Specialisation Project
Specialisation - Development of Pre-Production Skills
Project Overview:
This project is designed to allow me to develop my skills in research, concept art, and general pre-production processes, I do this by developing what I aim my major work to be in the form of research, concept art, script writing and planning.
Project Plan:
Goal: To have a well developed work that can then be used in the next trimesters as a group major work. I can:
Conduct research into the story, atmosphere, style, music, colours, etc for the pre-production of the major work
Draw concept art for the environments, settings, characters, mood
Develop the script and screenplay
Share all of the above content with the other animators I hope to work with, Nigel, and external people for outside feedback
Original ideas:
Idea 1: Broken Village (Older idea)
Set in medieval times
begins with shots of a snowy landscape during the day
small harsh cuts throughout landscape montashe of an army marching (nighttime with no snow to show it was at a different time)
snowy shots begin to move towards a destroyed village, covered in snow and long abandoned
camera explores different parts of the village, harsh cuts/flashes of the village burning / being attacked by the army
village is destroyed by the army and the camera is exploring the aftermath long after, almost remembering the devastation
2D project but it can include possible 3D aspects that look 2D (eg backgrounds, characters, props) (could use 3D as reference for 2D drawings)
Can have different 2D animators drawing different things, like characters, backgrounds, etc
music students can be useful with the cuts to the army shots verses the calm snowy landscape shots
Idea 2: Blissful Parasite
subversion of lotus eaters story from the odyssey
greeks wash up to a society of people who only consume the lotus plant, which makes them forget their past lives
subversion: the lotus could be a parasite that slowly kills you as you eat it, while also putting you in a state of bliss so you don't notice
Idea 3: Sounds of the Ice
set in the arctic, character gets caught in a blizzard on their way back to shelter
blizzard makes him delirious and paranoid as he tries to make his way back, convinced there's a monster following him
the monster isn't real and turns out it's just the wind of the blizzard and the sounds of the ice
Idea 4: Song of the Storm (High likelihood of use)
set in the Antarctic on an old-timey expedition, a character wakes up to an aurora storm in the distance and admires it. The wind sounds like some kind of singing, so he walks closer to it
Can almost make out figures in the storm, entrancing the character
gets to the top of a rise and is entirely entranced with the dancing figures in the storm, while a fog creeps in
lights fade away, leaving him lost in the fog as he looks around frantically
Sound designers could love making the sounds of the ice and aurora, incorporating the singing storm and arctic sounds, like the wind whirling and cracking ice
Music students can combine the arctic setting with the harmonic/angelic singing of the aurora - tingling ice/chimes
Graphic artists for the title, style, mood, atmosphere to act as an art director
Idea 5: Human Resources
Character walking lost on a planet with a high tech space suit on, as time passes the suit uses his sweat and other fluids to keep him going, eventually needing to cut his arm off and use that for fuel, as more time passes more of his limbs get removed so the suit is the only thing walking with his legs gone.
After a while only his brain and eyes remain, to help him see where he's going as the suit wanders aimlessly. Ends with everything going dark and the character never knowing if he made it to safety.
Idea 6: Endless Time
Set in a futuristic world orbiting a black hole
character is working on a space station and slips, falling towards the black hole before anyone notices, time begins to pass by faster outside of the black hole's gravity as the character falls further into the black hole's gravity, due to time distortion
the character watches as the civilisation he was a part of grows and expands over time, they watch as attempts are made to save him and memorials are set up, before forgetting him over time
he watches the fall of his civilisation and the progression of time to the point where he sees the death of the universe, with stars going out, leaving him in darkness
alternative ending could be he witnesses the rebirth of new galaxies after the stars go out, each black hole (including the one he's in) exploding into a new galaxy
Idea 7: Ripples in the Sand
main character is a child
begin on a normal beach finding a tiny red pebble, and then another, and another, the child follows the trail of red stones
stones get bigger as the trail goes on, the child following until they become boulders that need to be walked through
path leads to a large stone that the child sits down on, playing with little rocks as the camera pans out, revealing a ruined city half submerged by the sea, shaped like a giant skeleton, the rock the child is sitting on is the palm of the skeleton
The child build little rock towers on the rock, similar to the shape of the broken city
Idea 8: Ouroboros
Play on Theseus and the minotaur story where Theseus follows a red thread to escape the labyrinth with the minotaur
Story can have the character following a moving chain, constantly staying out of reach through the labyrinth
A unknown beast follows the character through the labyrinth, always behind them
It is revealed that the chain is connected to the beast and the character is simply going in circles around the labyrinth, following the beast as it follows them
Idea 9: Safe Harbour
child fleeing from village form a warfare into a forest with a group of villagers
at night the refugees sleep, while the child sees the forest bending and twisting as it closes the path behind them, protecting them from the soldiers finding them, and hiding their location
the forest makes paths at night for the refugees to take during the day, and closes previous paths to protect them
Over time the refugees become nomads, watching the war from the forest as they constantly move through the forest, never staying in one place for long.
