ANIM- S2 Draft 001

ANM- Scene1 Draft 001

CON- Character Modeling

Character： Robber made by Paul

Hunter: Work in Progress

Stuff that still needs to be done:

STB- Scene two developing

Draw by Tom

Draw by Andy

ANM- S2 Animatics

WR- Proposal

Summary – To produce a 6 minutes animated short called Beast depicts the fine line and its abstract boarder of human nature between two hunts men.

Log line – A hunter saves the life of an unknown man and finds himself in a peculiar situation as the two men engage in a guessing game to discover each other's intentions 

Description – Along the snow shielded mountain, a huntsmen encounters a man half buried in the snow and through instincts he carried the frozen man in attempt to rescue his life and carried him back to his cave in the mountains. The howling snowstorm was in dominate of the valley and enclosed the mountain with nothing but a heavily load of silvery darkness. A dot of fire cuts through the dimness and the huntsman returned safely to his cave and dropped the known stranger, still unconscious, off his shoulder. The rescued man awakes from the warmth radiated off the cave fire, instead of questioned, the man was greeted with hospitality.

“Drink this, it'll keep you warm.” started the interaction between the two strangers. Nothing much was said after, nothing much was needed to explain their situation. Until the sound of silence was interrupted by a note formed from droplets of water, melted off the strangers coat hanged on the edge of a rock adjacent to the cave-fire. The sound reminds the huntsmen and through a spark of interest out came, “Found you in the snow, what were you doing there?” the silence was melted and a conversation was lit.

Signs of body language such as interactions and reactions, verbal context and content often betrays the owner of the body. Nevertheless, in the case of strangers, those behavior may have been unnecessary, especially towards someone who may have just risked their life saving yours.

Aside gratitude, signs of guilt, uncomfortable, and defense was posed upon and heavily guarded Robert, whom who has just been brought back to life by Enar, the huntsman. Identity was never an issue in this conversation, but those eyes, those shiftily eyes.

Character Dynamics -

Enar

Robert

Context and influences –

Visual Treatment – Beast is a 3D animated short done based in Maya. It references from an array of films and games, yet retains its originality and characteristics of the film by having a new takes on character designs. Both character designs were the emphasis of the film, through the silence interactions to the eyes shifting conversation, upon visual treatment, both characters demonstrates a heavily contrast and the slight of fantasy like appearance (done in toon-shader). The Landscape is coated in 2D skins thus delivering a soothing detailed environment with lots of abstract concepts. Overall tonal quality is dim with a glimpse of heat in the frame symbolically matching the story content.

Sound Treatment – Beast is diegetic sound based project. Without much music, but ambient and visually accurate sounds to provide a realistic take on the screen. Details of sounds are designated to capture audience's attention and lure them into the though process of the characters. Sound will be designed to match diegetic needs, ambient sound will also be a challenge for the project to amplify

the deep connection from the screen to the script, sound effect such as beluga whale, heart beat, noise, silence, etc will be the core of the ambient in order to deliver the tension within the short.

Production Schedule – will be redrafted.

Budget – Voice actor.

Agreement – Original story

STB- S1 Colored

                                                                      Andy add color

                                                                   Paul add snow(so ugly)

CON- Hunter Character Brainstorm

ANM S2 prototype

good animation

link

REF- Snow

CON- Rough Character Concepts

Making snow in Maya

How to create a snowy mountain and ocean in Maya using shaders (video)

http://www.creativecrash.com/maya/tutorials/rendering-lighting/general/c/how-to-create-a-snowy-mountain-and-ocean-in-maya-using-shaders-video--2

make snow in maya

http://www.cgarena.com/freestuff/tutorials/maya/snow/snow.html

snow factory

http://lesterbanks.com/2013/02/snow-factory-for-maya-generates-snow-over-polygon-objects/

WR- Some background infomation

This is a story by one of my online friend X.demon.Dia. 

We were discussing creative ideas in writing and came up with making a turn-around at the end of  "Farmer and Snake" story. Dia used this idea in one of his short stories. The character and plot have evolved and developed a lot  but the key elements including the setting, the basic identities of the two characters and some punch lines of their dialogues stay in our film.

We named the story Beasts for the savagery happening between the characters. During the process of developing this story, I seem to have followed an invisible lead. I thought there isn't a precise theme for this story for we are not trying to teach or broadcast anything. But the fact that I always know and are determined on where the characters should go indicates there is a spirit to follow.

As I proofread the stories repeatedly, I would say this is a story about human nature. I've been a fan of "human nature", something that's beautiful and ugly at the same time, its charm coming from its complexity. Yet in Beasts I can see how human natures is still fascinating with all its details removed. In the story the characters end up preying on each other, but through acting like beasts they actually demonstrate their human natures.

I believe this is the spirit I have stuck to all this time. I wish to show human natures in a rough and vague way and Enar is the key. Enar is an assassin. Usually the attractive killers in novels and movies are either artistic killers who are obsessed with perfect murders and feel nothing towards death, or kind-hearted assassins who despises himself  for being a murderer and would sacrifice his life to be free from the dark world. I, instead, want a character between these two extremes. He is a predator, like beasts in the mountains, being somehow innocent, but not pure; a bit tragic, but not pitiful. This is how I imagine human spirits are presented in Beasts, like an unfinished sculpture, with basic shapes but no fine details.


Name - Enar (fighter in Swedish)

nationality - Swedish

race - Caucasian

age - 31

background - worked for local mobster for 3 years, worked as a member of a wet team for 2 years, for an international mobster for 3 years, independent assassin till now.

specialized weapon - familiar with most guns, but prefer crossbow and dagger, yet won't refuse hot weapons when situation calls for it. No signature killing method.

education - grade 8, self -teaching

sex life - one night stands

spouce - dead

Family - mother died of illness when Enar was 9, father killed in hunting when he was 13.

personality - serious, calm, fairly kind but not sentimental, behaves indifferent but gentle, content with current life.

Political View: Doesn't care, doesn't like politics

mother tongue - Swedish 

Second language - English

also speaks - Italian and Spanish, basic communicative language and crucial terminologies in German and French

first victim - 12, was taken hostage by a robber, while trying to get away, killed him with one stab because of high intensity and professional skills of slaying beasts.

first target - 17 , he killed the local banker and his cat, Mr. Whiskers

How many people he assassinated - Quite a few. (not extraordinarily many because he doesn't take unnecessary or risky cases)



Name: Robert

nationality- Russian

race- Caucasian

sexuality- straight male

age- 34

background- lived a rather comfortable life before 30, got married at 26, divorced at 30, family sliding during past 5 years, got fired from 2 jobs, currently unemployed.

specialized weapon - revolver, no good at it

education - high school

spouce - divorced

Family -dead

personality -talkative, appears outgoing and friendly, good at flirting, vicious, thinks of himself as smart

political view - doesn't know much about politics

mother tongue - Russian

Second language - English

also speaks - none

criminal record: one robbery achieving little money (gone beyond record), one unsuccessful attempt on a businessman's wife