CT6APME - Production Diary

Callum East UP680794

Production DiaryBeginning anew with this unit, I have returned to my original concept of Straps and Buckle, which features a pair of extravagant superheroes defending their home from various villainy.

Because of my more limited time frame for this project, I deem it necessary to create some sort of organization document, somewhere where I could keep all my notes that I could refer back to when required; I have created a document titled Project Notes to assist with this. I’ll be using this document to write down any notes for any aspect of my project.

Some examples currently include character traits for both Straps and Buckle, My List of Inspirations (Which I’ll elaborate on shortly) and a list of cultures/ideologies I would like to explore in this project. This document will be regularly updated with new information throughout the duration of the project.

On a slightly unrelated note, I also have created a Project Logo (which can be seen at the top of this document) to be used throughout the duration of development. I feel the creation of such a logo will provide my project a more professional outlook, and will personally help me treat this project with the time and attention it requires.

Referring back to my Project Notes, I mentioned both my inspirations and what cultures/ideologies I would like to explore.

Beginning with my inspirations, I felt it would be best to include a large variety of different examples. I thought of many different inspirations of mine, and created a list with four categories: Anime, Artists, Cartoons and Videogames. My personal interests are quite diverse, and I would like to present that within this project. The mentioned list is down below.

Anime: Kill La Kill, Panty & Stocking, Shokugeki No SoumaArtists: Akihiko Yoshida, Alex Ahad, David Kawena, Shigenori Soejima, Sushio, Takahito Harada.Cartoons: Gravity Falls, Sonic Boom, South Park, Spongebob Squarepants, The Amazing World of Gumball.Videogames: Bayonetta Franchise, Disgaea Franchise, Final Fantasy Franchise, Skullgirls.

After crafting my list, I moved onto Ideologies that I’d be interested to explore (all of which are listed below) I felt this project would provide the chance to further my research in multiple subjects. I personally feel I don’t spend enough time researching information required when crafting both personal and professional work, so using this project as a way to combat that dilemma I feel would be a more productive way of resolving the issue.


Cultures & Ideologies Featured/Referenced

- Acceptance- Alternative Culture (Autosadism, BDSM, Masochism, Etc.)- Anthropomorphism - Fantasy Vs. Reality- Homosexuality- Morality- Sexuality

After compiling those various notes, I think the next best step would be start drafting a narrative to use for the project. It would be best to focus on what I personally feel I excel at, Illustration and Character Design are some skills I feel most confident in. I could also use this as an opportunity to better myself in other areas that I feel I am decent at, such as Video Editing, Colour Theory and Traditional Animation I have crafted 3 different narrative drafts that could be used, including a basic log line as well as including a list of both pros and cons for each idea, I feel this will make it easier to refer back to when I finalized the narrative, and give perspective on the challenges that I’ll face during the project. I’ll include the log lines in this document, while the Pros and Cons list can be found on the Project Notes file.

#1 A Short ‘Pilot’ Episode

A small pilot episode, in which our two protagonists: Straps & Buckle must defend the city from a Rampaging Monstrosity by any means necessary.

#2 Music Video

A music video that progressively tells a light narrative through visuals alone, following both Straps & Buckle’s endeavours, and giving the audience a brief overview of both the characters and setting.

3# Skit Show

A small selection of animated skits, portraying the two protagonists in short scenarios involving various comedic actions.

After referring back to my narrative notes, Idea #2 (The Music Video) resonates with me the most. The focus on Illustration is the primary reason for this, but this ide also allows me to experiment further with Visual effects and Video Editing in Adobe After Effects. Sound assets also won’t be an issue as it’ll be covered with the soundtrack chosen.

Upon completing this initial batch of notes, now would be best to start concept art with an idea in mind. Because this idea is based more on my initial presentation at the beginning of the year, I’ll use the design work as a basis and move forward from there.


I have begun some initial concept art (the files in question are: buckle_1 and straps_1, which can be seen below)

I have also ‘reviewed’ these initial designs, listing pros and cons (In a similar fashion to my initial narrative concepts) these were initially recorded in my Project Notes. But I also have them down below.

buckle_1Pros

- Square and rugged design highlight his immensity and physical attributes.- Soft looking facial features allow his sincere and soft personality to shine through.- His wings also highlight his innocence, due to their small size in comparison to his larger

frame.


