BFA Animation Thesis - The Struggle for Inner Peace

The Struggle for Inner Peace is a story about a small dragon boy, named Rhogar. The piece follows Rhogar on a journey of self-discovery throughout different stages of his life. At a young age we see Rhogar is ruthlessly bullied by the people in his town, so he seeks a way to defend himself. This leads him to the Master, a wizened instructor in martial arts who teaches him how to fight and protect himself. During his training, Rhogar learns to find his own inner peace and move beyond the pain of his past. This story exaggerates the creators' struggles with mental health, sense of identity, and worth. It was made with the intention of creating an open narrative that feels personal and relatable for the viewers that also grapple with their mental health on a daily basis, and to let them know they can triumph over their traumas and anxieties.

Read my Thesis Book, where I wrote about my inspirations, process, and get even more behind the scene's looks at the film.

Thesis Book

Charater Concepts

Child Rhogar is quite small for his stature as a Dragonborn. He has yellowish bronze skin with metallic green highlights. He has small glasses on the tip of his snout and wears a simple blue shirt with a long, pointed, purple cloth across his waist. As a child, Rhogar seems constantly worried and scared, and with good reason due to the constant bullying he experiences in his hometown

Teen Rhogar is much taller than his younger self, being almost as tall as The Master, and now wears dark grey and red Gi. His musculature has clearly developed over time, and he is now much more muscular than his younger counterpart. He seems both more defensive and extremely aggressive. This is clearly a time where his anger is much more control of his emotions.

As an adult, Rhogar is much taller than the master. His Gi is similar in color to that of his Child appearance but looks more like a cross between his Gi as a teen and The Master’s. He has a much more lean and fit build compared to his other appearances. He seems much calmer and in control of himself and his emotions.

The Master is what one would assume is a middle-aged elven gentleman. He wears blue and yellow Gi with a dark black sash across his waist. The master has no hair atop his head and seems like he has seen a lot in his lifetime. Crediting him further with the title of The Master

Storyboards

Watch the story unfold through the original storyboards, you can click through them at your own pace.

Rough Animation

Rhogar Through The Years

The main character of my Thesis, Rhogar (formally known as Prince Rhogar Lucian Balthazar Myastan), is a character that has existed for many years now. Originally created during my sophomore year of high school, Rhogar was my character in my high school Dungeons and Dragons game. Here you can see the original drawing I made of him in his full glory and original design. The story of A Struggle for Inner Peace is inspired by Rhogar's in-game backstory and also takes from other personal feelings and is an exaggeration of my experiences of struggling with my mental health. Rhogar's personality is based on me and telling a loose version of his story and my own struggles has been a unique experience. Below you can find more of the design concepts for other animations and personal pieces. I hope you love him as much as I do.