SYNOPSIS
Cumulus and the Worlds Unseen is an animated short film about the dangers of technology. The trailer--which was shown at Bowie State University’s recital hall--shows Robyn, a red-haired 12-year old technology-obsessed girl, become hypnotized by Tecknis, the film’s antagonist and the embodiment of technology. When the film’s protagonist, ageless cloud-sculptor Cumulus, lets his wild curiosity get the best of him, he finds Robyn hypnotized and decides to investigate. Finding out that Tecknis is behind Robyn’s hypnosis and that Robyn is not the first child under Tecknis’ control, Cumulus resolves to take matters into his own hands to save the day. The film is intended for younger audiences 6 and over.
ARTIST STATEMENT
This film was inspired by a sketch I made in high school about an entire civilization in the sky, which later became the idea for Cumulus’ home, Atmos-3. The central idea for the story came as a literal wave of inspiration. Letting my imagination free as I stared up at the clouds after a beach day, I saw little figures emerge in the summer sky-- a fuzzy bunny, an ice cream cone, among other things. I began to imagine who was responsible for such beautiful cloud sculptures and thus, my free-spirited cloud artist, Cumulus, was born. The idea for the plot and conflict came from watching my young adult cousins be swept away and mesmerized by technology, video games, and social media. My goal was to touch on a more contemporary issue in today's society that could be easily digestible by children as well as adults.
My animation style is inspired by that of Rebecca Sugar (Adventure Time and Steven Universe), William Hanna and Joseph Barbera (Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, Tom and Jerry, and The Smurfs cartoon), Alex Hirsh (Gravity Falls) and Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko (The Last Airbender).
EXHIBITION PREP
Being a writer, I decided it would be cool to create a booklet to show some behind the scenes action from my eyes. I think it is interesting to show audiences a chance to "peek behind the curtain" to highlight the process as well as the product.
I sketched out all of these things down and made the vision come to life with the help of Bowie State's gallery staff.
With the help and creativity of a member of the gallery, I created a cloud out of the podium to sit everything on. It paid homage to Cumulus' iconic hair and home.
OPENING NIGHT
Seeing all those people walk in to the gallery, experiencing my space and watching my story was both nerve-racking and amazing. It was cool to see everyone's reactions to the different ways I approached the project.
What a journey! What started as an idea in my head, became more than what I would've imagined. From drawing a character over and over trying to get his design right (who would later become Cumulus) to developing a story around him with complex characters and motivations is beyond unbelievable. am so grateful to have reached this far in my animation journey, though it is not the end! To my story or Cumulus' for that matter. Stay tuned for more to come!
(Follow me on Instagram @ak.gervacio for updates! )
Here are a couple images from opening night of my senior thesis:
PRELIMINARY ARTWORK
Click here for "First Time Animating" blog post! A post about being a new artist in the field of animation.
Here's a podcast for tips for starting out in animation!