Cons- His large frame appears a bit too stiff, causing issues with animation- His proportions aren’t as extreme as what would be possible- Similarly to Straps, the approach for realistic anatomy would cause quality issues overall

straps_1Pros

- Sharp, angular design gives him a ‘cool edge’, showcasing his confidence and egotistical nature

- His slender appearance and long hair showcase his ‘feminine side’, reflecting his eastern inspired design roots

- ‘Chibi’ style implements his rebellious nature.- The design makes heavy use of triangular shapes, giving him a distinct look.

Cons- The angular design makes him look unnatural, smooth shapes would perhaps illustrate his

‘humanity’ better- Detailed anatomy isn’t entirely correct, further studying would be required.- His anatomy is far too detailed to be used in an animated short.- With the shapes used, his expressions shown seem rather limited.

After reviewing these designs, perhaps it would be best to experiment with body shape designs, as my lack of coherent strength in drawing anatomy could potentially harm both character design and overall project.

I have crafted said designs for both Straps and Buckle, which can be seen below. The top image (bodyshapes_1) is for Straps, while the image below that is for Buckle (bodyshapes_2)

Straps is quite slender and acrobatic, so I crafted 3 different shape ideas for experimentation. #1 on the far left is the most realistic of the bunch, but I quickly dismissed the design because of that very reason, with my current skillset I don’t feel I could confidently convey the character in that much detail while still keeping the quality consistent. #2 is my favourite out of the 3, his body is incredibly


thin which allows his larger hands and feet to be highlighted features, I also like the use of triangles throughout his design, giving him a slender, sharp and confident look. #3 is a bit too thin and soft, and I don’t believe this illustrates the characters archetypes well.

I have also included some miniature ‘chibi’ designs on the page. While I’m unsure if these will be implemented in the animation. I felt it would be interesting to experiment with. #4 is cute but rather tall, #5 is my personal favourite, as it emphasises the head over the body, which is one of the main appeals to this art style. #6 seems a bit too stretched and lanky, it’s also a bit too sharp, making it lose some of its ‘cute’ aspects.

Buckle is the opposite of Straps. He is bulky and strong, so his shape design would be quite different. Design #1 is rather boxed and square, I quite like this aspect as this complements his ‘Large’ nature, it’s clear to see he is a strong character. While I do like #2, I think it’s a bit too exaggerated, the feet appear too sharp in contrast to the softness of the upper body, it’s not a bad design, but it would need some further alterations. #3 is a mix of the two, and one of my more favoured designs, it’s soft but broad and has a playful nature to it., the lack of muscle detail is irrelevant because of the simple shape conveys his strength admirably.

After this experimentation, I am unsure if I’d need to do an extra sheet in a similar fashion to these previous two, as I believe I have a good idea of how I would like these bodies to look. Of course they will be developed further as the rest of the character designs slowly form and develop.

From this point, I could work on both further character design elements (such as facial features) and also begin work on environments. I could also begin to implement colour theory into my conceptual work now that some initial sketches have been crafted.

I have begun to create some conceptual environment designs (Which can be seen below) I mainly drew inspiration from various cityscapes around the world, such as Shanghai, New York and Paris. I imagine the setting would be a fusion of many culturally inspired locations all located on a small, hidden island, to help illustrate this is a fantasy-like setting. I have also used a limited to colour pallet to also assist in illustrating this concept, with a heavy use of Reds, Blues and Purples, with a few exceptions in some examples below.



I personally feel I struggle when it comes to designing environments, so using these simple stylized shapes helps alleviate this issue. This process also allows me to experiment further with colour theory and lighting to craft more believable and visually striking scenes. Lastly the simple structure allows me to focus more time in character action and personality, which is one of the main focuses of this project.

On the other hand, these simple environments could cause confusion if not combined correctly with colour in the scene, buildings would need to be visually clear so the audience can remain focused on the scene without any issues. I must keep this in mind when it comes to production.

