Week 10: Final Submission

My video component to end the quarter is a compositing test meant to explore mood, lighting, sound, and color:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rDKUZrWKaxJaoErpkuEeY9NtiWnlnj6q/view?usp=sharing

Below are the steps I used to develop this test, including my initial lighting sketch, a color sketch by my friend Meghan O'Brien, my own flat color layout, and then my painted elements. Our reading this week discussed staging which was an aspect I tried to consider as much as possible while planning this piece. Composition, color, and lighting all help to draw attention to the focal point, and this test helped me figure out which techniques might be effective for the film.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1kgVuBxCPt7bz5nYBs4XLtGwR7dbVSoV1

Week 9: Research and Development 3

This weeks reading talks about storyboarding and animatics, but since that process lies farther in the future for me I chose to focus on its notes for composition and screen design. Having a variety of dynamic camera angles and shot types is interesting to me. With 3D environments my team should have a lot of freedom to experiment and be more ambitious with the storyboards we eventually create.

For my video component so far I have found a temp track that fits my desired mood:
https://soundcloud.com/user-425606635/greatspirits/s-stDQJ

I am still working on the painted elements I'll be compositing for a moving style frame, but here's an initial color sketch:

Week 8: Research and Development 2

First and foremost: Prancer has been greenlit! I'm looking forward to spending the next year developing and completing this film along with the people who I'll soon be working with!

Our reading this week deals with dialogue, but since this film won't have any I took note of what it said about sound and music. Sound is something I'm preparing to research more over the Summer so that I can be direct and clear when we begin looking for and working with a sound designer. In my experience so far I have not seen an easy collaboration between sound designers and members of a large animation crew, so I want to change that! By being purposeful in my research and thinking ahead with respect to sound and music I hope to create a collaborative environment that welcomes the input of sound designers from the beginning of pre-production to the final composite. Proper planning is essential to elevating production value!

The final objective of the quarter is creating a video component of some kind, and for mine I want to create at least one mood piece which showcases my ideas for the visual style of the film. I will most likely be painting background and character elements and then compositing them in After Effects. The end result will be a sample shot of the film showing dynamic lighting, moving camera (if only slightly), and atmospheric elements.

I've already begun compiling references for the visual style I'm thinking of, with Kevin Dart being the main starting point. You can see his influence in these Steven Universe layouts which suit the color direction I'm thinking of for the film:

His influence is also clear in the work of Chromosphere, a studio which exemplifies the strong lighting I imagine: https://vimeo.com/chromosphere

I'm also inspired by this quote from Eyvind Earle describing his inspiration for the visual style of Sleeping Beauty's backgrounds:

"I wanted stylized, simplified gothic. Straight[,] tall[,] perpendicular lines like Gothic cathedrals...I used one-point perspective. I rearranged the bushes and trees in geometrical patterns. I made a medieval tapestry out of the surface whenever possible. All my foregrounds were tapestry designs of decorative weeds and flowers and grasses. And since it is obvious that the Gothic style and detail evolved from the Arabic influence acquired during the Crusades, I found it perfectly permissible to use all the wonderful patterns and details found in Persian miniatures. And since Persian miniatures had a lot in common with Chinese and Japanese art, I felt it was OK for me to inject quite a bit of Japanese art, especially in the close-up of the leaves and overhanging branches."

From this I take the note of looking to architecture and art history for inspiration. My next question is to ask how I can make a forest feel like a palace, or at least as rich and beautiful and awe-inspiring as you might imagine a palace to be. Even if the visual style is not as abstracted as that of Kevin Dart or Eyvind Earle, I still see value in drawing lighting and composition influence from their thorough-mindedness.

Week 7: Research and Development 1

Our reading this week talks about the details of creating a narrative and setting up engaging story events that translate into an engaging experience for the audience. The point that seemed most useful to me is the idea of deciding in advance how the audience should feel at each point in the story. That way you can work backwards to make sure that everything you do from that point on is building up those feelings.

