Balloon (an AFI film)
I got the chance to work with director Jeremy Merrifield and Director of Photography Frances Kroon (AFI graduates 2018) on their AFI final thesis movie production as a graphic designer and animator with the Art department as well as a BTS on-set still photographer and videographer with the DP, Production, and Direction departments.
Fourteen-year-old Sam Wheeler knows the only way to survive Roosevelt Junior High School is to stay below radar. But that’s impossible after Jason Kingsley picks a fight with him. When a video of Sam crying after losing the brawl goes viral, he can’t escape the humiliation. His parents seem oblivious and his only friend, Adam, pressures him to hit back or it’ll only get worse.
But Sam would rather just disappear. That’s when he starts to realize he is developing superpowers—at least, he seems to be able to fly, even destroy things with barely the flex of his scrawny muscles. With increased bullying at school and alienation from his only friend, Sam is pushed to the edge: will he use his powers to “hit back” and if he does, who will he become in the process?
PROMO KEY ART
MOVIE STILLS
