Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Back to the drawing board

Well it seems like I need to still work a bit on my concept boards. The first one is all right but the last two need work and it has to do with the trash and junk I've chosen. I really need to figure this junk situation out as to what to include. The junk that I have will determine my target audience so if my target audience is still 9-15 year old, I need to represent them through the trash and junk. Easier said then done. Also alot of the trash and junk floats in real life, but do I need to adhere to that? Can I use my poetic license and have junk that would really be floating on the top of the ocean sunk down to the bottom of the water?

Also the feedback on the newest version of my storyboard was all right. The two new scenes I added in I think really work. I do have to rework though the scenes of the fisherman catching the junk. Right now it's just too repetitive and a bit boring but for some reason I was trying to stay with a beat of three or rule of three whatever it is that was discussed the first/second day of class. I think I'm going to go with my original intention of doing some type of montage with dissolves to depict the catching of the trash/junk and the build up of the trash/junk in the back of the boat. The only problem now is I have to figure out how to represent that in my new version of my storyboard.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Screenplay Version 2

Well I did a new version of my screen play, mostly everything is the same except I added two new scenes in the beginning, which I think adds a bit more to my message and sets up the story better.

Screenplay Version 2

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Revised Message

So, I've rethought my message of my thesis project and I think it has less to do with littering and more to do with the amount of waste we produce. Well anyways, here's the revised message.

Message: My message for my thesis project is that just because you don't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I'm relating this message in regards to the amount of waste our modern society produces. I'd like to make people aware that our trash and garbage just doesn't disappear when it's hauled away from our homes and offices.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Story Boards Version 1

So these I would say are first draft versions of my story board for my project. I did do a version before this one but it was just a quick, very quick version. I put a bit more thought in to these.



Click on images for larger view

Concept Boards Version 2

So went back to the drawing board and reworked my concept boards. Made the horizon line a bit more rounded in order to give them a more global feel and muted the underwater scene a bit more.

ConceptBoard1_V2
ConceptBoard2_V2
ConceptBoard3_V2

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Different Approaches

It was interesting to see how people approached doing their concept boards. It seemed like alot of people automatically just started them on the computer. I just can't work that way, even though the final product will be produced on the computer I just can't start from scratch on it. I would just stare at the computer screen scratching my head. I think I need the tactile feel of paper and pencil/pen at first when I start sketching out my ideas. Call me old school I guess, but that's just how I work.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Screenplay Version 1

Well here's the first version of my screenplay. Not sure if I really followed the screen play format though.

Screenplay version 1

Concept Board Feedback

So showed off my concept boards in class today and got some helpful feedback and also cemented some issues I had of my own with the concept boards. I had made the boat and fisherman too central in the composition, since it's really not about the fisherman he shouldn't be smack dab in the center, need to shift him off center a bit more and get rid of the red shirt, try not to draw so much attention to him. For the concept board of the underwater scene, of the crabs putting junk onto the hook, it's just to colorful. My original inspiration for the underwater scenes was Pop Art, but don't really think it's working out. The bright colors were actually making the junked up ocean floor look like a cool place to be. Need to tone it down a bit more and also need to rethink the junk that I'm going to have scattered about. The junk will reflect my target audience.

The one good thing that's come out of doing these concept boards is that I really like the feel and texture that the water colors give to the sky and water. So I'm going to try to incorporate that into my final piece. Right now I'm pretty definite that I'm going to paint the sky using water colors and scan that in and use that as my sky plate, not sure yet if I'm going to approach the water and underwater scene the same way, but definitely the sky. Although I have to still figure out how to do the clouds.

Anyway back to the drawing board for my concept boards

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Concept Boards Version 1

So this is my first go around on doing my concept boards. Not really sure why I choose to do them in water color but I just did. It was also hard to get it out of my head that these are what everything will look like in the end, meaning stylistically. The concept boards are really just to get a feel for composition, camera angle and what elements you're going to have in the frame. Well without further ado here's the first go around.