Returning to this story visualization diagram I did, there are multiple moments where I had imagined a specific feeling that needed to be communicated for the story to be effective. Those moments are:

1) The sense of wonder that compels Prancer to venture into the forest

2) The feeling of the forest closing in that makes Prancer realize that he is lost

3) The sense of abandonment that Prancer feels which relates to his failure to keep up with the group

4) The warmth and beauty of the forest which reassures him and gives him confidence to keep going

5) The relief of finding and being reunited with his herd

Every creative choice from camera angle to color choices to sound direction from this point on will either help or hinder the strength of these emotional moments. That's the main reason I haven't done much visual development up to this point, I find it most helpful to have all of this figured out so I know that I'm hitting the right emotional beats. Getting attached to specific shots or colors or sounds too early confuses the emotional goals for me.

This story depends heavily on strong visuals and an efficiently communicated narrative. This is why the next steps for me will be to explore the specific visual style I think would work for the film as well as continued exploration of the specific story events that make up the narrative.

Week 6: The Pitch

This past week I was busy putting my film pitch together and Friday was the day we all pitched! I won't post my entire presentation since it mostly just repeats all of the content I've been developing through this blog, but this title slide should give you an idea of what it looked like! I really enjoyed the pitch process and appreciated the opportunity to experience a real competitive environment. I've learned a lot and I plan to learn a lot more once the green-lit list is announced. Since this process is brand new to our department I want to see how my theories hold up! I also want to mention that I'm really proud of how hard everyone worked, I hope they all feel proud too.

The next step is research and development! Regardless of whether this idea is green-lit or not there are a lot of ideas I have for this story and these characters and now is the time to strengthen them. It's time to move forward!

Week 5: World

Prancer's journey takes place in Denali National Park in Alaska. The part we see in the film is a valley between a mountain and a forest on a hill, with a wide stream at the bottom. While Prancer's herd crosses the stream and follows its path around the forest, Prancer goes directly through the forest and meets back up with them on the other side. He essentially takes a shortcut, which is why he is able to catch up to the herd despite getting lost initially. The story takes place in Summer, when the landscape is taken over by a rainbow of different plants and strong lighting. I've attached a map of the setting which shows the path Prancer and the herd take, along with a diagram of inspiration images which correspond to specific locations and events in the story. The images are a combination of photographs and shots from the Bambi and Brother Bear films. The main emphasis in these pictures are in how well they match the environments I'm envisioning for the film at various points, with color and composition as a secondary focus.

Our reading points out how important setting is to presenting a character with the right challenges to prompt the story to advance. I definitely kept this in mind when choosing this setting, as my character is drawn forward by the natural beauty of the Alaskan wilderness. Making sure the environment is welcoming and interesting rather than intimidating and overwhelming is the key to making sure my character will be able to succeed with his journey.

Image guide from top left: The film begins by introducing us to the valley and the surrounding topography, along with the reindeer herd. It then focuses on Prancer on his own and the forest path that intrigues him. As the herd continues on to cross the stream, Prancer breaks off on his own to enter the forest and explore. He soon realizes that he has wandered too deeply into the forest, and turns around to try to retrace his steps. He ends up emerging onto an open ridge overlooking the empty valley, where he has been left alone now that the herd has moved on. He turns back to consider the forest path, and reenters it to commit to his journey and experience the natural beauty of the world. He eventually comes out on the other side of the forest on the edge of the stream, across which he sees the rest of his herd. He is then able to rejoin them.

