Friday, May 22, 2009

Final Storyboards for Otherside:

More to come later... I am also working on making a short animatic in flash, with audio of my story created from audacity.
(click to enlarge)

Unfinished ones...

Friday, May 15, 2009

Review for Final Exam:

The 3 act structure
Heroes Journey
Previzualitions
Animatics
shot lists > drawings
Text >Image > Diagram (triangle)

Shot Descriptions:

Double T shot
High Hat shot
Close Up
Extreme Close Up
Cowboy/American
Aerial
Zolly
Zoom
Establishing
Long
Steadycam
Boom
Point of View /Subjective
Reaction

How to interpret an overhead view into camera placements.

Aspect Ration types: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspect_ratio_(image)

Perspective-- how to identify what kinds of perspectives applied.





Slideshow of Storyboards + Reference:

Friday, April 3, 2009

Class- Thumbnails

Watched OtherZone in class and also the storyboard/film comparison to Hannibal.

Homework:

Look for films with storyboard extras with comparison to the actual film scenes.

Friday, March 27, 2009

1500 word story and Concept Art

The Other Side
Beth J Wilson

As she walked, the rain patted softly on her rain coat making strange noises; sounding from inside her hat like musical notes echoing in her ears. Her rubber boots glided through puddles like great purple ocean liners run off course. They skimmed the waters surface making wide ripples, waves radiating out, only disrupted by the occasional oak leaf, an island in the saltless sea. Adel gazed downwards at the water beneath her feet, seeing at first only her reflection, but then as her eyes unfocused she saw the pale sky behind her head; a slice of white cutting into the water, an ice burg created of clouds floated in the surface. Then it was as if the rain paused above her for a moment, hovering in the air like so many honey bees, buzzing about her ears. She took a breath and her reflection become perfectly clear as if a bright light illuminated the puddle from within; as she released her breath, the water came rushing back down around her, a force so strong it knocked her down. She put her hands out, as they splashed into the water she felt a sickening sensation as if she hid been twisted upside down on a roller coaster ride; she closed her eyes.
Adel opened one eye, brushed the water from her face with the sleeve of her dress, and then carefully opened the other eye, blinking rapidly, shaking the remaining droplets of rain from her eyelashes. She stood up slowly, realizing that her dress was somehow mostly dry under her coat, but her striped stockings did not fair as well, they seemed to have soaked up the entire puddle into their thin yarns. She was about to let out a cry of despair at the thought of having to continue her walk home with sopping tights glued to her legs; when she lifted her chin up from boot level and saw the world to be very different than when she last looked. The landscape was as foreign to her as the bottom of the ocean floor, new plants ad trees had seemingly sprouted out of the soggy ground, which now looked like a sea of cloud instead of the dark pavement of the street she had walked on a second before. The strange forest loomed all around her, it was as if it had been blanched by the rain, like overcooked vegetables standing alone on a plate, the pale silhouettes protruded into the ashen sky. Her mouth lay open in the moist air, she had been drinking in this new landscape so rapidly that she gasped suddenly realizing that she was very far from home, and had no idea how she had gotten here. She sat down abruptly on what she thought to be the ground, and what turned out to be a toadstool of sorts, but very large and pallid, almost transparent. It proved to be a comfortable resting spot for her soaked and now shivering body. Adel thought about how she must have arrived in this strange land, and as she sat there she became more and more puzzled, lost in the labyrinth of her thoughts. She was pulled out of her thoughts by her own shivering, which was getting stronger, and more erratic. Adel realized that she must find some shelter from the wetness that seemed to pervade everything here so she could warm up and dry off. She began walking along the ground, the foggy floor swirled around her ankles weirdly obscuring her boots with pools of mist. She thought she heard a whisper behind her, turning rapidly, she saw no one around her. She dug her hands deeper into her coat pockets gripping her hair clips within so tightly that the metal dug into her palm slightly. She decided to go higher away from the creepy mist on the ground and see what she could spot from a higher point. She put her boot unsteadily at first, atop one of the strange toadstools and then jumped to a second slightly higher toadstool; for they seemed to be growing in a circular shape, arching upwards. She followed the toadstools up and up, seeming to bounce higher and higher with every jump, until she finally came to rest on the highest and largest of the toadstools. It was a blue spotted bump rising out of the center of the ring of toadstools. She steadied herself by resting a palm on the surface, for this one was more slippery than the rest, seeming to have a slimy residue on its bumpy top. Adel gazed out across the lands and seeing no end to the pale forest, her spirits dipped again; until she saw a light glowing in the distance at the end of a river snaking into the horizon. Maybe that light would be her escape from this odd world, she went to take a step forward and looked down to see the toadstool beneath her changing to a deep violet color.
