Volunteer(Idea for Short).

[santosh2]

Hi Everyone,

I have an idea for a live action/animation short. Details are below:-

Title: Volunteer.
Genre: Drama.
Synopsis: Raj, a self centered young Asian man volunteers to help in an old folks’ home. He doesn’t do it out of kindness but he’s struggling to find work and thinks volunteering will look good on his CV. He is asked to care for Peter, a WWII veteran who can no longer walk without assistance and whose eyesight is fading. Peter resents other peoples’ help and isn’t too keen on Raj. Peter often bemoans the fact that the only volunteering people did when he was young was to fight for king and country.

Peter’s prized possessions are his toy soldiers which he keeps strategically positioned on a table. Nobody is allowed to touch them, so when Peter relays stories of his wartime experiences, Raj imagines the pieces coming to life to reenact Peter’s heroic battles.

Eventually Raj begins to grow on Peter as he becomes more knowledgeable about the war and respectful of its veterans. Peter had assumed that much of today’s youth new nothing about it. As Peter’s health deteriorates, Raj endeavors to contact his family but is told that Peter has no family left. As Peter lays dying, Raj sits by his side and tells him that he will volunteer again, this time because he wants to.

If there are any filmmakers/animators who would like to work with me on this then please get in touch. Thanks.
santoshsandhu@hotmail.com

[SAB0TAGE]

Well, aside from the toys coming to life, it doesn’t really sound like a cartoon. That is not to say that it couldn’t be animated. Grave of the Fireflies is one of the best WWII films I’ve seen and it is animated. But still, I would skip the cartoon, write a short script and submit it to a screenplay contest. If you do, here is what your story needs. I think Raj should be court ordered to be there, community service. He should also have a problem that Peter helps him out with. Like in “Sent of a Woman” or “Finding Forester” each character has opposition to overcome and do so only with the help of the other character. Also, Raj’s realization at the end needs to be a bigger, even for a short. Oh and if you do have somebody animate it, realize that it will take many hours of hard work, a lot of blood, sweat and tears… so make sure you put the same amount of effort in to the story. Good luck!