Creative Media Project

WHAT DOES A CONCEPT ARTIST DO?

A concept artist is in charge of creating the initial sketches for the look and style of an animation. These sketches and initial designs are then used as a reference for character designers, background artists and animators when the production process begins.

Concept artists are typically hired by a studio to produce artwork for a particular concept within a set brief. The concept art production process will tend to go through a few trials and re-drafts while the artist and the studio work together to come to an agreed style and vision. It's definitely important to be able to communicate well and to take critical criticism during this as the studio will want something very specific and it may well take a few attempts to produce exactly what they want.

WHAT IS CONCEPT ART?

Concept art is the very first dive into the look and style of an animation concept. It is the initial exploration into the concept's feel from textures to colours to shapes. Concept art will tend to become more solid and built-on towards the end of this process, the first few attempts will probably be quite low detail for a fast turn around. Once you have those first attempts you can go back to the studio and gauge more understanding of what it is they want, they like this, don't like that. This simply allows for work to be done much quicker and to not waste time on things that won't be used.

Concept art is done in a multitude of mediums, both digital art and traditional. Recently, digital art seems to be the way forward when creating animation and so concept art is also typically done digitally for these pieces, however artists like artist Shelly Wan still utilise traditional mediums like paint and canvas!

Once concept art is created, it is most often used as part of a pitch for a project concept, film or TV show, to get support to bring the piece to production. Having concept art in a pitch helps to fill the gaps in the producers visualisation of the show and also gives them more encouragement in your piece as you have already started on creating work for the piece. Once in production, these pieces tend to be used a references for animators.

WHAT SKILLS DO A CONCEPT ARTIST NEED?

• Illustrating: to create work to the level an animation studio expects, you will need to cultivate your art style through practise, practise, practice! a unique art style is something that is created through time but it is definitely something that can help specific studios pick you over someone else. it is a good idea to learn working with a multitude of mediums so you aren't limited in choices.

• Creativity: again, using lots of mediums can help you to not be limited by your resources. researching similar works or artists with a similar style to the brief given by the studio definitely helps to get those creative cogs turning.

• Communication: be able to discuss with the studio and make sure you understand what it is they want; if you don't, feed this back to them so they can further explain. another big point is taking criticism, they are trying to create a very specific vision so whatever you create first go is not going to be what they want. take the direction and criticism and follow it as closely as you can.

• Knowledge of animation: you definitely need to have an interest in TV and film, especially in animation. having an interest and knowledge of animation will make your concept art more dynamic. also, if you want to widen you prospects, getting to know 3d animation is definitely a worthwhile skill as nearly all studios are adopting this type of animation so being able to create 3d character concept sculpts will be a great skill.

• Freelancing: since this type of work is done mostly through freelance, you will need to be able to put yourself out there and approach studios for work. you will also need to be able to take rejection. once you have started getting work, make sure you manage your time and deadlines to make sure you keep up with work and also keep good relations with studios; they may come back to you if they like your work and you are reliable.

WHO DOES A CONCEPT ARTIST WORK WITH?

A concept artist will tend to be a freelance worker, although some studios may hire a set of concept artists. You will need to be able to put yourself out there and approach animation studios (maybe a studio will even approach you!) to get work as these are the places you are going to find your work. Once you get a commission from a studio, you will work very closely with the director and/or producer to cultivate a very specific end product.

KEVIN DART: INTRO

KEVIN DART: HIS STYLE

He has a very specific 2D digital style that seems almost like an imitation of a pop-up paper book. The shapes used are very geometric and have either very smooth streamlined curves or harsh pointed corners. The use of colour and light is very clever and pretty. The colours seem very vibrant, but also slightly muted like there is a wall over them and they're just itching to burst out.

KEVIN DART: WORK ON BIG HERO SIX

HIS EARLY CONCEPT ART

THE FINAL FILM CONCEPT

You can see that Kevin's early concept work and the final product are very different, but if you look closer you can also see how his work shaped the final piece and the design influences that came through.

