Contextual studies 2
Storyboarding
and character design Essay
Illustration in today’s modern day society has come a long way since 15th
century ranging in to many different forms of techniques and styles for example
there’s watercolors, engraving, intaglio, linocutting, pen and ink
illustration, sum-e and woodcutting. Even though these techniques are still
used today, technical illustration is more highly favored since graphics in the
software have become really popular with the community, transforming 2D
characters and backgrounds into fully advanced 3D more life like versions of
the originals, for example there’s been a few old characters ranging from the
20th century such as Bugs Bunny and Scooby Doo that have been
remodeled into more colorful 3D forms of themselves for todays viewers.
· Water coloring is
a technique in which the tones of bright colors can be used mainly for
illustrating an outdoor environment or even a character such as J.R.R Tolkiens illustration
of the main of the series the dark lord Sauron.
· Engraving is a
technique where you can create an illustration by using a flat surface of
stone, copper or glass by using a chisel to produce the outline.
· Intaglio is a
process where the outline is placed on to a surface where the ink has been planted
allowing the design to be imprinted on to paper.
· Linocut is a
similar technique to engraving but the difference is the cutter is dragged
through the soft surface of linoleum to produce the design allowing the user to
place ink on the surface and then attach paper on top to imprint the patterns.
· Pen and ink is a
highly favored technique used to produced fully detailed images of either
characters or backgrounds for example there’s animals, insects, city
interiors/exteriors, forests, seaside’s, jungle’s, ancient structures and
people. This type of technique is mainly used for hand drawn sketches with a
pencil as well allowing the illustrator to shade in the dark and light tones
that could either represent night or day.
· Sum-e is a similar
technique like water coloring the difference is that the painter uses separate
brushstrokes which can either be very light or very hard depending on the
artists hold on the brush, along with adding certain amounts of ink to create
light/dark tones. This style can be seen used in Chinese/Japanese tree
paintings.
· Just like before
with engraving and linocut, woodcutting is a similar printing press technique
where the design has been fully embedded on to the surface of the wood and then
rolled over in ink allowing the pattern to be imprinted on to paper.
It isn’t always easy proposing a new project that not everyone will
approve of, there have been some good story plots that were suggested to many
publishers over the years that have been unfairly thrown away, since they were
not what the client or audience would want. This can lead the illustrator to
either changing the theme of the story to an even better version or cause them
to seek out another client who actually likes it and allow to work on it
immediately.
Even though some ideas don’t always appear in the same way as the other,
there are actually many similarities that can be found in them if one looks
closely enough and recognizes them. For example if you look carefully at some
previous Disney films such as Robin Hood, the Sword in the Stone, the Jungle
Book and the Aristocats there have been many scenes that were recycled from the
storyboard and used for a later time in the film.
Another similar example can be found by looking at the live action
series of Walking with Dinosaurs and the CGI film series of Ice Age. Before
Walking with Dinosaurs was fully animated BBC producer Tim Haines proposed the
idea to the studio who at first didn’t believe it would work and only gave him
a handful of equipment for him to work independently on his own. At first
Haines studied which dinosaurs to feature and eventually began to break down
the script on to a storyboard of how dinosaurs might of lived in a area that
what of looked like a prehistoric habitat. This can obliviously been seen in
Ice Age since the producers had to study and base their story on prehistoric
beasts with specific personalities.
While many people prefer animated films based off a story, illustrated
books and comics are just as entertaining, since before making an actual film
the story needs to be fully planned out and illustrated in a particular style
with full detail that matches the theme of the story. By producing a storyboard
from a script this helps break down the scenes of the story allowing the illustrator
to narrow down which scenes are required and those that are not. This also
allows them to have the time to design the characters with the correct style
improving the appearances until there final form has been fully developed.
There are many advantages and disadvantages for when it comes to either
designing a character or producing a storyboard. Like for example the
illustrator has the chance to explore and find new styles combined with
different techniques to create ideas that are both appealing to them and the
community.
They would also get the chance to work together with a team of other
talented members who through their help can make work and time less stressful
once the idea has been broken down into different sections, so that everyone can
tackle the challenge independently. While developing the work it is of great
importance to ask someone of their opinion on their current design too see if
its acceptable or needs more improvement e.g. the eyes need to be much bigger.
As for the disadvantages there are those who would disagree with the
illustrators design and possibly have them scrap the idea for a version they
would prefer, leaving the illustrator disappointed that their own style isn’t
being allowed to used for the public. Depending on the schedule, sometimes
having a very short amount of time to produce an idea under very stressed
pressure can become a large disadvantage when creating an idea, it causes you
to rush and not fully check it over, leaving it in a semi developed unfinished form.
Another possible disadvantage that can cause delays with a project is
that it depends on what styles that are going to be used and which materials
are required to produce it. Some materials can be somewhat expensive even programs such as Cinema4D, Photoshop, Illustrator and Premier they have
been known to cost over £100.00.
Personally what would be a huge advantage for me is if my own characters
and stories were professionally published and received positive feedback, not
only will it allow me to continue it as a franchise but also give me the chance
to introduce new ideas along with looking for alternative ways of inspiration.
