aquard-catch

[aquard-catch]

Research and Development Part 3: Part 3

5/22/23

[aquard-catch]

Research and Development Part 3: Part 2

5/22/23

[aquard-catch]

Research and Development Part 3

After additional feedback on my previous iterations of storyboards and character designs, I applied the advice I recieved; I added a mini ticking time bomb in the opening scene for more resistance, as well as improved the consistency and dynamism of my character expressions and action poses. In addition, I also created a few moving style frames to help convey the mood and vision of the film.

I'm going to upload the other two style frames in a second and third post due to post limitations.

5/22/23

[aquard-catch]

Research and Development Part 2

After receiving feedback on the first pass of my storyboards, I worked on the opening scenes to clarify and intensify the meeting of the two characters. I also reworked the opening chase into a more dynamic shot that follows Weaver through the crowd and makes us feel more like we're trying to keep up with the character. I also did some expressions and action poses for Weaver, Carmen, and Kayla.

5/16/23

[aquard-catch]

Research and Development

Here is the first iteration of the storyboards for Aquard Catch! I have a few transitions that I might want to work on clearing up, but for now this is what I've got

5/9/23

[aquard-catch]

World

Aquarium Viewing Room

The aquarium viewing room is a large, fun-colored room themed to the ocean and speckled with rainbows of vibrantly colored fish (that scream the 80s) on a deep blue background. It is a tall room with a giant tank at the front where the mermaids perform. The whole room - ceiling to carpet - is majorly blue, and even the light present in the room is a greenish-blue glow that shines through the water tank into the audience. Mermaids perform aquatic acrobatics before an audience of both young and old; indeed, the aquarium has seen its fair share of crying babies, romping children, and tourists aweing at the sights. The room is dimly lit, the only light coming from the water’s glow and the two entryways on either side of the theater. The floor is terraced with two sets of metal railings separating the levels, and a backstage door blends into the wall on the right side of the mermaid tank.

Backstage

The backstage is a plain room not meant for the public eye; it’s only a space for maintaining and accessing the mermaid tank. A small section of concrete floor separates the door and the tank, and the water’s surface takes up the rest of the space. A half-ring of metal grating circles the pool’s edge, and at the far side of the room scaffolding stands atop it. A little ladder sits at the edge of the pool. The plumbing and wiring runs exposed along the walls. Aquarium implements such as inflatable boats, nets, water tanks, life preservers, and a rolling cart with salt bags atop it are scattered about the room. To the side, there are four “dressing rooms” - stalls with red curtains for doors - where the mermaids get ready for their show. The mermaids’ tails hang on the wall next to the stalls. The room lacks much color and has one patch of highly concentrated artificial light to the side of the pool; the rest of the room is dim. There are high ceilings with exposed beams, and the light fixtures on them do not illuminate the water’s surface very well. Overall, the bareness and harsh lighting give the room an unwelcoming, ominous feel.

Stairwell and Hallway

The stairwell and hallway are a kind of liminal space between the viewing room and backstage. This is where employees leave their cleaning supplies and take breaks, so one might find a stray mop bucket or some pizza boxes lying around. Chairs lay propped against the wall next to a fold-up table underneath the staircase, ready for use. Cork boards full of the mermaid’s personal lives - photos, jokes, inspirational quotes - hang on the walls. Exposed wiring tubes and a ventilation system run along the wall and across the ceiling. The hallway leads underneath the staircase and opens up into an area with a higher ceiling. The door to the viewing room lies at that end. The walls are painted dark blue with dark gray floors and trim. When employees aren’t present, they keep the hall dark; the only light is a dim blue glow and a red shine from the exit sign above the door. A prop trident lays against the wall behind the door.

Police Locker Room

The police locker room is a cozy place where officers go to cut up and tease each other while they dress for the job. Its colors are warm, despite the majorly white and gray walls and ceiling. Red-brown lockers line the room, and a bench sits between them with a mirror on the wall at the end. A filing cabinet sits next to the door. Stickers speckle the lockers where officers have personalized them over the years. Shirts and boots are strewn about in the officers’ haste - or sloppiness. One might find an unfinished meal or two lying around somewhere. One tiny window close to the ceiling lets in the natural light.

Style Frames

I did five instead of three style frames to get a better feel for how the mood changes across more points of the story. I couldn't decide on only three important moments.

4/17/23

[aquard-catch]

Characters

Russ Weaver

Weaver is a Tennessee detective who prides himself in his manhood. He’s a true country boy who’s familiar with the backwoods. His detective skills are exceptional; he’s sharp, observant, strong, and good with his gun. His flaw is his pride; he’s afraid to do anything that might make anyone question his masculinity. That, and he sucks with women. He hates girly stuff and the color pink. In his little town, nothing much happens, so Weaver has a pretty simple approach to things; he just wants to catch the occasional petty bad guys and get them out of the way so he can get to more important business - like hunting or fishing or something. His dream, though, is to take down a real criminal - one of the ones worth missing a hunting trip for, like those guys on the FBI’s most wanted list. Despite his love for the outdoors, this tropical island he’s vacationing on is a different story. Everything is so touristy, and the place’s main attraction is a mermaid show - what a huge insult to his masculinity. If the guys back home caught him watching that, they would laugh at him for the next decade.

