february 27th

i. animatic update

some parts of this still feel really fast? but i think the beginning is getting somewhere.

ii. a script!

I finally collected all of my pieces of the voice over script into an actual thing. I will have it recorded and added to the animatic for thursday.

iii. she's got clothes on now

i've been looking into using Marvelous Designer for at least the overalls of my character. need more research and to probably test rig it both ways before i make a decision. also started looking into hair stuff.

february 20th

i. animatic update

ii. color swap

like the look of the overalls, and the faded maroon color takes her away from that midwest farm girl style.

iii. conceptual art

Finally had a reason to use my hammock.

iv. modeling and motion test

After testing my WIP model. I definitely notice some weird deformation in the forearms- they might just be way too skinny. Her legs are surprisingly good, and her torso moves nicely.

february 10th

i. zbrush is the best

Modeling has commenced. Abdomen to legs proportions are better here than in my turn-arounds. Also she has toes.

ii. some more drawings

I have some ideas about the planet and what makes it so special, and I think a lot of it will have to do with a light effect created by the suns-set and the grass. This might kill me when I have to actually render it, but I'm not letting that curb my aesthetic enthusiasm.

Bribed some friends with pancakes to let me braid their hair and take tons of reference photos.

iii. baby animatic

Starting to think about timing while I continue finagling my storyboard, and what parts I may have to condense or cut to optimize my story. This is most definitely not anywhere close to final timing, but it's a start?

February 8th

i. shark character design

  • the fin is a different material, obviously added 
  • small groves and ports along the sides of the body
  • eyes blink but there are no other facial expressions
  • beeps to talk

february 6th

i. story board, version 3

ii. so many frames

Act I:

Act II:

Act III:

iii. mk, continued

february 1st

i. pre-color scripts, version one

Act I: 

The opening act has a lighthearted feel. This is the beginning of the story and the beginning of the journey. 

Act II:

The main color that pulls through the story is the yellow that accents MK's character. Act II is punctuated by boredom and slowness of endless waiting. At the end of the act, warning colors like oranges and reds come into play with the fear and anxiety of the world ending moment.

Act III:

Still following MK's yellow, the story pulls itself out of the fear and into a peaceful resolve. The softer colors of a sunset emphasize MK's rebirth into the next chapter of her life.

ii. notes on composing dynamic shots from "framed ink"

  • dynamics of the image between light and dark, creates lines of tension
  • direct the eye toward the key narrative subjects
  • positive and negative space around characters changes the mood and intentions
  • use key opening shots to establish the emotional tone
  • lines of action should follow curves, even if between characters
  • down shots vs upshots
  • negative space can be used as an active part of the scene- what you don't show is just as important as what you do
  • scale can relate characters to each other or to their environment to create a sense of "emotionally big" or "emotionally small"
  • varied scale within an image builds a sense of depth
  • POV shots bring us closer to the minds of the characters- we see what they are seeing
  • rule of thirds applies to the focal point within an image 
  • let the audience put the pieces together when cutting scenes or using extreme close up/insert shots
  • when panning, keep the main lines of action within the scene moving parallel with the camera
  • spatial continuity is an important thing

january 30th

i. reverse storyboarding with rey

ii. a treatment, draft 1

and also a beat sheet.

iii. moodboard

iv. thoughts on color palettes

While investigating all the designs of my favorite star ships throughout the week, I came to the conclusion that MK's ship could be adequately described as a junker. It's an old ship, it's been through some tougher times, and now it's kept in shape exclusively by a 13 year old with limited funds. So it's not the shiny and chrome look of the USS Enterprise when it pulls out of the space dock for the first time, or the immaculate crispness of an Imperial Star Destroyer, but more like the Millennium Falcon and the Serenity. The Serenity especially has a warmer, lived-in feel that I like, with the look of struggling to keep it all together.

The color palettes I am leaning towards have more of the warmer tones, of soft light and worn metal. Browns and reds and yellows with blue accents, to contrast the coldness of the rest of space.

 

This is the color palette I pulled from my mood board:

v. conceptualizing

january 23rd

i. genre characteristics that i'm highlighting in my film

Main Genre: Science Fiction Adventure Film
Tone: adventure-y but in a melancholy way, alone but not lonely? 

