Self-Critique

The Sacred Task, 2011

A lone warrior must confront and destroy an evil creature.

I intend the audience to be immersed in an experience that is as visually engaging as it is emotional encompassing. One should feel suspense, fear, and adrenaline flow as he or she watches my film.

My original idea truly came from viewing both Tarzan and Last of the Mohicans. I wanted to create a film that dealt much closer to nature's intimate connection with man. Both films dealt with this idea with success, as well as providing intense action and an engaging story. This, and my interest in both mythology and Native American culture guided me towards my finished product. This was important to me as a personal project because it allowed me to create a story that personified the way I look at life.

Theme:
Conquer your demons, lest you be conquered by them.

The strengths of my project are:
Dynamic animation
Production quality
Engrossing atmosphere throughout
Nice color palette

Problems areas I had particularly dealt with not preparing myself of the worst case scenarios. This project was two-years in the making. Since then I have suffered major loss of work, system crash, corrupted files, etc. I think that what I should learn to do and am making great strides to improve is organizing myself better.

I had the pleasure of learning a lot during the production of this film. By studying various styles of animation, I was able to improve my animation skills and produce more fluid actions in my movie. Also, I have learned a great deal about Toon Boom. A program that I thought to be so limiting is actually very compelling and diverse.

My BFA Project Done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joseph Coleman ‘11_Animation

The Sacred Task

For my senior project, I want to portray the inner struggle with one's own dark nature in an animated short. The story involves a young warrior that finds himself at war with an evil entity of his own inadvertent creation. The creature is the manifestation of the protagonist's malice. With his demon growing ever stronger, the weary warrior must make a last stand on the battlefield of his crumbling conscience.

The story will serve as an allegory for the ordeal that we must all face in life. There are personal trials that we must go through in order to become better individuals. I drew upon Native American mythology as inspiration for my story.  I chose this culture because, though tales vary from differing tribes, the common belief is of the universal harmony between man, spirit, and nature. In the film, a mysterious owl appears before the shaman with unknown intentions. The owl is an amalgamation of the beliefs of Pawnee tribe, who view the animals as protection; the Pueblo, who associates them with death; and the Sioux, who believed that possession of the owl’s feather or “essence” will bless them on the battle field.  Under the shamanic system, the owl acts as the totem of the young protagonist. Though not physically active in the fight between the two opposing figures, what the owl symbolizes holds great spiritual significance.

Owls see the truth through the darkness that shrouds one’s path. When an individual is lost, the spirit of the owl will guide him. Death often awaits those who follow the creature. The owl knows that death is the key to rebirth. Life is renewed when one clears away all unwanted burdens. Only when the shaman conquers his inner demon will he truly be free.