Oh, hello. I'm back!

It has been a year since I have worked on this film, but I got the itch this past weekend and started a new style frame. Below is the work in progress. I still need to design the plant life and some fish for inside the tank, but so far I am pleased.

This is the scene I will be using to do an animation test. Can you believe it! I am converting to Toon Boom Harmony and think Jellie could be just the short to test out the software. I will make no promises that I will be posting frequently so...just wish me luck.

Revised Storyboard Thumbnails

I am currently working on including some changes based on feedback from the first cut animatic. I am still working with how ambiguous of a metaphor I want the dying fish to be, but one thing that I definitely felt was needed in the film, others agreed, was to show the staircase leading to the end aquarium earlier in the film in its "normal" state. I wanted this so that when the protagonist chases the fish to the base of the stairs the change in environment will have some context.

 Open with staircase.

 Zoom/tilt to show city street at top of stairs with raised train track in background.
- cut -

 Low angle shot of pedestrians passing with traffic humming on the street behind.

 Tilt upwards and begin camera twist to Dutch angle.

 Continue tilt and twist.

End in upshot of train passing through frame.
- cut to protagonist sitting on train -

Lastly I wanted the approach to the viewing wall to be flatter and for the protagonist to be even more dwarfed. This is the new layout I will update in the animatic.

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Color Direction

Got distracted a bit with the visual development phase of a collaborative film I'm working on for class. I had some free time today so I created some color mood boards to use as I begin environment/character color studies. I am shifting away from my teal comfort zone towards rich blues with colorful accents.

The subway will stay within the realm of beige but with stronger saturation. The beginning of the film should feel sterile, distant, and cold. I will have cooler tones but I want the palette to stay overwhelmingly warm to contrast the end of the film.

Animatic Update

Just completed the first rough cut animatic in the Storyboards section. I'll be showing it around school asking people what they think about timing and such. I've been staring at it for a bit and I feel some cuts are a rapid while others feel long. I need to find that magic balance.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my newest blog! I will be posting work as I create it so please check back regularly. So far I have been working on this project for just over a month and I'm excited at how far it has already come. Below are the first thumbnails I sketched up early one morning.

More of a brain dump but it got the ball rolling. On that note head on over to Storyboards after visiting the Story section to check out the newly completed boards.