Foreverglades
A Short Film
I had the pleasure of collaborating with Elfenworks Foundation for their short feature film. We worked on a story written by Brittany Perry about a young boy called “Eli” grappling with loss and displacement Moving from one foster home to another, his world takes an unexpected turn when he embarks on a journey to the Foreverglades of Florida. There, he forms an extraordinary friendship that transcends boundaries with an unexpected friend.
The main purpose of this short animation film was to raise awareness about the negative impact tourism is causing on the Everglades in Florida-USA.
My role was to art direct the overall visuals, including character design, style explorations, creative direction, and illustrating the main scenes.
Client: Elfenworks Foundation
Producer: Cloud Media Agency
Story by: Brittany Perry
Director: Shelby Chikazawa
Animation Studio: Dramantram
Role: Art Direction, Illustration
Year: 2023
● Character Design and Development
Finding the right look and features for our protagonist Eli took some time, especially to grasp the feeling of disappointment and hurt in a child’s face.
Eli went through a couple of development phases, exploring multiple styles and exaggerated features to highlight his curiosity and innocence, until we settled on the current design to start studying the character.
Young Eli Character sheet on the left.
Grown up Eli Character sheer on the right.
We needed to visually establish how Eli has grown up to become an independent and educated young man that is capable to make a positive change towards the environment that he cares for (which is the Everglades in our story) in order to give his Manatee friend a better place to live in.
Light & Shading Guide on the left.
Eli’s Life Stages on the right.
The Manatee plays an important role of reflecting Eli and his unfortunate life events through his struggle with the deteriorating conditions of the Everglades.
They both form a beautiful bond together.
Baby & Grown up Manatee on the left.
Character Expressions Study on the right.
● Key Visuals
Color was the primary element that we molded to convey the feelings of Eli and his journey.
His world loses color when he is upset, yet beams with all the shades when his heart is happy.
This wide shot above was one of the first scenes I worked on to establish the overall look and feel of the film, later on it became the ending scene.
Environment elements - Black and white scenes, Minimal backgrounds - Environment shots
Ending Shot & Credits roll
● Intro Shots
The purpose of the film was to raise awareness on what excessive and irresponsible tourism may lead to.
We needed establishing shots of the Everglades and its natural beauty, preserved and untouched, portraying it as a nostalgic memory of Eli before he lost his mother.
Followed by a drone shot of the Everglade’s landscape to reveal the film’s title then transition to the beginning of Eli’s story
● Mood board & Inspiration
Where everything good starts!
Inspiration from mother nature
● Animation
Animation and compositing Executed by Dramantram Team
Everglades - Intro
Everglades - Ending & Credits Roll
The Elfenworks Foundation is a 501.c.3 operating foundation established in 2007 with the goal of fostering a world that is In Harmony with Hope. With a focus on social and climate justice, they’ve partnered with Campus Movie Fest (CMF) for over a decade to provide the tools and platform for students to create inspiring short films.
Thank You!