have a shot where the child is looking to a town being raided and destroyed by the war, then retreating back into the moving forest, the trees swaying as an ocean of green
Idea 10: It's cold out there..
set on an earth like planet, in a snowy arctic coastline
camera looks out across the water with a large planet and rings shown in the sky, then an old timey diving suit emerges from the water, and walks towards the camera to shore
the camera follows him, showing him walk towards a normal log cabin with a large greenhouse connected to it, small advanced technology is shown connected to the house and greenhouse. A parked space ship is seen in the distance
The diver enters the house, showing a normal log cabin interior with research papers and items a biologist would have laying about, he passes by a fish tank with exotic luminescent alien-like marine life reacting to his movements
The diver takes his helmet off and places it down on the table, before walking over and pouring some sort of hot beverage from a kettle, then sits down at a table and looks out his window, calmly drinking from his mug.
MILESTONE ONE
Milestone One - Research and concept development
This milestone will cover the research I conduct relating to the development of the script, general idea, possible style, and references. It will also involve any feedback I receive while researching the project in order to show development.
Idea Development and Discussion:
I showed Nigel my ten story ideas I developed over the break for the major work, he said they were rich visually interesting ideas with good opportunities for sound designers and music students, which is something I could lean into for the pitch as the use of disciplinary interest is something I need to consider.
After the break Nigel organised a meeting with himself, Kevin (the CIM312 lecturer) and I, who said they're on board with me deferring the CIM class until next trimester and subsequently extending my course into next year by one trimester. This would not only increase the likelihood of my major being chosen as a project, but also give me a trimester to develop the idea, style and concepts, and find music and sound design students, and possibly get Bella and Allie onboard as animators. The current idea I have chosen is my fourth idea in the list of ten ideas I developed over the break, the basic synopsis of the story and cross-discipline options are shown below:
Idea 4: Song of the Storm (High likelihood of use)
set in the Antarctic on an old-timey expedition, a character wakes up to an aurora storm in the distance and admires it. The wind sounds like some kind of singing, so he walks closer to it
Can almost make out figures in the storm, entrancing the character
gets to the top of a rise and is entirely entranced with the dancing figures in the storm, while a fog creeps in
lights fade away, leaving him lost in the fog as he looks around frantically
Sound designers could love making the sounds of the ice and aurora, incorporating the singing storm and arctic sounds, like the wind whirling and cracking ice
Music students can combine the arctic setting with the harmonic/angelic singing of the aurora - tingling ice/chimes
Graphic artists for the title, style, mood, atmosphere to act as an art director
This particular idea has a great use of interesting visuals, cool story and time period, cool sound design with the Arctic, and a good chance for music students to go wild with the aurora music, making it a good choice for a major production (with development of course)
Nigel and I also discussed the learning outcomes in relation to the major project development, we were looking into CLO8 when Nigel recommended looking into Ernest Shackleton and his expedition into the arctic during the early 20th century. During an expedition known as the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, his ship (the 'Endurance') got trapped in the ice, meaning him and his crew had to survive on the ice as his ship was crushed and eventually sank. This story could be a good basis for my major project's plot as the use of this ship trapped in ice would be an amazing set piece for where the expedition camp could be, before a shipmate is entranced by the aurora.
I researched into different voyages and Antarctic history in order to gain knowledge that I could possibly use and incorporate into the story.
One example I found was the Jenny which was the subject of an unproven legend, the legend being that the jenny was trapped and froze in an ice-barrier of the Drake Passage in 1823, only being rediscovered in 1840 by a whaling ship. The whole crew and captain were allegedly found frozen with the captain found sitting in his chair with a pen in his hand, the last written passage in his captains log stating "May 4th, 1823. No food for 71 days. I am the only one left alive."
Another example involves a Spanish ship called San Telmo which sank in 1819 while bringing reinforcements to Peru during the war of independence, with some of it's crew possibly discovering and landing on Antarctica. There were 664 fatalities with no survivors.
