A Change in style

After showing my animatic and thinking over the idea of it all I found my film to be a strenuous and difficult to view, the story started to become hard to understand. To this end I began to think over ways of cutting the story or rethinking the way I show it.

From this the idea came to me to have it run like a theatre show using backdrops and cut outs for background characters I ‘m working on a new animatic to this style and if any one has some good videos of theatre that take advantage of backdrops and 2D cut outs I would be grateful to have you show me by posting here or just tell me at uni.

Animatic 001

this is the animatic i made, but the movie has changed a bit now as it was becoming hard to read as it was. and I have made some CGI backgrounds now to use for the next animatic i hope to have finished soon.

Character Sheets

These are my character sheets, not set in stone yet, but i think there strong so far. I went through a lot of ideas for lips playing with the age. Gaze just became simpler over time. tat was the only character that kept some what like my first thoughts of him, but he was the last character i worked on so, maybe it was just that i came to terms to the world I’m creating a little bit.

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The Story

• On the roof tope the hero GAZE runs at the camera the lights from the street below shine up and fireworks flash in the sky. GAZE runs right up to the camera and over it.
• On the carnival street it is full of bazaar dancing people all in masks. GAZE jumps to the ground and we see him for the first time, he has a mask that covers his eyes. He looks up and he moves into the crowd. A masked man in the foreground covers the camera wiping to the next shot.
• GAZE moves deeper into the carnival party where a flag wire moves into separating the view slightly to the left of the screen. On the right GAZE dances his way down moving past other masked dancers. On the left LIPS the heroine dances in her clown outfit. She has a mask that also covers her eyes. As GAZE moves down on the right a woman starts to dance with him, he pulls her in with a grin but once she is all over him he grows board and pushes her away and walks on. On the left side, that has now fills half the screen, LIPS is dancing, but the masked men around give her little notice in her clown outfit.
• GAZE dances on through the crowd looking at the masked people around him. LIPS looks about with a bit of anger then she twist around and rips her clown outfit off, to show a sexy belly dancer outfit. The masked men turn to look at her from all around as she starts dancing again.
• The masked men move in on LIPS surrounding her, led by TAT the lustful villain a masked man in a baggy jester outfit, LIPS becomes lost in the dance. GAZE dances on but is stopped by two more women interested in him, he gives them a good look as they come on to him. Lips is being smothered by the men as they grope her, she becomes more lost in the madness of it all. GAZE pushes free from the masked women and moves away heading for the camera.
• On both sides of the split screen the crowd reach out for LIPS and GAZE, overwhelming the two. They both push free to the centre of the screen. The flag wire that split the screen snaps and strong spot lights flick on as the two cross paths and stop in a pose. They stair at one another in a moment of stillness.
• GAZE whips around into a romantic dance pose in the square. Other people are dancing around them as they hold their pose for a moment then they join in. GAZE and LIPS have the most enthusiasm, LIPS with her sexy and provocative style and GAZE with his stern and powerful stance. We see the masked crowd and the lit square.
• GAZE tries to get intermit with her by stroking her face and coming in for a kiss. He is pushed away by LIPS when getting to close shocked at first, but he jumps right back into the romantic moment of the dance.
• TAT watching from the crowd, he is jealous grits his teeth with a slouched back. A couple pass in front of him and he disappears.
• Back with the two dancing romantically, suddenly the crowd shuffles GAZE and is pulled into the dancing crowd. A man picks LIPS up by the waist and she is carried away and looks back at GAZE confused. He reaches his hand out grabbing at air.
• The screen splits again on the right LIPS is passed around by the masked crowd, pulling and pushing her to them. Everyone seems to want a piece of LIPS and she becomes disoriented. On the lift GAZE has a woman all over him, he looks about the crowd for LIPS, trying to force her off.
• LIPS falls to her knees dazed and confused masked people surround her in madness of the carnival. GAZE pulls the masked people around to look at them but can’t tell LIPS out of the crowd. TAT moves in and picks the dazed LIPS from the ground. Women hold onto GAZE as he moves through the thick crowd, in his frantic search for LIPS. TAT takes LIPS away to the roof tops. GAZE search becomes a bit more violent as he pulls people around in hopes of finding LIPS.
• TAT lays LIPS against a chimney. On the side of the chimney its shadow sows GAZE as he looks through the crowd for LIPS. On the roof TAT looms over the dazed intoxicated LIPS and forces himself on her groping and licking. LIPS suddenly comes to her senses and pushes TAT off and runs over the rooftops.
• GAZE stumbling forward holding his head on the street as he loses all hope of finding LIPS. We can see to silhouettes on the roofs in chase. GAZE looks up and sees them on the roof he runs off. GAZE’s silhouette climes up the side of the building and at the same time the silhouette of TAT chasing LIPS are on the rooftop.
• LIPS’s skirt is torn by TAT’s hand and she stumbles over. She slips down the roof, but crawls to the roof end and pulls her self up, TAT carefully follows. A roof tile gives way and falls off the side.
• The tile smashes on the ground with a worms eye view.
• LIPS turns with a fearing look on her face holding onto the roof, she tenses up and breathes heavy. At the far end of the roof past TAT, GAZE climes onto the roof and looks over to LIPS. He starts to make his way over.
• LIPS inches back, TAT closes in, suddenly LIPS looks over to a flag wire and jumps from the roof to hang from it. TAT jumps to grab her with anger. The tiles under his feet slip, he stumbles off the side.
• LIPS cringes looking away from the falling TAT, she looks to the left and sees the flag wire is splitting. Her face becomes full of fear again. LIPS falls slowly as the flag wire snaps, suddenly GAZE pushing from the roof jumping off. GAZE grabs LIPS and the flag wire, LIPS is shocked and relieved holding onto GAZE’s neck. The two slowly move through the air. The two swing down twisting around the central flag pole with the flag wire, to the raised platform it stands on.
• GAZE jumps and lands on the platform the two of them looking shocked, below there is dancing and partying. GAZE holds LIPS in his arms as they look at each another. They come in for a kiss in a romantic pose. The Curtains start to close. GAZE feels up LIPS’s leg and the curtains fully close and credits role to a slap sound.