Week 5: Brother Bear Study for Worldbuilding

As I mentioned in my last post I wanted to look at Brother Bear and Brother Bear 2 because they take place in the North American arctic wilderness, as does Prancer's story. I looked for shots that captured the kinds of environments and colors that I want to incorporate into the film, mostly ones that are bright and atmospheric while still having a rich palette:

Week 4: Bambi Study for Worldbuilding

I've decided on Denali National Park in Alaska as the setting for Prancer's story, and as I collect images of the park for reference and inspiration I also want to look at relevant films. So far four come to mind: Bambi, Bambi II, Brother Bear, and Brother Bear 2. Bambi interests me because my film is about a reindeer, and I want him to explore a forest. Brother Bear interests me because the setting is a lot closer to that of my film, and the colors and overall art style are closer to what I have in mind.

Here some shots from the Bambi films, mostly looking at color, composition, and mood. I looked for cinematic shots that make the characters look comfortable and interested in their environment:

Week 4: Character Bio

Short biography:

Prancer is a reindeer who is migrating North for the first time with his herd. It's his first journey as an adult and he is eager to keep up and stay on track--a goal that is complicated by his naturally curious and impulsive personality. He ends up having to confront his fear of being left behind when he accidentally wanders away from the group. Ultimately he finds that he has enough confidence in himself to trust that he'll find his way back, and is able to fulfill his desire to explore and discover new things in the process.

Photo source: https://www.mediabakery.com/ALS0006017-A-young-male-Caribou-climbs-a-steep-ridge-line-in.html?usource=lc
Initial design concept: mine


Our reading this week talks about authentic character acting and being able to empathize with a character's situation to build a better performance. That applies really well to my intentions for this film, because genuine emotional moments are at the center of it. The thoroughness of my idea-development processes is my way of making sure that those moments come through as clearly as possible. By keeping my treatment so far concise and direct I've left room for myself to think about what would make this character's story compelling without getting lost in unnecessary detail.

The emotional journey of this character is one that I want people to be able to empathize with, and as our reading points out that means being able to empathize with it myself. Luckily now that I have the basic information down I have a better idea of which of my own experiences I can pull from to make sure the emotional nuance of the story comes through along with all of the concrete details I've accumulated. I'm excited to show how this film can be a celebration of everyone's unique path in life.

Week 3: Brainstorming Character

My original idea for Prancer's character was that he was curious, which was why I chose him for this story. Now in order to flesh out the story more I have to develop his character beyond just 'curious' so that I can present him with the right obstacles. To accomplish this I thought about what he does in the story so far, and about how I'd like him to react to situations to reflect the core message of discovery. That's how I came up with the list of character traits on the left of the page below: Curious, impulsive, sensitive, brave, scatterbrained, easygoing, independent, friendly, openminded, kind, confident, strong.

From there it was easier to set up the key conflict for his character, reduced down to what he wants (to have fun and explore) vs what he needs (to keep up with the group). I also wanted to explore how he overcomes the conflict, so I reduced that down to what he knows (that he messed up) vs what he wonders (what would happen if he followed his interests).

The last character brainstorming I did was a way to tie everything together and start matching up motivations with story events. It combines things that happen to Prancer which are beyond his control with the ways he chooses to react to them. There is a lot of room to improve in this section, but thinking this way helps me maintain control over the impact the story will have on its audience.

Week 3: Story Beats and Treatment

Story beats:

• We are introduced to Prancer and his herd
• Prancer sees something that interests him and he decides to pursue it
• He realizes that he has wandered off alone and has been left behind
• He decides to move forward and discovers new things
• By following his instincts he finds his way to meet back up with his herd

Treatment:

Prancer is a reindeer migrating North with his herd whose greatest weakness is his curiosity. One day while following a well-travelled migration route his curiosity finally gets the better of him, pulling him off-course in pursuit of something that looks much more interesting. One distraction leads to another, and before he realizes it his herd has left him far behind. Without anyone to guide him Prancer is too inexperienced to follow the migration path himself. Rather than giving up he decides to move forward and follow his instincts on the path that initially attracted his attention. Even though he's alone, he enjoys the beauty and fun of the things he finds. Ultimately his faith in himself pays off, as he meets back up with his herd and is able to share his discoveries with the other reindeer.