During his work, he got to explore different concepts and ideas like the villains of the story. You can see in his concept work him exploring three different possible villain ideas: the San Frantokyo ninjas, the airplane guys and the Kabuki-mask villain. Kevin quotes "I think I like the airplane guys the most.", however, it was the Kabuki-mask villain who became the main villain for this story.

Kevin also explored the San Frantokyo mash-up, which is used in the final film but is adjusted to San Fransokyo. I think there was definitely more Tokyo influences in Dart's concept work, which made the mash-up more integrated and natural. For the final product, the studio appears to have decided to go for a much more all-round Americanised look, in its architecture and background characters, with hints of Tokyo influences. This, at the time of the production, would've made more sense for the studio in terms of target market, however now Disney is beginning to expand their audience so I think they may have had a similar approach to Kevin had they made the film now.

You can see how this very early concept work still affected and influenced the script and design of the film. Kevin has a concept piece of Baymax hanging off of a Tokyo-inspired tram, and in the film there is a shot of a tram going past with a very similar design to the on in Kevin's. It is likely the animators used the tram as a reference for some of the transport in the film.

Also, Kevin has a concept piece where you can see Baymax and Hiro sitting on top of a building looking out at the sky. There is a scene in the final film where Baymax and Hiro fly around San Fransokyo and then land on one of the airborne turbines that power the city. They sit and look out at the sky, it's a very heart-warming scene and is a high point in Hiro's character arch. It is likely that the director, producer or screenwriter saw this concept piece from Kevin Dart and then built off of it, looking deeper into the image to imagine how they might've got there and what emotions they are feeling.

KEVIN DART: HOW HE HAS INSPIRED ME

Looking through Kevin's work versus the final pieces from studios has definitely given me a lot of understanding of how concept work can mould and shape a final piece. His work has also given me a solid grasp on what sort of things I should be exploring when creating concept work: villains, the world, the environment and the main character designs.

INTRODUCTION

Since one of the main points of Esmerelda's character is to bring more diversity and inclusion to the world of fantasy, particularly to the presentation of vampires in Western and Modern media; it made sense to do some in-depth research into a few topics surrounding this:

1. The Presentation of Vampires in Western/Modern Media

2. Presentations of Black and Brown Vampires in Western/Modern Media

3. Asian Folklore and Myths About Vampires

4. How to Show The Pallor of Black and Brown Vampires

THE PRESENTATION OF VAMPIRES IN WESTERN/MODERN MEDIA

After having gone through these articles, I feel my views haven't changed very much but have more been solidified; because of this, I decided to read through some forums with the opposing opinion on the matter of Twilight being racist. I wanted to do this to see if there are any pieces of information I have missed or anything that hasn't been told in its fullest in the article.

I have decided to conclude the research into this aspect of vampires here. I feel I have used a variety of sources and have a well rounded view of the problem, more so than when I started. It appears lack of inclusion isn't just intentional but also possibly unintentional as well; this doesn't excuse it but it does shows that part of the problem lies with ignorance, and a way to solve that is through educating.

THE PRESENTATION OF BLACK + BROWN VAMPIRES IN WESTERN/MODERN MEDIA

Overall after doing this research, I've found that there are a few presentations of black vampires in media but there does seem to be a gap in Asian (both East and South Asian) presentations of vampires. Even so, while these presentations exist, they are not all great and either way they are still hugely lacking in number.

ASIAN FOLKLORE AND MYTHS ABOUT VAMPIRES

I struggled to find much about this at first, but once I searched the right thing I hit a goldmine of myths and lore from across Asia. There are a lot of versions of the same vampire type as they differ across countries and there are also lots of different myths with varying amounts of depth to them. After having read over multiple sources, I have decided to go over three myths: the Pontianak, the Manananggal and the Jiangshi. I am talking about these myths in particular because I feel I have accessed more information on these and have a solid understanding on the lore as well as how I could implement them into my world.