  • setting in an alternate world and alien societies, fictional worlds and universes
  • non-human characters, often used to comment on the human condition
  • advanced science and technology (time travel is a big one)
  • romanticization of the past
  • takes place in an "elsewhere"
  • heroes face life or death scenarios, constantly perilous circumstances
  • sense of urgency, goals/mission must be accomplished in a short period of time
  • dark and foreboding mood
  • robot characters
  • metallic and cold color palettes in space, lots of blues and purples in the environment and harsh white lighting
  • earthy and warm color palettes on planets, lots of oranges and yellows in the light, green in the environments
  • there is no noise in space, exterior silences

ii. a kinda direction for a plot

I read this book last year, "A Long Way to a Small, Angry, Planet" by Becky Chambers, and it's about a misfit crew on a ship in deep space who are contracted to do a very specific job in a very specific place at a very specific time. The book is decently long, but the main point of action doesn't happen until the last possible moment. I think the reason I enjoyed it so much was that much of the story was very slice of life style story telling, and even though you knew all of the points were building into the main story arc, I was much more entertained by the glimpses into the everyday life of the characters and what they do when they're on this ship for months on end. 

So I'm moving in the direction of something like that. A lot of little moments that building towards a main point, but are just as interesting and beautiful as everyday kind of occurrences. More character driven than conflict driven?

iii. sketchy things

MK 

Mara Kannon Ryo
Age 13 and a half
Black hair, blue eyes

Likes: 
Meteor showers, flying, hearing stories about the ocean, sharks

Dislikes:
Space walks, quietness of the void, brushing her hair

 

The Alkasar

APTERA Model Alpha-Z5

Designed for midsize families and short term interplanetary travel.

Released 72011.9. Antimatter Convergenator Engine. Comes with A.I Eldym OS 3.05.101.*

*Reprogrammed response to "Eddy"

iv. i went to the planetarium this weekend and i love the planetarium.

there's this part in the "Dark Universe" show where Neil Degrasse Tyson talks about how the universe is in a constant state of expansion. And because of the way it's expanding by millions and millions of light years, wherever you are observing the universe from will always look like the center of the expansion. So no matter where you are in the Universe, every galactic form is in a constant state of moving away from you.

That's kind of a lonely thought.

january 18th

i. characteristics of sci-fi

  • setting in an alternate world and alien societies, dystopian worlds
  • non-human characters, often used to comment on the human condition
  • allegory
  • advanced science and technology (time travel is a big one)
  • speculates on the nature and direction of human knowledge
  • anachronism (like steam punk)
  • romanticization

ii. characteristics of fantasy

  • fictional worlds and universes
  • full of action, specific paths and patterns (ie the heroes journey)
  • characters can have special powers/connection to the super natural
  • animorphisism
  • good vs evil, plot and conflicts are usually resolved with great dads or acts of human kindness
  • uses magic or other ideas to achieve the extremely impossible

iii. characteristics of adventure

  • fast paced, action packed plots
  • takes place in an "elsewhere"
  • heroes face life or death scenarios, constantly perilous circumstances
  • sense of urgency, goals/mission must be accomplished in a short period of time
  • dark and foreboding mood
  • clearly defined good and bad characters

iv. examples of my work

  1.  The (Interior) Space Enthusiastinterior lighting
  2. CONQUER; comic book
  3. Puddle Jumper; studio iii final
  4. Good Intentions; short comic
  5. Over Under Through; illustration
  6. How to Be a Dreamer; short comic for The Sketchbook Project
  7. Lance the Dinosaur in: Lunar Dreams; silhouette puppetry
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v. some work i admire

  1. this scene in star wars (~0:27)
  2. game of thrones
  3. an iconic moment (1:40~)
  4. this other scene in star wars (0:29-2:11)
  5. other cool explosion in space because we can't legally see the star wars one yet
  6. my dragons! (~1:00) (not the lannister-burning ones)

january 16th

i. a jumble of ideas for thesis

Two story ideas I already have kind of laid out, but not sure I want to keep with?

A story that I am totally down to reinvent or steal the good stuff from:

Over break I was thinking a lot about the kind of stories that inspire me. I don't think it's  coincidence that most of them have some kind of fantasy element, and most of them take place in space. And I like telling stories about strong young characters who are set on adventure. These pieces are things I definitely want to incorporate into my thesis film because what is the point of a project that doesn't relate to my interests?

I also was blown away by the film "The Greatest Showman" because of how the sound is incorporated into the film, specifically in the opening scene. The effect of the contrast of noise and nothing is incredible, and the way the musical beat are tied into the visual beats is just amazing. There was a moment of similar contrast in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," where something that was visually loud was built up in complete silence, and it took my breath away a little bit. I am very interested in figuring out how to work some moment like this into my film, with visual and auditory consonance and dissonance.

    ii. mk character design