In the animated short The Nomad, a lone biker (Michael Carrigan) rides across a scorching desert, shadowed by a circling vulture. His journey brings him face-to-face with a highway patrol officer (Wesley October), who warns him not to bring trouble into the area. Though the officer feels the urge to arrest him, he cannot find a reason, and the Nomad continues on his way.
The rider soon enters a nearby saloon, and what started as an aimless journey through barren highways ends when a single gunshot.
A reflection in mirrored sunglasses hints at the dangers lurking ahead.
“What started as an aimless journey through barren highways ends when a single gunshot.”
At two and a half minutes, Wesley October and Manolo Cortes’s The Nomad gets right to the point. The short serves more as a setup for a much larger tale. October and Cortes establish tone, setting, and a fragment of a plot to spark our imagination.
Compared to a Disney animated feature, Cortes’ animation is a bit crude, but for aspiring animators and storytellers, it’s a good start. Still, it sets the stage for an engaging story, and we’re off to the races.
"…sets the stage for an engaging story..."
