From Script to Screen - Influence Map for Death

From the start when I decided on my story I knew that I would have to think about a more interesting design for my Death character rather than the typical Grim Reaper look with the black cloak and scythe. I put together an influence map of popular Death personifications from films, tv programmes and similar looking characters. As well as other design from concept art etc.

The idea of Death actually being a spirit like character much like the middle image is quite appealing to me and a possible design choice. 

Cutting Edge Film Review

Rope Review by AlexEdmonds

From Script to Screen - Online Greenlight Review

Unit 3 Online Greenlight Review by AlexEdmonds

From Script to Screen - Cheating Death Script

Cheating Death Script by AlexEdmonds

From Script to Screen - Tight Rope Walking Video References

In my story I need to identify the specific things that actually happen during the tight rope challenge. As well as this I need to work on my dynamic camera angles to go with them. Here are some references as to tight rope walking is performed and how different things affect different performers.


This video shows how someone would recover from falling off of a high wire during a performance.


This one shows how a balancing pole is used properly if at all.



This clip shows a man who slips but recovers from a sitting position. As well as this he falls but survives which is good to show how someone can actually go off balance.


Another video showing someone falling but hanging on by swinging like a monkey and then using the same recovery technique as the first video.



Note the acrobat is not using a balancing pole. Not all performances require it as this shows how a man can balance himself just with his body and succeed.


Once again this performer has no balancing pole but she is not very high from the ground. This act is known as tight wire but I think a high wire will serve me best.

Maya Tutorials - Bouncing Ball on the Spot

Bouncing Ball on the Spot Animation from Alex Edmonds on Vimeo.

From Script to Screen - Character Biographies

Character Biographies by AlexEdmonds

From Script to Screen - Premise, Logline and Step Outline of Story

Premise, Logline and Step Outline by AlexEdmonds

From Script to Screen - Rough Storyboard

I decided to do a rough storyboard of what I've got for my story so far. I need to identify everything that actually happens during the challenge scene as I've only got the basics on this storyboard. However I have been sequencing some other things to happen to make it longer as well. Not my best drawings ever but I annotated in case they were unclear.

Also what isn't shown here is the idea that there is actually a ghost of him inserting the light bulb on the other side of the chasm which he jumps into to get his life back.

From Script to Screen - Story Ideas

I have come up with a few more ideas some of which are alterations/expansions to idea 3 as the whole cheating death scenario seems to be the favourite at the moment. Also they're all a bit hazy at the moment with non specific things happening.

4.

• An old grave digger needs to fit/fix light bulb in a tall lamp
• He tries all sorts of things to reach it such as a ladder but it breaks, a trampoline perhaps, stacks of chairs, pole volting a shovel etc. but none prevail
• Soon realises that his only solution is to get to the lamp level via the church window and walk across a wire to the lamp (much like a tight-rope walker
• But he is scared because in the past he was a famous tight rope walker but fell and injured himself leaving him unable to perform again OR he performed with his brother who fell and died and vowed to do it again
• Look at his old tight rope walking medals or a poster and then we see a flashback of his act when he was younger or his brother falling
• Makes him realise he shouldn't give up and he climbs out the window on to the wire and walks across to the lamp (see flashes of his act when he was younger)

4a. Death is the one making the man fail by breaking the ladder or pushing the chairs over etc (death is invisible to the man) 

4b. Could also have the opposite to Death such as an Angel doing the complete opposite so there is a sort of constant battle between the two deciding the mans fate

4c. In the case of his brother dying in the past - His brothers ghost is the one breaking all the stuff in a way to get him to do the tight-rope walking once again.

5. Similar to Idea 3

• Starts with tight-rope walker performing his act
• Feels nervous because his family are watching or another reason
• Shaking he begins but slips almost instantly and falls to his death
• Quick glance of an open coffin below
• Then fades to him entering the underworld and death showing him a contract stating that can have a second chance if he completes the challenge
• He signs and is instantly taken to the challenge
• The challenge is to successfully insert the light bulb (that death gives him) in the lamp of the other side of a great crater via tight-rope walking
• He's smug about it at first but then realises it is tight-rope walking and gets scared due to what just happened
• Death either forces him to do it or he just bravely continues
• Death then starts floating on the sides teasing him, making jokes with puppets and re-enacting how he died to distract him
• Man eventually succeeds 
• Goes back to him performing and he takes one step on the rope and it snaps
• He dies again and no more chances

5a. 

