Of Monsters and Men

This is a Music Video featuring Of Mice and Men. It was produced by a company called WeWereMonkeys    (http://weweremonkeys.com/)

Hannah and I are looking at it as a good style for our own Animatic for The Magicians Nephew. We like the quirky nature of it and the puppet-like style. Using real life elements and CG is how we envision the real production to be made so this links well...the songs awesome too!

Research: The Significance of Colour

The following colour information is largely taken from articles and studies from Colourmatters.com

(http://www.colormatters.com/color-symbolism/the-meanings-of-colors)

Red:

• In Greek past, Red has symbolised super-human heroism.
• Approximately 77% of flags contain the colour red.
• Red is an international colour for STOP.
• Red is the colour of good luck in China.
• Most Japanese children draw the sun as a big red circle (like their flag)
• Red captures attention hence why it is used on fire engines. Red focuses behind the retina in the eye which forces the lens to grow more convex pulling it forward- this then gives the illusion that red areas move forward.

Orange:

• Orange has been used to symbolise energy, vitality, cheer, excitement, adventure, warmth and good health, but it can also come across as a suggestion of lack of serious intellectual values or bad taste.
• Symbolic of autumn.
• Orange used on safety equipment like vests and traffic cones, is used because it stands out from its surroundings.

Yellow:

• Yellow is often associated with happiness, optimism, enlightenment, creativity, sunshine and spring.
• Yellow also has a darker side- cowardice, betrayal, egoism and madness. It also symbolises caution and illness.
• The human eye processes yellow first- which may be why emergency vehicles often use yellow or signs of caution.
• Yellow has a high light reflectance value so can be used as a secondary light source.
• The eyes Peripheral vision is 2.5 times higher for yellow then red.

Green:

• It has long been understood that green is a symbol for nature, growth, rebirth and fertility.
• The Green Man is a symbol of fertility in Paganism, Muslim countries use green as a holy colour, Ireland considers it lucky and during the Ming Dynasty in China it was said to be the colour of the heavens.
• There are more shades of green than any other colour, from yellowy greens to turquoise greens.
• It is suggested that green is the most restful colour for the human eye (handy seen as most of nature is green)
• The number of people who committed suicide by jumping off Blackfriars Bridge, London, dropped by 34% when it was painted green.
• If a woman takes a green M&M she is said to possess a heightened sexuality.

Blue:

• Blue has more complex and contradictory meanings than any other colour.
• Dark blue has connotations of trust, dignity, intelligence and authority.
• Bright blue signifies cleanliness, strength, dependability, coolness.
• Light blue means peace, serenity, ethereal, spiritual and infinity.
• Blue also has connotations with sadness.
• 53% of world flags contain the colour blue.
• In Europe, aristocracy are said to be Blue-blooded.
• In Greek, blue is said to ward off evil.
• In English, “To feel blue” has no equivalent translation in any language.
• The God Krishna, from Hinduism has blue skin.
• The eye sharply refracts shades of blue causing the lens to flatten, pushing blue images back creating the illusion of blue areas receding or being smaller. The same refraction also causes visual fog within interior spaces with too much blue.

Purple:

• Purple is rarely seen in nature and has a high expense rate for creating it so over the centuries it has earned its association with the supernatural.
• Purple has the most powerful wavelength of the rainbow.
• Of all the colours it has the richest history.
• In 1900BC it took 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5grams of pure dye, so this colour was often associated with the rich and powerful. With modern technology it is now much cheaper to reproduce but it still has associations with nobility and luxury.
• Purple is the most powerful visible wavelength of electromagnetic energy. This could explain why purple has associations with the supernatural, energy and the cosmos, rather than the physical world.
• Colourmatters.com describes purple as symbolising magic, mystery, spirituality, the sub-conscious, creativity, dignity and royalty.
• Different shades of purple have different meanings- light purples are light hearted, floral and romantic. Darker shades are more intellectual and dignified.
• Negative meanings of purple are decadence, conceit, mourning and pomposity.
• Only 2 flags in the world contain the colour purple.
• Purple is the hardest colour for the eye to discriminate. The Lilac Chaser demonstrates how this works http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/col_lilacChaser/index.html

  

In conclusion, colour is clearly significant and holds lots of different meanings to different cultures and for different situations. It can evoke emotions, tastes, smells, caution, fear, calm, passion, sadness, joy and many other things. Colour can be individual to a person- I personally love the colour Orange but others hate it.

When I design for The Magicians Nephew I will try and take into consideration what the different colours mean and represent, allowing it to be connected with on a subconscious level e.g. If I design Charn to be all green and yellow it will come across as a happy place full of nature and joy, where as a more appropriate colour scheme would be to use Red, black and possibly hints of blue, this creating a more dangerous atmosphere, instantly causing the viewer to feel that this place is evil or unsafe.

The next step...

The final MA stage begins...

Theory: Urban Fantasy

Urban fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy. One of its main characteristics, as the name suggests, is that it is set in an urban environment, typically a city. Unlike some fantasy storylines set in the wilderness or on alien planets, Urban fantasy comes the added storylines of social etiquette, political complications and all the social implications that come with Urban living.

