Storyboards for Animatic

The below Storyboards show my animatic idea. The story will use the two characters of the Old Man and Orphan, and show the Orphans struggle to return a coin to the Old Man, which he has dropped on the ground. The piece takes place within 1920s Moscow, and sees the Orphan weaving through various obstacles in order to return the coin to the Man. My completed Storyboards are displayed below.

After gaining feedback from my tutors, I will change a few aspects of the story. These changes will mainly involve the motivations of the Orphan, and why he wants to return the coin to the old man. I will bring in these changes when I create my animatic.

Character Modeling Progression

The below images show the creation of the character model of the old man. I am creating the character model using the techniques I learnt through the digital skilling module. The body of the man was created by using a cylinder which was then manipulated into the right shape, with the head and hands attached to the body after being modeled separately. So far, I think that the character model has worked well, and reflects the original character designs I created. By using the designs as a template, I am able to transfer my 2D drawing, into an effective 3D model.

Character Sculpt

In preparation for creating my character within Maya, I have created a real world sculpt of the man, using modeling clay. The creation of a sculpt for a character is common within the animation industry, and can be beneficial to both CG modelers and animators. Although I'm glad I went through the process, I do not think the result is not what I intended. The modeling clay I used was of a poor quality, and actually quite difficult to model with. It also dried out pretty quickly as I was modeling, meaning parts of the sculpture would be dry, while other parts were still being worked on. Overall, I think that the end result is a bit of a failure, but I am glad I went through the process of creating the sculpt, as I have learnt from my mistakes.

Character Design - Old Man

The above image shows my finished character design. This is the reference sheet I will use when I model my character in Maya. By importing these two views into Maya I will be able to work with them as I build my character model. Although this is the design I will currently be following for the creation of my character model for my showreel, alterations to the character model can be made later when it comes to creating the models for my third year film.

Moodboard

To help me create the right tone and aesthetic for my animatic, I have created the above moodboard. The moodboard collects together images from my various points of research, as well as story ideas that I have had. The moodboard also shows a possible colour scheme I could use within my finished film; utilizing the strong black and white shades seen within my research, and the wintery shades of blue. A moodboard helps give focus to a project, and through the creation of this one I feel that I am able to gain artistic inspiration. 

Character Sketches

The below sketches show some rough designs for the two characters that will appear within my animatic, and that I will model in Maya, to form the basis of my show reel. Although, I have not finalized the story of my animatic yet, I think that the two characters I have created could work effectively off each other. 

The two characters I have created are an elderly man, and a young orphan. The two character archetypes are based on the dynamic usually found within the work of Dickens, but I have altered the style of the characters to my own. I have also planned for these two characters to be based in a Russian city, rather then "Dickensian" London. This is to give the animatic and characters the wintery setting I wanted, but also to work with the aesthetic style of the characters. I have based the characters on generic shapes; utilizing arcs and triangles within their designs. The characters have gone through a few minor changes as the design process went along, but I feel they are becoming two interesting characters which can work well as both a basis for Maya character modeling, and to be part of my animatic.

Research - Character Designs of "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride"

The 2005 film "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" features a variety of character designs which have been an influence to me within my current work. The characters within "Corpse Bride" were designed by Carlos Grangel. The main characters were originally designed by the director Tim Burton, but it was Grangel who took these designs and developed the characters into how they look in the finished film.

The inspiration I am taking away from "Corpse Bride" is the look of the characters, and not the supernatural style of the story. The film takes place in an unspecified European country, and features an unusual washed out color palette for both the setting and characters. The film takes place during the Victorian times, and features the correct period design work that I wish to replicate within my own character design work, and short film overall. Ignoring the designs of the main cast, the background characters within the film boast an array of interesting styles. It is from these background characters that I have drawn the most inspiration from. These background characters feature an exaggerated, eccentric Victorian aesthetic, and it is from these designs I have drawn influence from when developing my own character designs to be modeled in Maya.

Above, Grangel's character designs

Research - "The Little Match Girl"

"The Little Match Girl" is a 2006 Disney hand drawn animated short, directed by Roger Allers. The short was based on the story by Hans Christian Anderson, and tells the story of an impoverished child trying to sell matches to survive the cold winter. Although the piece is traditionally animated, it has a similar look to what I'd hope to achieve within my third year film. Similar to my previous post discussing the old black and white photos I found, "The Little Match Girl" invokes the bleakness of winter, as well as the contrast between light and dark. The Northern Europe setting adds to this effect. I have previously stated I wish to create a "Dickensian" styled piece, and "The Little Match Girl" is able to achieve this, but while transporting the setting from Dickens' London to Russia. Rather than the story content of the piece, what I wish to take away from the short is the atmosphere it creates.

Idea Development

Now that I have decided to create an animatic not based on my previous work, I will need to create an idea to be carried forward as a narrative. Ideally, this narrative would form the basis of my third year film. I have always been interested in design work, photography and culture of the 20th century, and began research into the past to inspire my work. An excellent resource of this period is www.retronaut.co, a website dedicated to archiving the unusual and unique aspects of 20th century life. Visiting this website has been able to give me a few ideas that could be developed into story ideas.

The most interesting photos I found on Retronaut, for me, were the ones showing life pre-1930s. I find these photos interesting as they show life completely different to how it is now, and the people portrayed with in these pieces seem to have a lot of character. I was able to find a series if photos showing life within the snowy setting of winter. These photos, in their bleak black and white, are very striking, and provide an interesting setting for an animated short.

Above images from skating party, 1912

Above, Jerusalem in the snow, 1921

I think what is interesting about these photos is their use of light. The black and white usage within the photos allows for an excellent contrast within the photos, and as previously stated, gives each one a very bleak style. It is this bleak style that I wish to replicate, as I think 3D computer animation would create a unique platform for this style. The pieces are able to even take on the "Dickensian" look, and a similarity to this could grow into an interesting short film.