ConceptBoard1_V1
ConceptBoard2_V1
ConceptBoard3_V1

Friday, September 19, 2008

MOMA

So today I decided to go to MOMO to try to get some inspiration for the look of my piece and just some basic ideas. I also decided to get a year membership, which wasn't so expensive considering I get the student discount. Anyway, after spending a few hours there, I got the idea of having a minimalist and color field look to all the action that takes place above the water line. I envision the sky and water looking like a Rothko painting but where the horizon line where the sky and water meet just kind of blurs together. But once you get below the water line and under the ocean I picture that more like Pop Art, very cluttered and colorful. Not really sure if these two styles will meld together or if they will be appropriate for what I'm doing. I'm mostly worried that the Pop Art stylization will work.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

The Old Man and The Sea

So I just finished watching The Old Man and The Sea, hoping to get some inspiration for my idea and some possible looks. I think I might fashion my fisherman after Spencer Tracey.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Thesis Statement/Message/Target Audience/Mood

So, I'm finally writing down what my thesis statement is and what the message of my animation will be. I also took a stab at who my target audience is and the general mood of the piece is. These are just rough now but hopefully they will evolve into something a bit more concrete and solid.

Thesis Statement: For my thesis project, I will be creating a short 2d animated narrative. I will incorporate a collage technique to create the look of this piece, using hand drawn elements, cutouts and
photographed textures and elements.

Message: My piece has an evironmental message to it. The message I'm trying to get across is that just because we don't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Our trash and junk just doesn't disappear when the garbage men come and take it away, it ends up somewhere and sometimes it doesn't end up where it should go.

Target Audience: My target audience is young kids between the ages of 10-14. I'm trying to target kids who are just old enough to grasp the idea of over consumption, recycling, trash/junk and the idea of being environmental. Even though the piece is geared towards yound kids I'd still would like for adults to enjoy it and get something out of it.

Mood: The mood of my thesis is one of somber comedy. I would like the color palette of the piece to have a somber, subdued feel to it.

My Thesis Idea

Ok so I think I've finally settled on an idea for my thesis. I'm going to go with the guy fishing and catching nothing but junk/trash idea. Basically it's about a line fisherman who isn't catching fish, the only thing that he is catching is random pieces of junk, i.e, old boots, tennis rackets, cans, etc, etc... Unknown to him down below on the ocean floor are two crabs who seem to be doing some spring cleaning and are getting rid of all the litter on the ocean floor by putting it on the fisherman's hook. I think I choose this idea because it seems to have more of a message behind it, what that message is I'm still figuring out.

I think it's important to have something that has some kind of social awareness to it or a message. I really think art in general has potential to change things or give people a new out look on issues or just life in general. Hopefully this idea is all right and every thing works out. Fingers crossed.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Story Ideas

So I've come up with two rough story ideas:

Story Idea 1:
The Daydream
A young boy sits in the back of a classroom. Upfront the teacher is drawing a diagram of the solar system on the chalkboard and is droning on about gravitational pull and the orbits of the planets. The boy, looks out the window and begins to daydream about space travel and fantastical new worlds. His daydream is suddenly interrupted by his teacher asking him a questions to which he has no answer because he wasn't paying attention.

Story Idea 2:
The Fisherman
A fisherman is out on a river in a boat fishing. He isn't catching any fish. The only things that are on his hook when he pulls up his line are random pieces of junk or fish skeletons. You leave him and wander up river. The sounds of nature are slowly replaced by factory noises. You notice a large factory looming in the distance and can see it's sewage pipe dumping into the river.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

What to do, What to do?

Visually I kind of know what I want to do, well at least I can picture it in my head as to what I want it to look like. What I need to do is come up with a story or idea. I have a couple ideas but really not set on which to do, or whether they are good enough.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Graduate Thesis

So it seems a bunch of people are keeping blogs in order to document their progress and process of creating their Graduate Thesis Film. So I figured I might as well too. Actually it's required to keep a journal about your process for the class. So here it is. Feel free to comment and add your input about any thing.