Class Log 02-05
Today's class brought the whole production together. We got our new draft of the script, and Emma did a wonderful job adapting the last version to the new location. We also reviewed the environment assets and some designs shots of our main character. Our digi-scout team explored more camera options, and we also had a visit by a Disney layout artist, Tyler Kupferer.
The new script adjusted some aspects of the story. The most important was the way the character moves. Before, we had it being blown around by the wind a lot, but Emma has changed this to be the character walking around. The paper has agency and can move the paper like its own body. Many of the trails the character faced have been adjusted into interactions with the world. For instance, instead of the wind blowing it around, a seagull grabs the paper and flies away. The gags have made the whole story a lot more comedic, which will be good for the positive tone.
The environments team provided some more color paintings and explorations of scenes. We all split up the various environments to be more effective, and I was in charge of the hilltop. I produced an overhead view and a breakdown of the church. I also did a quick color comp of how I saw the hilltop looking.
When I checked in with the environments crew, I saw a lot of assets being made but no structure to unite them. Shannon and the others had been producing really helpful isometric views and camera shots, and Gabi was making lots of hero assets like foliage and furniture. I thought a modular approach would be useful for developing the city quickly and efficiently, yet in a way that provided plenty of variety. I started by distilling the environment down into a few basic building types. On these, you can apply balconies or windows of various types. You can also apply different types of roofs and "toppers", a term I use for buildings built on top of one another. I am also going to explore some about how the texture can be applied to these buildings to hopefully pull a whole scene together. I think this modular system will help our modeling team immensely, and it will populate our world quickly so we can focus more time on the important assets that need extra modeling.
The character team did some nice work, and I am looking forward to mixing their assets with our backgrounds. It's hard to determine if the style they are going for will work with the approach we are taking. The biggest question is if we need to tailor the backgrounds to be more realistic or cartoony. I think exploring both will be helpful.
Tyler's feedback to the class was really helpful. I enjoyed hearing his story, and I can see how this class really is setting us up for the same pipeline they use in the studio. When I asked him about his thoughts on our project, he said he was surprised at how we were acting like a real studio. We were giving and taking feedback well, and people weren't too precious with their work. Also, we were using the same format to review our work. We all gather around a table and discuss the story while we look at prepared presentations on the screen. I'm really glad he was able to visit the class and share his experience with us.
We broke up the script into sequences that we are all going to board by Friday. I picked the sequence where she darts off into the side streets, since I am the one to blame for that area anyway. I guess I like those quiet moments of introspection, and I think that's what she was going for once she avoided talking to the other student. I kind of want to include a crash-zoom on the bag just for Chris.
I will also be continuing to develop the modular system for the modelers. I need to nail down with Shannon if we are going to have straight buildings or curved ones. Many people have commented that they like the straight buildings, but I think we will have to at least tilt the roofs some or it will just look too obvious and "student film". Having some tilt to the roofline could provide enough variety to keep our scenes looking unique, yet allow the world to feel stable. That combined with the curved roads could be nice. Gabi is starting to take a larger role in the boarding phase, so I will be taking over some of her responsibilities on the environments side.
The new script adjusted some aspects of the story. The most important was the way the character moves. Before, we had it being blown around by the wind a lot, but Emma has changed this to be the character walking around. The paper has agency and can move the paper like its own body. Many of the trails the character faced have been adjusted into interactions with the world. For instance, instead of the wind blowing it around, a seagull grabs the paper and flies away. The gags have made the whole story a lot more comedic, which will be good for the positive tone.
The environments team provided some more color paintings and explorations of scenes. We all split up the various environments to be more effective, and I was in charge of the hilltop. I produced an overhead view and a breakdown of the church. I also did a quick color comp of how I saw the hilltop looking.
Tyler's feedback to the class was really helpful. I enjoyed hearing his story, and I can see how this class really is setting us up for the same pipeline they use in the studio. When I asked him about his thoughts on our project, he said he was surprised at how we were acting like a real studio. We were giving and taking feedback well, and people weren't too precious with their work. Also, we were using the same format to review our work. We all gather around a table and discuss the story while we look at prepared presentations on the screen. I'm really glad he was able to visit the class and share his experience with us.
We broke up the script into sequences that we are all going to board by Friday. I picked the sequence where she darts off into the side streets, since I am the one to blame for that area anyway. I guess I like those quiet moments of introspection, and I think that's what she was going for once she avoided talking to the other student. I kind of want to include a crash-zoom on the bag just for Chris.
I will also be continuing to develop the modular system for the modelers. I need to nail down with Shannon if we are going to have straight buildings or curved ones. Many people have commented that they like the straight buildings, but I think we will have to at least tilt the roofs some or it will just look too obvious and "student film". Having some tilt to the roofline could provide enough variety to keep our scenes looking unique, yet allow the world to feel stable. That combined with the curved roads could be nice. Gabi is starting to take a larger role in the boarding phase, so I will be taking over some of her responsibilities on the environments side.
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