Loose End | Animated Short Film Introduction Inspired by CyberPunk: Edgerunners
The creation of Loose End began with concept sketches, storyboards, and character development. Each scene was digitally painted in Photoshop and separated into layers to prepare for animation. These layered illustrations were then animated in After Effects, allowing movement and interaction between elements. Finally, the scenes were assembled and edited in Premiere Pro, where music, pacing, and narrative timing helped shape the final story.
The first video below showcases the creative process behind the project, highlighting the development from sketches to layered animation. The second video presents the final edited film, bringing all of these elements together into the completed short animation, Loose End.
Visual Development of Loose End
Source clip (0:03–0:05): Footage from the official trailer for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, courtesy of Cyberpunk: Ederunners Used for educational and inspirational reference.
Trailer: Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Official Trailer (Netflix)
Tool: Premiere Pro
Story Overview
Loose End
She drifts weightlessly through a glowing digital space, surrounded by flowing colors and fragments of code. The world around her feels distant and quiet, like a dream that never truly ends. This is where she spends every night, connected to the system known as Cyber-X, a network that stores memories, protects minds from digital viruses, and keeps society running smoothly.
Morning arrives.
She wakes in her small room and reaches behind her neck, pulling the cable from the metal port embedded in her skin. The connection to Cyber-X breaks, and the digital world disappears. A soft buzzing alarm fades as she sits on the edge of the bed, returning to the physical world once again.
Outside, the city glows with artificial color. Neon lights and towering buildings surround her as she walks the same path she always takes. The streets feel alive with movement, yet strangely empty at the same time.
She arrives at the coffee shop where she works. Inside, customers sit quietly, absorbed in their own routines. Some stare at screens while others sit in silence. Among them is a strange figure glowing faintly with unnatural color. No one else seems to notice.
She continues working as usual, preparing drinks and moving through familiar motions. The day passes like every other day, steady and predictable.
When her shift ends, she leaves the shop and walks back into the dark streets of the city. The noise fades as she turns down a quieter alley.
There, she sees him again.
The strange figure kneels beside a motionless body on the ground. Slowly and carefully, he removes a small chip from the side of the person’s neck. The body lies still as the figure lifts the chip into the light.
She watches without moving.
Instead of fear, something else rises inside her...a quiet recognition, as if she is seeing something true for the first time.
A smile spreads across her face.
For the first time, the world does not feel empty.
Loose End Short Animation Intro
Thank you for taking the time to view Loose End. This project was an important creative milestone for me because it allowed me to combine storytelling, animation, world building, and visual design into one cinematic experience. I appreciate everyone who supported me, viewed the process, and connected with the themes of identity, technology, and disconnection explored throughout the animation.
Creating Loose End challenged me to grow both technically and creatively, and I am grateful to everyone who took the time to experience the world I created.