Both of these happened in the drake passage, which is very close to the location of where the endurance got stuck as well as elephant island, where the crew of the Endurance travelled after the ship became trapped. Due to both of these events happening before the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, they could be used for possible spirits that might haunt the crew of the Endurance, lining up with my plan for the major project. Especially the Jenny story which is already considered a spooky ghost legend.
References:
Wikipedia Contributors. (2022, April 17). Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Trans-Antarctic_Expedition#ExpeditionWikipedia Contributors. (2022, June 16). List of disasters in Antarctica by death toll. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_disasters_in_Antarctica_by_death_toll
The Mystery Of The Jenny And Kaz II - Colonial Ghosts. (2020, October 7). The Mystery of the Jenny and Kaz II - Colonial Ghosts. https://colonialghosts.com/the-mystery-of-the-jenny-and-kaz-ii/
Rogers, S. (2010, June 14). Real Ghost Ships: 10 Mysterious Abandoned Sea Vessels. WebUrbanist. https://weburbanist.com/2010/06/14/real-ghost-ships-10-mysterious-abandoned-sea-vessels/
Wikipedia Contributors. (2022, May 28). San Telmo (Spanish ship). Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Telmo_(Spanish_ship)
I shared my work with Nigel who discussed with me what I should plan on doing for this project, which I want to aim around the pre-production of the major work. He proposed the idea of using aspects of 3D for the major, where I could possibly use a particular style of 3D for something like the ship in order to allow the camera to explore it in a more visually appealing way. I could even use 3D and then draw over it so I could have more complex 2D animations. Nigel shared a Netflix movie that uses 3D that is then rotoscoped into 2D quite well.
I then spent some time developing a Trello where I listed all the tasks for the specialisation project into three different categories, "To Do", "Doing", and "Done". This Trello will help me not only plan and easily manage the different tasks needed for this project, but also meet common learning outcome 3 which involves the use of digital management tools such as Trello and the Gantt chart feature.
I managed to do some research into the possible use of 3D in the production, one example I thought of was to use 3D for a snow effect in order to provide a more arctic blizzard feel.
Ship References:
I did some research into the model of the Endurance and discovered it is a "Barquentine", also known as a "schooner barque". I researched into this type of vessel and discovered some good 3D models online, they are a bit expensive however Nigel let me know that SAE gives us money for the major project depending on how many people are in the group.
Nigel found a good model that I could use for the ship, which is a low poly render of the type of ship I'm looking for, and can be used for different camera angles that can be referenced while drawing the ship.
This is a great option for the basic storyboarding and concept art aspect of the production but could also be used in the final production as reference if we decide to make the ship 2D
Nigel and I also discovered that the wreckage for the Endurance was only recently discovered, the sank ship was found on the 5th of March 2022 relatively well preserved. The wreck is now defined as a historic landmark and due to it's recent discovery and the recent 100 year university since the event, Nigel and I expect that due to this resurgence in popularity I may be able to get some money to go towards my project due to it's relation to the event.
Aurora Effect References:
Nigel and I looked into different aurora effects that I could possibly use, we found a good after effects template that can be downloaded and is relatively cheap considering it is a good looking pre-made file.
References for Art Style and colours:
Aurora References:
Moonlit Arctic References:
Ship Lantern References:
References Analysis and Discussion:
This set of images represent a good use of colours that could be used for the ice, with not too much contrast and a good use of blue shades. The use of greens in the bottom image should also be noted as looking good.
This image provides a good look into what could be done with the ship design (like the icicles) as well as providing a good example of the use of 3D.
The icicles are something that can be added to an existing model via addons to software such as Blender. Nigel and I did research into this.
This image has a fantastic style that I love and also provides a good colour palate, with not too much contrast yet still having the most contrast with the ship verses the background. This reference also shows the importance of having something large behind the ship to make it seem small.
This reference represents a good example of the aurora colours with the stars behind, as well as reflections on the ice that can be interesting to do for the project.
This picture provides a good example of how the aurora bathes the land in it's colours, which could be something to lean into to provide a more magical and heavenly feeling for the aurora when it entrances the crew member.
This reference is a good display of the use of lanterns and light to contrast the darkness of the night, I imagine the ice and snowy landscape will be lit by the blue moon, and later the colours of the aurora, but I imaging the ship to contrast this with the amber of lanternlight.
