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(COMING SOON) "Get in the Game" from Allegiance
Allegiance is a Broadway musical about the experiences of Japanese Americans during World War II and heavily inspired by the experiences of George Takei, whose family was one of thousands that were forced into concentration camps by the American military. I'd never seen the musical but really enjoyed listening to the original Broadway cast recording and thought it would be a fun challenge to try and translate one of the songs for an imagined animated film. The song I chose from the musical was "Get in the Game". In this song, brother and sister Sam and Kei Kimura are trying to find ways to make life better at the camps; Sam rallies the people and encourages them to stick together in the face of injustice.
For this storyboard project, I created character sketches based on the original actors and their costumes from the original Broadway musical, and did more research into the experiences of Japanese Americans at the concentration camps, including reading Takei's account of the events in his graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy. All character sketches and storyboards done by me, with the lyrics and music of the song written by Jay Kuo. (Click through to see concept sketches) This is currently a work in progress; stay tuned for more updates in the near future! |
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Current boards of this project:
Planning and Thumbnails
"Eternal Rest"
"Eternal Rest" is a ghost story about a 19 year old intern named Filomena who is being trained by an elderly caretaker named Helena at an ancient yet beautiful cathedral to care for the art and relics that are housed there. Filomena learns from Helena to not only care for the art but to also respect the memory of those whose relics are kept there. Story, character designs, and all storyboards done by me (click through slideshow to see character designs).
This story was inspired by a lot of the weirdly morbid but also dazzling relics that can be found in various old Catholic churches around the world (you can see some of the relics that inspired this story here and here). The cathedral's architecture was heavily inspired by the old churches in Mexico (specifically, the Templo de Nuestra Señora del Carmen in my dad's hometown of San Luis Potosí and the Templo de la Inmaculada Concepción de San Miguel de Allende). |
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Early Concept Thumbnails
"Danzante Shenanigans"
"Danzante Shenanigans" is a short story about a young Mexican-American danzante named Ximena who is running late to the dance performance with her family and is frantically looking for her shoes, called "huaraches". Story, character designs, and all storyboards done by me.
The tradition of danzantes is very significant in Mexican culture; it is heavily influenced by the traditions and culture of the indigenous peoples of Mexico. The types of outfits vary from group to group, but they're always very colorful and with some sort of noisemakers/bells attached. Danzantes will perform their dance on any number of occasions; for Mexican Catholics, it's done to honor and celebrate the Virgin Mary under her title Our Lady of Guadalupe. The celebration for Our Lady of Guadalupe begins on December 3rd and continues until December 12. Growing up, I remember going to these dances often with my family, and they're very fond memories for me, so I wanted to write and board a short story inspired by them! |
Thumbnails
Holy Week Beat Boards
During Holy Week, there is the period of three days before Easter Sunday known as the Triduum, commemorating the Last Supper, arrest of Christ, His crucifixion, and His burial. I wanted to capture a key moment from each day from the perspective of Christ and those who knew Him, so I created one beat board for each day.
Life Drawings and Other Sketchbook Studies
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