Storyboarding for Second Animatic

After the creation of my first animatic, I have now gone on to create another set of storyboards to be turned into a new animatic. The new sequence takes place within a totally different "film", and has nothing to do with the story within my first animatic. This second segment is is a 1960's set Sci-Fi, and portrays a man and woman trying to survive an alien invasion of London. I chose to feature a new scenario, as I wanted to create a piece with a totally different style and feel to my first piece. The first animatic was more action orientated, but the couple in this second story are the main focus, rather then the action happening around them. 

These new storyboards are featured below:

Project Proposal

Through this project I will be able to build upon the knowledge and skills I have amassed so far this year, aiming towards the goal of creating a professional showreel. My showreel will be focused on showing my desired career goal; to become an animation director. Within the showreel I also plan to incorporate what I have learnt within the progression of 3D modeling and animation. My plan for the project is to create a showreel that includes a dynamic animatic for a chosen film sequence, and to then take aspects of this showreel into Maya and create 3D character models and animation based upon this work.

 Through the skilling module I have already began to develop and create a working animatic. This animatic will be used to show how I would direct a segment of a feature film if I was given the chance to. The brief given to me within the creation of the animatic was the pretend I was planning a sequence from a fictional feature film. Instead of a complete narrative, this segment would be as if the viewer has jumped straight into the middle of a film. The sequence I chose to plan was inspired by both East Asian culture, as well as Western animation style.

  The animatic shows a warrior trying to progress through a dangerous mountain range, while being attacked by various monstrous foes, which she must defend herself against. The scene is set in a fictional, and Mystical, version of Japan, during the middle ages. The location for the animatic was inspired by the works of artists such as Katsushika Hokusai, whose distinctive work is synonymous with Japanese design work. As well as Asian culture, the style of the animatic (and animation within it) was inspired by western work. These influences include the work of Genndy Tartakovsky, whose quick, frantic scenes of combat in animated television shows “Samurai Jack” and “Star Wars: Clone Wars”, serve as inspiration for similar scenes within my work. Another key influence is the artwork of Jamie Hewlett, whose design work for the opera “Monkey: Journey to the West” was a clever mix of Eastern and Western culture. The main focus of the animatic will be to show the directorial style I would give to a real feature film, and I think that through an animatic I will be able to do this, without having to create a full piece of animation. The animatic is a piece I have already begun to work on through the skilling module, and one I would like to take forward.

  Although my main aim of the showreel is to create a piece of work to showcase my skills as a director, I feel that I should also show my skills in 3D modeling and animation too. I have an interest in 3D animation, and by producing the animatic on its own (which will be done in 2D), I won’t be able to show this. To create a coherent theme between my 2D animatic and my 3D character model, I shall be modeling a selection of characters that appear within my animatic. These models shall include my main protagonist, and well as the antagonist of the piece. I feel that my modeling skills have progressed during the last term, and that I will be able to successfully model these two characters. As well as 3D modeling, I want to include a short piece of 3D animation within my showreel. As with modeling, I wish to keep this animation themed to my animatic. To achieve this the animation will be based upon a sequence from the animatic. For this animation I shall use a pre-existing character rig, such as Norman, as I think this will be able to show the desired effect of the animation effectively.

 Through the creation of an animatic, 3D character model, and 3D character animation, I think that I shall be able to effectively produce a demo reel which is able to show my abilities of story and direction, as well as my technical abilities associated with 3D animation software. 

Completed Animatic

Following on from the creation of my storyboards, I have transfered these into a working animatic. The function of this animatic is to show the visual style and cinematic language I would use while directing a film. The animatic is the closest you are able to come to showing the final look of a film, without the full completion of the film itself. I am happy with how my animatic has turned out, and it reflects the original look and feel I wanted for the piece effectively.

Digital Skilling - Story and Direction

As well as 3D modeling, another key aspect of the digital skilling module I will be exploring is to further my skills within story creation and direction. The brief I have been set for this is to create a storyboarded sequence which will then be turned into an animatic. By creating an animatic I will be able to show my chosen visual style, without having to create a fully animated piece. The animatic will be based on a fictional feature film, and is not a full narrative. The piece I have storyboared would be part of an asian inspired film; showing a warrior progressing through a dangerous mountain, fighting off various monstrous enemies. The scene would be part of a complete film, and my animatic throws the viewer straight into the action. The scene is inspired by both Eatern and Western work, particulary the work of Genndy Tartakovsky, creator of "Samurai Jack" and "Star Wars: Clone Wars".

My completed storyboards are presented below.

Digital Skilling - Organic Modeling Using Maya

My main focus within the digital skilling module is to further my development of direction and story techniques. However, I also want to be able to tailor this interest to 3D Animation. A crucial aspect of 3D Animation is modeling. Without modeling there would be nothing to see within a film, video game etc. I have previously used Maya to model an interior layout, but the creation of that set involved creation all man made objects, and was created quite crudely, using only Maya's base shapes. Within this part of the module I have been able to practice organic modeling. The organic model I have been creating is various parts of the human anatomy. The below pictures show my progression.

The above three images show the first thing I modeled; a cartoon man. This character was created using box modeling. A cylinder was created then extruded and tweaked in order to created the basic shape of the man. I created several different versions of the character, and I believe the last of the three is the best example of the ones I created.

I had previously made a basic version of the characters head while making the full body model. The above images show a more detailed version of the character's face. Whereas the body was made using box modeling, the face was created using flat planes whose edges are then extruded to create the structure of the face.

The above two images were created in a similar style to my previous head models. The main difference in that this face model was based upon a more realistic version of the human head. After I had created the face model, I built upon this to create a whole human head (pictured below). I used a model of a skull as a base to my model, helping me give the head the right human structure.

 

The ear model was created using planes, similar to the facial model. After I had created the whole ear as a flat piece, I extruded parts of it back on itself in order to create the different depths to the human ear. The hand model was created using box modeling, in a similar way to how I created the full model of the cartoon man. Parts of the box were extruded to create the four fingers and thumb.

Digital Skilling Briefing

During the course of the second term I will begin a module of Digital Skilling. This module will build upon what I have learnt through the course so far, and help me specialise within an area of Animation, aimed at my chosen career path. My aim in to focus upon direction and story, but to also incorporate the progression of 3D Animation. I have always had an interest in directing, and my experiences on the course has let me able to follow this passion. Through the Skilling module I will be able to tailor my work to this career path, allowing me to eventually create a showreel to show both my interest in direction and story, as well as 3D Animation.

Previous Second Year Work Can Be Found at the Following Blog URL

http://edwardhudsonanimation2.blogspot.com/