presents
project 1 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
and to begin with, the SyNoPSIS..
Four friends dream of winning a legendary streetball competition. To be allowed to compete, they have to pass a series of dangerous tests, immersed in the streets of a big city in an urban setting full of graffiti, skateboarding and hip-hop music. They’ve been training hard, they’re fast, they’re ambitious and they’re only 15 years old. They’re the Flying Squirrels.
6 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
and to continue, the storyline overview...
FLYING SQUIRRELS
STORYLINE OVERVIEW The Cave of Hell is a mythical event, a competition that changes in space and time, which dates back to the infinitely remote past. At the height of the maritime age, the men who controlled the seas ruled the world, and the pirates who sailed the oceans were masters of the planet. During this era, the different pirates fought duels by fencing and using other Imperial disciplines to win the competition. The most sought-after prize from the Cave of Hell was hidden inside the Sacred Chest, which was hidden and was protected by moving it around from competition to competition. To reach the Cave of Hell, candidates had to pass all the tests, avoiding elimination until they reached to final to open the Sacred Chest. When they opened it, their most treasured dream would come true. This prize, coveted by all, was also a curse: because the winner’s greatest wish would come true, he would
also lose all the motivation that drove him forward. This is why the cycle would be repeated every so often and the competition would start again, looking for a final victor who would be able to stand the burden of all his dreams coming true. That is why the Sacred Chest has been hidden for such a long time, and now, in the city streets, the Cave of Hell is awakening once more. The characteristics of the competition have also changed over the years. Those who aspired to win the Sacred Chest travelled all over the world to participate in this mythical duel. The sport in which they will have to compete is now much more urban in nature: Streetball. During the last competition in the Cave of Hell, Francis Corso and his team won the streetball championship. Francis, the leader of the group, opened the Sacred Chest and all his dreams came true. However, once again he couldn’t tolerate the winner’s curse, and he mysteriously disappeared.
animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
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Now, years later, his son Pierre Corso, is trying to get a group of adolescents together to form a streetball team to get into the Cave of Hell. That is how he joined forces with Joseph, Pep and Joan to form “The Flying Squirrels” streetball team. Pierre does not know the origins of the competition, neither does he have any idea what prize is inside the Sacred Chest. However his goal is very clear: To enter the tournament and discover what happened to his father. To do this, he has only a key which was bequeathed to him before his father disappeared and some skills which, together with those of the team, could take him to his goal. However, the other teams are stronger and they’ve already been training for years. Pierre and the other Flying Squirrels, are getting mysterious instructions to attend trials in different parts of the city. During these tests they get to meet the other streetball teams, who they need to play against if they want to emerge triumphant from the various trials. They have to show they are capable of surfing a powerful wave of sewage in an underworld cloaca, or put an incredibly heavy steel ball through a hoop at the top of the highest skyscraper. As they go through these trials, The Flying Squirrels will become stronger as a team, and little by little the mystery of the Cave of Hell will be revealed.
8 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
Together with this mystery, they will also be putting the pieces together with regard to what happened at the competition that took place ten years ago. They will discover that the head teacher of their school, Massimo Giangrandi, is not only mysteriously connected to the disappearance of children from the school, but that he is also suspiciously interested in the Cave of Hell competition. There, he secretly supports one of the strongest teams, whose leader Sumo Kabuto is the sporting nemesis of the Flying Squirrels. Together he plans they can stop the boys getting into the competition so he can get the big prize for himself. Nobody knows who is behind the organisation of the Cave of Hell, or what force keeps the competition going through time. This secret will be hidden forever, and will never be revealed. Towards the end of the story, the Flying Squirrels will discover that Massimo Giangrandi and the father of Sumo Kabuto, were part of the team led by Francis Corso. They won the competition, but Francis was the only beneficiary of the hidden prize in the Sacred Chest. Massima Giandrandi and the rest of the team swore to get their revenge. Because of this, and to protect his family, Francis Corso has spent the last ten years in the shadows, waiting for the time when the new generation would lift the curse from him. He is the one who has been sending Pierre all the dates for the tests, and who is turning the wheels of destiny to
take them to the Cave of Hell, because he is certain that they have the inner strength needed to win the prize, without suffering the disastrous consequences that the Sacred Chest has caused in his life. In the final episode, the Flying Squirrels access the content of the Sacred Chest. Then there is a long debate about who is going to be asking for their wish, and because they know that the person they choose will be cursed by seeing all his dreams come true, they choose Joan to open the Sacred Chest. This character, the least ambitious and the simplest of the four, is the one who is innocent enough to overcome the curse. He ends up making an incredibly simple wish, which finally redeems everyone.