Just then a voice boomed out from beneath her, “Who stands upon my back !”, two eyelids set into the flesh of the toadstool flashed open, and two yellow eyes stared up at her. Adel stared back in shock at the creature that she was apparently standing on and uttered, “I didn’t know.. uh uh... I’m sorry, I’m sorry !” The creature retorted, “Well now you know, so get off my back or I will bounce you into next Tuesday!” Adel took a giant leap onto a nearby toadstool and looked up at the creature as it rose to its full height- it was a spotted toad of huge proportions. It gazed down at her with its yellow eyes, observing her with an annoyed look, as if she were a fly buzzing about its face. The creature then announced, “ I am Rellus, Elder of the Bolete Tribe, what are you doing in my toadstool ring?” Adel had to answer in a small voice, “ I am merely passing through trying to find my way home..” ; she then ventured, “Where is this place?” Rellus the Elder then answered her in a perturbed tone, “You are in the land of Aqueous- how did you come to be here an not know where you are?” He then went to settle back down into his seated position and turn away from her. Adel turned and reluctantly started back down towards the bottom of the toadstool ring. As she descended back towards the misty ground she took note of the direction of the glowing light on the horizon; for anywhere that glowed had to be warmer and safer than here. She heard the voice of Rellus from above again, saying ,” Follow the river and run its course and you will learn...” and then he trailed off into sleep again. What an odd creature she thought as she continued on her way, yet she headed towards the river, because even odd creatures have good suggestions she thought.
Adel wound her way through the forests of seaweed looking plants and managed to finally find the river, rushing along a bed of polished stones. The river was crisp and clear blue like a spring sky, which stood out among the dullness of the rest of the landscape. The mist cleared about the river bed and revealed a lush pillow of green moss lining the sides of the rushing water. Adel followed the river up hill along this green stripe of land, weaving like a colorful ribbon through the bland landscape. She watched as her boots sank slightly into the softness of the moss and wanted to feel it with her toes, so she remove her boots and stuffed them into her backpack and continued on her journey barefoot. Surprisingly, the moss was not only velvety soft on her toes but somehow warm and comforting as well. As she continued down the path, Adel began to notice small flying creatures, flitting by the water, here and there. One of these creatures looked like a feathery puff ball with delicate lacey wings of silver, it seemed to glide on the tufts of air caused by the rushing water, swirling in lazy circles. Just then, it landed lightly on the edge of a giant plant, similar in form to a teacup complete with a lid made of a leaf hovering in mid air. Adel ran up to the plant to see a closer glimpse of the strange flying puffball and caught her toe sharply on a river stone, causing her to fly forward, tumbling into the cup shaped plant. Splash! She was surrounded by warm liquid, welling up around her legs; she went to stand up but noticed that the lid of the plant had snapped downwards, shutting her in this dark prison. She screamed in pain as she realized that the liquid was tingling and burning her skin, and then again she yelled out in anguish at her predicament. Adel panic stricken, clawed at the walls of the horrible plant, but made only scratch lines in the thick hide. She soon exhausted herself trying to fight her way out of the giant plant, and sat disheartened in the bottom of the plant. She perched upon her back pack away from the juices of the plant, which she only guessed was trying to eat her alive. After a few minutes of weeping in the silence, Adel noticed that the juices seemed to be rising up further towards her, now reaching the top pocket of her backpack. She squished her legs up tighter underneath her and began to scream again, this time for help. When Adel’s voice had gone hoarse from yelling, she put her head down on her knees and gave in to her sorrow, giving up on the idea of ever getting home again. Just then she heard a great flapping noise and a rush of wind all around outside and then a ripping noise, and she saw giant pinchers tearing through the plant wall at her. She shrunk into a corner fearing this new creature, but was soon grabbed by the pinchers and tossed high into the air. She squeezed her fists and eyes so tight it hurt, afraid to look at her new captor; but she landed softly in at first what she took to be moss. Then opening her eyes slowly she was taken aback by the vast landscape rapidly flowing beneath her feet, she was sitting perched atop a giant furry moth! She gazed down at the now peaceful seeming landscape below, tinted by the silvery gauze wings she looked through. The moth was a soft blue color, like a new rosebud before it has decided what color to be. As they flew higher and higher Adel soon felt at ease, listening to the whistling sounds of the wind rushing past her ears she gripped the moth tightly and soon fell asleep. Adel awoke in what felt like moments later to see that the moth was perched on a giant flower petal drinking a golden liquid from the center. It motioned to her with its giant feathery antenna, and simply said in a whispery voice,” Drink.” Adel climbed down and drank a sip of the liquid from her palm tentatively, but after one taste of the sweet honey nectar, she bent down to drink in large gulps. She felt a renewed strength in her and soon st down satisfied from the pure sweet liquid. ...(to be continued...)

