Death of the Soldier

In the short film I am currently working on, the sequence which is closest to my heart is the levitation of the dead soldier.  This sequence occurs as the American GI responsible for his death reverently recalls the beauty of the young man he had shot.  It became the climax of the film by driving home the main point of the story: the incredible tragedy of each death in every war.   It was my goal to show the human dignity of this German soldier, and make his death an event of real importance.  The Nazi helmet falls away, the jacket opens up, revealing the wound, and his body is transported to a sort of heavenly world.  Hopefully, this can promote empathy for even those we traditionally think of as having been on the side of "evil" and will make the American soldier's grief that much more powerful to see. 

I will be posting more later about the final execution of this sequence, but for now, here are several of the storyboard drawings and concept sketches.  The last image posted is a screenshot from the finished sequence.