Finless
This film is unique among most student films in that it is trying to break into the documentary genre, a place where animation is rarely featured. This film doesn't just tell a story, it addresses the real-world issue of shark finning and how the practice negatively impacts the health of our oceans.
I think animation is both ideal for, and underutilized, in documentary filmmaking. Ideal because it can convey a message in a visually stunning and appealing way, a way that a film camera sometimes cannot, and underutilized because it is largely seen as a medium reserved for entertainment only. But animation's ability to convey complex messages in short formats is perfect for documentaries, which are often trying to send a message to people. In this age of instant gratification, short format films that can go viral are a wonderful way to bring attention to an issue. That's exactly what I'm attempting to accomplish and prove with my film.
Animatic
Story
The film opens with a shot panning over an almost dead reef, only a few fish are flitting around, everything is gray, and there is little to no coral growth. Then, a shark appears and starts swimming through the reef. Everywhere it swims by, life starts to return. Corals sprout, fish appear and color returns until we see a shot of the completely revitalized reef, full of color and with lots of life swimming around. Then, a shadow passes over the reef. It’s a longlining boat, dropping baited hooks as it passes. We focus in on one hook, gleaming sharp and threatening, with the shark out of focus in the background. The focus re-adjusts to the shark, as it turns and strikes it with power and speed, believing the baited hook to be prey. The shark is caught, it can now only swim in a circle since it is attached to a line.
We cut to a view from above the water, the shark is still swimming and thrashing in a circle, day transitions to night, and the longlining boat is coming back to collect. The shark is pulled onto the boat, and we focus on its face. Men are stomping around its head as it gasps, its eye following them. Out of the shot, they are slicing its fins off. We cut back to the water as they throw it’s finless body back in, it starts to sink in a cloud of bubbles. We follow the bubbles as they float back to the surface, and the boat roars away. The camera pans up through the water, breaking the surface, and it looks back down, where the ocean we just came from is now a bowl of shark fin soup being served at a restaurant. Fade to black
Concept Art
Trying Something New
Reef Concept by Taylor McCaslin
Model Sheets