PONTIANAK

Preventative measures can be taken to stop a dead woman from turning into a "langsuir", the article states, one can fill the mouth with glass beads, put eggs under each underarm and place needles in the palms. If you did not manage to prevent the turning, you can also drive them away by filling the hole in the back of her neck with her hair.

According to the article, other names for a Pontianak are a Kuntilanak/ Matianak in Indonesia and in Malaysia a 'Langsuir'.

I liked the myth of the Pontianak, particularly the fact it is focused on feminine subjects rather than an alluring masculine figure, as in most European iterations of the Vampire. I also enjoyed the drive of vengeance the vampires were given, which ties in very well with Esmerelda's character.

So, because of this, I decided to research more in depth about this myth as also felt that the Wiki summary was very brief. Furthermore, I felt that there might be a better source elsewhere as anyone can contribute to a wiki article and they may not have firsthand knowledge of the myth.

I came across the article 'Pontianak: The Blood Sucking Female Vampires Of Southeast Asia' by Percy. The article retells the myths and tales of the Pontianak as told to the author by locals on a trip they took to South East Asia. This source feels much more reliable as they have heard the myth directly from its places of origin and by people who likely grew up with them.

The article describes the Pontianak as a "female vampiric ghost" that plagues both Malaysia and Indonesia. It's quick to clarify that the Pontianak is often confused with the 'Lang Suir', but the two are different and they differ in their origin stories. In Malaysian myth, the Lang Suir is a woman who died during childbirth, but the Pontianak originates from a stillborn child. The previous wiki article appears to have made this confusion so I am glad I decided to further research the lore as it has been clarified to me. Similar mythology is said to exist also in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan by different names: a 'Churl' or 'Churyal'.

Percy also goes into the word "Pontianak" meaning and origin. In Malaysian, the word 'Pontianak' is a derogatory way of saying 'perempuan mati beranak', which means 'woman who died giving birth' in English. Mantianak means 'death of a child'. In Indonesia, there is a city called 'Pontianak', it is named after the vampiric creature that preyed on the first sultan to have settled there.

I definitely want to include references to this myth within the story. I considered having a character that dresses similar to the description of a Pontianak that terrorises village people and having this as a subplot, however, I feel that there's a lot already going on in terms of plot and it seems unnecessary and cluttering. I think I will rather has it as a piece of folklore that is spread among the village people, particularly among the elder and young adult population.

I considered tweaking the lore slightly to make the origin of the 'creature' more specific [died through a childbirth she did not want to have] and perhaps giving it a specific motive [vengeance against men, specifically attacking men who treat women badly] other than just food. If I do this, though, I will need to ensure I do it sensitively and that I do not disrespect the mythology and its country of origin in doing so. One way to make sure I do this is to do some primary research, seeing whether or not this might offend local culture.

I have envisioned a scene in which Esmerelda is in a white dress, perhaps an elegant evening dress or something leaning more on a wedding dress, and she ends up covered in blood in some way. This scene would probably happen in her life before the point where we meet her in the forest with Sara at the beginning of her story.

MANANANGGAL

I am happy with the research I have done on the Manananggal, the source appears trustworthy and I have a good understanding on the creature.

I can clearly envision this myth exactly as it is being in the story. I would have it as a scary story parents tell their children so that they don't leave the house at night, like their version of the 'boogeyman'. I think I will have a child ignore this and stumble upon an Esmerelda feeding on a soldier/bad guy of some form. He would shout something along the lines of "Ahhhh, your body isn't split in half!". This would probably illicit a blood-dripped smile from Esmerelda and an ominous response of "Not all of us do...". This would then in theory birth the second legend of the Mandurugo, when the child retells the tales to his parents and they use it as the perfect opportunity to ensure their child doesn't leave at night again.

JIANGSHI

The sorcerer is tasked with travelling to the place of death and transport the corpse back to the hometown. The sorcerer does this by writing a spell on a slip of paper, which contains the deceased's name, birthdate and some other spell words, and sticking this paper on the corpse's forehead. This reanimates the corpse. The reanimated corpse hops around, following the sorcerer and the sorcerer leads it back to its hometown ready for burial. Typically, the sorcerer will travel with at least three Jiangshi and travel in the night.

