A big part of Hurricane Vendetta is showcasing life on Progress Island, and while life there can be chaotic due to the elements, it's otherwise beautiful. I wanted this animation to take you somewhere. And that somewhere is based on Puerto Rico.
The key to making a great fantasy/sci-fi story is to set people in a place that feels alien...
...But it's absolutely real.
This photo I took of myself is from Parque de las Palomas in San Juan, Puerto Rico. My crappy, little storyboard does it no justice. It's an amazing place, filled with life and color. You go to this one square kind of off the beaten path, and suddenly you're surrounded by pigeons. This is because this park is dedicated to fostering the pigeons for centuries. You can even pay to feed the pigeons some bird seed, but if you do, watch out. The birds might want to fly on your hand, shoulders or even your head.
You thought I was kidding about that?
Anyway, here are a few more shots from this sequence inspired by real places in PR.
Colorful houses on a hill.
Stands selling rice and beans and bacalaitos (fried fish).
Artisan stores selling casitas, small ceramic house sculptures we Puerto Ricans all love hanging in our houses. (I got a small one for my fridge.) Why do we hang a tiny ceramic of a house in our house? I don't know! But these little ceramic doodads are a fixture in many Puerto Rican households.
Obviously, gorgeous views showing the water is everywhere.
But some things I did embellish for the sake of the story. Puerto Rico doesn't have the level of flooding Progress Island has. But that's the point of the story: to show a world flooded out by Climate Change. Nobody actually solved Climate Change in this world. They just adapted to the floods and learned to surf to get around.
If you're wondering if I'm creating a fantasy land out of a place that already exists, but I'm just slapping some new labels on it, you're correct. That's exactly what I'm doing and for two reasons: 1) We don't talk enough about the island of Puerto Rico and 2) If JRR Tolkein can call his London-flavored city of elite magical white people "Lindon" and still get called a genius, then I can do whatever the hell I want.
Why yes I did steal the name Progress Island from an industrial video that became a MST3K skit. Who's stopping me? I reiterate I can do whatever the hell I want. It's my story.
Love, Joolz