Now that I’ve crafted some coloured conceptual art, it might be best to move onto creating thumbnails. This could help me form a visual narrative by crafting small, quick sketches that could be developed further into proper shots in my storyboard, and eventually animatic.

The above images are said thumbnails. I tried to keep the colour pallet limited similarly to my previous environment concept designs. There isn’t much correlation between any shots but they have helped me demonstrates some potential scenes that could be used in the future. I also implemented a few shots with the ‘chibi’ designs I came up with in some of my initial design work, at this point I would like to find some way of implementing them appropriately, as their design could add different emotions and personality quirks to both Straps & Buckle.

I have begun researching what assets I will need for my production. The most important would be the accompanying soundtrack, as it will be a major factoring in setting the tone of the entire piece. I have browsed various websites that offer royalty free music which I can use in the production, while these assets would need to be purchased, they would offer more professional production values, I have a few links to a few potential songs just down below:

http://www.istockphoto.com/audio/destiny-69022057?st=0dcebd3http://www.istockphoto.com/audio/break-away-69318425?st=1f7591fhttp://www.istockphoto.com/audio/gotta-get-w-vocals-10559553?st=dc36d28Who Likes To Party - http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/

http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/

http://www.istockphoto.com/audio/gotta-get-w-vocals-10559553?st=dc36d28

http://www.istockphoto.com/audio/break-away-69318425?st=1f7591f

http://www.istockphoto.com/audio/destiny-69022057?st=0dcebd3


Retweet - http://www.audionetwork.com/browse/m/musical-styles/musical-styles/rhythm-and-blues-randb-classic/resultsRough Rider - http://www.audionetwork.com/Track/SearchKeyword?keyword=pop&sort=5http://www.istockphoto.com/audio/sweet-dream-sax-63561743?st=4d51dffDance Moves - http://www.audionetwork.com/Track/SearchKeyword?keyword=upbeat+dance&sort=10

An alternative would be to record my own music, however I have no knowledge or contacts who know about producing this, so purchasing a license would be faster and easier to the overall production. I will decide which music to purchase/obtain later into production, after getting further feedback from tutors and other colleagues.

I have begun some more development sheets for both Straps and Buckle. This time I’m refining more of their features individually (Similarly to the body types I created earlier) for now, I am working on their facial features.

http://www.audionetwork.com/Track/SearchKeyword?keyword=upbeat+dance&sort=10

http://www.audionetwork.com/Track/SearchKeyword?keyword=upbeat+dance&sort=10

http://www.istockphoto.com/audio/sweet-dream-sax-63561743?st=4d51dff

http://www.audionetwork.com/Track/SearchKeyword?keyword=pop&sort=5

http://www.audionetwork.com/browse/m/musical-styles/musical-styles/rhythm-and-blues-randb-classic/results

http://www.audionetwork.com/browse/m/musical-styles/musical-styles/rhythm-and-blues-randb-classic/results


I have experimented with various styles in these drawings. Buckle’s western influence can be seen in some of these (and in a similar fashion in Strap’s drawings, his eastern influences)

These sheets were created to help refine their facial features, for Buckle’s sheet, I experimented briefly on various shapes as can be seen on the bottom row, but I eventually settled on a design seen above. Due to my fondness of these designs, I have created multiple expressions out of the base. While these are not finalized, it’s a positive start to help define his characteristic features.

As for Straps, I experimented in a similar fashion. I am having a difficult time implementing his inspirations and design aspects into his facial design (He’s inspired by Japanese Anime, alongside other eastern cultural aspects) While I would like to progress further with the design shown in the top right, I will need to create more designs sheets in order to finalize his design.

I have also created a rather rough sketch of some of their clothing examples (Which can be seen above) Costume design is a skill I would like to develop further to help portray characters in both a fashionable and relevant context. Both Straps and Buckle have a variety of costumes at their disposal, and I am looking forward to designing some of these in the future.

From this point, I have enough information to begin developing a storyboard and animatic, I have begun to do so now.


I’m currently developing a storyboard, while I am far from finished, I have a few examples shots down below to document my current progress.


