Higher Calling
Graduation project
Higher Calling is a short 2D animated film about a cloister of nuns who embark on their annual pilgrimage in the mountains. Ruth, a recent joinee, follows the peculiar group up the perilous path. Signs of an incoming storm keep piling on but her fellow sisters don't seem to take notice, a decision which might just lead them to their demise.
Aside from co-directing this project with my fellow classmate, Carlotta Steckner, I took on the roles of scriptwriter, storyboard artist, lead animator, and editor.
GENRE
LENGTH
TARGET AUDIENCE
TECHNIQUE
Comedy & drama
7 minutes
Family
2D digital traditional (frame-by-frame) animation
Scriptwriting
From the once stray idea of nuns skiing, I created a structured narrative and ultimately brought Ruth’s story to the screen.
EDIFYING THE NARRATIVE SKELETON
(+ WIDE ARRAY OF ITERATIONS)
CHARACTER PROFILES
Ruth
Protagonist
-
Newcomer to the convent in her 30's
-
Quick-witted, observant
-
Originally from a scientific background, Ruth has chosen to reorient her life in search of a community that aligns with her beliefs
Bridget
False ally
-
Bubbly and enthusiastic, although not very bright
-
German
-
Embodies unwavering trust and naivety
-
Immersed in very religious communities all her life, she views the convent as her family and considers her path of life an evidence
Gertrude
Comedic relief
-
Oldest member of the group
-
Communicates in a set of indistinct whispers
-
Albeit a bit cuckoo, Gertrude joyfully tags along, pigmenting the sisters’ adventure with her destabilising reactions and extreme lack of social awareness
Sister Martin
Antagonist
-
Group leader
-
60-something French woman
-
Cold, authoritative, completely lacks a sense of humour
-
Sister Martin leads the mission with discipline and doesn’t allow for any deviations
Visuals by Carlotta Steckner
THEMES & DILEMMA
Fear of change
-
The convent and the Church constitute the nuns' whole world
Bridget, Gertrude, and Sister Martin adhere to tradition to preserve their sense of reality, rationality, and identity
Generational conflict
-
Ruth represents the new generation of the Order
brings forth new technology and ideas
-
Sister Martin (older generation) perceives Ruth as a threat to the preservation of their archaic praxis
Would one omit reason to comply with tradition?
YES
if it means integrating a system whose inclusion is crucial to one's quest of self-discovery
NO
there is no justification to endangering others' and one's own safety
Visuals by Carlotta Steckner
Storyboard
I visualised the script into a set of panels (aka the storyboard). Experimenting with composition, tempo, characters’ visual dynamics, and mise-en-scène, I made plentiful of iterations, which then gave grounds for the layout of the backgrounds.
A set placement (or camera angle and movement) of a character within a shot affects the spirit of that sequence. I thus made sure to make Ruth be the focus of every scene as well as infuse tension and suspense where required by means of tight close-ups, visual asymmetry, jump-scares, dolly’s (camera goes inward or outward of the shot), etc.
STORYBEATS
SCENE 1: Introduction
-
Ruth looks hopeful yet nervous about her new journey
-
Smokes a last cigarette, symbolizing leaving old habits behind
-
Encounters Bridget and is briefly unsettled by Gertrude and her own lack of attire conformity
-
Heads towards her new reality, unperturbed
SCENE 2: Rising of Stakes
-
Mother Superior, Sister Martin, gives a speech about the pilgrimage's importance
-
Other nuns acclaim loudly; Ruth follows their example
-
Ruth tunes into Sister Martin’s inspirational words
SCENE 3: Start of Adventure
-
Sisters tie themselves with a rope and head up the mountain
-
Ruth struggles to keep up with the synchronized stride of fellow devotees
-
Ruth, Bridget, and Gertrude spot a hawk through Ruth’s binoculars
-
Sister Martin disapproves of the binoculars, viewing them as disruptive
-
Ruth feels humiliated but notices a leaf changing direction
SCENE 4: First Instance of Conflict
SCENE 5: Dilemma
-
Group reaches a crevasse; must cross using a fragile wooden ladder
-
Ruth hesitates but is peer-pressured by Bridget to close her eyes and trust
-
Ruth reluctantly accepts the unsafe practice to integrate with the group
SCENE 6: Rising of Stakes and Conflict
-
Ruth notices damaged pines, a sign of frequent avalanches
-
Bridget nearly slips but is saved by Ruth
-
Sister Martin dismisses Ruth’s concerns
-
Ruth’s worries grow as the group presses on
Scene 7: Climax and Resolution
-
Ruth confronts the Order during a raging storm, pleading to turn back
-
Sister Martin rejects Ruth’s plea; the group marches on
-
Ruth realises the Order's blind adherence to tradition and complete lack of critical thinking
-
Finally pots an impending avalanche through binoculars
-
All the nuns get engulfed by the colossal cloud of snow
-
Ruth emerges as the lone survivor, smokes a cigarette (her only source of consolation), and reflects
Conclusion
-
Ruth ends alone, unintegrated, but with newfound awareness
-
Learns that by discarding parts of herself (her analytical or spiritual side), she will never reach her (idea of) contentment
-
Rays piercing through clouds symbolize personal enlightenment, instead of divine light
Visuals by Carlotta Steckner
SYMBOLISM & VISUAL PLOT DEVICES
Hawk
- Offers a parallel with Ruth (observant)
hawks have incredible eyesight and can see far distances, which deems them with qualities such as foresight, clarity, and spiritual vision
- Exhibits more of the sisters’ faulty methods
- Provides visual symmetry for beginning and ending
Weather
- Main perceivable sign of the changing world and ever-approaching danger.
