Film

Final Call - An Animated Short Film

• Authentic
• Soulful
• Funny

Premise

Have you ever felt like you have missed out on something? Or on someone.  Or wondered what if? What if I had gone? What if I had stayed? What if I had said something? Well, “Final Call” is just about that what if. It’s about (not) missing an opportunity. It’s about seizing the moment. “Final Call” is a love story about Cat (who is a cat) who bumps in to her old flame and ‘might-have-been” lover Doug (who is a dog) at airport security. During a very awkward conversation (with heavy underlying subtext), and constantly interrupted by airport security staff and procedures, Cat and Doug realise they made a big mistake due to a misunderstanding.

About the Project:

“Final Call” is a project for an eight-minute 2D traditionally animated short film. I first came up with the idea for "Final Call" during Animation Sans Frontières, the European Animation Production Workshop subsidised by MEDIA and hosted by four of the biggest Animation Schools in Europe. That's also when I was invited to further develop the project at The Open Workshop, the artistic residency at The Animation Workshop in Viborg, Denmark. With their support I wrote the script in English and Portuguese, I developed the character designs with the help of Magnus Møller and I also directed Mads Juul on the making of 2 minutes of Storyboard/Animatic. The purpose of this development work was to have enough material with which to apply for production funding.

More recently Marie Jørgensen also joined our team as the background designer.

I now feel it’s time to take the leap to write and direct a film with higher production values, a suitable budget and schedule and with the involvement of a greater team. I would like “Final Call” to be a calling card for my vision as a writer and director and for it to become part of the film festival circuit.

I would very much like Rocket Hub to be the springboard to the making of "Final Call". I am asking for a third of the budget, with which I could complete the development stage and enter the pre-production and production stages, as well as stand a better chance to apply for match fundings or co-production opportunities. Every contribution will be much appreciated. And if we happen to exceed the target that would be even more magical! I can't wait to be able to commission the extremely talented team and to make this dream come true!

Production Blog: http://shortfilmproductionblog.blogspot.com/

Credits:
Writer-Director: Sara Barbas

Character Designs: Sara Barbas, Magnus Møller, Mads Juul

Design Consultant: Magnus Møller

Colour: Henrik Sønninksen

Storyboarder: Mads Juul

Background Designer: Marie Jørgensen

Development Consultant: Jeanette Nørgaard

Crowdfunding-Video Editor: Fruzsina Gaal

About Sara:

Although I am originally from Portugal, I have been living in the UK (and all over Europe!) for 10 years now. I have worked in the animation industry since 1997, both in 2D animation (Animanostra/RTP, Portugal) and as a stopmotion animator, creative and writer (Aardman Animations/BBC, UK), having written for Shaun the Sheep and developed my own children’s series at Aardman Animations. I have always backed up my professional development with further studies. My graduation film for the MA in Animation at UWE, “Wherever You Go There You Are” was selected for several international film festivals and awarded in Portugal, Mexico and the UK. I am presently writing commissioned scripts and writing and developing my own projects.

Sara's webpage: www.sarabarbas.com

Sara's IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2187663/

Motivations

The inspiration for “Final Call” came from a true story that happened to a friend of mine. I never again forgot the feeling that came over me when she told me how her and this young man missed out on a great opportunity, when they were very much in love, because of a small misunderstanding. And years later, they realised this over a coffee. But it was too late. The feeling of having missed an opportunity seemed so strong to me I wanted to emulate it and represent it and share it with an empathetic audience.

Also, as a frequent traveller, I have spent many long hours at the clinical environments that are airports. I have queued endlessly and gone through security countless times. For this I wanted to use the setting of an airport – a place of transition, of arrival, of departure. And in particular the security check – where you have to go through an almost humiliating process of x-raying your belongings, taking off coats, scarves, boots, getting out laptops. Of almost feeling like you have done something wrong.

These two ideas together have been the basis for “Final Call” and my goal is to, even if for a brief moment, have an audience feel for the characters and identify themselves with them and hopefully leave the screening feeling that they ought to seize the day.