I have also created a small test animatic below, which includes some of these mentioned shots.

While this is a good start, this did take a while to complete, perhaps in the future, I could remove the shading until the shots are finalized, and then add it down the line. At least if I run out of time, I’ll still have a storyboard and animatic to work from.

I have begun designing a turnaround sheet for Straps and Buckle. By doing this I shall hopefully build up a good reference sheet I can refer back to during production, if I face difficult with posture, design or movement.


These turnarounds feature two different clothing styles, the larger of the two depicts the characters in their “Heroic” costumes, while the smaller turnaround showcases them in their casual, “Everyday” clothing.

Their “Heroic” costumes display them in more sexualized apparel, featuring leather straps, buckles and spandex. I envision this as a parody of superheroes, while also allowing exploration into more sexualized subjects.

Buckle’s appearance is based on a combination of Wrestling Gear and BDSM, while Straps’ follows more popularized fashion trends and lingerie (With an element of cross-dressing). I thought it would be comical if I included some kind of item that allowed these two to transform, Buckles could be the chain around his neck, or the wrestling belt around his waist, while Straps’ could be the ring tying his hair back.. I have also attempted to go with a less realistic style for these two by simplifying proportions and anatomy to make the animation process easier.

Despite this progress, I am not too fond of the results. I don’t think the body proportions are particularly engaging, I was hoping to exaggerate Buckle’s upper body more to highlight his brute strength, and in a similar fashion, Straps’ legs to highlight his slender, fashionable personality. However, I don’t think these current designs accomplish that mentality.

I also noticed some issues when drawing both characters, Buckle’s current horns wouldn’t allow him to wear any form of headgear, while his tail and wings could cause some perspective and general drawing issues when it comes time to animate the production, Straps’ is in a similar situation with his hair, as it’s flowing nature could cause some difficulties when animating. These design aspects may need to be altered in the future to combat these problems.

I would also like to spend more time designing clothing, this time using actual references. Perhaps I could invest in some fashion magazines to assist with this, or browse online websites for similar results. I could also research into wrestling stars and costumes, not only would it assist Buckle’s visual design, but I could also discover wrestling moves and terminology which I could use to develop a fighting move set for both characters.

Now I should spent more time researching these aspects previously mentioned, perhaps I could create some visual references such as a mood board to assist with this.


I have created multiple mood boards to help me visualize a better understanding of what clothing styles I’d like to implement on the characters. The first is a display of modern male clothing and hair styles. This is mostly relevant for Strap’s due to his trendy nature but some influences, such as the vests could be applied to Buckle as well. I tried to include some influences from both eastern and western culture to grasp a better global understanding of today’s fashion trends and how they’re influenced by the culture surrounding them.

One things I certainly noticed about fashion photography is how ‘serious’ the models look, while I understand this is meant to portray an adult and mature look, I personally found it quite amusing. Perhaps this could be implemented in some form in the production as another cultural quirk that could be parodied.

Strap’s is a very eccentric character, I imagine he’d be on top of fashion constantly, obsessing over his appearance. I’d also believe he’d be rather boastful and outgoing character, happy showing as much skin as he wishes. You can see some pictures of denim shorts alongside low cut tops that influence this decision, alongside some accessories that depending on their design could provide some extra personality to the character.

The male haircuts featured include long hair strands, something I’d like to give Straps (In reference to the fur found on Chinese dragons) While I previously gave him long flowing hair to emphasise his feminine character as well as comedic purposes, I established this may be too difficult to animate, so I am currently looking for possible alternatives. These styles could be a possibility, but in order to see if that theory is true, I will need to do more visual experiments.

Moving onto the second mood board, which now features a few more crude examples. The images shown here include some boxing and wrestling clothing like boxing gloves and singlet. I also have an example of a wrestling belt that I could provide for Buckle. I might be pushing how much ‘skin’ I can get away with, but it’s purely for comedic purposes. These examples can assist me at creating believable but stylized clothing for Buckle’s “Heroic” outfit.

Now that I have these mood boards, I can continue to develop these characters with more confidence and style.


I have begun developing more design sheets for both characters, this time mainly focusing on clothing and fashion.