• Instead of the distractions from Death, the man does the walk easily
• Inserts the light bulb on the other side but it does not light up
• Death laughs
• He struggles and frustrates to get it to light up
• He soon realises that there is a plug for the light that is not plugged in that is on the side he started at
• He walks back
• Plugs it in but there is a puzzle (Rubik's cube?) to complete or a code to insert first - some how realises the solution(s)
• Light bulb lights up on the other side 
• Same ending as before

6. Alteration/expansion of Idea 3

• Man fitting light bulb
• Gets electrocuted
• Switches to Underworld
• Death is standing waiting for him
• Death gives the man a coin and points to a ghostly jackpot machine
• Goes up to it looking confused, it says "try your luck!"
• He inserts coin and wins the jackpot (possibly think of a different gag?)
• Image of his ghostly corpes appears before him and death takes him to a great crater
• He has 3 chances to walk across the great crater on a rope stretched across
• Comically fails the first 2 chances
• Succeeds on his last chance
• Goes back to him fitting light bulb, he finishes
• About to get off of the ladder when it breaks and he falls OR he slips and falls and dies again

6a. Maybe death could of appeared again (invisible to the man) and breaks the ladder because no one truly cheats him.

I also need to identify the names of said characters.

From Script to Screen - Like-for-Like Storyboard

For my Like-for-Like Storyboard I decided to do a scene from the film Transporter. I chose a section from the oil fight scene as I thought it had a great variety of shots and used the camera well. 

I apologise for them all being different sizes and not exactly straight and I did clean them up a bit in Photoshop as they looked too scruffy for my liking.

Here is my chosen section from the scene.

Life Drawing Lesson 11 - 08/01/13

First life drawing of the year and in this lesson I had to draw the model with a certain emotion portrayed.

1. Quick Drawings

2. Drawing with Nervousness shown.

3. Drawing with Sorrow shown.

4. Drawing with Sorrow shown again.

Unit 3: Story Telling and Commission - From Script to Screen Intro and First Ideas.

The final out come of the project is to produce a pre-viz of a short story derived from three key elements; an environment, an object and a character.

For my story I got

Environment: Cemetery

Object: Light Bulb

and Character: Tightrope Walker

First Ideas:

1. My first idea with the light bulb was to have it be a source of energy to power something. I thought of having the tightrope walker set up a circus above a burial ground (i.e. the cemetery) and then using new electrical science he raises the dead to perform in his act. The public applaud with amazement and as the man is packing up he turns round and bumps into death. Death sort of waves his finger in an unimpressed attitude and starts chasing the man around the circus.

- Although I do like this idea I feel that raising the dead is the first thing everyone thinks of so I am thinking of more ideas that are original in that aspect. Also need to specify what actual happens between the struggle with death and the man.

2. A second idea of mine involves the dead rising up from the grave at night to then put on a circus with all kinds of acts etc. Later during the night a drunk inventor is walking by and enters the circus. Due to his current state he does not care for the fact that the undead are surrounding him and he proceeds to show them his invention: the light bulb. The skeletons are fascinated by his invention and pass it round to each other in amazement. The inventor struggles to get it back especially when everything starts disappearing due to the daylight coming back. He is about to grab it just as the last skeleton evaporates but he misses and the light bulb falls and breaks on the floor.

- I like this idea for the comical potential that it has, however the problem is that the main character is not the tightrope walker so I may have to scrap this idea all together.

3. The third story actually was with help from a fellow first year where the main character is already dead or dying and death is taking him to the entrance of the underworld. However he feels he does not deserve to go to the underworld and begs death to give him a chance to release him. To humour himself death strikes a deal with the man which involves a physical challenge. Death takes him to a place with 2 huge electrical poles spread wide apart, with a wire connecting the two. The man must walk all the way across the wire without falling off (much like a tightrope walker) he has unlimited tries. Natural he does not do it the first time and carries on failing due to reasons such as a bird flies into him, wind blowing him off, simply tipping, or even death purposely trying to make him fall because he wants to keep him in the underworld.

- I really like this idea mostly because it would be very comical and appealing to most audiences. However there may need to be some re-thinking as to how the light bulb aspect is incorporated.

So thats my first 3.. I will be posting more ideas as and when I get them!

Maya Tutorials: Digital Set Dirt Maps and Final Render

Digital Set Final Render

Ground under Lamp Dirt Map

Windowsill Dirt Map

Support Dirt Map

Maya Tutorials: Digital Set Bump and Specular Maps

Final Render with Bumps

Windowsill Bump Map

Windowsill Specular Map

Wood Bump Map

Wood Specular Map

Maya Tutorials: Digital Set Colour Maps

Final Colour Maps Render - I moved the poster across a bit so it is more in view and not behind the lamp.

Brick Substance Render

Ground Substance Render

Wood Substance Render

Wood Map with Grid

Wood Map Completed

Windowsill Map with Grid

Windowsill Map Completed

Maya Tutorials: Digital Set Lighting

Maya Tutorials: Digital Set UV Mapping