“The Mermaid of Venice” is a visual development pitch for a 5-7 minute animated short film, exploring character and costume design through themes of identity and anonymity. We begin our story in 17th century Venice, where the town is flooded with lavish masquerade balls that create chaos and laughter night in and night out. Whatever happens in Venice stays in Venice - and not just for humans, either. Once in a blue moon when the stars and planets align, the merfolk in the waters below the city are granted the freedom of legs from sundown to sunrise. They don their masks and gowns under the guise of Carnavale’s anonymity, and mingle with the humans to party until daylight.

The inspiration for this story began with my lifelong obsession for tales of mermaids and underwater cities. For half my life, I have even owned diving fins crafted to look like lifelike mermaid tails. The Mermaid of Venice began to truly take form after my high school graduation, when my family and I had the opportunity to explore the canals of Venice for ourselves--a lifelong dream of my mother’s. Between the setting on the water, the unique and colorful architecture, and the art and culture of lively music and intricately decorated masks, the only persistent thought in my head was that this city would be the perfect setting for a story about merfolk.