Lucero

Thesis Short Film.

Co-created by

José Carbonell

Ámbar Rosario

Leimy Mateo

Genre: Fantasy/Drama

Duration: 2 minutes

Technique: 2D animation

A kid gets lost in the forest after a storm crashes his hot air balloon. While searching for a way out, he meets a light spirit, and together they find their way home.

Storyboards

Meet Ollie

Meet Yuya

Directing Role

Animation Guide

FX Animation

As a director, I was responsible for giving clear instructions and providing ongoing feedback on the work of a team of six animators who contributed to our film, ensuring that we met the desired quality standards.

In some instances I provided key animation for better reference, as well as a cleanup and color frame reference for each shot.

Ollie is a small, vulnerable child embarking on on his first adventure as a messenger in a hot-air balloon. His soft, rounded features and warm clothing protect him from the cold.

Yuya is a vulnerable spirit of light trapped inside a lamp in the forest when Ollie finds them. Once freed, they return to their true form.

To guarantee consistency in the animation, I created guides for the fire loop of our character Yuya. This ensures the character stays alive at all times while also saving time during animation.

Prop Design

I created early drafts of the storyboards while our lead character designer, Leimy, helped keep the character on model and made revisions to some panels. It took several drafts before we reached the final version.

The hot air balloon is so essential to the story that it can be considered a character in its own right.

I was the lead FX animator for our short, responsible for animating the rain, fire, thunder, water droplets, and hot air balloon 2D animation, as well as directing our collaborators to achieve a consistent style.