Reference Photo Collection:



Concept Artwork:






Materials:


Friday, March 20, 2009

Class8 - notes

Conflict/obstacles - setup the premise of the film
Tension- culmination - resolution
Theme - main idea
Unity- everything works with everything else
Exposition- exposing some information of the characters through conversation,etc.
Characterization- details of everyday life
Planting + Payoff- showing an object that will then be used later in the film
Figure drawing exercise from class today...

Homework --

Finish 1500 word essay. Read chapter 9. Either 3 sentence story or anther one. Email and put it on the blog! Scan and submit illustrations.(1 page each min character design,setting, props, flora, fauna, vehicles)

Frame Forge 3D Exercise- Children of the Force!

Here is the link to our video on youtube, but with the sounds it very choppy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn0VRlBJcZo

Chapter 8 summary

Figurative drawing-

going over different drawing techniques on how to simplify the human form to convey the figure simply. Drawing the figure as a skeleton and also with basic egg shapes. Also how to show simple emotion on the facial features.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Class 7

Homework- do exercise on pg 164 and read chapter 8/post summary.

Summary of Chapter 7

Perspective-

Station point- the position of the observer, placement of camera.
Picture plane- an imaginary plane set at 90 degrees angle top observer.
Horizon Line-an imaginary line that is determined by the height of camera or observer.
Vanishing Point- a point which lies on the horizon and acts as aguide for plotting lines and planes that describe depth.
Plan View- the layout of a scene from overhead (diagram)
Cone of Vision- the perimeter of the observers vision. (field of view)

One - point Perspective- use for frontal angle shots, one vp to describe depth.
Two- point Perspective- use when observing form a corner.
Three - point Perspective- object has no faces that are parallel to the picture plane, worms eye or birds eye view.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Class 6

Looked at Puppenhead and talked about composition techniques. Watched the previsualization for Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.

In Class Assignment: Chase scene in Frame Forge 3D

Review for Midterm:

3 act structure- first act confronting the problem, second act is identifying the problem, third act the confrontation and resolution.

Hero structure- the call to adventure, the refusal of the call, confronting a fear of change or new world, go to get ready get magical aid, enters new world, belly of the whale-stuck in lowest point but finally resolves to continue on in journey in new world..etc (see below)

Trilogy of form:
text --> diagram --> images

Editorial Storyboard vs Comp.
editorial storyboard used for actual production to setup cameras and lights, technical for film makers.

comp is used to attract finances or trying to get a contract, made for anyone not technical, shows the potential.

Uses for Storyboarding-
actions and special effects because of the expense and the time,

Camera Shots:
high angle shot, high hat shot, dolly, zolly , crane shot..

Camera Moves:
scale, angle...

Aspect Ratio:
TV/academy 1:1.3
theatrical 1:1.8
widescreen

Extended Frames:
showing frames elongated to showing a pan or tilt, or a zoom with a frame within a frame

Homework: Study for Midterm MIDTERM NEXT CLASS

Friday, February 27, 2009

In class assignment - Extended Frames








Download PDF Here

Class 5

Went over Chapter 5 and definitions of camera movements below.

