While I appreciate the exploration of artistic ideas and options I am beginning to think this phase is beginning to use up quite a lot of time when it ought to be more definitive. I know artists do not like structure and deadlines though. Past movies also were a little lax in setting achievable goals and getting stuck in and doing. Just my opinion looking from outside.
I am a little confused how we got from a rotund greasy coloured salesman dude to blonde androgynous teenager but perhaps I have not understood the script evolution or have that impression wrong.
Maybe soon when characters and story is better decided you can return to asking for community funding since it will probably be to more peoples liking considering how the first concepts were.
Thanks for the report. Enjoy your weekend and beers. :)
OK so I just viewed last weeks video and heard about the change in Victor concept. I wasn’t aware there was a video for last week until I accidentally found it. Was there a link posted here originally? I am not sure.. oh well. Up with the play now ;)
I’m working on the project remotely since 2 weeks only ( + mini 4 days kickoff in Amsterdam in August ) and I’m now alone working on the main ‘island’ concept witch is probably around 2/3 of the pilot movie. Sarah and Pablo specialised themself into the world with insect and more cartoon design ( and Pablo is working a lot on the Cloud with Francesco ).
I spent last week in ‘exploration’ , to repropose more appealing visual, that’s why you saw chibi design for Victor, and a new androgynous version of him. This week we made definitive sheep Franck while I proposed a second ‘more mystic’ design for Victor and also ported all my first artworks to SVN (with bonus). I don’t have the feeling we are slow or a little lax ; and we have a deadline for finishing all this designs. Also, our producer and director take care of managing how we spend our efforts, don’t worry about this.
It takes time to produce concept-artwork who convince -not only the director- but also almost all the team. To perform this, we need to explore, experiment, and find something artistic that go beyond a simple ‘mind technical decision’ or work hours. We can’t just follow written description made in a script, we need to repropose, again and again and research.
For concept-art, we had the luck ( and also a handicap ) to get almost nothing written down in the script about character depiction. We first explored the “round greasy coloured salesman” that was probably more working on the written version and more near to what Mathieu and Esther thought while writting the first versions of script. But last week, I proposed something else ; ‘blonde androgynous teenager’ as I thought the project had a lack visual appealing to me with first design.
So, as you can understand, we are not working in a classical pyramid of hierarchy from top to bottom ; with script on top of visual artworks. We work more within a loop , where the artworks also affect story by feedback. This constrain happens because we couldn’t pick an ideal art-director to match a definitive script as in many productions. We don’t have this choice nor human ressources. Storywritters had to compose with Me, Sarah and Pablo ; and also tweak and rewrite the story to include elements that make us happy with :-)
OK I understand. Thank you for the explanation. I only worry about time going by because I think the idea was to start with an evolved script and tangible characters and then fundraise and we seem to be caught up ‘looping’ back over fundamental ground to achieve perfection. I think Ester is now modifying the script again(?) and we have this quite late change to a main character. I am sure it is worthwhile but I seem to hear in the weekly perhaps overly considered or involved details. I like it this attention to finer points of reason but the scope for open ended not progressing examination arises when perhaps it is an idea to form a structure now ie yes OK this is what we are doing and then apply artistic skills. Ton I think likes to give the artists freedom to do and this is admireable but at some point we need discipline to prevail and set down work to be tackled. Although this movie needs to be successful in that it needs to persuade of the potential for a full movie some things might be revisited for that. It doesn’t need to be all explored and decided here. What matters is that the potential for a full movie is shown, in management , direction, art, story, coding etc.. OK so enough from me as armchair spectator. Ton knows I always try to keep things moving in the right direction with my critical thinking. ;)
Cool to see your vids each week. But sometimes it is rather tumultuary, image and sound unclear… Additionally is there some page somewhere where we can have the updated list of people currently working on the project, with bio and allocated tasks?
Thanks and best wishes to all.
I like what you are doing and I support you all. I think you are doing a great job and I very much look forward to seeing your steps along the way. I have NO DOUBT that you all will “pull it together” and create something wonderful, as always. Keep up the good work!
i still worry about the hair simulation. :)
the concept of movie sounds very nice and it would be a pity if like in sintel there would be hair simulation flaws again.
if i understand this correctly bullet will be used for hair? isn’t bullet’s solver much too jittery for that?
Wow, beautiful concept art !
Sweet sideburns! Curious what’s going on with that 3D anaglyph.
