The Raven project has been going very swiftly, in terms of first hand research. We went on a trip to the Tower of London (Sophie Lodge, Steven Pender, James Ferdinando and myself) and got to see the Ravens and their masters in person. It was a fantastic visit, and really fueled me in terms of material to work on. Here are some drawings I did.
Early concepts. I rather like the design in the middle left. He looks kinda kooky, but a little like the vultures in the Jungle Book, a reference Sophie highlighted in her pitch.
These odd things in the pic above are the ravens without their beaks, wings, and talons. Sophie remarked at one point about how she'd like to see what they would look like if they took off their "uniform", so I considered how they might appear without the things that make them birds. They look very odd and a bit too comical, so we kinda scrapped this idea in the end. However I'm glad I tried it out!
The Ravenmaster in his uniform. I did a study of his face profile as he was talking to us
Here's some more early concepts I did. Sophie Lodge said that she is looking for something a little more realistic (However she likes the bottom raven in the above image)
I have done some more sketches going for a more realistic approach. Here they are below:
I also have the task of doing storyboarding and animatic for the team. At the moment we have lots of ideas and routes to go on for this project. Here's what I came up with for my brainstorming. Most focus on the Raven we love to hate - Munin, the black widow.
The fact that we have so many ideas is really encouraging, but we are having problems finalizing ourselves to just one proper chiseled framework for a story. So until we have a proper script, I am unable to do storyboarding and such until Sophie has decided on the direction for this project.
I have a lot of work to upload, but for now, I'll post up some inspirations I have when building a decent animatic. Since I may be doing a few this year, I feel it is necessary for me to write a bit about it. When I did my animatic for my pitch, I received a lot of positive feedback, and I think the way I did my animatic helped me a lot. I was inspired heavily by The Incredibles animatics by Pixar. Here's an example of on bit of Pixar animaticness. This is an alternative opening to the film they did.
I don't go into as much detail as the vid above, but I really like the way this flows. It gives a clear idea of what the story is going to be like. The shots are well established, and the lighting and poses are well thought through.
I have also been reading a lot of the graphic novel series called "The Walking Dead"
The books has currently been made into a drama series, and the first episode aired on Oct 31st. It has become a big hit, and I have taken a great interest in the zombie apocalypse story.
I love the way the story is told in the books. However I feel it is important to note that the people who produced the drama serieshave used these comics as a kinda ready made storyboard to follow. They stick closely to the way the books tell the story. Below is some behind the scene footage of the drama series production. They speak briefly about ways in which they remain loyal to the books.
Another example of a graphic novel I love that has been made into a film is the "Scott Pilgrim" series.
I love these books so much. Bryan Lee O'Malley is one of my idols now haha! I even had the pleasure to go to his book signing in London and congratulate him on his success!
But yeh anyway, these 6 books he made were turned into a film by Edgar Wright (Responsible for such films as Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead). It has won critical acclaim, and will be released on DVD very soon.
The reason why I write about this is because Edgar Wright looked closely at the books when making a cinematic version of the story. They were the basis for his storyboards. Many of the shots in the final film were taken directly from the books. He even went to the places that Bryan drew for inspiration to shoot some of the scenes! Here's a video exploring this more.
Lorna Hamilton-Brown approached my BA class about a nice opening for some to do some serious storyboarding. Here are the e-mails that have been sent between us so far:
Hi Emma,
See below:
A local company is looking for a student to work as a storyboard artist in Pre-Production of a feature film. The student will work closely with the Director and assist him to realise his visual aspirations. You would also gain a screen credit.
Duties and responsibilities: To deliver materials on time and to have fun and be creative.
Essential skills required: Good drawer. Good visual eye and good collaborative skills. Punctuality on deadlines is essential.
Travel expenses will be covered.
You will be working on a professional level and must commit yourselves accordingly.
If you are interested in this position email Lorna Hamilton-Brown <l.hamilton-brown@rave.ac.uk> with a sample of your storyboarding and your CV.
Lorna Hamilton-Brown
Hi Emma, See below: A local company is looking for a student to work as a sto...
5 Nov (4 days ago)
Lorna Hamilton-BrownLoading...
5 Nov (4 days ago)
Hey Lorna! Thank you very much for getting back to me on this fantastic opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner, I haven't had access to internet up until now.
I can give you some more examples if you would like to see more work. I have a showreel as well that displays some of my work, though it predominantly shows my animation skills. Hopefully it helps show you my knowledge of how to structure a scene well, and my drawing skills. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjHuVDW_qbg
You will also find attached my CV. Let me know if it needs some work, I've been wanting some advice on how I can improve it.
I would like to hear more about the project that you would like me to work on, so I can prepare myself for the work I need to do ahead. If you have any details about where I'll be working, who I'll be working with and when the deadlines will be, that would be helpful too.
Thanks again, and I hope to hear from you soon!
Emma Wyton
For "The Raven Project" I have been requested to come up with some designs for the main character Munin. Here are some photos James took at out field trip to The Tower of London. Please follow the link below for access to them
Okay here's the e-mail I sent to Dan and Mike about the work I will be doing this year:
Hey Dan and Mike!
Here's a sum up of the groups I am working with. My primary projects that I will be working on are:
Smitten (Matt Vadis) - Assistant Character Animator
Raven Project (Sophie Lodge) - Character Designer, Storyboarder, Animatic Artist.
I have also said to the following groups that I will attempt to help with animation and other odds and ends if I am able.
The Deep (Andy Kinnear) - Animator, Character Design
Heroes 1.0 (Kofi Ansah) - Animator
Unhatched (Tom Ritchie) - Animator
Of course, this is all dependant on whether I can find the time to help.
I have considered taking on my own pitch (Spooked) for the 30sec alternative piece. I feel that I could do it, but since I already have a lot on my plate, I will not pursue it seriously as a project. However, I may consider doing some little animation tests of the monster, since I feel that he is a strong design, and would be fun to animate for my showreel.
For Dan's unit, my strength is as an Artist (Designs, concept, animatics), but I feel that I am also a strong 2D animator. I would like to concentrate my efforts on improving my 3D animation, so I think I will specialise in Animation, so I can improve in that area. I have spoken to Clym and he as agreed to teach me some basic rigging, so that would help contribute towards my Technical studies.
Please correct me if I need to revise the above plans for either unit.
Sorry that was a long e-mail. I hope that is all clear. I look forward to hearing from you. See ya Monday!
Okay, basically I had trouble with synching my e-mail accounts with Blogger and Youtube at the same time. Because of this, I have made a new blog, which will contain all my work for this year.
Any work for Mike's unit will be marked with a *M* in the title
Any work for Dan's unit will be marked with a *D* in the title
Any work for PPI will be marked with a *IPP* in the title
EDIT I have also labeled most of my posts with DAN, MIKE, DISS or PPI, depending on the work that is relevant in that post. You can find the labels on the top right of my blog :D
I hope this is clear.
Here's the link to my old blog, which holds all my development for my personal pitch called "Spooked" http://emufmp.blogspot.com/