Pan- horizontal movement of the camera on one pivot point on the Y axis
Tilt-vertical movement of the camera on one pivot point on the X axis
Dolly/Tracking Shot-moving a camera on a track
Zoom-the lens of camera is used to zoom into scene and objects lose perspective and become larger.
Crane-Using a machine with camera on it with pivot points on both X and Y access of crane and on the camera.

Chapter 5 Summary:

Using extended frames to show the time and space elements in the storyboard. Goes over different shaps of boxes to express the movement in a frame, such as a long horizontal box to show a panning motion; or a broken box to show a begining and ending of a panning motion. Also shows how to added arrows and diagrams to show the movement of the camera (drawn on top of frames). Also discusses using static shots, using single shots of frames, versus using extended frames, which uses a longer frame showing more information.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Homework: Crossing Street-Diagram,Shot-list Storyboard.





Class 4

Went over homework assignment from last week- pg 78 in book. Showing overhead diagram, shot list of scenes and storyboard.

Notes:

Characterization in Film/Drama-
drama face less important -film more important

Character Traits-
sum of traits
Chatman views a character as a "paragdim of traits" - a character exits in a paragdigmatic relationship with the plot
Rimmon views a character as a "construct of traits"
Traits are hierarchically arranged

Humour- is a ruling passion of the character taken from medieval dramas

Predictability-
expecting certain actions from characters based on data

Human Element-
the human element is very important- rely on something you know from real life

Mimesis-
characters created for their own purpose?

Rule of Thirds:
balancing empty space with an image on one side, when frame is divided into thirds.

Homework: Read Chapter 5, fill out character traits form, look at syllabus for where to be on character design + concept art sketches.

Chapter 4 Summary:

Talks about different aspect rations of film and TV.

TV + Computer - 1:1.33
Europe + 16mm- 1:1.66
US Standard (post 1950)- 1:1.85
Widescreen + 70 mm- 1:2.35

The idea of using the golden rectangle for shots became less used after widescreen became more popular. Goes over letterboxing which is putting black lines to create an artificial widescreen look , often for done for tv shows. Also goes over pan and scan which is cutting sections of imagry and plugging them into the target ratio. Also goes over framing examples showing cut out of frames to show differences in aspect ratios.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Class 3 

Discussed Chapter 3 and when over Text, Diagrams and Images from the book.

Watched last part of JAWS and discussed the 3 act structure as it is used in the movie scenes. Also discussed the characters in relation to the Monomyth. Hooper (scientist) and Quin (captain of Orca) enter as the supernatural aid/helpers. The hero is the chief of police - Brody. He at first refuses to become the hero several times, but finally when his child is involved he goes to Quin for aid. He overcomes his fear of the water to enter the new world- the sea. The boat becomes the new battleground between the men and the shark. They swap war stories and scars and sing together on the boat marking the hero becoming more accustomed to his new world. Then they all face death as the shark attacks the ship over and over. Finally Brody is left alone for the final battle with the shark and makes it explode. In the end he overcomes his fear of water and the sea in the final scene where they paddle to shore.

Went over how to use ToonBoom StoryBoard Pro. How to create layers and shapes for quick backgrounds. How to add images instead of drawing. Goto storyboard - add shot to add more shots. Panels are viewed at bottom of page.

Went over Flash CS3 and how to use for storyboards as compared to ToonBoom. Choose actionscript 3 for a new file. Add new frames with F6 - that creates a keyframe which makes your shot. Then layers can be added to create the shot. 

Went over the basics of drawing in photoshop to use as a medium for creating storyboards.  

Using google sketchup to create models and also download models from web for background or architecture scenes, also has basic people.

Task:
Develop concept art from 1 paragraph stories and draw or create images for concepts. 
Key characters, settings, etc.

Reference Photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Bejuwil/BloggerPictures?authkey=XE5VOeaC53A#

example project on pg. 78- shot-list, storyboard,diagram of book.
Finish task and pot concept art to blog.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Class 3 - Notes

Discussed summaries of Chapter two and reviewed information.

Read some of 1 paragraph stories out loud; discussed meaning behind some stories and suggested directions. Learned how to use FreeMind - free mindmapping software. Created a mind map of 1 paragraph story- see below. (click to see larger)


Talked about Inter-textual references in films such as the King Kong reference of the giant gate in Jurassic Park. References in films are usually made explicitly clear. List references that you use in your stories for ideas.