Ship Colour Contrast References:
I then did some research into colours and the different contrasting shades of the snow and the ship, highlighting how it doesn't belong. Some examples of the differences between amber and teal in Hollywood films for contrast, this relates to the ship lanterns and the ice/moonlight.
Amber colours for the ship lanterns and the windows inside showing that the ship still has the crew living inside
Some teal colours that can be used for the surrounding moonlit snow and ice, likely darker due to it being night
Idea Management and Script-Work
I began work on a list of all the different general ideas I might want to have in the final product:
Shot of the camera along the side of the Endurance wreck as it is stuck in the ice, the cold blue of the moonlight on the ice contrasted with the oranges and yellows of the lanterns hung onboard the slightly tilted ship
Endurance at night could have some lanterns lit up as the camera pans across the ship, the camera panning down to show that it is clearly trapped in the ice, with the ship on an angle with large pieces of ice pressing up against the hull
The 3D Endurance model covered in icicles as it is trapped in the ice, highlighting how it has been there for some time
A flat landscape around the Endurance with large mounds of ice and snow, similarly to the actual pictures of the Endurance wreck, leading up to hills of snow and glaciers in the distance
With the camera on the ship, noises from where the crew is inside the ship can be heard with lights coming from inside as well as the outside lanterns, highlighting that there is a crew still on the ship
A figure can walk out of a cabin for some reason (having a smoke, getting some fresh air, on patrol, etc) before they notice the aurora in the distance
Figure is interested in the aurora and faint singing can be heard from it, he grabs some items such as a lantern, harpoon, flintlock pistol, etc before leaving the ship (this shows he is intelligent and wary of danger)
The figure can investigate at first, with perhaps a torch/lantern as it is night, and as he wanders from the Endurance (walking through the mounds of ice and snow, the top of the endurance barely visible)
Figure could be drawn out of the ship where the others are staying by the sounds of the aurora, seeing it on the horizon slowly getting bigger
Shot of the aurora shining with the stars behind it, slight singing and chimes coming from it as it whirls and changes
As he gets closer to the aurora he could loose care and begin moving more freely, dropping the lantern at some point and basking in the light of the growing aurora, the figures leading him further
Ghostly blurred figures present in the aurora, leading the lost figure farther from the Endurance (could be represented as feminine to emphasise their similarities to sirens)
A fog begins sliding behind him as he is focused on the aurora and the figures, the fog creeps in and surrounds the area where he is, the camera watches as the view of the Endurance is clouded and fades away
The aurora could fade quickly, leaving the figure to be lost and confused, stuck in the fog as he begins to panic
The camera could pull away into the fog as the figure looks around aimlessly, or walks towards the wrong direction, the camera fading to black as it pulls into the fog
MILESTONE TWO
Milestone Two - Style Development and Concept Art Research
This milestone will cover group discussions and agreements in terms of a style for the major project as well as research for the concept art, which will be included in the next milestone as a focus for this project
General 2D Art Style Research:
Firewatch -
Flat art style that uses flat colours and gradients to create an atmospheric and simplistic look
Primal -
Colour and texture based drawings with outlines and a great use of lighting effects that makes the snow glow and contrast the rocks nicely, the general drawn shading also looks good as well as the snow effects
Midnight Gospel -
Great use of colours, texture and glow to make a bubbly bright world, this effect with the glow could make the aurora and surrounding snow look very nice. The coloured line art also adds a nice feel to the style
Adventure Time -
A simplistic style using similar coloured line art like Midnight Gospel but with base colours creating gradients like Firewatch. This style is a common one and is a large inspiration for my personal background style
Samurai Jack -
Another simplistic style that instead uses brushes and gradients to create texture, this style also uses glows and effects to improve the scene
Over the Garden Wall -
This style uses a combination of simple coloured line art as well as more realistic detailed backgrounds, giving them a more painted style.
Love Death Robots S2E2 (Ice) -
This example uses more a more exaggerated style with textures and gradients for the characters while having the background look geometric and more detailed, giving it the effect of looking realistic while also still clearly 2D
Gravity Falls -
This particular style has a great use of lighting with the gradients and textures combining well with the line art to create atmospheric and detailed designs. The snow effect in the bottom right reference also looks great with the visual streaks showing wind
I received some feedback regarding the references shown above, this feedback is shown below as well as who it came from.
