Exactly three years ago I was in Norway as a guest director in a film festival and, during a break between screenings, a very friendly guide was showing us the little town around. The tour was very interesting and the guide engaging.
We have almost arrived back at the hotel, and we were crossing a bridge, when the guide told us one last anecdote, pointing at the water: it was about some students, and a little island appearing and disappearing because of the tide. I found that little story so funny that I made a sketch.
The sketch sat in my sketchbook for a couple of days, but I remember that already on my flight back home I was starting writing and doodling.
One year later I had the chance to develop a short-film at the artistic residency Open Workshop, in Denmark. Here the idea for MAREA (the Italian word for “tide”) was born: an animated short film about a special family living on a tiny island and dealing with the ups and downs of their everyday life and of the tide. Marea (2021)
Here is some concept art I made while developing the style for the short film. I want the look to be geometric and graphic, to express the mechanism that regulates this little world and the delicate balance of every ecosystem. I aim to use watercolor textures, because of the important role of water in a story regulated by the tide. The Character Design clearly reflects the connection with the moon, which is part of the equation when it comes to the tide.
Once the script, the storyboard, and the characters were done, everything was ready to start the production and the actual animation.
I could not apply for any funds until now, because in the meantime I moved to another country and I had to wait a couple of years to be eligible.
So, I started to work on it completely by myself, in a real one-man-band style. It is for sure challenging to produce a short animated film alone, this process is teaching me a lot about self-discipline and the animation industry.
I plan to produce MAREA by the end of the year. It is a passion project, so my goal is to finance it through Patreon, a great platform for artists and art lovers.
There I share the behind-the-scenes of my freelance life in Switzerland and the journey for the making of an independent short film.
Please consider supporting me and MAREA: if you like the story and would like to see it come to life, and also if you want to be part of the behind the scenes, you will love that little community! I hope to see you there