While I appreciate the exploration of artistic ideas and options I am beginning to think this phase is beginning to use up quite a lot of time when it ought to be more definitive. I know artists do not like structure and deadlines though. Past movies also were a little lax in setting achievable goals and getting stuck in and doing. Just my opinion looking from outside.
I am a little confused how we got from a rotund greasy coloured salesman dude to blonde androgynous teenager but perhaps I have not understood the script evolution or have that impression wrong.
Maybe soon when characters and story is better decided you can return to asking for community funding since it will probably be to more peoples liking considering how the first concepts were.
Thanks for the report. Enjoy your weekend and beers. :)
OK so I just viewed last weeks video and heard about the change in Victor concept. I wasn’t aware there was a video for last week until I accidentally found it. Was there a link posted here originally? I am not sure.. oh well. Up with the play now ;)
Thanks for the feedback !
I’m working on the project remotely since 2 weeks only ( + mini 4 days kickoff in Amsterdam in August ) and I’m now alone working on the main ‘island’ concept witch is probably around 2/3 of the pilot movie. Sarah and Pablo specialised themself into the world with insect and more cartoon design ( and Pablo is working a lot on the Cloud with Francesco ).
I spent last week in ‘exploration’ , to repropose more appealing visual, that’s why you saw chibi design for Victor, and a new androgynous version of him. This week we made definitive sheep Franck while I proposed a second ‘more mystic’ design for Victor and also ported all my first artworks to SVN (with bonus). I don’t have the feeling we are slow or a little lax ; and we have a deadline for finishing all this designs. Also, our producer and director take care of managing how we spend our efforts, don’t worry about this.
It takes time to produce concept-artwork who convince -not only the director- but also almost all the team. To perform this, we need to explore, experiment, and find something artistic that go beyond a simple ‘mind technical decision’ or work hours. We can’t just follow written description made in a script, we need to repropose, again and again and research.
For concept-art, we had the luck ( and also a handicap ) to get almost nothing written down in the script about character depiction. We first explored the “round greasy coloured salesman” that was probably more working on the written version and more near to what Mathieu and Esther thought while writting the first versions of script. But last week, I proposed something else ; ‘blonde androgynous teenager’ as I thought the project had a lack visual appealing to me with first design.
So, as you can understand, we are not working in a classical pyramid of hierarchy from top to bottom ; with script on top of visual artworks. We work more within a loop , where the artworks also affect story by feedback. This constrain happens because we couldn’t pick an ideal art-director to match a definitive script as in many productions. We don’t have this choice nor human ressources. Storywritters had to compose with Me, Sarah and Pablo ; and also tweak and rewrite the story to include elements that make us happy with :-)
OK I understand. Thank you for the explanation. I only worry about time going by because I think the idea was to start with an evolved script and tangible characters and then fundraise and we seem to be caught up ‘looping’ back over fundamental ground to achieve perfection. I think Ester is now modifying the script again(?) and we have this quite late change to a main character. I am sure it is worthwhile but I seem to hear in the weekly perhaps overly considered or involved details. I like it this attention to finer points of reason but the scope for open ended not progressing examination arises when perhaps it is an idea to form a structure now ie yes OK this is what we are doing and then apply artistic skills. Ton I think likes to give the artists freedom to do and this is admireable but at some point we need discipline to prevail and set down work to be tackled. Although this movie needs to be successful in that it needs to persuade of the potential for a full movie some things might be revisited for that. It doesn’t need to be all explored and decided here. What matters is that the potential for a full movie is shown, in management , direction, art, story, coding etc.. OK so enough from me as armchair spectator. Ton knows I always try to keep things moving in the right direction with my critical thinking. ;)
Or I hope he does. :)
BTW does this mean you will be reusing Sintel?
Cool to see your vids each week. But sometimes it is rather tumultuary, image and sound unclear… Additionally is there some page somewhere where we can have the updated list of people currently working on the project, with bio and allocated tasks?
Thanks and best wishes to all.
I like what you are doing and I support you all. I think you are doing a great job and I very much look forward to seeing your steps along the way. I have NO DOUBT that you all will “pull it together” and create something wonderful, as always. Keep up the good work!
Nice concept art. waiting for the next week
i still worry about the hair simulation. :)
the concept of movie sounds very nice and it would be a pity if like in sintel there would be hair simulation flaws again.
if i understand this correctly bullet will be used for hair? isn’t bullet’s solver much too jittery for that?
Is it just a coincidence or did you draw inspiration from Scott Pilgrim for the rollerblades? :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZAMKn2xr9E
This kind of stuff is good for plot development…