Zoe’s Flying Machine

The protagonist in my film, who has now come to be known as Zoe (thanks holly!) has the ability to fly using a machine that she wears on her back. Originally this flying machine was powered by four individual lasers that shot down to earth from four satellites in orbit. The lasers were completely theoretical in that they sent the effects of one environment into another. In the case of the satellites, they sent the weightlessness of space to Zoe on the ground allowing her to fly. It's kind of visible in this storyboard panel:

These lasers became really problematic during the later stages of plot development as they restricted movement in the character and would be too difficult to animate and apply effects to. Because Zoe’s ability to fly is integral to the plot, I have tried to come up with a new simpler flying system.

The following sketch is the latest attempt at a very mechanical and simple flying system. I’ve gone for solid rectangular wings with the propulsion originating from within the wings themselves. This design is mostly geared towards easy animation, as animating Zoe’s body in flight will be hard enough. There are four individual wings in this image but the rear two can be removed if necessary.

On the other hand, suggestions for a more biological flying system resembling actual wings like those on a bird inspired the next image. In the revised version of the animatic God repairs Zoe’s flight system at the end and although it is not fully shown it is suggested that God gives Zoe angel wings. Because of this I’ve tried to keep these wings mechanical for the most part to allow for their transformation at the end.

It’s probably worth noting that I’m still not happy with these designs. I think they need more refining. A balance needs to be achieved between the simplicity of a mechanical system and the complexity of a real set of wings. I stepped back into anime and mecha to take a quick look at some brilliant examples within the medium and found that fully biological wings (in their appearance) can work better than I’d imagined. So with all this new information it’s time to try again. Hopefully the next image titled ‘Flight Machine’ should be the last one.