Pre-production: 01/02/2012 Notes after Phil's Tutorial

Yesterday's tutorial was a reality check for the art direction we are aiming for in our animation. Dayle's thumbnail drawings are heading towards the right direction but need to become even bolder with more emphasized Thai elements on them.

The trick to make this work is to strip whatever is unnecessary and rely on a limited amount of colours and patterns. Our world has to become minimalistic with the use of patterns and negative space to give the illusion of an open space. We are specifically looking into three animated films which we find inspiring: Thomas Beale Cipher, The Silence beneath the Bark and The Secret of Kells.

Notes after Feedback

• Decorative – None of that
• Character Design Silhouettes
• Not to use alchemy when producing silhouettes.
• Kinnaree should not be imperial; ambiguous; intimidating
• Kinnaree should be brattish, charming, look at padmay from Star Wars – Natalie Portman
• Cultururally the piece should not derive from a type of witchiness
• It is more allufe, fey, anti-witchy quality
• Archetypes of imperial women
• Girl playing queen
• Irrelevant comparisons based on vague perceptions
• Music: Zakk, YouTube composer signature theme ost of a certain character; two bits of music co-habit/ Harmony
• Instructions on themes; based on characteristics
• Kinnaree – Pecky
• Hemaraj – Percussion
• Musical information/ way to commission/ if music is unusable, critically construct why it doesn’t/ creative wriggle room/ Bird-like ethnicity/ identity with a track on YouTube
• Look at Peter & the Wolf
• Thumbnails/ Art Direction
• Emulate Thai/ Logic: shapes derived from Thai ethnicity/ absolute Thailand
• Secret of Kells: Celtic Carvings.
• Kinnaree: Thailand fabrics/ murals/ silks
• Bolder representation of Thai
• Tracing back to Thai ethnicity
• Relationship colour with distilled, evocative of Thai culture/ Limitation of look at Kuler
• 5 words of boundaries = more coherent world
• Task: Thai ceremonial fabrics/ silks/ patterns to be extracted
• Colour limitation/ gradients/ enamel/ gold pastiche
• Look at Thomas Beale Cipher
• Back to drawing board with specific look at influence maps
• Limiting colours: Jade green, gold…
• Negative space patterns
• White signifies death in Thai culture
• Kinnaree oriental white shadows/ gold shadows
• Getting the right recipe in the concepts
• A lighting rig set-up in service to the style we will establish/ with 2D elements
• Limited/ linear/ striped away
• Indie scenes
• Honing understanding/ re-configure the world pieces. At present, the environmental thumbnails look reminiscent of rain forests – generic space - thus have no belonging to a Thai world. It does not invoke core visual Thai themes. Generic fantasy
• Visuals need to SCREAM Thailand! They will not work otherwise
• Lightblubs from Kells references need turning off
• Sown/ embroidered Thai designs
• Harry Potter animation: Tale of the Three Brothers
• Inverted shadows
• Audaciousness/ sustained colour palette – aforementioned Harry Potter: Tale of the Three Brothers
• Turn off seventy-five percent of current light bulbs
• Limitation; work with unique budget
• Five colours; seven surface patterns
• Sky colour
• Shadow colour
• Floral colour
• Rock colour
• What is our Thailand?
• 16:9
• Preceding character models to be used in testing to look at how 2D and 3D can be combined
• Coherence!
• Say no to generic content
• Thailand-ish ingredients needed for a highly spiced dish of visual ecstasy
• The Silence Beneath the Bark – by Joanna Lurie
• Character Design in service of the world/ essentialised it is
• Cultural precision
• Thomas – Avant-Garde
• Definitive Map/ Essential Oil/ Potency
• Hillscape
• Style wins

Analysing works

Thomas Beale Cipher – Stability of the projected patterns. Patterns do not move. Collaged-based; pattern shadows, negative space

The Silence beneath the Bark by Joanna Lurie – Composited After-effects sandwich/ Negative space; patterned shadows against the inverted whiteness of the forest floor