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.