One disadvantage that I am currently trying to get through is working
with styles that are outside my comfort zone. It is mainly comic book styles
such as George Jeantys character likeness for Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics
and Mark Bagleys designs for the ultimate Spiderman series that I am interested
in that have heavily influencing my own characters. To overcome this obstacle I
should try and make time for practicing with alternative techniques such as
water coloring, Cinema4D, Premier, Clay modeling, tablet sketching and after
effects.
Even though most ideas have similarities between them you can also find
the differences in the design or story. For example there’s
manga/anime-influenced cartoons that may look like their styles are produced in
the same way as japan, but have a completely different tone woven in to the
artwork such as Totally Spies, Martin Mystery, W.I.T.C.H, Avatar the Last
Airbender/Legend of Korra, Godzilla and Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go.
All of these characters have been designed in separate studios around the world
such as America, France and Italy showing how inspiring other designs and
styles can be to other illustrators. Like I was saying before with the Walking
with Dinosaurs and Ice Age films, one of main differences between characters is
that while the dinosaurs just acted as animals living out a regular day the ice
age characters all have specific separate personalities such as Manny the
mammoth being grouchy but caring, Sid the sloth being clumsy but loyal and
Diego the Saber Tooth being sarcastic but not mean.
Personally I find storyboarding and character designing very interesting
and fun to work with, not only does it allow me to explore new ways of finding a style
that suits my personal characters that I wish to bring forward, but it also
gives me a chance to look for inspiration to open up new ideas I could add to
my scripts. Just like I was saying before trying to visualize a
character/habitat from a descriptive text gives you a chance to produce concept
designs that allows you to improve and develop the ideas more professionally.
Apart from myself there are others who would agree with me but then
again there are those who would disagree preferring the more technical side
with use of 3D enhancement since advanced graphics are more attractive then
traditional technique.
I conclude that even though today’s public highly recommends the technical
side I can see that they are both beneficial since by combining them together
allows teams to take the necessary steps to build up their ideas to build up a
masterpiece such as graphic novels, animated films, animated idents and 3D
posters.
Before an idea is fully illustrated and published it needs to be fully
judged and aimed at the correct audience it is intended for. There are the
multiple age rates that many types of themes are produced for ranging from
toddlers, children, pre-teens, teenagers, young adults and over the age of 18.
With a younger audience most ideas are stylized in the form of colorful
educational characters in all shapes and sizes in form of either anthromorphic
animals, aliens, talking shapes, talking plants, monsters, talking vehicles or
hybrids. These sorts can still be used for older audiences but are slightly
changed so as to be more appealing to entertain those who prefer more action,
love, mystery, violence, Sci-fi, supernatural and any other kinds, that have
more of built up plot to them.
Besides the character designs and illustrating the story, one of the
most important requirements for the character is developing their personality
which can range from just about anything such as the good natured hero, the
evil psychotic villain, a fashion diva, a snobbish businessmen, an innocent
child, a deadpan office worker or even a cowardly yet loyal sidekick.
Creating and producing a new and original character takes a while to
piece together finding the correct style, colors, personality and backstory.
They can be imagined from 7 basic plots such as comedy, rebirth, rags to
riches, tragedy, the quest, overcoming the monster and voyage and return. These
stories can be traced back all the way through history that have adapted in to
modern-day films such as Cinderella who changes from a being scullery maid to a
princess, the Lion King where the young prince loses his father at a young age
and feels responsible for it temporarily and there’s the land before time film
where a group of five young dinosaur hatchlings band together on quest to find
their new home and families.
Most stories don’t always have to be related directly to the main theme
they can be broken down to smaller similar plots and combined together such as
overcoming the monster could mean the character could find the courage to stand
up to a bully, voyage and return could mean the character could of just
returned from holiday abroad or rebirth where the character could have been a
selfish villain in the past but after experiencing companionship for the first
time with someone has a change of heart for the better becoming a hero.
Along with the plots inspiration can come from all sorts of sources ranging
from descriptive books, animated films, live action films, comic books, posters
or even the simplest of objects. For example there are pepper pots, which are
what created the Daleks from Doctor Who, and supposedly George Lucas imagined
the millennium falcon after seeing a burger with two fries sticking out the
front and an olive attached to the side.
Here is a list of the most important requirements of when it comes
creating both a storyboard and a character.
· Styles
· Techniques
· Inspiration
· Colors
· Backstory
· Personality
· Script
· Concept designs
· Backgrounds
· Seven basic plots
I’ll admit it has been quite challenging to piece together this essay,
finding the correct words that fit the descriptions of the topic, but I believe
that I have written some good planned out paragraphs that are mostly related to
character designing and storyboarding. With the help of the college’s how to
booklet it has made things easier for me to break down the sections of the
topic such as analyzing the elements, arguing why storyboarding/character
design is really important in creating a book/film, comparing similarities in
scenes, considering the advantages and disadvantages for myself and others who
wish to publish their work, contrasting the differences in two different films
and evaluating who the idea is aimed at.
Obviously since this is my choice I find storyboarding, script writing
and character designing much easier than the more technical side of animation since
I have found the multiple icons and steps difficult to remember such as
animating a 3D character in cinema4D or using the tools in the after effects
software to add new editions to the animation. Even though I looked at similar
references on the reading, learning and resources list, I found others that
were off the list that I found more appealing.
Bibliography
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