starting a fresh project

I recently one a computation for an animation nursery with the animation and film studio London, to help support and launch from a animated short film of my creation this will be shown with several of the big UK animation festivals.

Winning this was a big achievement as there is often very little support for creating independent  animated shorts so although it is a bit daunting i didn't want to let them down in creating something I would be proud of and hopefully they could launch an show off too.

The story involves a little boys fear of speaking and contributing to a class environment an so looses the ability to speak with this fear. 

The subject of inspiration was selective mutism that many kids grow up with and have a difficulty in explaining how they feel as well as finding a way of overcoming it.

 This story was something I had been interested in creating, as visualising a feelings of the condition as well as a narrative understanding was the point of the story. 

This subject has a bit of a personal link to me in my upbringing as something I suffered throughout most of my childhood and adolescence in education system as a strong Fobia of speaking in group environments and the social paranoia that often came with it of having my words dissected or twisted against me left me often without a voice,  As well as this gave me a distant disposition which could often be mis interpreted with hostility.

Growing up I have been able to overcome this by gaining confidence in myself from my creative attributes, so the poem hopefully will give people a better understanding of what its like as well as inspire kids with a similar mentality to overcome it too with focusing on something they enjoy. 

storyboard 
My story animation was built around a narrative of a short poem i wrote to pitched to the animation bursary competition and a series of visual storyboards both are below.

unspoken poem

There once was a child that lost their voice,

Their words disappeared but it wasn't a choice.

It was built in fear for when they spoke out, 

That others would laugh, tease and shout.

This fearing of when they spoke,

The words be turned against them like a sharpen poke.

Each word became a fear, which caused them to choke.

When they where told to speak,

Their body trembles and they would feel week 

SPEAK , SPEAK !

But there where no words to fill the silence

It was only seen as an act of defiance.

Then at home alone in their thoughts fled,

To try and forget from what people had said.

Into another world instead,

For their are other things that couldn't speak, 

That didn't make them feel a freak or week

Perhaps, their voices overshadowed simply

What can truly be heard with empathy?

Outside the ordinary world, looking for something more.  

This curiosity drove on more, to look deeper study and draw 

Understanding simple actions alone.

Instead of a sharp gossiping tone

They see what as unheard in this world that was never alone.

Finding other ways to communicate in paper and pen,

Till finding the lost confidence and to speak again.