Week 7 Outside of Class/Spring Break

I had some time over spring break and I did more research on ideas. I started looking more into Greek myths, but less popular ones. I wanted to make sure I picked something someone else wasn't likely to do. Then, I came across the story of Taurus and how he became a constellation. I thought this was neat. I decided I will take this story and create an animation for it. So, here is my rewritten narrative for the animation:

A long time ago, there was a bull named Cerus. He wandered throughout the land, without a specific home. Nobody was really sure where he came from. He was a unique bull, in that he was very large and powerful. He also had a bad temper. Because of this, he frequently flew into a rage and destroyed villages and anything that was in his path. He was so large that nothing stood a chance against him. This left people terrified of the bull because there was nothing they could do to stop him. Instead, they ran in terror, hoping to escape. Cerus didn't care and continued to do as he pleased, destroying things left and right. However, one day, while he was trampling through a field of beautiful flowers, a woman appeared in front of him. She had a peaceful demeanor and didn't seem afraid of Cerus. It turned out to be Persephone, the Goddess of Spring. Without speaking a word (as he is a bull) she calmed him. Almost magically, they gained an understanding of each other. As a result, they formed a strong bond and Persephone taught Cerus to control his emotions and his strength. Instead of bursting into rages, Persephone encouraged Cerus to be freer in spirit and kinder. With Persephone on his back, Cerus ran through the fields, this time with flowers growing in his path. At the end of every spring, the two return from whence they came, Persephone to Hades and Cerus to the sky.

I also created a storyboard:

The animation begins with a black screen with the title "Taurus" coming in. I plan on using a chalkboard for this part. Then, stars fade in forming the Taurus constellation. The next scene comes on in by sliding up. I'm debating on using the chalkboard as a background and then having the characters and some of the other objects as cut paper. I want to give the appearance of a puppet show, but obviously in 2d. I am thinking I will attach the characters to popsicle sticks so it looks like puppets but it is still 2d. This will also make moving them easier. The scene that follows the opener is the bull running through the village, trampling it, leaving it in flames. He then runs off screen.

Next, he is seen running left again, this time chasing a crowd of terrified villagers off screen. Finally, he is seen running through a field, trampling flowers in his wake. He is then stopped by Persephone, and his demeanor changes. He becomes calm. Then, another scene change happens.

The final scene shows Persephone and Cerus riding through the fields, flowers growing in their path. The animation ends with a black screen with the Taurus constellation coming up over the previous scene. The Taurus constellation is then shown fading to black and the animation ends.