The Levare Animatic is “Locked”!

We've now "locked" the Levare animatic, which means it’s the final version, and the foundation on which the film will be built. There'll be improvements to the film as we work through production, but there'll be no more revisions to the animatic. It’s an exciting position to be in. We're confident we've crafted something great, so we can move forward without any doubts!

The animatic went through several drafts over the years. Production of it started in 2016, and the first draft was completed in April 2023. That might sound ridiculous, because it is, but that’s not a full-time commitment. Levare is a passion project, so it’s only worked on when there’s spare time and money available. This period only equates to about 1000 hours of work.

This first draft had rough sound effects and placeholder music (mostly from existing movie soundtracks) and was good enough to seek feedback, so we shared it with our “brains trust”. The response was mixed, but that’s not uncommon (early versions of Star Wars and Toy Story didn’t do so well either!) and we received some great feedback.

The second draft was completed in October 2023. It featured an original score by Pablo Anson and Sara Dolado, and a scene reworked by story artist Grant Harris. It screened to a test audience and received an average rating of 82%. Here’s a reminder of what some viewers had to say:

“...a visually stunning story that captures the spirit of adventure and the power of human connections.”

“...an imaginative and original story that allows for interpretation and is both engaging and uplifting.”

“An uplifting short film that shows the victory of light and experience over darkness and adversity through perseverance and friendship.“

The response was overwhelmingly positive, and we felt like we were on the right track. Thanks again to all who participated in the test screening. Your feedback was invaluable!

The third draft was completed in March 2024. We addressed common areas of concern or confusion by our test audience, consulted animation editor Luke Mackay (The Lego Movie), and made some other important updates.

The fourth and final draft was completed in December 2024. This addressed some minor issues that were long overdue, but not necessarily essential for it to work. While the story and the way in which it’s told will not deviate much from this when we go into production, we do want to have some flexibility with cinematography and editing, and we also want to give our animators more freedom to “perform”. We plan to update the shots and cuts to suit the action and also the final design of the world.

We’re thrilled to have completed the “story” part of pre-production, but now we need to complete the “art” part of pre-production. We have a few more things to produce concept art for, then we’ll be moving on to finalising all the art and design for the film to lock in the final aesthetic. When pre-production is completed, it should be crystal clear what the final film will be, and that’s an exciting prospect!