Venus & Vulcan - Original Storyboard - 2018

In 2018 I wanted to add a romantic drama piece to my portfolio. I settled on the origin story for Aphrodite and Hephaestus (later I chose their Roman monikers, for brevity's sake). I remembered a short adaptation of this story that I read in 3rd grade. The line that stuck out (after the other gods' attempts to woo Venus fall flat) was Vulcan's bashful but brief self-pitch: "I work hard."

From there the ideas and questions just blossomed. Why does this line appeal to Venus? What would have to be true in the rest of Olympus for her to be drawn to Vulcan (thus the masks, inspired by classical Grecian theater)? What does Vulcan see himself? How does she get past his defenses without making him defensive?

All in all, "Venus & Vulcan" is a good demonstration of my broader story skillset, from conception and writing to planning and boarding.

Transcript