DIMENSIONS OF THE STORY. The development of the story can be drawn in one ascending and one descending curve. The ascending curve, along which the main characters grown, starts from an initial point and takes a route that not only advances forwards, but also upwards. This growth mainly reflects the passage from adolescence to adulthood, through situations that occur during this difficult time of life (discovering love, fear of looking ridiculous, friendship, leaving behind childish values, sexuality, relationships with parents). In the same way, and in the more mythical dimension, the personalities also grow/transform from everyday, common people into heroes. When they reach the climax of the story, at the end, they also reach the maximum level of knowledge. They are “lifted up” through the personal and physical growth
which they have been experiencing through the story, and which comes to a close when the learn the secret hidden by the Sacred Chest. In the same way, when it comes to the story universe, in the Flying Squirrel’s environment the graphics follow a descending curve. As the story moves forward, the settings and decors leave the earthly starting point, and geographically the story starts to move downwards, into hidden, underground worlds. Little by little they move from a normal school/ neighbourhood setting into a much more fantastical world, but always within the city limits. In the journey they travel while doing the tests, the Flying Squirrels become familiar with these urban worlds that are almost absurd, which are not the only ones, and where anything might happen. The story has a dense atmosphere, where fantastic elements start appearing (the pirate world, the werewolves, zombies). The secondary characters who appear in the various dimensions, help to take the story forward. Secondary characters such as the female characters, Massimo Giandrandi and Pierre Corso, participate in both dimensions of the story: while participating in the “personal” growth of the Flying Squirrels, they also have a role in the most fantastic dimension of the story.
9 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
10 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
TECHNOLOGY USED AND ARTISTIC CONCEPTION. The technology planned is computerised animation, from construction and development of the characters and 3D background (Autodesk Maya); to post-production techniques and Motion Graphics (Adobe AfterEffects) and some traditional animation and comic techniques. All this will be integrated, with a view to achieving a final result that will be very close to the aesthetics of contemporary western comics. All the colour details, lighting, textures and finishes are designed to create a credible “moving comic” universe, which will provide great freedom in terms of shots and frames, always maintaining the classical cinematographic narrative concept (which is also found in the aforementioned comics) where the story is more important than being spectacular, or the technique used. The intention is to create a visual and narrative scheme that integrates the flexibility of comics with the technical possibilities of the 3D tool, giving it the solidity of art required by the story and the technical freedom provided by this marriage.
11 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
Leading. CHARACTERS.
Joseph Drake. Joseph is the leader of the group, he is the self-sacrificing hero. He always gets hurt, but he never gives up. He is one of those people who always go back for more. His primary objective is always to achieve what seem like impossible goals. To do this this obsessively trains and perfects his skills. As well as being a good basketball player, he good at skating and parkour. He is passionate and always pushes himself harder. He is a protector, and always wants to look after his friends and family. Although he is brave and confident, one of his greatest fears is failing and disappointing himself and others. When this happens, Joseph gets blocked and doesn’t know what to do. This weakness makes him vulnerable and means he really needs his team of friends on his adventures. Because he is so competitive, he also runs the risk of seeing enemies that do not exist.
12 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
Pierre Corso. Pierre is the wise one of the bunch. He’s got attitude and looks too cool to be true. He is the one who knows things, and shares them with the other members of the gang. He is convinced that the best route to personal growth is to discover the essential truths of the world around him. He is analytical and reserved, and his thoughts always have deeper meaning than those of the rest of the team. He is more refined and elegant than the others, because he comes from a different social background. He has come to solve the mystery of his father’s disappearance, and he won’t stop until he knows the truth. He is an extremely skilled roller blade skater, and nobody can beat him at fencing. He is so afraid that he will not be able to discover the truth or that he will be conned, that sometimes he becomes overcome by suspicion. Because of his personality he runs the risk of becoming dogmatic, trapped in impractical theory and paralysed by analysis. That is why he needs the other members of the team to complement him.
13 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
Pep Morgan. Pep is the joker and the one who really knows his way around the streets. He always manages to get what he wants one way or another, and he always falls on his feet. He wants to have the best possible time, all the time. He can’t bear being bored, because he thinks it is just a waste of time. He always tries to lighten up stressful moments with a joke, and although he sometimes makes other people laugh, most of the time he is just inappropriate. He is a BMX expert (Bicycle Motor Cross) and is a videogame fanatic. He is insightful and sarcastic, and a lot of the time there is more than a little evil in his comments. He likes women and has a very dirty mouth, which is why his speech is so often peppered with the censor’s beeps. He shows clear signs of being rather a Don Juan, and he is very good at seducing girls, although he is rather a scoundrel. Because of his hedonistic character, he runs the risk of being superficial. His greatest weakness is not taking anything seriously and not realising how important and solemn some situations are. That’s why he needs the rest of the group.
