Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Writing Assignment 2
1. Thesis Concept Statement
Every step you take on the battlefield is like Russian roulette with no luck. What would facing death every living second of the day do to even the best of men? Could fear cause a man to find the worst enemy within himself?
When an British officer discovers the existence of a mythical German warrior, he leads an expedition in the middle of the night to find and capture him for instant glory. Hardly do they know the dangers they would face on their passage.
2. Target Audience
Because of the heavy theme and subjective material, the audience of my film would be a mature audience.
3. Goal / Intent
My goal is to create a solid animation piece that displays my narrative and technical skills.
4. Format / Media
The film is a 3D animated production with 2D effects. Most of the piece will be made in Autodesk Maya, and composited in Adobe After Effects
5. Aesthetic / Stylistic Direction - Explain why you've made these choices.
I’ve decided to try to use a limited palette, mostly of browns and tans. Reds will be placed to emphasize events and mood. Grunge and sepia are also aesthetics that I will incorporate. This will give the effect of a war zone, as well as a time piece.
6. Concerns (in terms of concept or production)
Mostly concerned about making sure that the time needed for animation is there. With a long piece, every ounce of time available for animation is needed.
7. Existing Precedents
This is an Animation test that I did for the aerial scenes
8. Other Inspiration, if applicable. (optional)
My Boy Jack (2007)
6:50
Back Water Gospel
Monday, September 19, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Script WIP
INT. DARKENED ROOM – NIGHT
The walls are indistinct. There is a solitary light above a YOUNG MAN who sits by a chess board. He is intent on the game, but then, sensing the camera’s intrusion, he looks up from playing.
YOUNG MAN
(playing chess)
I've got a rather spiffy story to tell you. Absolutely top hole, I have to admit. And I don’t say such things lightly. Come closer…
The camera TRUCKS IN closer to the young man. We may see he is dressed as if from the 1920’s.
YOUNG MAN
The story is actually about me. You see, I’m a hero. Shhh..I don’t like too many people to know it. One should never boast of one’s accomplishments, even though this one is quite--profound. You see, I defeated Evil. I challenged the Devil…and I won.
Angle on the chess board. It DISSOLVES to a view of some CHECKERBOARDED FIELDS, from the air. We see a scarred patch of farmland, and HEAR explosions.
REVERSE ANGLE
Long shot: the skies are filled with planes and a dirigible, with flak from explosions lighting up the sepia clouds around them. A fierce air and land battle is taking place, and from the dirigible, we assume it is World War One.
YOUNG MAN
(narrating)
The skies were filled with fire. Planes attacked like angry birds of prey. They bombed us like dogs. As if we were pathetic mice scurrying underneath the earth, we hid in our trenches. Grown men cowering in terror, clinging to their rifles as if they could save us from God's handpicked fury. It was during the Great War about thirty years ago.
I was just a Lieutenant then, with only a few weeks on the front.
I did my job to hold the men together. But the fear persisted.
VARIOUS ANGLES: the trenches.
Short glimpses of faces, muddied and fearful.
A lit cigarette winks in the dark, lighting up the haunted face of a soldier who may be barely seventeen years old.
A RAT scurries over the bare feet of another private.
Another SOLDIER polishes his rifle, over and over.
Someone plays cards with a dead man. Chilling. Just little vignettes here: snatches of the horror in the trenches. All sepia toned, with occasional swatches of red and black.
YOUNG MAN
(Narrating)
The Germans released Hell's fury--as if they were born hating us. Every shell, every bullet that struck the Earth sent fear slicing through our bones. Have you ever been to War?
INT. DARK ROOM – PRESENT
Angle on the chess board. No pieces have been moved.
YOUNG MAN
You're not much of a chess player, are you? You have to think several moves ahead, you see?
EXT. BATTLEFIELD - NIGHT
YOUNG MAN
(narrating)
I held up. Though the men had other fears in their mind. As if the fighting wasn't enough for them.
