Ensemble Fights.

This is a week of a lot of posts, but maybe that's just because I'm trying to make the best film possible and have to tell y'all about it!

Looking at my boards, Sean Manning gave me a good idea that is also foreshadowing that I will work in, especially since I need to re-stage the one shot that he commented on, because its awful. So good thing that that is about to be sorted.

So Malcolm and Julius rescue the father and barrel out of that cave lickety split. Then they are surrounded by ghosts and that is when the fight breaks out.

So since there are three of them, and too many ghosts to keep track of, naturally, I will have to get myself some experience with ensemble fights and other shots of things I want to happen and how they should come about in a well directed way.







I'm bustin full of ideas. Here it comes.

Exploring, Depth, and all that Jazz....

The other night myself and the ever talented Sean Manning hung out and spent the evening watching Prince of Egypt. Now, when I say 'watched Prince of Egypt', I'm kind of lying, because all we really did was gawk at every scene and imagine how amazing it would be if any given sequence in the film could be one of our thesis'.

As you know from the previously written poem, as I've been working lately, I have been nixing boring scenes and quickly re-making them as better, more character driven, and easier to watch (at least I think so). And of of the sequences that has frankly been bugging me (sans the lab, which is now 'fixed') was the sequence once they enter the portal world.

Frankly it was dry and un-interesting because everything just happened without any major actions from the characters driving the plot. The movie was essentially a film where things happen to characters, not a movie where characters make things happen - and simply put: that is a problem.

I believe in telling stories that are character driven, and as I look over the 'Portal World', I keep finding more and more problems. 1) It's too damn long. 2) The father should be more nervous/ afraid for his son having come to rescue him instead of just saying "Oh good, you came I knew you would..." as if he has just been Diva-ing out 'Damsel in Distress" style waiting to be saved. 3) The ghosts just come over the hill, which frankly, isn't very scary, and is pretty much just random. 4) They run and run and run and run and run and run and run and escape. Where is the excitement in watching OR animating that? 5) The Panther pretty much stops running and gives up on life for no reason, and sacrifices himself in a way that doesn't even help out anyone else since there is no delay caused at all. And, I look back on my animatic and say "What the hell, Ezra. Are you kidding? You want to direct features, and you can't even handle a 5 min film at a capable level?"

And I can't have that.

So I took the day off working yesterday to separate myself from my film for a little while and then I spent today crafting a remedy to my many problems.

First I went on Youtube (the best visual reference library in the world) and looked up all of my favorite scenes (action and climatic-type) and watched them to see what the pro's do that made me love their scenes so much. If you have time I recommend you watching all these clips too, as they are all great.





















After watching these clips and a few more many times, I realized a few things. At this point in a story, a Hero doesn't run from their problems. The face them the best that they can to protect their goal. Wide shots are often used to diminish the size of the hero to his threat and make him seem meek. Lighting becomes very important, as does the environment. Creative camera angles are used, not just closeup, midshot, straight, and over-the-shoulder. There is false hope at a point, and the hero usually seems to distract or trick the villain to win, as opposed to using brute force. Demonstrating brain power over physical.

But the most important part is that the hero doesn't run. He stays to fight to protect the goal. He stays to fight to ensure that the villain/threat can never harm or threaten him or the things he loves again. He risks it all to prove and protect what he believes in.

And Malcolm and Julius need to do this too. This is why they exist. This is why they went on the journey. This is what they signed up for.

Now I've never been a terribly 'compositionally visual' person, and I mean that in the sense of that I don't see things in terms of camera angles and shots and what not. I can think of action and excitement like nobodies business, but when it comes to picking pans, or sweeps, or all those other camera moves, I have trouble. But I'm working right now, using lots of reference, and I'm going to do the best I can, which is really the most anyone can ever say. I really am learning more every day. I've never *really* made a 2D short before, I've never colored my animation and done backgrounds and all that stuff, but I am learning how to do it, and I don't think this is bad for a first attempt.

So here goes. I'll tell you something though. It's going to be better than it is now.

Get ready, cause here it comes.

Background to the Backgrounds

Essetially I built a rough of each background in MAYA for everything in the film that takes place before they go through the portal. Then in photoshop I paint it as if it was a normal background. Then I add the lighting. It's adding a very cool sense of depth I feel. I really like how these are coming. There are a lot more coming soon!

Some turnarounds among other things

I realize the Panther's hands are a little weird. But here are some turnarounds, a size comparison for our 3 'main character's' and a lil bit of prop design.

Tomorrow what I would like to accomplish besides completing a plethora of backgrounds, would be 'expression sheets' for Panther and Tiger, and lighting/color charts of using one pose from the model sheet of each and lighting it as I feel they would be lit in each different location and setting, so we can get a good idea of the color feels. There is 'outside', 'exorcism room', 'lab', and 'other universe/dimension. So expect 4 lighting styles for each character. Just idea's though, in final composite it's bound to change a little.

Like they did for Princess and the Frog, I am going to flat shade all characters with the same colors, and then hue/saturation/light/shading/glow adjust them in After Effects for each different locale. Should make transitions easier too.

Then I need to re-cut my animatic, making the few changes that I have made and incorporating MARK DONICA's brilliant dialogue as the father. Then it's really just backgrounds and animation from here on out. At least.... I hope.

More Character Art!

Here I am again, running through the characters. This time I've been working on expressions as well as opening up the dragons mouth (which was a lot harder to figure out than one might think).

However I think it's all going pretty well so far! I want to make a lil' logo for the blog soon too.....

An animatic will be up soon (as well as all the boards I've been drawing), as well as body drawings ( I know I know, I've really only been focusing on the heads so far)!!

The Dragon.....



Tiger and his Pa!

Test Shot of THE TIGER

This is a test shot, encompassing the color, effects, and sound that I would like to achieve. Ideally the final shot will look a lot like this one, only better!

The snow falling towards the ground took the most time to work out with AE particle effects, in the final however, I would like to have it torrent around him in the wind a bit.

Also I would like the dragons shadow to be longer (and obv have the Tiger look over in fear when it passes.... or should he never notice... maybe just a blink....)