14 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
Joan Ferro Joan Ferro is the most innocent member of the group. He loves his friends and family a lot, and he is a really good boy. He values purity and simplicity above all else. He tries to live in harmony with the laws of nature. He is genuine and he doesn’t like two faced people. He is very good with computers and is extremely artistic, which is evident from the graffiti he does. Because he is fat, he is not very skilful, but his physical strength is essential to the operation of the team, although Joan only uses it when necessary. He has the strength of 1000 men, although he is totally honest, and is incapable of lying. When he does, he is always found out because he looks so nervous. His biggest fear is to make a mistake that will throw him to chaos or comprise his standards. Because his mother is over protective, he has a tendency to be childish and needs his friends to teach him to be more independent.
15 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
Secondary character
Massimo Giangrandi, the teacher at the high school.
head
He is the master and ruler of the Institute. The powerful figure feared by all. He is the one who dictates the rule of law in the school. The manner in which he manipulates and behaves make him somewhat similar to a mafia boss. He always appears cloaked in shadows in this office, watching what is going on outside through his network of informers. Like the tyrant he is, he hates chaos and insurrection, which is why what he wants most of all is to stop The Flying Squirrels from achieving anything. Although he has other, hidden reasons for not wanting the team to reach the Cave of Hell.
16 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
Francis Corso, Pierre’s father. Born into a wealthy family, he has an essential part to play in the drama. Towards the end he becomes one of the pieces needed to complete the puzzle. He has spent his life perfecting his technique, mastering other sports and martial arts, to reach superior knowledge. His disappearance is a mystery to everyone. When he was young, he managed to discover the biggest secret in streetball techniques. He became the best and he is the most powerful of all players. Nobody could beat him. His sudden disappearance turned into the legend of a clan of highly trained players, who sooner or later would return to the streets to use the secret technique.
Laura, Joseph’s sister.
Sara Key, the pretty girl.
In the beginning she is the team’s ally, and especially that of her brother. She helps him in every day she can to reach his goal, except when this means getting herself into trouble. However, as the episodes go by, she also shows she is capable of competing in the Cave of Hell, rivalling even her own brother.
She is the pretty, popular girl at school. They’re all crazy about her. She is a character without a stable charge. Her being there can have positive or negative effects, depending on the situation. In the beginning she is the team’s ally, but as time goes by she tries to get between Joseph and Pierre, endangering the stability of the group. She is also a part of the Viper Squad.
Andrea, the school reporter. She is inquisitive and ambitious. She is not particularly good-looking, and has more of a nerdy image. She is never without her glasses, and she is always trying to find out news and gossip everywhere. She is Joseph’s friend, although she is secretly in love with him. Sometimes she can be a bit of headache, because she never stops trying to interfere in everything. However, was the episodes go by she will also become part of the female streetball team, that will play against The Flying Squirrels.
animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
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Episode 03: The street test.
GENERAL STRUCTURE. 26 Episodes x 13 Minutes. Approach: Episodes 01 to 05. (The Introduction). Episode 01: Face to face. Joseph is called in to see the head teacher, Massimo Giangrandi, in his office. Once there, Giangrandi takes a look through Joseph’s big, fat school records. Through Joseph’s flashbacks, the viewer will get to know Pep and Joan better. Massimo Giangrandi puts pressure on Joseph during the conversation for him to explain what his connection is to the new exchange student coming from France. Pierre Corso has expressly requested to be in the same class as his three friends. Joseph does not give Massimo Giangrandi the information he wants, and when he leaves the office he meets Pierre, whose face he has not seen for 10 years. Episode 02: Missing Baby. Pierre introduces Joseph to the mystery involving the Cave of Hell. Joseph doesn’t believe that this is anything other than an urban legend, however, the idea of Pierre joining the team thrills him. Together they convince Pep and Joan to get money to buy official shirts for the team. Pep offers to baby sit for the neighbour to get his part of the money. However, Pep is more interested in his video games than in doing his job, and he loses the child. To get him back he has to chase all over the city rooftops, because he is convinced that the baby has escaped through the window. Finally Pep, after his chaotic chase followed by a dangerous street gang, gets home, thinking he has lost the baby, only to find that he is still in bed. He goes back to his video console, and sees that before he left on his search he was playing “Missing Baby”, a game with obstacles where the participant has to find a lost baby in the chaos of a dirty, noisy city.