One definitely wants to ensure the sorcerer can be paid the agreed amount on their arrival, as they may pull off the Jiangshi's spell-paper should this happen. If the spell-paper is pulled off or falls off, the reanimated corpse regains its own consciousness and the sorcerer will no longer have power over it. The Jiangshi will become "rampant and dangerous", killing living beings in a blind rage to consume and absorb their victim's life essence.

I want to have Jiangshi's as an actual creature/species in the world of Esmerelda. I think perhaps they will be something that was used a lot in the older days by the village people but due to the Church pillaging and conquering the lands, it was a banned art. Perhaps it still goes on in secret or perhaps, thinking about after the end of the first instalment of the story, once the King and Church are overthrown then perhaps it is a practice that is taken up once again put in a much less organised and safe manner leading for uncontrolled Jiangshi to run rampant.

HOW TO SHOW THE PALLOR OF BLACK AND BROWN VAMPIRES

I definitely struggled with this one the most. There is a fair amount of content on pallor in black skin and also quite a few presentations of pallor in black vampires that came up when I searched them. I have been struggling, however, to find much on brown skin towns and anything on south-asian skin.

Looking at images on google images definitely helped in terms of thinking of possible appearances of black-skinned vampire characters, however there was next to nothing for brown-skinned vampires. Images definitely helped me to visualise how I might present them.

I did not really find the reddit forum of too much use as responses either repeated things I already established through the focus group or just were generally not helpful comments. It did help with one thing however, and that was to think possibly look and effects of shock in dark-skinned people.

Overall, I think my initial research here did not leave me feeling satisfied and I didn't feel anymore knowledgeable on the topic than when I started. So, I decided to do more research into this, starting with looking at effects of shock in dark-skinned people.

The free online book actually helped a lot as it showed me visually how it might pallor might be seen in brown skin, as well as also having very good descriptions that gave more insight into specific colours i might use.

As a final piece of research for this, I looked on a Quora forum asking how pale skin applies dark skin.

Here is where I conclude my research into non-western vampires. I think I have tapped into a plethora of knowledge and have come out of this be much more confident and knowing many more things than I did before. I think it has definitely be a well-worthy use of my time as I have learnt lots of things that I can directly use to justify and develop the project, both for this final piece and in the long-term.

ARCANE SEASON 2 ANNOUNCEMENT TRAILER

HOW THIS AFFECTS MY PROJECT

Thinking in terms of realistic time scale, I think an approach like this could actually work very well for me. I could include a range of voiceovers to create some intrigue, but focus mainly on one animated piece, which I think I would do an animation of Esmerelda so the audience can see her. I would create a very detailed illustration on procreate to justify the use of only one subject and then animated using After Effects. On after effects I can easily use keyframes to adjust particular elements and it wouldn't be realistic in terms of time frame for me to draw out each frame if I'm making it so detailed. So the animation I think will be adjusted more to a 2D animation than a hand-drawn animation. The addition of the 'In Production' text was very smart and informative and I will include this in some way in my product so that people know it's an in progress project.

BACK TO THE FUTURE 1 TEASER TRAILER

HOW THIS AFFECTS MY PROJECT

This element of mystery created through close-ups is very smart and is something I think I will utilise in my project as I really want to create a similar level of intrigue that this trailer created for people at the time. I don't think I will implement the lack of talking though because I think the current generation and my target demographic would engage less and lose interest quickly. The use of a title screen was also a good way of using up time that I think I will add, perhaps with some description/explanation of the piece being a novel.

INCEPTION TEASER TRAILER

HOW THIS AFFECTS MY PROJECT

The 'epic-ness' of this trailer is something I may use although heavily toned down, but the tension created through the score is something I will definitely focus on. I need to find a score with lots of emotion in it. I think this use of writing to lengthen the piece is a technique I may use but not as heavily as it was used in this trailer because it will likely bore my target demographic if I use too much writing.