An example:

“If Jon slays a witch in the middle of the wilderness, and no one hears her fall, there aren't any consequences for Jon. On the other hand, if Jon slays Morgawse, who happens to be the mother of King Arthur and of his son Mordred, not to mention a political force in her own right as ruler of Orkney, Jon must deal with political and emotional fallout. If he hides his deed, he must worry about discovery; if he flees to France and from there across Europe to the Holy Land, he'll have adventures along the way; if he sticks around and boasts of his prowess, he earns Mordred's wrath and puts Arthur in a difficult spot.” 
(http://www.writing-world.com/sf/contemporary.shtml)

Urban fantasy can come in many different styles; aliens invading modern cities, mythological creatures invading settlements, alternate universes where magic and civilisation live in harmony, modern times where the magic community live in hiding unknown to most people. A popular example of the latter is Harry Potter where wizards, witches and monsters live unnoticed by ordinary humans but dwell among us in hiding.

Urban fantasy does not have to be confined to modern cities and times however. Authors Marie Brennan and Cassandra Clare have been known to use urban fantasy in Elizabethan and Victorian settings. It is still Urban Fantasy because of the location it is set and the social implications that come with it.

I have looked at Urban Fantasy as a possible setting for Charn where the white witch used to live. The back story of Charn could be that magic, monsters and witches lived in plain sight of ordinary life. So when I design the sets for Charn I could have dead people, monsters and wizards all in the same place within the city, as if magic and monsters was the norm.

Style: Film references

Using our new Format (see previous post) we found some good film references; some past, some upcoming and some behind the scenes.

The first is Coraline (2009) which is “hand crafted in Stop-motion animation”. The author, Neil Gaiman, says that “Stop motion is such an interesting Medium because there is a realness, but you can also stylize your reality”. Stop motion therefore lends itself for mine and Hannah’s project as we really want the gritty textures of puppets but with that realness of stop motion movement. As said it also allows the reality to be stylised which is a key area in our design concept. In Coraline they also used Post Production effects to remove all the joins from Corallines various face moulds they used- this idea of using CG to enhance the stop motion is something I want to use for the set designs.

“It doesn’t try to be human...it is what it is, it’s very clever and slightly disturbing” Ian McShane

The next film is Frankensweenie (2012) a new Tim Burton film due for release this year. It is another stop motion film with a Post Production finish adding extra details and erasing marks. It looks crisper then a standard Stop Motion render and as said this is something I want to make use of. Its other unique feature is that it is in Black and White. I will be using a similar de-saturated look for Charn when I design it.

ParaNorman (2012) is from the makers of Coraline. It uses Stop motion mixed with some special effects. The movement, especial facial movements, in some of the scenes in the trailer look stunning and quite lifelike while still maintaining their character and texture of stop motion puppetry.

"It allows us to unite the versatility in design and mechanics of CG with the richness and solidarity of physical objects" (themakingof.com)

This final video is a short film by Carlos Lascano; A Shadow of Blue. It’s beautifully made using Stop Motion elements with CG backgrounds, Models, Post Production Animation and Live Action shadows. This is a good clear example of the techniques me and Hannah will be using for our telling of the Magicians Nephew. The puppet and its immediate surroundings, in this case the bench at the start of the film, will be stop motion animated and miniature set builds, with then fully CG backdrops. I also like how they use a key colour of blue near the end of the film, this is the same idea I will use for designing Charn but Red instead of Blue.

 

Style: Format

Long discussion regarding final format, in order to focus in design. Hannah and I agree that this would be flexible in directorial decisions eg all CG/all live/incorporating other techniques.

Pitch somewhere in between Coraline and Alice in Wonderland (2010)

ENVIRONMENT-  CG-scapes with real life interactive elements eg sets for character close-ups. Real/exaggerated textures, over-textured, handmade look.

CHARACTER-  Puppets, stop-motion. Exaggerated features and textures. Filmed on green-screen with sets/props for interaction (like A Shadow of Blue) Movement like a puppet is utilised for style and using the material to further the narrative eg Hanging people in Charn like hung marionettes.

COLOUR-  London; de-saturated sepia. Charn; de-saturated black and white with flash of red.

This may seem a long way from my origional vision of complete GCI (like Alice in Wonderland) but after discusion I now think this is a much nicer idea, producing an effective gritty design full of texture and interest would be more interesting to see and more interesting/challenging to design for.

Work: Redefining Roles

Hannah and I sat down before my placement and discussed at length how we were doing with The Magicians Nephew and how we saw our final product, what it would contain and how it would look etc.


The conclusion from this meeting was that we become “Pre-Visual Artists producing a Concept Outline” for the film. By doing this we were free to be as creative as we liked, fill in detail where detail was needed, and have more time to develop and produce a coherent visual treatment. To back ourselves up we researched practitioners within the field; George Hull, Walter P Martishius and Dawn Brown.


