The Home Team
TV Pilot / Short Film - Luke Cartwright, 2019
credits: concept art, and storyboards.
The Home Team is a short film/television pilot, created by Luke Cartwright, shot in 2019 and premiered at Flickerfest 2022.
For more information, check out the project's instagram page.
Image Gallery
A bit of everything from early pitch artwork, to character concepts and even a bit of prop design (costume props).
Storyboards
Here are most of the storyboards done for the short. These were done in stages at various points of development, so style and detail varies a bit. You may notice I started using different brushes partway through, and some panels even have some splashes of colour to help with concepts.
CU - A HUMAN EAR, pooled with blood. 
MS - tracking back revealing body. The blood drains into the ear canal and leaves it spotless. / DARREN (V.O): What would I find, hiding in the dark? 
* Slow motion, crane or dolly, needs rehearsals/ want to see the glisten of the water (glimmer glass?)/ Put in reverse in post. 
The ear belongs to a MANGLED BODY. It's wearing a pastel cape and baby blue ninja boots. Every bone is broken. It's lying on the glistening rock. 
The water on the rocks form raindrops and shoot skyward. NOTE: SLOW MOTION. 
Zoom in to hand/wet rock. 
CU PROFILE (Static) - slightly tilted and low to the ground 40 more bodies, in capes of various pastel colours. 
Cape slowly levitates. 
MS PROFILE - track with the bodies levitating ...and the body follows. 
OVER THE TOP/ANGLE DOWN - tracking with the bodies The corpses are rising into the air... 
CU PROFILE (track) - A single falling human (close to hands) Regret! Regret! Instant Regret!. 
WIDE - Group of humans falling (Darren is glowing) ...and levity brings them back to life! Ecstacy! * Slow motion, crane or drone, green screen maybe, in reverse * Lighting gag 
Darren's feet are the last to land on the cliff. 
The people are lined up now, about to jump. 
WIDE (DOLLY) - Track backwards with Darrens motion (camera slightly tilted above head) Darren paces backwards, speedily, in front of the group members - up, back and up again. * Slow motion, crane or dolly. 
He stops in front of GLEN and GLENROSE ROSE... They are HOLDING HANDS tightly. 
The scene pauses on the Roses' interlinked hands. 
The group members simultaneously point at the COMET. 
Glen's expression hints at his fear of God. Glenrose looks like she's seeing Him. 
He's gone full evangelical. 
He's convulsing. The congregation is in hysterics. 
The group members grab the bottom edges of their cloaks and stretch their arms out. 
Like a synchronised swimming team entering a pool, the group members drop off the edge and into the darkness of the gorge. One by one, a fraction of a second apart, they willingly send themselves to oblivion. 
Glen won't let go of Glenrose's hand. She bucks and struggles but his grip is too strong. 
Glen peers over the edge of the cliff... 
...at the carnage below 
Glenrose stares at the sky, watching ... 
...the cult members FLY INTO THE NIGHT on pastel wings, pulled along in the comet's wake. 
WIDE > WIDE (CRANE) - Over the top crane down to eye level. * Slow motion, crane. 
WIDE > WIDE (CRANE) - Over the top crane down to eye level. * Slow motion, crane. 
MS - Track up keep symmetrical Start low on their feet and track up *crane 
MCU - Track down to between legs?? 
CU of outfits 
CU of their ninja boots 
CU of their patches on the outfits 
MS (STATIC): G & GR talking. Symmetrical. Tilted up at them. 
LS > PROFILE (STATIC) - Following the whole conversation from Glen's side 
WIDE (STATIC) - Backdrop is Glen and Glenrose centre framed and gravestones all around. She glides off, leaving Glen stewing.. 
WIDE (STATIC) - All you see is the spaceship above the car and the landscape flying by. * Attached to the car. Maybe slow motion, Need car rig (school has a mo rig) 
LS > WIDE (STATIC) - In front of car slightly tilted down from a distance. Long stretch of road! * Apple boxes, tall sticks, maybe platform of some type 
Aerial shot: Flying saucer atop Kingswood. 
ES>WIDE (DOLLY) - tracking car backwards and then forwards once turned into the carpark. * Dolly on track. Get this on leaving the carpark as well 
MS>PROFILE (STATIC) - From passenger side of car 
MS (STATIC) - In front of car looking at Glen. 
LS>WIDE (STATIC) - From behind the car. 
Glen cranes his neck around. MS (STATIC) - From the backseat of the car. 
B: POV of Glen driving into the carpark. 
B: CU of security box 
B: CU of security camera pointed at the car 
Glen carries his tool kit and plunger towards shopping centre MCU (Dolly) - All we can see is the tools being carried. Tracking parallel to Glen * Dolly of track 
Glen carries his tool kit and plunger towards shopping centre. LS>WIDE (Dolly) - Now we see Glen the shops and the Kingswood. * Dolly on track. People passing by the camera 
Flushing and banging from inside the toilet. MS>WIDE (DOLLY) - Slow reveal, pointed at the door gap and slowly reveal and tilt up. * Dolly on track. Move on staff members movement 
Staff member approaches. MS (STATIC) - Follow staff member approaching cubicle 
Apologies, citizen… OTS (STATIC) - Over the shoulder of the staff member. 
