Before animation, there was animatic. . .

Here is the animatic to my senior film "Sealed." Hope it works.


Mike D.


http://www.vimeo.com/20395519

Story boards so you're not bored.

Here are some select portions of storyboards from my senior thesis film.  It gives a good glimpse of what the visual language of my film is. Enjoy.

Mike D.

Who are all these people?

Here is a peek at some of my character designs. Some ideation and evolution of the characters.  The main character: Alex.  The main antagonist: Regent Robertson. Alex's mother: Ann, the catalyst for both the creation of the current status quo with Regent Robertson in charge, and its ultimate downfall.  As always, click on the images to see larger.

Mike D.

Screenwriter, screenwriter, write me a . . . screenplay.

Here is a revised version of the screenplay of "Sealed."  It has changed slightly for the final, but for the most part it's all here.  Written using a great free software called Celtx. Find them online. Great for screenplays of all kinds. 

Cheers.

P.S. Click on the images to read at full size. Obviously. 

Mike D.

My lips are "Sealed."

It all started in a land far far away in a kingdom of frozen potholes (Detroit.) It has evolved for a long time.  It is . . .  my senior student animated short "Sealed." A story about an alternate America that choked itself with safety after a terrorist act releases a deadly virus.

A story board image from "Sealed" that sums up what the film is about.

Better yet, here is the original treatment for "Sealed." Back then it was still titled "Protective." Clever, I know.

Protective

Story by Michael Dinkelis

09/20/10

CONCEPT

An animated short describing United States as it goes through a self inflicted catastrophe as seen through the eyes of a child caught within the struggle to survive.

Genre: science fiction, survival thriller.

Medium: 2d animation, traditional and digital.

THEME

Freedom is very fragile and depends on stability in society. Safety always trumps personal freedoms, and people are willing to accept great discomforts in the name of safety. Corrupting qualities of power, and how it effects people's everyday lives.

CHARACTERS

Alex “Ace” Azimov: main character, son of the scientists who helped create the safety protocol. He is the center of the film. He is forced to grow up and witness his world change drastically. He starts out as a sweet child, and ends up a hardened survivalist in a world that choked itself with safety.

Alex's Mother, Ann: A scientist, a caring mother, and the person who inspires Alex. She hands Alex the first flash drive with the codes to manually override the safety protocol. She is killed during a massacre by the domed city further driving Alex towards his revolutionary goals.

Hungry Kid: a small boy, sitting in a shelter across from Alex and his mother. Alex shares some of his food with the kid.

Protesters: various people who protest the new regime's control. Most of them get mowed down by the machine guns of the domed city's security system.

SYNOPSIS

The film starts during turbulent and polarizing political times of the 21^st century. Politicians argue while civil unrest rages in the streets. When a deadly virus is released in the heartland a safety protocol is activated by the government. Domes constructed out of latest nanotechnology rise up and enclose the shelter communities. Smart nano crystals cover the land outside the domes protecting it from the virus and encasing everything in a protective layer of semi-transparent crystal. Those who were caught unaware instantly turned to statues of crystal and preserved flesh.

Alex is a 6 year old child, whose life is forever changed, when the domes come up. He is forced to watch helplessly as America gets segregated between those in relative safety of the domes and those surviving outside by any means available. Through intercut news footage Alex learns of the protests and violence outside the domes. Alex's mother gets killed during a protest. Alex, as a survivor in an outside-the-dome shelter, gets to experience the best and the worst parts of human nature, while the world outside halts any and all progress. As fears spread throughout the domed towns, the mayors take a tight grip over reigns of power and assume total control. Communication technology becomes tightly regulated, as people trade in their cell phones and computers for bibles: it is a religious right's dream come true. This state of affairs is meant to be temporary, but the mayors love the power more than they love the people and this becomes the status quo.

Nine years pass and Alex is now 17. He is a master survivor, hardened by the world outside the domes. He carries with him memories of a better time, when personal freedom still had a place in American society. He is also carrying 2 flash keys full of restorative codes, among all the survivor gear. He is looking for the last flash key, with which he will be able to overwrite the safety protocols and restore his country back to normal. The film ends with him coming towards a large domed city, where the last bunker is hidden and where his chance to finish his mother's legacy and bring back the days when America was more than a land filled with miniature domed empires.