Also listed opposites in Jurassic park for an example. And discussed how to make a time line of your film with events in a linear sequence.

Pan's Labyrinth: (in class exercise)

Intertextual references - alice in wonderland, spainish civil war

Inspirational - fairytales, nightmares, religion, greek mythology, childhood to adulthood journey

Homework:
Read chapter 3 and post summary to blog.

Puddle- 1 paragraph story

Kesa is looking into a puddle and feels a force pull her into it. She wakes up in a new world inside the puddle. It is all wet and white, trees looking like blanched vegetables litter the landscape. She wants to go home initially and searches for a way out but cannot find one. She sees her world from below her feet in a foggy haze but cannot reach it. She then decides to wander in her newly discovered world and finds some sickly looking plants that appear to be brown and slimy and dying. As she is distracted by studying the sickly plant, she is swallowed by a giant carnivorous plant. Its skin is transparent and she watches in horror as the juice start to rise around her to digest her. She beats against the plant to try to tear her way out by tires herself and gives in to her fate. Just as she is weakest and about to faint a giant blue moth swoops out of the sky using is mouth pincers to tear away at the plant and break her free. It carries her to safety in the foggy sky. Near death she is roused by eating some fruit that the moth brings to her. While flying through the air the wind and fog talked to Kesa and she discovers she can comprehends their languages. The moth carries her further up into the sky and she sees the source of the corruption of the land, a brown slime inhabits the center of the land. She and the moth fly down to investigate and cleanse the land of the corruption. She calls on the wind and water to aid her in her quest and they agree to be at her aid to rid the land of the slime. She fights a slime monster using the elements to help in her battle and cleanses the land. The moth agrees to fly her back into her own world but she regrets leaving her new friend and new powers over the elements. But she realizes she must return to her own lands. She agrees to return to aid if any more pollution should threaten the puddle world again.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Class 2 - Notes

Three Act Structure of a Screenplay:

Act I- First quarter of a movie
Inciting Incident

Plot point one

Act II- Next two quarters of a movie
Midpoint
Plot point two

Act III- Last quarter of a movie
Climax


"Plot Point"-often called a reversal, is an event that thrusts the plot in a new direction, leading into a new act of the screenplay.

Monomyth or the Hero's Journey:

The story of a hero's journey from their homeland of safety to face their life's challenge far away, and how they become the ultimate hero. See the steps of this structure in this chart.

"monomyth"-
as used within the field of comparative mythology refers to a basic pattern supposedly found in many narratives from around the world.

Story Structure:

1. Compelling Action
2. Memorable Characters

3. Interactive Location


Elements in a story:

Opposite characters - ex: Mulder & Scully

HOMEWORK:

Read-

Useful Wiki entry on 3 Act Structure in stories

Chapter one of class book: pgs 11-51 and summarize chapter on blog.
Also post the one paragraph story on the blog. Have at least one character and one setting and make use of three act structure and also monomyth.
(will be used for later projects)

Why I want to be a storyteller...

Because I want to create a world that fascinates and invites people into it. A world that engages readers in my stories so that they become a part of their history as the stories that inspired me are part of mine. Also I want to tell stories because I want to illustrate my own children's books and be able to compel the reader with images alone and not rely on text.

Friday, January 16, 2009

First Class


Started IDST145 today at city college of San Francisco. We are blogging every week about our class homework assignments.

We looked at Frame Forge 3D demos and also ToonBoom Storyboard Pro demos and observed the capabilities of both programs. Looked at Adobe Flash CS3 and re-familiarized with aspects of the timeline and drawing in flash. Also did an exercise in free-writing and brainstorming, wrote non stop for 5 minutes to produce some text for ideas. The took idea examples and created mindmaps. (example below) We also saw an example of how to pitch a storyboard with onsite sound effects by another student, Aidan Casserly.  Also found out about a mind map option called FreeMind.



Notes:

Text- script + shotlist
Diagrams- overhead schematics
Images- drawings, photos, GCI

Homework:

Get book - From Word to Image and read pages 1-9 and write a summary on blog.

Why you want to be a storyteller? 
4 min presentation