Staff member smirks. MCU (STATIC) - Follow reaction. 
Glen “Very funny”… CU (STATIC) - Get Glens reaction * Handheld 
The whole conversation. OTS (STATIC) - Over Glen’s shoulder. 
Glen notices that his cape is dangling in the toilet water POV (HANDHELD) - Glens perspective *Handheld 
CU - water dripping off cape (slow motion) 
Glenrose is strapping on a kind of antique VR headset. WIDE (STATIC) - Slightly tilted upwards. 
Glenrose’s POV. POV (HANDHELD) - Follow visor coming down. 
Kaleidoscope view … POV (HANDHELD) - All you see is patterns. 
Come on, Leslie. Pick Up. MCU (STATIC) - Just on Glenrose. 
Glen returns to the Kingswood to find an envelope under the windscreen wiper. LS>WIDE (Dolly) - Tracking parallel with Glen. * Using the same track from Scene 11 
Glen finds envelope. WIDE (STATIC) - From inside the car looking out. 
Glen finds envelope. MCU (HANDHELD) - From the inside of the car. 
Glen sits down, takes a deep breath and opens the envelope. MS>MCU (Dolly) - Tracking in on Glen from front of car. * Dolly of track 
Glen perspective. POV (Handheld) - Glen reading the letter 
Glen bursts into ugly tears. MS>MCU (Dolly) - From passenger side * Dolly on track 
CU - Of Glens tears. 
Glenrose grabs the iron and places it face down. WIDE>MS (Dolly) - Tracking in on Glenrose from the front. * Dolly of track 
Glen sits on the steps of the Future house. WIDE (STATIC) - Glenrose has here back turned. We see here in frame. 
“I tried to Spacetime with Leslie today”. OTS (STATIC) - Glenrose’s back is still turned * Get whole conversation like this 
Glen and Glenrose’s conversation. OTS (STATIC) - The whole conversation 
Glen and Glenrose’s conversation. MCU (STATIC) - On Glen 
MCU (STATIC) - On Glenrose 
MCU> PROFILE - Of Glen 
Glenrose and Glen get ready for bed. WIDE (STATIC) - Slightly tilted upwards. * Symmetrical 
A nightlight projects stars and planets. WIDE (DOLLY) - Push in twist(tilt) on the ceiling. * Dolly of track 
Conversation. OTS (STATIC) - Over Glen’s shoulder. 
OTS (STATIC) - Over Glenrose’s shoulder 
Glen and Glenrose place their helmets on over their heads. MS (STATIC) - Centre framing. 
CU (DOLLY) - The night light dances over their helmets. 
The nocturnal sounds of suburbia. The Future house is glowing. LS WIDE>WIDE (DOLLY) - Slow push in. * Glimmer glass,Dolly on track, potentially some bum walking through with a trolley. Refer to drawing by Vad. 
Glen wakes to rustling. MS>MS (Dolly) - Slow push in. * Symmetrical 
“Oh Darren. Take me. Take me to the next level”. MCU (STATIC) - Get expressions. * kinetic 
Glen is disturbed. MS>PROFILE (HANDHELD) - Following Glen’s actions. 
Glen strides towards the door and lowers the stairs. WIDE (STATIC) - Centre framing. 
Glen finds a shovel and heads beneath the house. WIDE (STATIC/DOLLY) - Slow push in. * Important to match this with the pervious shot. 
Glen is digging with animalistic urgency. PROFILE (HANDHELD) - Following Glens movements. * kinetic 
“Imprecision!” OTS (STATIC) - Glen back is turned to Glenrose. 
He holds up the bottle. OTS (STATIC) - Over the shoulder of Glenrose now. 
Glenrose “I’d live for you”. MCU (STATIC) - Expression. 
Glen seems to melt a little. MCU (HANDHELD) - Reactions. 
Glenrose notices something in the hole. PROFILE (HANDHELD) - Reflecting the moonlight. * Light gag on the beer bootle 
Glen stoops under the house. MS (HANDHELD) - Glen paces towards Glenrose and slowly lowers the veil upon her head. 
CU - Glenrose eye. Glenrose BLINKS! 
The staircase lowers and Glen emerges. MS (STATIC) - All you see is Glen’s feet. *Symmetrical, strong backlighting 
He strides towards the Kingswood. WIDE (DOLLY) - Following Glen/ walking towards camera. * Large amount of backlighting, super hero look! Dolly on track, wind machine 
MCU- The cape blows wind the wind. 
The Kingswood hurtles along; static pumping from the radio. LS>WIDE (STATIC) - From a distance you see the car hurtling along. * Symmetrical 
Static from the radio. CU (STATIC) - Just looking at the radio. * Mo Rig, cinesaddle 
View of Glen in the car. MS (STATIC) -Looking out from the back seat. 
Glen pulls up at an intersection. MS (STATIC) - Following from pervious scene. * Symmetrical 
Static from the radio. MS>PROFILE (STATIC) -From passenger side. * Mo Rig 
Suddenly soapy water is squirted across the windscreen. POV (HANDHELD) - From Glen’s perspective. * Only ever revealing a little bit of Darren’s face. Not the whole lot! Leave the viewer wanting more.