Outcome of meeting, 10/12/10.

Just to recap:

AJ - You have to upload your work more, I have seen stuff that could be uploaded now and you should do it as regularly as possible! You haave left: Buildings, Cars, Tanks & Street/Landscape.

Alex - You are working on the lab, I understand you have to redesign it. Once you have something to upload do it, maybe at the end of the day?

Zakki - The bunny, I think with you its your own choice where to take things. You could develop  it more, in terms of detail. You do have to alter the position of the arms and back. A higher detailed head also need to be designed/produced, which is for the last shot fo the bunny. It is also a good idea to look at the fur that you will be using, so you know of any bald spots and level of detail.

Me - I will be working on the generic characters though out the trailer. I have designed one, sketches will be up soon. I still have to design the generic male character and props for both. The scientist and a high detail hand of his. I have also been thinking about soldiers, do we think we should make one generic soldier perhaps to be running behind the tank and crouched in front of the bunny? comments on that would be kool.

As always comments on any of this will be good, and anything I may have missed.

If you struggle to upload to the blog, or find yourself forgetting about it make a post-it note and stick it on you monitor and take 15 minuets to upload at the end of you day. It really shouldn't be hard for us now.

Meeting on Friday 10th December.

Can all attend a meeting on Friday at 1PM to discuss work that has been done and the work to be done over the holidays. I need everyone to bring any work you have done, just scan in or take screenshots of any work, it is essential.

Updates to Jobs

Well it has been a while since this blog has seen any action so I think its time to knock things back into place and get the gears moving again.

I hope everyone has done some for of work for this, I have seen some evidence but not enough. I need you guys to upload some work, relevant, going to be changed, WIP, whatever! Because its time for some new material to start being produced, we are falling behind, so I feel, as a group.

Firstly Alex, I know you have been working on the inside of the lab, I know where you are and what direction you are heading and its working well. Keep it up and keep the world posted on your status.
AJ the building concepts were really working, I think you stopped at one point to get on with character, so its time to bring that back up and work on some more buildings, but you also need to get some maya stuff going. I would like you to start on the tank, I think it will be good for you and all of us to get and example of the gritty, rusty world that this is threw the force of the military.
Zakki, you have been quite distant. We have got a good style from you which has help drive us more than I think you realise? Anyway, I'm sure you have been working on the Rabbit in Maya, if you haven't could you start, think details and a get it ready to be rigged, that's the next stage for you!
I will be working on some characters to fill in space on the town, give it some life. They will be terribly simple yet dressed in lovely summer dresses and checked shirts and shorts!

I know there is a essay to be handed in soon but this project is not going to be put on hold anymore! Its been a long while since I felt happy with the way things are going, I hope you all understand that feeling! Lets start to bring it together and make a kick-ass animation.

Keep your blog up-to-date with rich work for this project, I will be keening a keen eye on things.

Comments as always guys!!


PS Zak- What happened to your blog? need you new address please, Blogger home page doesn't automatic update!

concept, lampost,fruit crate.

Over the weekend I've done another concept, this one took absolutely ages, I tried to encorporate more detail and make sure that they give a clear message instead of previous ''mood drawings''. I looked at the photo above and took some ideas from it, such as the lampposts and signs sticking out of the buildings. Since we're modelling smaller things now, I made one of the lamposts and did some tests so that we can put spotlights in them and they'll light up, which was frustrating but turned out good. they could do with a 'dirt' texture map i think, but copying the pictures I made them dark grey so I don't know if dirt would be visible anyway. Ialso made a crate of apples for the shop in the middle of my concept, everythings grouped etc so colours can be changed really easily.

Park-O-Meter

Another prop, scratched up parking meter.

second set

the rest of the drawings and the rough (emphasis on the rough) models I made. I did the 3d versions mainly because it was a lot easier for me to work with maya to make buildings than to draw them, I seem to have discovered a phobia of straight lines! so I invested in some graph paper to help out.

Concept art / designs

concept art of the suburb houses. note the beams and symmetry. also, I did some detailed ones concerning window styles, as well as 2 floored ones, and renders of 3d versions made at home, so please wait and see them later on when i upload them from home.

first concept of lab. i also have a 3d version. and a sketch which will also be uploaded, with better window styles that I couldnt do on maya.

Okay this is the best picture to see the style of buildings I'm working for, you can see the modern style, with that retro 'niceness'' and the homage to the countryside in the windows. here we have 2 skyscrapers, a warehouse (no fancy windows on this) a 2 floored shop with large display windows and the taller building which could easily serve as a filler to flesh out our scenes.

the concept of the corridor. the door we are standing at (theoretically) leads behind us into the laboratory workspace, and the door in front (lighted) is open to show the main text subject being held separately, awaiting results of experiments.

This was me testing out brushes and thinking about composition, whereas this doesnt look exactly like our city, this can be referred to when we come to think about amounts of destruction, smoke etc. what is too much, what swamps the city?

first concept of suburbs, trying to get the feel of the black and white, how much contrast.

this is a more resolved concept, this shows the houses in more detail. note the beams around the middle of the buildings, separating the floors. giving a more solid, safe feel. also the beam under the roof, and the half circle windows.

Okay guys, my apologies, I did swerve off and lose contact again, sorry about that, I'm still not used to the ''group'' thing, however, I've specified my idea of what the town should look like, using the rabbit as a reference.