While I have created a few examples of clothing design, I have decided to put this design element on hold, despite my good intentions, I don’t believe its plausible to begin creating clothing without being confident in their final, base designs. Despite this, I at least have some design basis I can continue from later.

I’m currently experimenting more with various body shapes and anatomy. This process is proving itself quite a challenge, as I realize my anatomical skills may not be up to par with the designs I wish to create.


The above drawings show some of the progress with this endeavour. I’m confident with the body shapes I have created, but I have also realized how difficult these anatomical shapes would be to animate. If I tried to make these designs too realistic, it would be very easy to point out the faults of character movement, which in turn would distract the attention of the audience away from the animation as a whole. I NEED to simplify this.



While working on character anatomy, I’ve also been sketching out further facial design of both characters. While doing this, I have noticed some further issues that will need addressing. For example, Buckle’s horn placement would affect the ability of being able to wear headgear, while I could alleviate this issue by removing his horns that would detract from his appearance based on western dragons. Other solutions I have considered would be to change his species to an eastern dragon like straps, but that would also disrupt the theme of polarity that has been constant through development.

One last solution suggested by a tutor of mine would to include the horns under any hats I would give him, while this wouldn’t be realistic, this could also add to character without taking away any physical appearances that could help determine his species.

I briefly discussed the issue that Straps’ hair could prove difficult to animate, however I have decided to keep this appearance. His hair does amplify his personality, feminine nature and would also provide a good character silhouette that would help him stand out, while the hair design itself isn’t final, its forming the shape I’d like to animate.

Both character’s facial appearances are developing positively. I could use further references of human expressions as well as images of reptilians to help better these character shapes however, I could do this by creating another mood board of visual references.

I also have thought about how the visual style would affect the portrayal of these characters. For the example above, I have drawn over the base of the character in two different styles, one sharper and one softer. The art style chosen will portray the character differently (for example; Sharpness can dictate something unnatural and edgy, while softness is more natural and pleasant) so it’s important to keep this in mind when determining the final style for the project.


Since I would like this animation to be a music video, there is a possible chance some dancing would be needed (This could be done without it however, depending on the narrative between each scene). Both Straps and Buckle would have different styles; referring back to my theme of polarity.

Due to Straps’ eastern influences, as well as his femininity, I would like him to reflect the dance styles of the Japanese Idol industry. In general, Japanese idols are rather young, inexperienced children or teens thrown into the spotlight, and marketed for their sweetness and innocence. While I won’t have him singing, I would like to see if I could research some form of choreography.

I have two different options for Buckle however. He could either attempt to reflect Straps’ dance style (To a lesser degree) or his dancing could reflect his own personality as well as his western influences. He is a rather bulky character, so compared to Straps’, he wouldn’t be very elegant but instead more powerful in his direction. Perhaps I could research some American Music Videos for inspiration.

For Straps’, I’ve come across a few references that could be used for inspiration, they are videos which I will link down below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhihnxOVAQQ

The above footage is from a recently released videogame called Persona 4: Dancing All Night for the PlayStation Vita. It’s a rhythm game in which players must press buttons as they appear in the music track.

What makes this game good for reference however is the ability to watch the dancing choreography in the “Let’s Dance” mode of the game. Each playable character also has a different dancing style depending on their personality, the above example showcases the character: Yu Narukami, the protagonist with a rather calm and collected dance style. While some songs may not be relevant to Straps’, it’s clear to see the game showcases many different motion-captured choreography that I could reference during the animation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFf4AgBNR1E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFf4AgBNR1E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhihnxOVAQQ


This video is a music video from the Japanese idol group: AKB48, featuring some slower paced, group choreography. The soft tone may not be appropriate however, depending on the final song chosen for the project, never the less this makes a good reference due to the easy to see movements and camera angles.