Concept Art

 

Once my idea was started I made some drawings using the feeling and setting I wanted in my film. Playing with a few ideas and trying to really bring my style of art into my film, as well as keeping to the carnival theme. I worked with ink, water colour and Photoshop, but mostly pencil.

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Proposal

I started out with the idea of two characters meeting in this carnival and being separated. Over time I fleshed out the characters in the story, but I felt like I had lost some of the ideas around the carnival and it became more about the chase. At first I added two more characters to deter the main characters from each other, but over time one was dropped and the use of confusion and a loss of identity in the carnival to replace one of the deterrents. So now I believe I’ve come to a point where my story is strong, but I really need to make the visual work or the confusion a manicness of the carnivals will not read.

Characters:

Lips: the beautiful female always wanting to be noticed, but goes about it in the wrong way. She knows she has beauty and uses it, but she is very free going and gets lost in it all very easily.

Gaze: the impulsive male character. He wants a bit of everything, but from getting what he wants a lot lost his values and once he obtains anything he grows board. Even though he is detached he is till a hopeless romantic, holding out for love.

Tat: Tat is a cereal carnival goer and has little to no values from life in the mad unrestrained carnival. A lustful man that takes everything he wants never feeling bad for his actions.

 

Karl Impey Proposal for 3^rd Year Animation Final Film:

A Que to Dance

Philosophy: carnival romantic story aimed at festivals and showcase viewers.

