Daria Grudtsina
Firefly
https://dariagrudtsina.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariagrudtsina/
“Firefly” is a digital short film about a lemur that collects fireflies, and in the end, he discovers that fireflies are a free species with their own life outside the jars he collects them in. The entire movie maintains a story structure with an exposition, a rise of action, climax, and resolution:
1. We are introduced to the main character and his collection.
2. He accidentally sets free one of the fireflies and starts to chase it.
3. The climax happens when the lemur discovers the homeland of the fireflies and sees them.
4. As a resolution for the story, he sets every firefly free, and we can see his character develop and change with this action.
“Firefly” is a short cartoonish novel taking place in a swampy forest filled with trees, rivers, and various fantasy-like elements. To make the story side interesting and eye-catching, I decided to make it in the classical rising action-climax manner with the main character developing by the end of the movie. The moral concern of the main character of the short film is the selfishness and blindness of the protagonist about others’ rights and wants. Throughout the movie, we can see the main character going from being thoughtless of others to at least being responsible for others.
Throughout this project, I prioritized making interesting and beautiful visuals for the environment and the main character; I experimented with simulations, particles, and various other technical aspects. I used many different concepts and examples in the technical implementation of the forest elements as well as for the character’s texture, fur, facial impressions.
This project was a significant step in my learning and a challenging obstacle to overcome. Nevertheless, the outcome is satisfying since I learned and practiced certain aspects I planned to improve, and the retrieved experience is valuable.
