002 - Back at Uni

Went back to University today after a week off. Was good to see some other people in starting their projects. It feels like we've been off for a month.

It was another day of research, watching as many shorts as possible whilst jotting down notes and ideas. What I think works and what does not. I believe I'm coming to the realisation that I want a singular character to be central to the project. I'm attracted to the idea of using a character to create a strong relationship between the viewer and what's happening on screen.

I watched (for probably the 50th time) one of my favourite short-animations, 'Kara' by game developers Quantic Dream. It was only released a month or so ago but it really affected me. It's the story of a humanoid robot that fights for it's chance at life when it seems to show some defects.



I was left totally moved by both the accurately motion-captured performance of the robot and by the writing in general. Plus the fact that the whole film was made using live PlayStation 3 footage and not a single frame of pre-rendered CG. Advances in motion-capture technology have also clearly had a large impact on this project. The female robot is so life-like in it's movements and can covey so much with the slightest of body movements and gestures. I can't wait to see what Quantic Dream comes up with for their next big release.

This piece of work is exactly what I'd like to be producing. Something adult, that affects people and encourages discussion, that warrants several viewings and has a strong point of view. I understand that teams of people create these kind of animations, as evidenced once you arrive at the end credits. However that doesn't mean I shouldn't strive for the same level of quality or style.

I went to The Art Store on the way home to invest in a new sketchbook for the project. A3 sized. There's nothing quite like the feeling of opening up a blank sketchbook for the first time to make your first mark. It's daunting in many ways, I always feel I have to create something amazing on the first page so the rest of the content will follow suit. However it's also exciting to see so many blank pages of potential lying in wait.

001 - Starting The Journey

It's May the 1st 2012. What better day to begin a four month masters project in the realms of 3D Design for Virtual Environments?

I allowed myself one week off after we all handed in our last coursework. To be honest I've found it hard to relax and wind-down without thinking what project/s I could be working on next.

I intend to keep track and log the progress of this project via this blog. Whether that takes the form of the written word, video posts, images or interviews etc I'm not sure yet. However at the end of this journey I want to be able to look back and see how it was shaped, how it all came together.

I only get to do this once, so I want to do it justice.

Today has been spent watching a plethora of animated shorts and short films. Purely to fire me up and provide some inspiration. I found the recent Oscar winner for 'Best Animated Short', entitled 'The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore'.



It was simply amazing. Without going into too much detail I loved how it delicately balanced humour and tragedy plus the ending tied the whole piece together fantastically well. Totally deserving of the award.

I'm also doing some research into writing for short films and trying to brainstorm some ideas for the final project. I think one of the first challenges will be to write a complete script with scene breakdowns. I've found some really helpful advice online, currently I'm reading 'Script writing for short films: A Practical Guide In 8 Steps' by Stuart Hepburn. 'The Writer's Block' has always come in handy too for generating ideas.

I don't know if I'll post on this blog everyday, but I'd like to keep it as updated as humanly possible. Also not sure whether I should publish the posts as I go or keep them private then release them as a whole finished piece of work.