Sunday 5 December 2010

Feasibility tests

I do not have anywhere near the amount of feasibility tests that I wanted at this point, but the ear infection really set me back a few weeks, and I need to catch up! I have done some pretty good tests though to see what my film might look like!


The walk cycle: The walk is only key framed, so it is a little jumpy, but I am pretty happy with it. I tried 4 different styles with it,and am not sure that the textured one is the right direction for the look of the film. With the normal lines because it just looks pixelly with the textured lines.


The snow test: This one didn't go very well! I wanted to see if I could do snow in after effects, and the lighter snow isn't too bad, but the heavier snow looks awful. I also couldn't get it to move in the direction that I wanted. I think that I either need to play around in after effects more, or animated some snowflakes by hand!


The orb test: The animation here was really basic, but I wanted to see how the orb might look. I think that the lineless style was the popular choice here! The texture made it a little too light, but that might change with a darker background! I like the glow, but I think that it needs a little work!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_aAOrepjwc

Background Concepts




Some background concepts taken from the animatic. I also did a colour test to see how it might work out!

Saturday 4 December 2010

Animatic: First draft

Here is the first draft of the animatic for my final film.


There are timing issues I need to look at more closely, and I can;t help but think that the film goes too quickly and something is missing. It was also pointed out to me that some bits were a little confusing, and I completely agree! Some parts can be cleared up with proper shading and sound, but the part with the characters in the sky was a little confusing, and brought up the question, 'why'?


Why indeed. I think that I could easily take it out. It certainly doesn't add to the film, but it also has a big chunk, and it would leave me short a lot of time. I think there is only so much I can do with them running endlessly too. I need to sit down and think on this,I think!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFZTb5bchv8


Friday 3 December 2010

Character Bios

For my presentation, I need to have in depth character bios! So I decided to get them down now I have finished the storyboard.


The girl:


The little girl may seem like any other little girl, decked out in a puffy winters coat, a scarf too big for her and thick snow boots and a snug hat, but appearances can be deceiving. This girl is the god of the underworld, and owns the dogs that ferry the souls. She enjoys hunting with them sometimes, and while they seem so much faster than her, she manages to keep up for hours with no effort. She commands the dogs easily, and they follow her every command. It's pretty lonely in the underworld, so you could say that the dogs are her only friends. Others may respect her, but you don't tend to invite gods of death to house parties.


The dog:


The dog is the leader of the cwn annwn, and he fought viciously to get the title. He has been with the little girl since they were both young, walking loyally by her side without considering anything else. He is playful, and enjoys it most when his master joins him on the hunt. It is his mission to pick difficult routes and try and beat her back to the underworld. Sometimes he does, other times she is easily ahead of him. He has known the little girl for so long that he easily anticipates what she wants from him. His favourite pastime is trying to sneak up on her.

Final Storyboard


Here is the final storyboard I am presenting to the class on Monday. I am pretty happy with it!!


Thursday 2 December 2010

Storyboard thumbnails





Here are the completed thumbnails for the storyboard. Now I can carry on with finalizing the storyboard. I realised when I was playing these through, that the dog coming out of the grave wasn't working very well, and a discussion with another student helped me find a better way of doing it, with the dog pulling himself out of the grave rather than jumping out.

Thumbnails forthumbnails






These are the very quick thumbnails I did to plan out how my storyboard would look. They are tiny, and are really thumbnails for thumbnails more than anything else.

Wednesday 1 December 2010

3rd Story draft: The treatment

I had to write up one more story draft for my film to alter some things with decisions I had made. This is the last write up before the storyboard! I am also planning to use this version for my production bible.


It is night and the graveyard is dark. The snow is falling heavily and the branch of a tree shakes under the weight of the snow before falling to the ground with a 'clump'. One grave has fresh flowers in front of it, already dusted with snow. Footsteps are heard in the distance, and a girl walks towards the grave, stopping in front of it and staring for a while, before leaning down to brush the snow off so she can read the inscription.


She stares down at the grave sadly, before a noise and a movement from behind her catch her attention. She twists round quickly but there is nothing there. The snow begins to die down, and she looks unsettled, before something catches her attention. Up on the wall, above the grave, stands a large white dog,balanced carefully. It tenses and leaps down to the ground, but it doesn't stop at the ground, and instead passes through it, emerging seconds later with a blue orb. It then darts away.


The girl stares after the dog in surprise. But the expression soon turns to one of determination,and with a clenched fist, the girl turns and runs after the dog. She runs out the churchyard gates, and follows the dog down the road. They come to a style, and the dog bounds over gracefully, the girl struggling clumsily behind. Then they are running across the hills and valleys, and she begins to see more and more dogs appear, until she is running with an entire pack of them.


In the sky behind her, the stars form the figure of a woman riding a horse, before disappearing, and then a dark shadow of a man hammering away crosses the sky. An owl made of stars flies towards her, suddenly becoming real and flying straight past her.


A hunter waits at the entrance to the forest as the dog runs past. He watches, and then the girl follows. As she passes him,he tips his hat politely.


The stars in the sky twinkle brightly, but they suddenly begin to fade out until there is only darkness. The sound of footsteps running can be heard, and they slow to a walk before stopping. A light appears from nowhere, and the girl has stopped, looking up. In front of her are gates, and a pack of waiting dogs and orbs. The dog she was chasing comes up to her now,and places the orb into her outstretched hand. She smiles and pats him happily, before taking a key out from her scarf and walking forward. She reached the gates and inserts the key in the lock,turning it.


The gates click open, and she releases the orb into the gate. The other orbs float after it as she watches. The pack of dogs watch behind her, standing to attention as she turns around. She lifts an arm and the dogs dart away,leaving only one behind. It walks towards her, and she smiles at him. Together they turn and walk off into the distance. Above them the starts twinkle merrily.


Return to Uni

I have finally been able to come back to uni! Unfortunately, it means that I have loads of work to do in the coming days, for the deadline, and the ear infection isn't completely gone. I am ready to jump into things though, so hopefully everything will turn out OK!