Synopsis

In a bazaar masked carnival taking place in a well lit European street at night, two masked people meet and begin to fall in love, but in a dance of mishaps and excitement are separated and struggle to meet again in hopes of love.

v The male Gaze arrives at the carnival he comes across many women, but when they come on to him and let him do as he please he becomes uninterested. At the same time through the crowd of manic partying the female character Lips surrounded by masked people rips of her extravagant dress, as she performs a sexy dance, they slowly lustfully close in around her led by Tat a masked man infatuated by her.

v Gaze board and irritated by it all and Lips leading the men on a bit too far, push free of their crowds and run to the square. They cross paths and lights flick on them and they strike a pose together and start dancing, also showed they are in a large group of masked dancers. Lips is interested and sexually dances, but when Gaze tries to get intimate she pushes him away, but Gaze enjoys the challenge.

v Tat looks on from the side of the strange and bazaar dancing group. The crowd suddenly shuffles and they lose sight of one another. Gaze can’t tell Lips out of the crowd of masked people and Lips is intoxicated by the madness of the carnival.

v Tat takes this chance to snatch the dazed Lips and take her to the roof. He starts forcing himself on her as she is dazed and confused. Gaze franticly searches for her, failing to find her falls to his knees in despair, Lips comes to her senses and escapes from Tat. Gaze spots them on the rooftops and pursues.

v Tat violently grabs at Lips she is cornered at roofs end and jumps to a flag wire. Tat tries to snatch her but the roof tiles give way and he falls, the flag wire is weakened and snaps. Suddenly Gaze jumps and saves her swinging to safety on the flag wire where they have a romantic moment as the curtains closed.

Duration: 3min

Method: 2D and CGI, Mixed Media

Resources: paper, pen, pencils and any colour tools needed. After effects, Photoshop, flash, flipbook, premiere and 3D studio Max

Bibliography:

• Brazil (live action movie)
• Don’t Look Back (live action movie)
• Kaiba (animated series)
• 007 live and let die (live action movie)
• Zelda Majora’s mask ( video Game)
• Cube (short movie animation)
• Avatar the last air bender, dancing and movement (animated series)
• Josh Kirby (art)
• Yoshitaka Amano (art)
• Vatine (art)
• Carnival, outfits, mask and parties
• European buildings France (Annecy) and Italy (Venice)

Ideas and Inspirations

On starting the short A Que to Dance my first intentions were I want a film that used the carnival setting in an interesting way. I saw this as a great setting for a romance, but I didn’t want the romantic love interests to be perfect good normal characters. I went on to look into work that fit to and inspired my ideas for starting the film.

Well first of carnival party and costumes, along with European towns inspirer me in many way; look, mood and style. The carnivals madness is important, but also can lead to bad story telling, so I will try to keep an eye on this. Saying this, in my film I want a senses of confusion for the characters and the viewer.

 

 

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Also love carnival art and posters and I’m hoping they will also play a role in my story.

 

 

 

 

 

Animated short Cube; I love the use of fades in this short and the relationship between the male and female, its quirky and romantic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brazil I liked the use of extreme angles shots and the odd way they fade in this move, but really the angles are what I took from this film.

Avatar the last air bender, dancing and movement; a nickelodeon cartoon here I like its use of animation in dancing and the slow cuts to show important movements, I am a fan of the all of the series, but Book 3 Episode 02 - The Headband its used very well in a dance party. (Note music not related it is the best video to the scene I wanted)

 

Yoshitaka Amano; the art of Amano is work I’ve all ways admired and some of his colour works is reminiscent to the carnival atmosphere and I feel looking at his work will help with my characters designs.(link to more of his work in pic)>>>.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Computer game Nintendo 64 Legend of Zelda Majora’s mask; this game has inspired my idea a lot not only in the carnival theme, but in romance story telling. I know a lot of my inspirations have been designs orientated, and here yes again visuals from Majora’s mask do inspire me, but in the game there is a lot of sub stories to a romantic genre that I found really helpful.

 

 

 

 

 

Background and characters are great here and in the art work of the game I love this thick black shading seen on the characters.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Masaaki Yuasa’s Kaiba: the animation and story of Kaiba are so strong and moving I’m mostly adding it in hopes of using some of its style and mood for my movie, not much to say on that.