They spoke of a soldier who dwells across no mans land. He watches the line day and night. His eyes are so hatefully bright you can see them shine from the opposite trench.
Those who’ve seen him says he stands nine feet tall, like Goliath--except no stone could bring him down.
I didn't believe the stories…at first.
Until that night. That night I knew he was out there. Waiting for the weak.
He is darker than a shadow. He fed on the fearful. They called him Das Tier. The Beast.
But I-- I tamed him. I showed him that every beast…has a master.
Of course such a man had to exist; it makes perfect sense, in a world at war. How else could I have lost so many men that night?
How else could every single soul have been lost --so easily?
It made sense.
It made so much sense.
ANGLE ON THE FOXHOLE
VARIOUS ANGLES:
We see the young man in his uniform. He is surrounded by the dead.
He grips his rifle.
A bead of sweat rolls down his forehead.
A TWIG SNAPS! He looks up, terrified!
He takes the CIGARETTE from the lips of a dead companion.
Smokes it…
As it lights, when he inhales, we see the hideous EYES of…SOMETHING behind him!
He turns!
It’s a rat.
He shivers in disgust.
He creeps to the edge of the foxhole, and slowly raises his eyes above the ground level.
ANGLE FROM HIS POV.
There is a slithering GREENISH MIST coming toward him.
YOUNG MAN
They said it was mustard gas, but I knew better. I knew it was pure evil. Oh, yes…evil exists. I know. I even know what it looks like. Most heroes do, you know. It looks like…it’s hard to describe him to you.
ANGLE THROUGH THE MIST
Terrible: ghastly. A huge GERMAN SOLDIER. Like a machine. About ten feet tall. Horrible reddish eyes. Huge claws. More like a bear, or a machine, than a man.
YOUNG MAN
I would tell you ion greater detail, but then, you’ll never encounter Das Tier. Because I killed him. Despite the death all around me, despite my own fear…oh yes, even heroes have fear, but the difference between you and us is that heroes move through the fear, to victory! To VICTORY!!
The soldier goes over the top, into the mist.
FULL ANIMATION STARTS HERE
It is a ferocious battle, which may remind us (if only in style) of the quick cuts and strong poses we see in “Samurai Jack” animation.
There is the clanging of swords, and sparks fly! Terrible screams are heard! Are they the sounds of this beast, being torn apart?
We see awful glimpses of the young soldier’s face: he is crazed with terror, then with rage, then his face is covered with blood.
Silence…
INT. DARKENED ROOM – NIGHT
The naked light bulb is swinging, back and forth, back and forth. It casts frightening shadows on the young man’s face. He looks corrupted, and much older. Somehow sinister.
YOUNG MAN
The battle was epic. Ferocious. Like the gladiators in ancient Rome, my friend. That’s how heroes fight, isn’t it?
He pushed a chess piece across the board, then looks into the camera: a maniac.
YOUNG MAN
Check. You see? I have won again. I always win. Heroes always win.
ANGLE ON THE BATTLEFIELD
We see the young soldier heaving, breathing, above the creeping greenish mist.
Camera pans down, and we see the carnage: it’s devastating. A WOMAN and two small children are lying in bloody heaps. Their arms are reaching up. One of the children has been beheaded.
There is no evidence of this “master soldier” Das Tier. Behind the soldier, though, is a tree which may or may not have been what he saw from the trench.
INT. DARK ROOM – NIGHT
The young man reaches up and stops the bulb from swinging. As it stops, we see his tunic. There is a label stitched there:
PATIENT # 44359.
YOUNG MAN
You see? I’ve won again. It’s a terrific story, as I said, isn’t it? Really top hole, wouldn’t you agree?
THE END
The walls are indistinct. There is a solitary light above a YOUNG MAN who sits by a chess board. He is intent on the game, but then, sensing the camera’s intrusion, he looks up from playing.
YOUNG MAN
(playing chess)
I've got a rather spiffy story to tell you. Absolutely top hole, I have to admit. And I don’t say such things lightly. Come closer…
The camera TRUCKS IN closer to the young man. We may see he is dressed as if from the 1920’s.