18 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
While the Flying Squirrels are still looking for ways to get money, very young children are mysteriously disappearing from the school. The pupils don’t talk about it, but everyone knows that Massimo Giangrandi is involved. In the meantime, Joseph’s friend, Andrea, is a reclusive student, addicted to computers, and she starts investigating the disappearance of children from the school, publishing her findings on her very popular blog. The Flying Squirrels will also be participating in a street competition, where they will meet several of their future opponents in the Cave of Hell. Episode 04: The wolf man. Andrea is very suspicious and starts investigating Pierre, discovering that his father has disappeared and that he has been living with his mother in exile in France for the last ten years. At the same time, during one of his gluttonous attacks in the solitude of the school basement, Joan is attacked by a werewolf who lives there. He manages to emerge uninjured, and then tells his friends that he now knows why the children are disappearing. His friends make fun of him, but they decide to go with him and investigate. Once they have lost all interest in the story, they discover that the werewolf is Mr Isóceles’, the school janitor’s pet. Episode 05: The school dance. The Flying Squirrels decide to carry out a plan to beat the werewolf. In the meantime, Andrea discovers that the janitor, Isóceles, is feeding him on the direct instructions of Massimo Giandrandi. The school dance is that night, and Joseph is refusing point blank to go. His friends don’t understand why, and Joseph tries to explain to them that he feels really embarrassed about wearing formal trousers. They finally persuade him. Before the dance starts, Pierre sees a strange movement under the stage, and he and his friends go and take a look. But they are surprised by the werewolf, who chases them. Finally they manage to trap him, and when the boys have managed to get him under control, Massimo Giangrandi turns up and forces them to let him go. The head teacher threatens them with expulsion if they dare to go
into the school at night again. This is the start of a more open rivalry between Massimo Giangrandi and the Flying Squirrels. From a hidden corner, Andrea has managed to record the entire incident with her webcam. This is the card she will play when she needs it. Finally, back on the dance floor, Joseph has to face the embarrassment of dancing with Sara wearing formal clothes. Development: Episodes 06 to 21. (The tests).
Episode 10: The radioactive tip (Test 4) The Flying Squirrels have to clean out a tip filled with industrial waste at a factory in less than 24 hours. To do this they have to fight radioactive reptiles that live in the lake where the dump is located. Episode 11: The birds (Test 5) The Flying Squirrels have to free the city from a plague of crazed pigeons that are starting to attack people as a result of having inhaled car fumes. Episode 12: Trip to China Town (Test 6)
Episode 06: The last pirate. A mysterious message reaches the Flying Squirrels. To find answers to their questions about the Cave of Hell, they must find the last sea pirate, who lives in secret in the hundreds of abandoned dockyards in the port. The Flying Squirrels manage to find him after a dangerous adventure, and the last pirate confirms the existence of the Cave of Hell, especially to the incredulous Joseph. The Flying Squirrels start getting called to do the tests that will take them to the Cave of Hell.
The Flying Squirrels have to visit a chaotic China Town to get a master key, chased by a group of Samurai warriors and Ninjas and closely guarded by the Chinese mafia. Episode 13: The Viper Squad. Andrea, Sara and Laura, who until now have only appeared as satellites of the Flying Squirrels, now appear as one of the teams wanting to reach the Cave of Hell, in direct competition with our friends. Episode 14: Terror in the theme park (Test 7)
Episode 07: The steel ball (Test 1) The Flying Squirrels have to put a steel ball weighing hundreds of tons through a hoop at the top of a skyscraper. After trying to do this in several ways, and using the purest basketball techniques, Joan has to go and save the situation. Thanks to his supernatural strength, they manage to pass the test. Episode 08: Race during rush hour (Test 2) The Flying Squirrels have to compete in a high-speed race through the streets. They have to cross the city in 15 minutes using any means of public transport during rush hour. Episode 09: Surfing in the Underground World (Test 3) The Flying Squirrels penetrate the world of underground sewers in the city. There, they meet the strange inhabitants of this world, who never come out to the surface, and they have to surf on a wave of sewer waste to get out in one piece.
The Flying Squirrels have to get out of an abandoned theme park with their lives. There, as well as their competitors, they have to face a group of zombies living in the park. Episode 15: The Central Library (Test 8) The Flying Squirrels have to spend the night in the Central Library, doing whatever they can to find out the most important historical events linked to the Cave of Hell. Episode 16: Pep, the traitor Pep is tempted to leave the Flying Squirrels in exchange for a big reward from another team. Although he was not going to accept, Pierre finds out, and confronts him with it. Pep is offended, and decides to leave the team anyway. Joseph, Joan and Pierre find that Pep’s leaving the team is a terrible blow.
animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
19
Episode 17: The transfer (Test 9)
Episode 23: The Castro Fighters
The Flying Squirrels have to find the golden ball, hidden in the city’s intricate underground train network.
