Project One - Artist Statement and Storyboard

Idea 1 – This animation is about a knight rescuing her son from an evil witch. The story represents gender stereotypes. The knight is shown without any specific gender-like characteristics, wearing a generic suit of armor. Since most fantasy stories involve a male knight, the viewer automatically assumes it is a male underneath the armor. They rely on societal ways to fill in the facts; the knight saving the damsel in distress is always a male who ends up becoming the woman’s lover. However, in my animation is takes a twist on gender roles because the knight is actually a woman. She is not saving her male lover; on the contrary, she is saving her son.

Idea 2 – This animation is about a little girl playing at a playground by herself. Her father is sitting by himself, reading the newspaper instead of giving his daughter any kind of affection. The little girl sees a leaf falling down from a tree and watches as it transforms into a fairy. The two play together and have an adventure. However, just as the fairy is walking on the ground, the girl’s father walks to her and steps on it, unintentionally, like one would crush an ant without knowing it. He tells the girl to stop playing because it is time to leave. This animation focuses on a child’s imagination and how it can be ruined by adults. Adults in general can take away a child’s creativity without even knowing it. They force them to focus on growing up and planning for their future. Instead of solving problems creatively, children are made to derive solutions from mathematics and formulas; there is no room to think outside of the box. This is partially personal to me because throughout my years in public school, I was constantly told how to do things a certain way that I just didn’t understand. I was able to not conform to these ways because I had the support from my family for the arts; however, many kids are unlucky and end up having to grow up too soon, facing a not so happy reality.