YOUNG MAN
The story is actually about me. You see, I’m a hero. Shhh..I don’t like too many people to know it. One should never boast of one’s accomplishments, even though this one is quite--profound. You see, I defeated Evil. I challenged the Devil…and I won.
Angle on the chess board. It DISSOLVES to a view of some CHECKERBOARDED FIELDS, from the air. We see a scarred patch of farmland, and HEAR explosions.
REVERSE ANGLE
Long shot: the skies are filled with planes and a dirigible, with flak from explosions lighting up the sepia clouds around them. A fierce air and land battle is taking place, and from the dirigible, we assume it is World War One.
YOUNG MAN
(narrating)
The skies were filled with fire. Planes attacked like angry birds of prey. They bombed us like dogs. As if we were pathetic mice scurrying underneath the earth, we hid in our trenches. Grown men cowering in terror, clinging to their rifles as if they could save us from God's handpicked fury. It was during the Great War about thirty years ago.
I was just a Lieutenant then, with only a few weeks on the front.
I did my job to hold the men together. But the fear persisted.
VARIOUS ANGLES: the trenches.
Short glimpses of faces, muddied and fearful.
A lit cigarette winks in the dark, lighting up the haunted face of a soldier who may be barely seventeen years old.
A RAT scurries over the bare feet of another private.
Another SOLDIER polishes his rifle, over and over.
Someone plays cards with a dead man. Chilling. Just little vignettes here: snatches of the horror in the trenches. All sepia toned, with occasional swatches of red and black.
YOUNG MAN
(Narrating)
The Germans released Hell's fury--as if they were born hating us. Every shell, every bullet that struck the Earth sent fear slicing through our bones. Have you ever been to War?
INT. DARK ROOM – PRESENT
Angle on the chess board. No pieces have been moved.
YOUNG MAN
You're not much of a chess player, are you? You have to think several moves ahead, you see?
EXT. BATTLEFIELD - NIGHT
YOUNG MAN
(narrating)
I held up. Though the men had other fears in their mind. As if the fighting wasn't enough for them.
They spoke of a soldier who dwells across no mans land. He watches the line day and night. His eyes are so hatefully bright you can see them shine from the opposite trench.
Those who’ve seen him says he stands nine feet tall, like Goliath--except no stone could bring him down.
I didn't believe the stories…at first.
Until that night. That night I knew he was out there. Waiting for the weak.
He is darker than a shadow. He fed on the fearful. They called him Das Tier. The Beast.
But I-- I tamed him. I showed him that every beast…has a master.
Of course such a man had to exist; it makes perfect sense, in a world at war. How else could I have lost so many men that night?
How else could every single soul have been lost --so easily?
It made sense.
It made so much sense.
ANGLE ON THE FOXHOLE
VARIOUS ANGLES:
We see the young man in his uniform. He is surrounded by the dead.
He grips his rifle.
A bead of sweat rolls down his forehead.
A TWIG SNAPS! He looks up, terrified!
He takes the CIGARETTE from the lips of a dead companion.
Smokes it…
As it lights, when he inhales, we see the hideous EYES of…SOMETHING behind him!
He turns!
It’s a rat.
He shivers in disgust.
He creeps to the edge of the foxhole, and slowly raises his eyes above the ground level.
ANGLE FROM HIS POV.
There is a slithering GREENISH MIST coming toward him.
YOUNG MAN
They said it was mustard gas, but I knew better. I knew it was pure evil. Oh, yes…evil exists. I know. I even know what it looks like. Most heroes do, you know. It looks like…it’s hard to describe him to you.
ANGLE THROUGH THE MIST
Terrible: ghastly. A huge GERMAN SOLDIER. Like a machine. About ten feet tall. Horrible reddish eyes. Huge claws. More like a bear, or a machine, than a man.