overall colour range is set to change as the story progresses from a bright morning sky, to a cloudy and desaturated atmosphere, to a soft blend of light and colourful tones
- Correlates with Ruth's own clouded judgment and eventual illumination
Rope
- Visual representation of the cloister’s group ideology
"if one goes down, we all go down together”
- Storyline tool to help Ruth understand that the other nuns won’t resurface after the avalanche clears up
Binoculars
- A cherished item from her old life, Ruth’s binoculars give a peek into her past field of expertise
- Insists upon her sharp-eyed nature
- Token for main conflict between Ruth and Sister Martin
Animation
As the lead animator of this project, I maximised the characters’ individuality and profile by considering each’s mannerisms and motion rules when it came to choreographing their acting.
example of rendered shot
ACTING CONSIDERATIONS
RUTH:
-
Naturalistic movements
-
Setting her apart as the protagonist navigating an unfamiliar world
BRIDGET:
-
Smooth and bouncy animation (more cartoony style)
-
Emphasizing her cheerfulness and optimism
GERTRUDE:
SISTER MARTIN:
-
Slow and minimal movements
-
Hinting at her advanced age and wisdom
-
Harsh, rapid movements, reminiscent of cut-out animation
-
Capturing her authoritative and decisive nature
As I elaborated in my research paper, it was crucial for me to know how to posit this film in today’s cultural context, considering its quite contentious themes and overall backdrop. I wished for Ruth’s dilemma and search for her identity to be the focus of the story, above all layers of critique.
I thus looked into similar and contrasting examples, to get a clearer idea of the state of affairs in the field of animated comedies (tackling religious topics), and truly fathomed the influence and information on current societal beliefs and opinions alike works hold.
Moreover, it pushed me to dive into ‘genre research;’ i.e. grounding my characters’ respective history (for instance, what pushed each of them to join the convent) on theoretical and testimonial-based research as well as imbuing my script with humorous tricks (ex: pushing existing conflict, exaggerating inherent absurdity of normal situations, experimenting with sentence structure, implying call-backs, playing with perspective, …) which I gathered during my investigation(s).
Connection to research
Visuals by Carlotta Steckner
Future plans
We plan to distribute the film to a number of festivals and eventually for it to serve as a piece of our respective portfolios.
In terms of collaboration, we will continue to work with our composer, Celeste Wright, towards building the final score for the film and ideally would employ some (graduated) students for some of the remaining cleanup (refining the rough animations), colour, and compositing (combining all elements of a shot on an editing software).
TARGET COMPLETION DATE
November 2024
CURRENT COMPLETION STATUS
40%
As an aspiring animation director, I hope this project will reflect some of my skills and storytelling ambitions, and will serve as a step in building my profile as an author. Overall, I am eager to continue working towards the final product!
Although I am not set on any specific technique (as I very much enjoy the sense of renewal that comes with every new project), my general ambition in my practice is to write (script) and visualise (storyboard) lively stories that portray wacky and offbeat characters.
I have observed a tendency towards existential (and sometimes intertwined with the stoic ideology) themes as I tend to dive into matters of an individual’s relation to their social, cultural, or spacial environment. Keen to tell unconventional narratives that offer a foundation for self-reflection, I hope to explore more comparable as well as diverging concepts in future projects by means of new formats (film genres, artistic mediums, and collaborators).
Credits
ART DIRECTION
SCRIPT & STORYBOARD
SCORE
VOICE ACTING
ANIMATION
BACKGROUNDS
COMPOSITING & FX
EDITING & SOUND
Carlotta Steckner
Adèle Fisch
Celeste Wright
marysvoices, Petra Hoffmann
Adèle Fisch, Carlotta Steckner, Leon Loś, Emma Brittmann, Aitana Montalvo Cabornero, Yelyzaveta Lidova, Casper Decraene, Lorana Korolkova
Carlotta Steckner, Andrea Lugo Olvera, Leonie van den Berg, Kelly Ngan
Carlotta Steckner
Adèle Fisch
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Robert-Jonathan Koeyers
Cesare Davolio
Daan Faudet
Arif Abdillah
Thomas Rietbergen
Liz Thijssen
James Powell
Noémie Le Coq