Carmen Maddoc

Maddoc is a tough-girl ex-police woman from California, and boy is she bitter. Her strengths are her brawn, foresight, and police training that make her a force for even a detective to reckon with. She’s flawed in her hot-headedness, spite, and corruption. All the crime she dealt with went to her head, and she finally decided there was no way to stop it all; and if you can’t beat them, join them. One day she disappeared, only to reappear as a name on the FBI’s most wanted list for drug trafficking - she had become a ringleader, and she used her police knowledge to make her harder to stop. She hates being underestimated as a woman, and she loves the feeling of overpowering an opponent, especially macho men who aren’t expecting it. Her goal is to make as much money as possible from drugs without getting caught to spite the system. Her fear is that something might prove her wrong for giving up on justice and becoming a criminal; and that fear makes her all the more hostile.

Kayla

Kayla is a wide-eyed 8-year-old girl who absolutely loves mermaids. The girl never meets a stranger, and she’s always willing to start a conversation (both an advantage and an aggravating flaw). She doesn’t care much what other people think, and when she sees somebody hurting, she’s there to encourage them. She hates octopuses because she thinks they’re the reason she hasn’t been able to meet a real mermaid - she thinks they eat mermaids. Kayla is terrified of losing her mermaid doll, so she carries it with her everywhere. She’s incredibly imaginative, and her dream is to become a mermaid herself; she practices for it every summer in her pool. For now, though, she’ll settle just to meet one. She’s been bugging her parents to take her to see a mermaid show for years, and they finally gave in. 

Lineup

4/10/23

[aquard-catch]

Story

Updated Logline:

A macho detective’s vacation is disrupted when he’s sucked into a fishy situation pursuing a fleeing fugitive through a crowded aquarium.

Beats:

Detective Weaver and his police partner watch a mermaid show at an aquarium

Weaver spots a wanted man

The detective heads after the fugitive

The man escapes backstage

Weaver, alone, follows him

The detective looks but can’t find the criminal backstage

Giving up, he turns to find the fugitive standing there

The fugitive knocks him out

The fugitive throws Weaver into the tank

The water wakes Weaver up

The detective finds that the criminal has put him in a mermaid costume

Weaver swims to the edge of the tank to climb out

He sees the fugitive running for the door

The fugitive flees the room

Weaver climbs out of the tank

Trying the costume’s zipper, it’s stuck

Weaver spots a rolly cart

He rides it to the backstage door

He stops, peeking nervously under the door at the crowd

The detective spots the man in a standoff with his partner

Weaver takes a nearby prop trident

Bracing for embarrassment, he busts out the door into the audience

Propelling himself towards the fugitive, he incapacitates him

The audience bursts out laughing 

A wide-eyed little girl commends him

The guys back at the precinct tease Weaver in the locker room

Weaver doesn’t mind, reminding them that he got the job done

Treatment:

Vacationing on a tropical island in the 1980s, the very masculine Detective Russ Weaver and his police partner stand in a crowded, dark aquarium watching a mermaid show. Weaver isn’t awfully impressed, scoffing at how entranced in the performance the full-grown adults (especially the guys) around him are - this is little girl stuff. Looking around at the audience’s kiddie enthusiasm, he spots a face he recognizes. The detective elbows his partner and nods discretely towards the man. As the two squint him down, the fugitive turns to see them. Knowing he’s been made, he bolts backstage. Weaver darts off after him, a little ways behind and separated from his partner by the crowd. Reaching the backstage - a large room with equipment, costumes, and access to the mermaid tank - Weaver spins around trying to find the man, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Giving up, Weaver turns to leave and finds himself nose to nose with the fugitive. The two struggle and the wanted man knocks Weaver out, taking the detective’s gun and clothes to disguise himself and shoving Weaver into a spare mermaid costume to restrain him. The fugitive rolls the detective off into the tank and runs for the door. The water immediately wakes Weaver up and he realizes what he’s wearing. He splashes over to the edge of the tank to pull himself out as he watches the man fly out the door. Unable to do anything much with his legs, he strains to lift himself up the ladder and onto the edge of the pool. Hating every second of being in that glittery costume, Weaver tries the zipper, but it’s jammed. Huffing, the detective notices a rolly cart with some salt bags on it and gets his lightbulb moment. Weaver drags himself over to the cart, pushes the salt into the floor, and climbs on, riding it to the backstage door. Squeaking to a halt, the detective peeks under the door to look at the audience and sees the fugitive in armed standoff against his partner. Whipping around to find a weapon, he grabs a prop trident from the hallway. Cringing at the embarrassment he’s about to endure, the detective bursts out the backstage door into the crowd and propels himself towards the fugitive, knocking him to the ground. The two tussle, the whole crowd watching until Weaver gets the man on his stomach, asks his partner for cuffs, and cuffs the guy. The audience burst out laughing, hurting Weaver’s pride, but one little girl pushes through to him, telling him how amazing he was. Weaver lights up, smiling at the girl. Back at the precinct, the men in the locker room tease the detective about his escapade; it doesn’t seem to worry him anymore, though. He just makes light of the story and reminds them that he got the job done.

4/3/23

[aquard-catch]

Theme and Logline

Themes:

Sacrifice

Overcoming Pride

Fear of Judgement

My fear of what others may think sometimes keeps me from accomplishing things that I would otherwise be able to do. This struggle is something many people deal with, and it's a difficult thing to overcome. I think that exploring this theme in a humorous narrative is a gentle way to help others, as well as myself, work through this issue.

Logline:

A macho detective’s tropical time off is disrupted when he’s sucked into a fishy situation pursuing a fleeing fugitive and hostage through a crowded aquarium.

3/29/2023