Samurai Jack and Primal have the best looking styles in terms of line art and textures (Bella and Flynn)
Primal has great looking snow and backgrounds, which have less heavy line art (Bella)
They're all good references (Allie)
Could use of two different styles, one for the character(s) and one for the background (Bella)
Good work talking about glow and colour effects when describing the references (Nigel)
Texturing looks good but can take up a lot of time (Nigel)
Lens flares look great and are a good way to improve the shot (Nigel)
We could each send through a reference image for the background and the character style (Bella)
I then sent out an email regarding Bella's idea of each of the group sending out an image for the style of background and one for the style of character, this will give everyone a good idea of what the group envisions the final product to look like. I made sure to reply with my own chosen reference pictures too.
I went over the different submissions people made to the email I sent out last week, which had them find one image for the background style and one image for the character style. Each of these was put into a shared google drive that Nigel made for us. Each of the styles looked good and I was happy to see that a lot of the chosen pictures were similar style wise and can be combined easily if need be.
Extra Notes:
Allie didn't provide a background style however stated that she liked the Samurai Jack background art I submitted
Flynn didn't provide a character style however stated that he liked the Infinity Train character art I submitted
Continued Concept Art research:
Time Period Appropriate Character Research and Concept Art
I then researched the style for the characters based on the time period that the story is set in and elements of the story that relate to them, such as the crew of the Endurance and other explorers/sailors from that period:
Earnest Shackleton (Left) is the ship captain and expedition lead
Specific Artist/Company Concept Art Examples
Andy Ristaino:
Worked on Adventure Time, Midnight Gospel, Ducktails (2018)
Background Concept Design -
Andy's background art has simplistic and line-drawn elements that are done in a great way that emphasises different aspects of the art as well as telling a story for the environment. I believe this background design and art style could work well for the arctic setting.
Character Concept Design -
The character turn arounds and basic concept art Andy does have a similar simplistic lined art style, that works well for the general style. These particular concepts show the use of coloured outlines and basic flat colours in the art. The final image also shows the difference between coloured and just line art when doing concepts, and how it is important to have at least one fully coloured drawing to understand the actual look of the final product. This particular style of character animation might be too cartoonish for the arctic project however it is important to understand the use of line drawing and base colours.
MILESTONE THREE
Milestone Three - Shot ideas and Concept Art
This milestone will cover the list of possible shots to be used for reference for the concept art as well as for the storyboard/shot list. This milestone will also have basic concept art and sketching for possible shots
Shot idea list:
shot of the camera down below the ship, looking up the side and through the mast and numerous ropes, the moonlight can be seen through the series of wooden poles and rope. The camera can move along the bottom of the ship if it is in 3D, making the moonbeams move through the mast area relative to the camera.
shot from underneath in the water deep below the ship looking up, showing the beams of moonlight or the aurora as massive compared to the seemingly insignificant ship
shot of the ship looking small on the icy horizon, slightly angled to one side with large glaciers further behind it, the ship could possibly be distorted from the wind and snow
shot of the ship from close up, showing it is stuck in the ice with one half of the ship in frame and the other half showing the glaciers/mountains in the distance
shot on the deck of the ship with the aurora brewing in the distance
shot of the ship about to be hidden by the fog as it closes in around the camera
shots of the ship from a distance, stuck in the flat ice
shot of the aurora from the ground
shot on the deck of the entrance to the ship, with glowing lights coming from inside
shot of a lantern close up with the icy wasteland behind it
shot of boot tracks leading towards/away from the ship
This shot is looking up at the side of the ship, with the ice and wood in the foreground, the ship mast covered in ice in the midground, and the distant glacier and mountain in the background.
This shot is on the boat, and uses an actual 3D model of a ship for reference. It shows the deck as well as the distant glacier and mountains.
This is a basic establishing shot of the ship from afar, stuck in the flat ice with glaciers in the distance, this shot could be good to show the size of the ship in comparison to the aurora.
This shot also uses the ship reference, and shows the moonlight shining down through the complex mast and ropes onto the icy ground, where the camera is.
This shot is a little harder to read, as it shows the bottom of the ship shot from under the ice, showing the aurora beams in the water, highlighting how small the ship is.
This shot is similar to the images that were taken of the Endurance as it was stuck in ice, with the ship on an angle and lifted up from the ice.
This shot could be used to show clouds coming over the area, or the aurora colours bathing the land around the ship.
This shot is a similar one to the second image with the silhouette of the ship, the difference being that it has the clear moon behind it, as well as it being at a different angle.