The key to avoiding cliches in this story will be in drawing from personal experience and avoiding a reductionist approach. I want to make sure that it captures the unique voice that comes with this specific story I’m trying to create. By alternatining between focusing on the basic message and focusing on imaginative details I hope to end up with a film that feels new rather than derivative.

Week 2: Brainstorming Story

In the next week I'll be working on getting a solid story outline for my project, which means I'll be getting a lot of feedback from my peers! To make the process easier I'll be using diagrams like the one I've attached here to show my ideas as clearly as possible.

The goal here is to communicate the feel of the project and get people excited about the idea. It should also be genuine and direct in stating my intentions for what I want to focus on. I've included the central theme (the 'heart'), the elements I'd like to prioritize (the 'wishlist'), the basic 3-act structure of the story so far, and essential questions for planning out the action in more detail. At the bottom are further details that can serve as a jumping-off point for other people to contribute their own ideas. Even if we end up using different tools to facilitate the collaborative process, printer paper and markers help me keep everything organized for my own use. I like the colors!

Week 2: Theme and Logline

After considering my inspiration I've come up with the following theme for my project:

1) Discovery is a natural part of any journey. I want to show how it's possible to find fun and beauty in a journey, even if you're worried about the route you're taking. I want to explore how curiosity and exploration can make life meaningful. This idea has a lot of personal relevance to me because it's how I feel about my upcoming graduation, and I want to share my optimistic attitude toward the future with my peers.

My current logline is this:

2) A reindeer migrating north finds himself traveling alone, but this doesn't stop him from enjoying the trip and ending up exactly where he's meant to be.

Our reading for this week talks about universal stories, and to me this reindeer concept is about as universal as you could get. I think everyone gets nervous about where they are and whether they're headed in the right direction. This concept is also influenced by the idea of cultivating originality through personal experience. All stories may seem the same, but we engage with them because the storyteller has contributed their unique experience. This reindeer concept is about a character that is doing the same things everyone else has done, but having a totally unique experience of it because of his curiosity and willingness to discover new things.

Staying curious and discovering things is really important to us as storytellers trying to tell the same stories in a new and interesting way. It's like how you can watch six different documentaries about reindeer migration and be interested in all of them; they're all doing the same thing, but each one talks about a different experience. That's what makes life interesting!

Week 2: Compiling Inspiration

Over Spring break I spent a lot of time watching documentaries about cool stuff like ancient civilizations and dinosaurs. This past week I switched my focus to the annual reindeer migration in and below the Arctic Circle. I already had some reindeer characters I'd drawn up for a small-scale Christmas project, and watching the documentaries gave me a lot of ideas for stories I could tell through them. For this project I'm thinking smaller is better, but I'm interested in exploring the setting in a world-building sense through future projects.

I go into more detail about how I designed this character and the others on my website: https://www.meredithfinnigan.com/reindeer-2018

The northern wilderness is well-known for its beauty and expansiveness, I think it'd make a really interesting setting to explore in a short film! Especially since I'm interested in color and lighting, the seasonal shifts of the Arctic offer a lot of possibilities.

This concept is also interesting to me because it turns out that the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco has a seasonal exhibit on the migration! I live just south of SF, so now I'm kicking myself for not thinking of going while I was home over Winter break. It looks like it would have given me a lot of inspiration! Luckily there are a lot of materials online I can look through.

Map source: http://www.kristenkong.com/californiacoast/

Week 1: Welcome!

This blog will serve as a record of the work I do this quarter in Concept Development and beyond! The first week brought some surprises so I'm looking forward to documenting my process and sharing my ideas with everyone.

My main inspiration to start off the quarter is The Bear & the Hare, a short film made as part of the John Lewis Christmas campaign in 2013. I love the dynamic colors, interesting camera angles, and cute animal characters: all things I hope to incorporate in my own work!