My thesis is a short psychological horror story animatic titled “Moored.” Inspired by the themes of Lovecraftian Horror mixed with traditional Japanese sailor Folktales, I created a short narrative that gives hints about a mute sailor’s troubling past- and how it eventually catches up with him.
The visual style is inspired by A24’s The Lighthouse and Blizzard animatic shorts Warbringers. By moving the foreground, middle ground and background at relative speeds, I can create a parallax effect to make the environment feel 3d. I use this technique to give my illustrations more life, by incorporating movement, sound and storytelling. In my work, I’ve often illustrated a character or environment out of context, but always wanted to add more emotion. With this method, instead of a still illustration of a beach, I can move the different planes, and incorporate the sounds of seagulls, crashing waves and clanking buoys, and animate the gentle sway of grass. By adding these elements, I can transform something stagnant into something vibrant, and allow my work to have more of a connection to its audience.
The Animatic itself is still a work in progress. Only the opening sequence is finished.