George Hull, Creative Director, ESC Entertainment
CGNetworks Production Coverage
Concept Art Production for the Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions


Commissioned to start helping the visual development process but later moved to the studio to join the Production Designer, storyboard, and Previsualisation artists


Drew design concepts for set interiors and vehicles


The film contained several thousand visual effects so this had him dedicating most of his time to drawing and painting key sequences from the script


“What was unique was the attention the directors paid to concept design and graphic story telling- very refreshing and creatively fulfilling”

Produced about 100 drawings of how set designs, miniature models and visual effects shots should look as well as 100s of colour storyboards including several high-detail production paintings

Pre-visualisation

“The process always starts by talking through the script with the directors and sketching out designs or scenarios: I would then ink in more detail and finish them into colour paintings or storyboards.”

“In post-production, I transitioned to ESC Entertainment as a Senior Visual Effects Art Director – I found the best way to provide art direction was to digitally paint ideas into highly detailed ‘key-frames’. These gave the crew visual targets to help describe precise lighting direction, colour palettes, value, composition and atmospherics.”

“Whenever I start an illustration, I think about the focal point and value composition first. I like images that can be bold enough to make the point in a few seconds, yet subtle enough to have depth and emotion”

“At the beginning of the creative process it is important not to get too tight with your work. For me, the production process starts with me blocking out my designs or storyboards in pencil first and then having the directors check to see whether I am on the right track. Because the Wachowski Brothers wanted considerable detail in the artwork I did, I would almost always ink my pencil drawings into higher design resolution.”

I did this illustration to pitch a few art direction ideas to the brothers

Besides making a scene look dramatic, a concept artist should always try to elaborate on the ideas as well. They don’t always get used, but it is an important part of the creative process.

Walter P Martishuius

Production Designer, Art Director, Set Designer

For a Production Designer, concept art is used as a communication tool to convey the look, feel and emotional content of the film as a whole, a set, or moment in the film

“The first use of the art is to express Walter’s vision of the film to the producers. The concept art is Walter’s opportunity to share with everyone what he “sees” for the project. At that point the look and style of the film is either approved or revisions are made. Once everyone agrees on the style, the images are shared as a source of inspiration with the rest of the production company. These images are usually presented in what Walter calls his concept outline. He will do an image for every major movement in the film. This way you can get a feel for the overall look of the flow of the movie. With the concept outline a viewer can see, at a glance, the balance between light and dark, colour, mood, emotion, shape and form as the movie progresses.

The concept outline can be as few as a dozen images or as many as thirty or forty or more.

The concept paintings can then be used by modellers, texture artists, lighting leads and effects artists as reference.

Dawn Brown

Illustrator, Set Designer, Concept Artist

Red Queen’s Castle (Alice in Wonderland 2010)

In Alice in Wonderland she was involved in the conception of the sets for the Red Queen’s Castle.

Worked with Set Decorator Karen O’Hara. Dawn produced concept sketches based on Karen’s direction and Karen showed them to Tim and Rob Stromberg (PD). Dawn the makes revisions to the design or if approved they go to set designers for blueprints then onto the shop to be built.

“Its the small unspoken details that are so important in telling a story like this.”

Most of the animal furniture Dawn created never made it to film but “that’s showbiz”.

For the red Queens castle Karen wanted lots of artwork- Dawn created over 25 pieces but only one was seen in the movie.

She created the environment by talking with Tim and Helena Bonham Carter so it would reflect where her character was coming from.

Articles:

http://www.cgsociety.org/index.php/CGSFeatures/CGSFeatureSpecial/george_hull_concept_art_production_for_the_matrix_reloaded_revolutions

http://www.waltermartishius.com/conceptarthome.html

http://animatedviews.com/2010/tim-burtons-alice-in-wonderland-how-illustrator-dawn-brown-decorated-the-red-queens-castle/

Work: Merlin Entertainments Group

“The No 1 visitor attraction operator in Europe, No 2 in the world, Merlin Entertainments (Merlin) headquarters are in Poole, Dorset (UK).  Merlin operates an international portfolio of global and local attractions, among them many of the world's best known brand names - Madame Tussauds, The Dungeons, Alton Towers Resort, LEGOLAND, SEA LIFE, Gardaland, The EDF Energy London Eye and many more!

The company's 87attractions, 6 hotels and 2 holiday villages in 19 different countries across four continents; Europe, North America, Australasia and Asia, annually welcome around 46 million visitors, and employ over 17,000 staff.”

www.merlinentertainments.biz

I have just completed my 3 week work placement with Merlin Design Studios, London, and I had the most amazing time! The studio contained all the creative minds behind the various brands that Merlin own. I spent 2 weeks working with the SeaLife brand and 1 week working with Resort Theme parks. Due to Merlin’s need for secrecy when it comes to new aspects of their attractions, I won’t be able to show any of the work I did but, but for myself it was an invaluable experience and someday I hope to work for them fulltime.

Now back to reality I have lots of work to catch up on! PGD presentations hear I come.