YOUNG MAN
I would tell you ion greater detail, but then, you’ll never encounter Das Tier. Because I killed him. Despite the death all around me, despite my own fear…oh yes, even heroes have fear, but the difference between you and us is that heroes move through the fear, to victory! To VICTORY!!
The soldier goes over the top, into the mist.
FULL ANIMATION STARTS HERE
It is a ferocious battle, which may remind us (if only in style) of the quick cuts and strong poses we see in “Samurai Jack” animation.
There is the clanging of swords, and sparks fly! Terrible screams are heard! Are they the sounds of this beast, being torn apart?
We see awful glimpses of the young soldier’s face: he is crazed with terror, then with rage, then his face is covered with blood.
Silence…
INT. DARKENED ROOM – NIGHT
The naked light bulb is swinging, back and forth, back and forth. It casts frightening shadows on the young man’s face. He looks corrupted, and much older. Somehow sinister.
YOUNG MAN
The battle was epic. Ferocious. Like the gladiators in ancient Rome, my friend. That’s how heroes fight, isn’t it?
He pushed a chess piece across the board, then looks into the camera: a maniac.
YOUNG MAN
Check. You see? I have won again. I always win. Heroes always win.
ANGLE ON THE BATTLEFIELD
We see the young soldier heaving, breathing, above the creeping greenish mist.
Camera pans down, and we see the carnage: it’s devastating. A WOMAN and two small children are lying in bloody heaps. Their arms are reaching up. One of the children has been beheaded.
There is no evidence of this “master soldier” Das Tier. Behind the soldier, though, is a tree which may or may not have been what he saw from the trench.
INT. DARK ROOM – NIGHT
The young man reaches up and stops the bulb from swinging. As it stops, we see his tunic. There is a label stitched there:
PATIENT # 44359.
YOUNG MAN
You see? I’ve won again. It’s a terrific story, as I said, isn’t it? Really top hole, wouldn’t you agree?
THE END
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
1] Some of the aspects that I seemed to have gravitated towards:
Conflict: Whether it be internal or existential, the mere tragedy of conflict has spiked my interest
Fear/Courage: As a narrative, the idea of overcoming fear is a theme that I believe can be the basis of a great story.
Mental Disorder: I think the idea of a character dealing with a mental disorder that specifically impedes their ability to make effective choices and decisions
History: I am very much interested in creating a timepiece, that puts the character within a large historical event.
2] I am very interested in creating a linear narrative that is in the form of CG Character Animation. Drama is something I would love to explore, with a mix of thriller and plot twist.
3] Essential, I want to become a proficient character animator. I want to refine my skills in 3D and attain a competitive amount of knowledge for my future career. The final product should be polished to industry standards, and retain a solid storyline that is clear and original. I also have high aspirations on entering the film into festivals.
4] There are aspects of my proposed thesis project that I have identified as very important. First, as an animated narrative, I believe that there are important elements that I want to achieve in the story. The tone of the animation has to be dramatic and heavy. The story is surrounded by war and there is no room for tangent elements.
Conflict: Whether it be internal or existential, the mere tragedy of conflict has spiked my interest
Fear/Courage: As a narrative, the idea of overcoming fear is a theme that I believe can be the basis of a great story.
Mental Disorder: I think the idea of a character dealing with a mental disorder that specifically impedes their ability to make effective choices and decisions
History: I am very much interested in creating a timepiece, that puts the character within a large historical event.
2] I am very interested in creating a linear narrative that is in the form of CG Character Animation. Drama is something I would love to explore, with a mix of thriller and plot twist.
3] Essential, I want to become a proficient character animator. I want to refine my skills in 3D and attain a competitive amount of knowledge for my future career. The final product should be polished to industry standards, and retain a solid storyline that is clear and original. I also have high aspirations on entering the film into festivals.
4] There are aspects of my proposed thesis project that I have identified as very important. First, as an animated narrative, I believe that there are important elements that I want to achieve in the story. The tone of the animation has to be dramatic and heavy. The story is surrounded by war and there is no room for tangent elements.
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