Anayis N. Der Hakopian

Neo and the Last Human is a Short Film/Pilot set in a colourful post apocalyptic world where humans have fled the surface, leaving an abandoned society of transformed animals to fill their place. The story follows Neo - a blue mutated dog who finds himself struggling with memories of a lost past and the hated views for humans that his fellow Bestials hold. This all comes to a collision when Neo is faced with making a difficult decision. 

The project focuses on themes of Abandonment, Anthropause, Speciesism and World Building in a Posthuman setting inspired by the climate of the pandemic and our separation from the natural world. Anayis creates a blend in between Dystopian / Utopian centred on the voice of Neo, a dog who’s become maybe a bit too human and Stasia, a feral girl who’s maybe more humane than wild.

Music Composer: Grigor Abgaryan

Sound Mix: Joe Hirst

Clean Up Assistants: Melissa Martin, Sheryl Lim and Sueli Ruiz-Gomez Ferreira

Supported by: Passion Pictures and Strange Beast 2022

Medium: 2D Animation, Hand Drawn Traditional Backgrounds, Mix Media 

Duration: 06:40

Collaboration with Grigor Abgaryan - Royal College of Music 

Like most of Anayis’ work, Neo and the Last Human was created by pulling multiple threads of research and design inspiration together from real life events to create the unique setting that she had envisioned. Her research methods include throwing everything she has noted down on a wall and rebuilding it brick by brick- from character goals, story plans, debating over motifs and scribbling over too many beat sheets and scripts. 

This particular project was inspired by Urban Decay, the survival of dogs in Chernobyl, Ukraine (1986-), and the disgruntled views on the evacuation of the Operation Ark Animal Rescue in Kabul (Summer 2021). The aim is to immerse people in the setting whilst raising awareness for animal abandonment in both man made and natural disasters.

Welcome to the world of the Bestials! Here we have what remains of a broken society as nature heals in vibrant shades and the animals adapt to fit into the remains / ruins of the human touch. The sky is pink, the plants are flourishing and though colourful, the landscape is a toxic radioactive environment where only sunflowers hold their original colour. Scattered throughout the background you can see glimpses into the minds of the anthropomorphic animals, that includes advocating to erase what of the human image remains, remembering their act of abandonment and getting rid of anything that reminds them of their past domesticated selves. 

All background images are drawn traditionally on A4 Paper by hand before being scanned and digitally painted in with references to current social climate issues.

Neo is a quiet soul, an outcast who lives alone and is stuck on the borders of trying to fit into his society but is held back by the memories he has. Alongside him stand a fluorescent cast of urban animals and transformed pets who are out to protect their own and burn events of the past away. Whether it be the green deer who spreads the anti-human message or Neo’s farmer friend who still doesn’t know what is going through his head. Alongside them, Stasia lurks in the shadows- unaware what she is getting herself into.

After a few re-scripted drafts, five animatics, 670 drawings- the story of this short film was finalised. Set in a time- in some future setting, we follow Neo and the image of his past that plagues him each night and starts to even seep into the day. This, as mentioned, includes his separation from his own society and questioning of their views.

Through this year his character has gone through many transformations, from being a rebellious brutal looking soul to a quiet gravedigger and bone collector. The constant element in this narrative has always been his dissociation to his surroundings. Earlier versions also explored a focus on his discomfort towards items from his past domestication and trying to rid / hide his animality. 

The depiction of his memory also changed, one version showcased Neo breaking loose from his restraints at home and running through a blazing landscape to keep up with his owner's car, escaping the chaos without him. The trigger and motif of his memories went from a shadow domesticated dog who lurked over the landscape as a reminder of his wilder self before becoming the established haywire explosion of items and images as seen in the final film. 

“Our venom has washed the world in a neon of dreams- into a living burning nightmare of all our ruins”

If it wasn’t clear already, this film of Neo is only just a small window of a bigger expanding story. This continuation, as seen in these progress proof concepts above includes a Show Pitch Book showcasing the expanded world, characters and sinister threats hiding beneath all the atomic hues and much more locations.

In addition to this, there are a range of items including Neo and the Last Human Mini comics, Zine Issues, RPG Adventure Starter Sets, Badges, Sticker Packets, Pocket Interactive Stories and lots of fun props and elements from in-world! Make sure to keep the Film Instagram and Website page saved to see future updates and to possibly win a copy of the finalised Bestial Survival Kit! 

Let’s Talk About IT (2021) is Anayis’ first year final project in response to the theme Looking/Seeing/Being Seen/Unseen, where she explores a poetic piece focusing on the journey and experience as a daughter watching her mother cope with MS -Multiple sclerosis. 

This film is animated traditionally on paper with ink and paint before being scanned and edited with digital assets and effects in shades of blue and red. Anayis did extensive research and interviews with her Mother to find a visual voice for her condition and how to raise awareness for conditions that might not be visible to many. This includes not just the impact on the sufferer, but also those in their support system.