I get a clear sense of your ambition for this project: slick, moody visuals - otherworldly vibe - inky blacks and striking colour. I'm also looking at your various references and feel compelled to highlight their essential technical complexity - and your relative inexperience. I'm not holding this up to demotivate at all, just want you to recognise at this early stage that organicism and fluidity are real challenges (for experienced CG artists), and I don't want you ending up in the same place as you did with digital set - with an unrenderable project. This project is absolutely an exercise in style, and all the scenarios are constituted from simple forms; as you begin to thumbnail your eyes, keep the practicalities in mind too.
Practicalities also include 'how is the audience getting the information?' Voice-over? Incorporated text? Incorporating text is an artform in itself and not to be undertaken lightly - look at these examples for some wonderfully integrated uses of labels as part of the experience of the film:
You'll also need to think very imaginatively about sound design; slime molds etc. make no sound, but you'll need expressionistic effects to add impact; an example of this can be found in Loom:
http://vimeo.com/24069938
Pay special attention to just how 'non real world' the sound design is, but also how it fits perfectly with the action on screen.
It would be good to see you really identifying your intentions still further, Sam - and getting your work up here for discussion, so we can trouble-shoot prior to the pitch.
OGR 05/03/2014
ReplyDeleteHi Sam,
I get a clear sense of your ambition for this project: slick, moody visuals - otherworldly vibe - inky blacks and striking colour. I'm also looking at your various references and feel compelled to highlight their essential technical complexity - and your relative inexperience. I'm not holding this up to demotivate at all, just want you to recognise at this early stage that organicism and fluidity are real challenges (for experienced CG artists), and I don't want you ending up in the same place as you did with digital set - with an unrenderable project. This project is absolutely an exercise in style, and all the scenarios are constituted from simple forms; as you begin to thumbnail your eyes, keep the practicalities in mind too.
Practicalities also include 'how is the audience getting the information?' Voice-over? Incorporated text? Incorporating text is an artform in itself and not to be undertaken lightly - look at these examples for some wonderfully integrated uses of labels as part of the experience of the film:
http://ucarochester-cgartsandanimation.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/cgaa-one-day-macro-kingdom-123.html
You'll also need to think very imaginatively about sound design; slime molds etc. make no sound, but you'll need expressionistic effects to add impact; an example of this can be found in Loom:
http://vimeo.com/24069938
Pay special attention to just how 'non real world' the sound design is, but also how it fits perfectly with the action on screen.
It would be good to see you really identifying your intentions still further, Sam - and getting your work up here for discussion, so we can trouble-shoot prior to the pitch.