This is my pitch for my end of year 2 minute animation. For this ultimate project, students can make a 2 minute animation about anything they like as long as it incorporates aspects of conflict within it. For this, I have gone on and chosen to present my own version of a Nigerian urban legend. The story of Oroma.
Story of Oroma:
(Although there are different variations of this urban legend, I will specifically go with this one.)
The story of Oroma is one of the urban legends told in Nigerian boarding schools. The story follows a school girl who always had the finest, most beautifully made hair. Oroma was popular for being undeniably the most beautiful girl in the school, and always having her hair well made. However, whenever she was asked who styled her hair or how she did her hair, she would never give away the answer. It was especially suspicious how she would frequently have new hairstyles, and when looking at African hairstyles, they take a lot of time, effort and even money to be done.
One night, one of her roommates woke up and was horrified when she saw a headless Oroma, plaiting her own hair with her head in her lap.
PODCAST (If anyone would like to listen to this version of the story)
EXPERIMENTATION SKETCHES:
After looking through some hairstyles on Pinterest, I began to sketch out in advance the possible hairstyles I could use for Oroma's design. I managed to do three pages of hairstyles, which out of all of them I would just pick one to go with. (Since Oroma is said to have always had a new style everyday, I might pick two more for her, maybe.)
OROMA'S CHARACTER DESIGN:
OROMA ROOMATE CHARACTER DESIGN:
Since no other character is focussed on in the legend, I decided to also do a character design sheet for Oroma's roommate. I will include her and make her one of the main characters in the animation. In fact, I even plan on making her the narrator of the story and for it to be partially told from her perspective.
HOW WILL I INCLUDE CONFLICT?
My plan to include conflict will be based on social exclusion. Despite knowing the urban legend, it is a simple story and does not delve into how Oroma's social life was, or how she got along with other students, etc. Due to this, I intend to give her a very reserved and mysterious personality. Her outward persona is confident, yet she keeps to herself, and due to this the other students around her end up perceiving her as cocky, stuck up and self important.
Because of this view point, she ends up in social conflict with the other students that puts her into isolation. My version of her would be described by many as a loner.
Her reactions to the ill-treatment of the other girls will be neutral, and vague, and I plan to ultimately make the viewers wonder if she even feels anger or resentment. The absence of a common human reaction to mistreatment will further abstract her from normality and ultimately make her appear estrange to the audience.
Despite me adding my own spice to the story, I do want to maintain that mystery to the tale and not present too much about her. Every presentation of her will be from another characters viewpoint, and that way I can maintain her mystique and still uphold an eerie sense to the story, since the audience themselves won't even know who and what Oroma really is.
BEGINNING PLAN:
The opening will start with the voice of a detective, who is questioning the students of Ayobami Girls Boarding School. While talking to each student, he strives to find out any clues or information on the possible whereabouts of the missing student Oroma, who has mysteriously vanished. However, it is unknown if the girls know nothing about Oroma or are simply being uncooperative with him during the interrogation. It eventually becomes clear somewhere during the sessions, that few actually even liked the missing student.
In addition, I have done a scrap practice animation for the opening scene. Here we have the detective introducing himself and beginning to question one of the students on Oroma's disappearance.
BTW-The audio here is not perfect because this was rushed and it was a practice creation and not the official.
ANIMATION PRACTICE OPENING SCENE: IJEMMA'S INTERROGATION
2 Minute Film Pitch Script
Teaser: A missing student, a school full of girls who envied her and a struggle to get the truth out of them. Detective Olabisi Ajaye strives to find out the mystery behind Oroma's disappearance, but will he get the answer he expects?
Synopsis: This story is a twisted interpretation of the Nigerian urban legend of Oroma. It is presented as a partial POV of a detective that enters a girls boarding school to investigate the disappearance of one of the girls, Oroma. As he interrogates each student, it eventually becomes clear to him that nobody wants to speak with him on the situation, further pushing him to question if the girls behaviours, prior to the disappearance, resulted in Oroma's mysterious leave. The story of Oroma is told through the perspective of her roommate Erinma, and as we delve into the tale with Detective Olabisi, one must decide if the story is true or false. The animation will be done in 2D style, and the music will be minimal and simple, but enough to set an eerie and estrange atmosphere.
STORY BOARD:
ANIMATIC:
The animatic did turn out undesirably long, but I do plan to cut out some scenes in the actual animation so that the outcome does not drag on like this one.
Animation background design Images:
Scenes That Have Been Completed So Far For The Animation:
Some scenes put together for Oroma's bathroom exposure:
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