During today's lecture we looked into depth on Joseph Campbell's monomyth theory on the 17 stages of 'A Hero's Journey' and how the stages are very evident in films such as Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) and The Matrix (1999). The theory has 3 acts which come together to form the 17 different stages in A Hero's Journey. Below is a diagram to explain Campbell's theory: Figure 1. Joseph Campell - 17 Stage Monomyth - A Hero's Journey (1949) The film that I am using to help prove this theory is A Knight's Tale (2001). Figure 2. Original Movie Poster (2001) Stage 1 - The call to adventure: The Knight that William (Heath Ledger), the knight's servant, works for, dies, meaning that William, along with all of the Knight's over servants, are left without a job. As the servants worry what to do next and panic as they haven't eaten in three days, one of the King's servants come over on a horse and explains that the Knig
OGR 09/02/2018
ReplyDeleteHi Tia - okay, so your story is much more engaging now and I like the addition of the 'voice box' machine. If I have a suggestion it would be to look again at the relationship between the surgeon and the cat; I think it would be better if the cat doesn't reveal its intelligence to the surgeon at all - so for example, in the flash back scene not only are we shown that the surgeon is horrible to the cat, we're also shown the cat is actually doing all the hard work; for example, imagine you have a flashback scene wherein we're shown a blackboard with the schematics of the brain device drawn on it - and we're first shown the surgeon giving up in frustration because he can't figure out how to complete the device - he walks off in frustration and then we see the cat pick up the chalk and complete the design... moments later, a shoe comes flying in and we hear 'Get away from that!' etc. It's like the audience needs to understand the cat is more intelligent than the surgeon, but the surgeon shouldn't know this. This will create more tension and entertainment I think.
You don't really have an ending yet - so the cat gets under the helmet and we're left looking at the surgeon's shocked face... but really, we need a scene after this that shows us that the balance of power has really changed. One idea would be to show the cat in a cage or similar at the beginning of the film - so looking miserable and like a slave - and then, at the end of the final film, we're shown the surgeon in this same position - perhaps with the talking box too and him going 'Meow' in a brain-dead sort of way?
The BIG thing for me is the lack of 'design for 3D animation' in regards to your characters. It's a subtle difference but 'drawing characters' and 'designing characters' are really worlds apart and for me, your characters are drawings of your ideas and not credibly 'designs'. It feels as if you're not yet banking some of the fundamental principles of design you've encountered with Justin - so thinking of your characters from a shapes-first and 'structural' point of view. You need to think about your character designs as 'objects' really - so all the sketchy stuff and colouring in isn't going to help you nail them in pipeline terms. I think it would really help you, Tia, to think a bit more about the tradition in which your story sits - this is very 'cartoony' stuff - mad scientists, secret laboratories, scheming cats - and I think you need to draw your visual concept and approach to character design much more so from the whole Loony Tunes world... so not this...
https://cdn.dribbble.com/users/44490/screenshots/456019/cat.png
but this...
http://www.our-happy-cat.com/images/sylvester-the-cat.jpg
and not this...
https://images.freeimages.com/images/premium/previews/1846/18466806-scientist-working-in-the-lab.jpg
but this...
https://comps.canstockphoto.fr/fou-dessin-animé-docteur-image_csp44413374.jpg
The same is true of your props and environments - this is a cartoon universe - cartoon universes are simpler, use colour expressively (tends not to be blended but more solid colour and vector style).
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/90/d1/04/90d104237efcd62ef001210e6c3ae6bf--looney-tunes-space-age.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/00/b1/7d/00b17dc24b666c4001b2eea1e6d21796.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0_ynVlwAg9U/SWJQyhJM6NI/AAAAAAAAGDA/pG5ZhkHVoMM/s400/9.jpg
My instincts are you should think about 'not' working/drawing in the way you have been, but consider using a different process - so perhaps working in Illustrator (remember your 'Monsters Inc exercise with Simon) and embracing much greater stylisation and taking reference from some of those classic cartoon traditions.
ReplyDeleteTake a look at these model sheets too - this is where I want you to try and get in terms of what I mean by 'treating your characters as objects' and thinking about them as assets you would one day take into 3D, so you need to understand them as such...
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aej7Lb99siY/U8vfweF3zsI/AAAAAAAAgqU/_8_U9Z1mNBc/s1600/$T2eC16hHJG8FGq00QoiUBSfWl,!t-Q~~60_57.JPG
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/dpwikia/images/7/7f/CA_Danny_model_sheet.png/revision/latest?cb=20160611034341
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7296/3905/1600/bear.jpg
First things first - just collect together a lot of reference re. classic cartoons and look at the worlds they create and the rules of their production design - I think you're telling a much more over-the-top, much funnier Saturday morning-style cartoon here and I think your design ideas need to move away from 'drawing' to 'designing for animation' - I hope that makes sense.