Puddles

The idea for this film came from quite a strange place-I'd been walking home from class when it was raining one day, and seeing the lights of the New York City skyline reflected as these watercolor-like distortions made me wonder what it would be like for those reflections to be of another world. One that's similar, but not quite our own. That idea eventually led me to think up a story about two kids, one from a place of sunlight, and another from a place of rain, discovering a point of connection and playing together. Haru and Nerissa's story is about two lonely kids wishing for a friend, and finding one in an unlikely, but whimsical place. 

Characters

For the two kids I wanted their designs to reflect their respective sides, but to wear the other's colors on their rain boots, the point of connection on the surface of a puddle. Nerissa’s blue blush and fin-like ears were meant to be a bit of a call to water nymphs, which is also where she got her name, as it means ‘sea nymph’. Perfect for a mischievous little girl from a world of rain. Haru's name in contrast can mean 'Sunshine'.

Backgrounds and Setting

I wanted a clear distinction between the two sides-with the sunny side where Haru’s from painted in warm tones and bright colors, and the rainy side where Nerissa lives to be in cool tones that appear to be melting or acting like dripping paint-as if the rain was literally washing the backgrounds away like those distortions I drew inspiration from. I also drew heavy inspiration from the poster paint backgrounds used within various anime and cartoon productions back in the 80s and 90s when everything was still done from cel. I have a small collection of production materials I keep for study, so I had been experimenting with replicating the techniques I could see within them digitally. I've always had a fondness for animation done entirely via physical artworks and photographed onto film, so that also went into adding film grain and drop-shadows into the compositing. 

I wanted to add a few extra subtle hints to the year the story takes place in, as well as things about the cast that we wouldn’t learn otherwise. Within Haru’s living room and kitchen, you can see items to clue the viewer in that it's 2001. The Sega Dreamcast (1999-2001), a specific Sonic the Hedgehog plush that was released alongside the 2001 Sonic Adventure 2 game, and a calendar in the kitchen having Halloween on a Wednesday as it was that year were all meant as very subtle hints to anyone observant enough to look. I also wanted to hint why Haru loves soccer so much-his Mother plays on a team, and you can see her jersey and awards on the wall. Haru’s outfit is likely even a sort of official jacket, something either sold in the gift shop or specifically made for him to wear to games to match with his mother. 

For Nerissa, her extras are less obvious, but I imagine that she lives with her grandfather because her parents work, and that the old man was a sea captain. The finishing net near the shed, the boat by the house, the buoys on the deck, and the anchor are likely mementos from his youth. I always enjoy making backgrounds that give extra clues to context and story, so it was my goal to try and hide as much information as I could without it becoming too overwhelming. I wanted a more cartoon-like simplicity to the settings, so it was an interesting task to balance compared to how I usually prefer making my settings more cluttered. 

Thank you for viewing 'Puddles' and please enjoy!