D4WN | Synopsis
In a world where invention determines power and purpose, Jasmine, a spirited young tinkerer, is racing against the clock as she approaches a life-changing breakthrough for the last Mordell Inventor’s Fair. After months of relentless effort, she aims to build a colossal robot that could elevate her to the status of a renowned inventor. However, her journey is filled with challenges that will test her resolve.
Logline
Driven by her dreams, a daring young inventor races against time to forge her greatest creation—a colossal robot—while battling obstacles rising against her at every turn.
Director's Statement
The reason I want D4WN to be a story that my younger self wished I saw is that I gave up easily on many things, constantly feared failure, and assumed that being bad at something meant I was inherently bad. Dawn more so reflects where I’m at currently, though. I’m able to stick to it because I love it, and sometimes failure can hold you back, but ultimately, pushing through, taking a step back, changing your perspective, and even just going outside to take a break can help bring you back and lift you up to be able to overcome failure. I don’t want this story to be about someone who feels failure and gives up very easily. I feel like that would be a different film entirely, a film that focuses on the fear itself and how it consumes someone. I want this story to inspire people to keep going, pretty much. Personally, the creative journey is all about encountering problems and finding ways to fix them to achieve your goal.
Taglines
“Most of us stop when we have the key in the lock.”
“Take a breath and shift your view.”
"Invention is patience experiencing pressure.”
“Breath when everything is cluttered.”
“To innovate is to believe in the invisible.”
“Take passion in one hand, struggle in the other and leap.”
Visual Identity
Primary Colours (2–3): Orange (excitement), Red (conflict/anger), Blue (resolution/hope).
Font Style: Black Arcade / Rough Font (From DaFont.com)
Tone Keywords: warm, angry, scrappy, heartfelt, whimsical, steampunk.
Genre: Young Adult Steampunk and Magical Realism.
Target Audience: Creatives who are just starting on their journey, especially teen creatives (16–18-year-olds).
Crew / Credits
Director Layke Ellison
Producer Sarah Malherbe
Screenplay by Kyarah Keane
Animation Director Polina Musaeva
Technical Director Jack Thompson
Original score composed by
Thomas Phules
Jin Lai
Jay Meisinger
Executive Producers
Maria Zelenskaya
Michael Linhart
Production Assistant
Tamzyn Hayden
Character Modellers
Hayley McCubbin
Ito Moore
Tamzyn Hayden
Asset Modellers
Maria Sandoval
Ito Moore
Callum Vollermerhause
Tamzyn Hayden
TianCheng Zhang
Yunhan Shan
Layke Ellison
Jack Thompson
Daniel Lowe
Sarah Malherbe
Cooper Jackson
3D Animation
Polina Musaeva
Layke Ellison
Sarah Malherbe
Hayley McCubbin
Jack Thompson
Maria Sandoval
Ito Moore
Angelina Beh
Ryan
Callum Vollermerhause
Teagan Dalton
Christi Reyneke
Animation Assist
Dieu Chi Nguyen
Peter Smith
Bruno Milne-Jones
2D Environments
Halvin Yiu
2D Animation and VFX
Callum Vollermerhause
Angel Wang
Ito Moore
2D Cleanup
Cooper Jackson
Ryan
Arthur Yuan
Rigging
Jack Thompson
Ito Moore
TianCheng Zhang
Callum Vollermerhause
Texture Artists
Hayley McCubbin
Tamzyn Hayden
YunHuan Shan
Halvin Yiu
Mario Wang
Callum Vollermerhause
Sarah Malherbe
Layout
Polina Musaeva
Layke Ellison
Callum Vollermerhause
Finch Malherbe
Lighting and Rendering
Jack Thompson
Concept Artists
Halvin Yiu
Polina Musaeva
Hayley McCubbin
Callum Vollermerhause
Tamzyn Hayden
Maria Sandoval
Layke Ellison
Sarah Malherbe
Yunhan Shan
Angel Wang
Ryan
Voice Actors
Jasmine Mordell - Christelle Robson
Big Nelson - Hayley McCubbin
Neil Mordell - Tim Fowler
Radio Caster - Jake Camuglia-May
Editors
Brendan Matteress
Layke Ellison
Sound Designer
Dominique De Casenove
Storyboard Artists
Polina Musaeva
Callum Vollermerhause
Hayley McCubbin
Sarah Malherbe
Story Development
Layke Ellison
Polina Musaeva
Sarah Malherbe
Callum Vollermerhause
Marketing and Event Planning
A.R. Blackshaw
Kyarah Kyane
Special Thanks
Neil Easton-Weir
Cordel Bellette
Xanthie Milton
Mo Faramarzian
Emma Bengston
Lachlan Bullock
Ayla Boughen Van Dijk
QUT
The QUT School of Creative Arts acknowledges the Turrbal and Yugara as the First Nations owners of the lands where QUT now stands. We pay respect to their Elders, lores, customs and creation spirits. We recognise that these lands have always been places of teaching, research, and learning. QUT acknowledges the important role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within the QUT community.