The Flying Squirrels face up to the Castro Fighters, a group of hip-hop looking players, wearing tons of gold chains.
Episode 18: A trip to the zoo (Test 10)
Episode 24: The Kong Brothers.
The Flying Squirrels must capture all the animals in the zoo that have been let out by the deranged trainer and his team of evil monkeys, the Kong Brothers.
The Flying Squirrels have to face the deranged trainer and his team of trained monkeys again. There is a chimpanzee, a gorilla, an orang-utan and a fairground monkey, all fantastically good at playing streetball.
Episode 19: The Digital Ghost (Test 11) The Flying Squirrels have to get things back in order, because a hacker is wreaking havoc in the city by hacking into the systems of several institutions. Even Joan’s help isn’t enough to do it. They need Pep, the expert hacker. The Flying Squirrels are going to find him, and the team will be back together again. They manage to identify the ghost and to win the virtual battle. Episode 20: Journey into the past (test 12) The Flying Squirrels discover the relationship between Massimo Giangrandi and Francis Corso. The episode is set in the past, where the young Giangrandi and Corso are members of the team and aspire to reach the Cave of Hell. Episode 21: The last Pirate, part 2. The last pirate, who we have not seen since episode 6, returns with more information for the Flying Squirrels. He gives Joseph the Secret Papyrus, which reveals how to reach the Cave of Hell and also talks about the curse that comes with winning the prize.
Outcome: Episodes 22 to 26. (The Cave of Hell). Episode 22: Arrival at the Cave of Hell. The Flying Squirrels manage to get to the Cave of Hell. There they will discover the sinister secrets that link Massimo Giangrandi with Sumo Kabuto.
20 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
Episode 25: The Viper Squad, Part 2. The Flying Squirrels have to play streetball against the Viper Squad. The boys’ adolescent feelings for the girls are mixed with their need to beat their opponents. Episode 26: Sumo Kabuto and the Sacred Chest. The Flying Squirrels are facing their sporting nemesis: Sumo Kabuto and his team of kamikazes. Massimo Giangrandi does everything he possibly can to beat the Flying Squirrels. However, the Flying Squirrels beat the competition in the Cave of Hell, but Francis Corso appears to warn them about the curse that will befall the person who opens the Sacred Chest. After several revelations, the Flying Squirrels decide that Joan is the best choice to open the Sacred Chest. Finally, everything turns out well, and the simplicity of his wish makes the curse ridiculously light.
21 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
22
FACE TO FACE MISSING BABY THE RACE TEST THE WOLF MAN THE SCHOOL DANCE
EP. 15
EP. 14
EP. 13
EP. 12
EP. 11
EP. 10
EP. 09
EP. 08
EP. 07
EP. 06
OTHER WORLDS
THE STEEL BALL RACE DURING RUSH HOUR SURFING IN THE UNDERWORLD THE RADIOACTIVE TIP THE BIRDS TRIP TO CHINA TOWN THE VIPER SQUAD TERROR IN THE THEME PARK THE CENTRAL LIBRARY
THE LAST PIRATE
PLOT 1
EP. 16
EP. 20
EP. 19
EP. 18
EP. 17
THE TRANSFER a TRIP TO THE ZOO THE DIGITAL GHOST INTO THE PAST
DEVELOPMENT: TESTS
OTHER WORLDS
PEP, THE TRAITOR
PLOT 2
animated series \ 13’ x 26 \ 9-12 years \ mago audiovisual production
HIGHSCHOOL/NEIGHBOURHOOD
EP. 05
EP. 04
EP. 03
EP. 02
EP. 01
INTRODUCTION
EP. 21
OUTCOMES
THE CAVE OF HELL
ARRIVAL AT THE CAVE OF HELL THE CASTRO FIGHTERS THE KONG BROTHERS THE VIPER SQUAD, part 2 THE SACRED CHEST
UNIVERSE CURVE: REALISTIC / FANTASTIC
THE LAST PIRATE, part 2
PLOT 3
EP. 22 EP. 23 EP. 24 EP. 25 EP. 26
CHARACTER CURVE: ADOLESCENCE / MATURITY HUMAN / HERO
graphic bible..
36 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
37 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
38 animated series 13’ x 26 9-12 years mago audiovisual production
39 animated series \ 13’ x 26 \ 9-12 years \ mago audiovisual production
40 animated series \ 13’ x 26 \ 9-12 years \ mago audiovisual production