The style ive used, in terms of time and art direction is a mixture of a modern/retro city, with neat symmetrical buildings, but also, using the rabbit's ''somethings different'' aspect, I have encorporated a tiny influence from country style houses, such as every building having beams dividing each floor, you'll see in the concept art that each building has this, along with another beam beneath the roof. also most of the buildings except the warehouse type, flat building have half circle type small windows above the main ones. this is also a homage to old country style houses which give the rabbit a sense of belonging in the town. if the rabbit was to be shown against the buildings, the sense given off by this design would end up as a modern, twisted 'Peter Rabbit'' look.

I have drawn some concepts for the laboratory scene, in this we have a high contrast black and white scene, meant to show that the laboratory is a professional place, but the lighting and the mess of the wires suggests somethings wrong. as in the corridor, with lines of cages along each side, and one single room at the end containing the current test subject. 'suburb' buildings are to have porches and to have a all symmetrical, neat and tidy, ''edward scizzorhands'' feel, as we move into the city, it remains the same with shops, skyscrapers etc. the laboratory on the outside still should remain neat and symmetrical, but it's odd shape stands out amongst the friendliness of the city and shows somethings not quite right.

also, i really like the big tower thing that is in the post before me, It fits the style of modern but also a little bit country and ''old''/''retro'', suiting the rabbit, but also the eeriness that the mutation brings. if you agree with this style then its all good, if you dont understand it ask me, if not it can change, more to come later on. including more accurate line drawings

Water Tower

One of my models finished and textured.

Yes, it is low poly, here is a render of it within a background scenario.

Maya Jobs

Today it became apparent to us that we have some time on our hands as we are waiting for work from other studio members. So we have some roles which will consist of creating generic models in maya for the town scenes and laboratory scene.

Firstly we have the town:

• 3 Generic town buildings (high poly)
  (These need to be altered once created to become broken/destroyed.)
• 3 Broken Buildings (high poly)
• 1 Generic building altered into shop front (high poly)
• Block of flats (low poly)
• Lamp post
• Fire hydrant
• Newspaper stand
• Post box
• Parking metres
• Road Signs
• Water Tower (low poly)
  We also need to alter the road and pavements to become destroyed and cracked, but this will be easier to do once all of the towns buildings are created and a map is formed.

Laboratory:

• Metal supporting beams
• 1960s Computers
• Power cables
• Electricity box
• Flasks
• Test tubes + holder
• Bunsen burner
• Generic chemistry set
• Syringe
• Microscope
• Ventilation (boxes)
• Electrical apparatus

I think the best way to assign jobs is let people decide what they want to do. If you comment on this post and we can green light it.

An important factory before you model is Reference! Before you make a single poly please reference/research. Don't forget where we are heading and what time period we are in, this is quite key!

Timetable

Monday: 12:00 - 16:00(17:00). Work progress, futher discussion and work distribution.
Wednesday: 14:00 - 16:00. General discussions.

To all: Be on time and prepared.

Vechile Concepts

These are the different vechile concepts that i have come up with, however they do require a lot more refining and tunning but for a b movie they should do fine. However these took just way to long to shadow and colour in as it was hard to do it in black and white. Let me know what you guys think? However some of the concepts were a bit rushed too.

Concepts , turnarounds, bunnys main details, first lab and street

Okay so I've been working on the rabbit a little more, I don't think he can be any more redefined untill it comes to modelling, I have his turnarounds,and a sheet showing his major details like the ribs and the most prominent wounds/rotting flesh. maybe an expression sheet is needed? I dont know if thats neccesary for this type of character, what can he do but roar really? I've done another concept based off the smoke scene at the end, one black and white and one colour, and I've also been modelling the street, which is gonna need duplicating a bit, and the car added. I modelled a rough outside of the lab with car park and the underground tunnels, but the design of this building has never really been focussed on and verified so I did it in a usual hospital style with little happy bushes outside, and flags above the door to give that ''everything is friendly on the outside'' feel. Theres plenty of time and opportunity for improvement on these but its a previs anyway so it shouldnt get too fancy. again when i do the car for the street scene i'll be able to add to this scene some cars in the car park.

New Job Roles

Ok its that time to start bringing our ideas to life. Animatic and Pre-viz are on the agenda. 

We have spoken about this a lot recently and I'm sure you are all happy with the job roles which are:

Pre Viz - Alex & Laura

Animatic- AJ & Jack

If your not please, please say! We need to resolve any key ideas/problems asap and become as productive as possible (not pushing, honest :P). I will try and get as many hours in as possible to get this work finished as I think it will be a good idea to plan our presentation with evidence and resulting work.

Still waiting for a few things from people which preferably should be up now to fit in with the flow of the blog. They are, final concepts from Laura & Aj and Laura you need to send me and AJ your final boards ready for the animatic. Alex you need to upload the storyboards as you have them perhaps filling in some descriptions of each shot.

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So what I'd suggest to do next is, Laura and Alex you two need to talk about what shots are important to get out, these to me would be technical and possibly confusing shots such as, town fly over, in car shot, tank, wire frame of underground & destroyed town. You two need to designate each other to jobs/shots.

AJ and I need to assign shots also and start compiling a catalogue of sound effects & music for each shot. We then need to edit together the shot and compile a Voice over with script.

I think now would be a great time to upload any personal research to our own blogs, so I would suggest to you guys that we all keep a close eye on each others blogs (links on the left hand side of this blog).

The last panel for our storyboard

Concept Art...

The Town:

The Lab (exterior):

The Hallway:

The Lab (interior):