acorn as a gift. Amber is delighted with the present and the Spirit digs a hole for her to plant it, but Amber strings it onto a necklace instead. Although confused by the girl's actions, they play together until the end of the day.

Amber returns to the tree every day to play with her new friend, through snowy winters, blossoming spring, scorching summers and golden autumns. Each day, the Spirit gives her an acorn as a gift to plant, but Amber continues to string them onto her necklace.

One Autumn, the girl is swinging on a tree swing and the branch snaps, sending her tumbling down the hill. The girl is hurt and upset, but the Spirit is angry at her for breaking the tree. Amber leaves, crying.

That night there is a terrible storm, Amber looks out of her bedroom window in concern. Outside, the Spirit tries to stay out of the rain and tend to the tree when lightning hits it, cleaving it in two.

The following morning, Amber returns to the tree to play with the Spirit, but it is too late: the tree is destroyed and there is no sign of the Spirit. Quietly, she sits by the charred tree trunk and cries.

The Spirit returns one last time, faded and sapped of energy, to firmly gives her the last acorn. Amber takes it slowly, and instead of threading it, she plants it in the ground. Taking her necklace, she snaps it to drop all the other acorns into the hole too.

Later they return to the hill to see a tiny green sapling growing from a huge pile of acorns! They dance around it and Amber accidentally steps on the little green shoot: oops! She takes her foot away and is relieved to see it's still ok, they dance happily again. 

END

I prefer it much more to the versions I had before and everyone seemed very happy with what I was doing with it now and how clear it was. They suggested that the acorns in the beginning be really small and deformed so that when Amber and the Spirit fight over the last one, it is the most perfect, shining example of an acorn that any child would fight over. It was a good suggestion and I added it to the synopsis above.

The rest of the week will be spent re-boarding my entire film and putting it in an animatic for next Monday (14th November).