Buckle’s references are very different from Straps’ as you will see below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrgqUZaeRuc

The above video is Chris Browns’ Fine by Me Music video. A lot of western music videos follow some form of narrative and what I feel makes this one interesting is the use of fighting in the video. It’s more slow-paced and accentuates dance movement. This could help if I decide to try and implement the dance moves into the narrative progressively. It could be difficult to pull off but it’s certainly not out of the question.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gztb_K2rZJU

This video is from Jayden Rodrigues, using his own dance choreography to the song Problem by Ariana Grande. I’m mainly fond of this due to the fluid movement, the pacing is good, and something similar could be animated to a good degree, if I have time, it would be good to test this theory out.

Overall, while the dancing will be influenced by the final song chosen for the production, these references will help me characterized these dances appropriately for each character. Even if I have the characters perform the same dance routine as each other, I should be able to add enough of their personality to each step to make each character feel unique.

I’ve currently been working on an animatic which I can use for reference during production. However, due to the nature of the project, I prefer to refer to it as a visualization of various ideas. This is mainly because while I’ve narrowed down my music choices for the project, I still haven’t finalized my decision. I’m treating my animatic as a sheet of different ideas I can piece together during production.

Despite this decision, I fully know what problems this will create. The animatic won’t have a consistent narrative, only small elements of one, so scenes will either need to be edited, or new

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gztb_K2rZJU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrgqUZaeRuc


ones will need to be created entirely. The songs I have also chosen currently do not match with the action either. This will be a major issue and I understand that when I move onto production, I will need to create either an updated animatic, or greatly plan out each scene so it complements the audio used.

This is one regret I have with this project, and something I am somewhat disappointed with. While I am fond of the ideas I have created, I don’t have much confidence in showcasing this animatic to fellow peers. Next time I create a project with a similar style, I will need to choose my audio earlier as this has a major influence over the entire project, I also need to do a better job at matching the audio to the action on screen, and lastly, ensure I have a solid narrative instead of various scenes pieced together.

Despite these qualms, I have completed an experimental animatic I can at least reference back to, both versions are just below.

“Superstar” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDqMf2VzjF0&feature=youtu.be

“Come And Get It” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3VIR3Vbv74&feature=youtu.be

Both Animatics are the same, but feature different “Preview” Songs. I’m currently more inclined to go with the song “Superstar” due to its happy go lucky theme. I feel with better timed scenes and more animated shots, it’ll help do both the song and animation justice. “Come And Get It” works well, but I feel it might be too extreme in some scenes. These songs are just previews, as I will need to purchase a royalty free license from their source, which I’m willing to do once I’ve begun production.

I’ve labelled each scene as a different idea came to mind, this is referring back to what I mentioned before, with this animatic being more of an experimentation of multiple shots rather than a consistent narrative. Despite this, there is a basic narrative formed:

Straps’ and Buckle defend the city from a giant mutated blob, using their wacky skills and personalities to defeat it and save the day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3VIR3Vbv74&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDqMf2VzjF0&feature=youtu.be


I’ve included various ideas which I would like to implement in some form, I have included some of the “Chibi” designs seen in some of my earliest concept art in a couple of scenes, I’d also like to put some detailed, maybe partially animated illustrations in the animation, as I feel this is one of my strongest skills, and I would like to represent it well.

Now that I have a form of animatic, I can now begin to finalize Characters, Props and Environments.

Here is the beginning of some finalized concept art to be used for production. The above image is a draft turnaround for Straps, featuring sketches of alternate costumes, facial profile and small colour experimentation.


I’ve decided to go with somewhat realistic proportions for Straps’ but have kept detail to a minimum so any misinformation isn’t distracting to the audience. I’ve also tried to simplify his hair so it won’t be too difficult to animate due to its large mass. Lastly, I’ve been scare on detail for both of his clothes selection so I can reduce the amount of line work required during clean up.

Strap’s clothes won’t be seen too much over the period of the animation, so I’ve tried to leave them with rather scarce detail. I’ve decided his hair will also remain the same in both outfits for the sole purpose of simplifying animation, and I found that the 2 different hairstyles I used in my animatic are similar in shape and style, rendering this move somewhat pointless.

I’ve made Straps’ scales a light, jade colour. This colour often refers to wisdom, heart and wealth in Chinese culture. I felt this colour was appropriate for a protagonist role, as well as being something easily relatable to the audience, as men household lizards are vary hues of green and yellow.

To confirm the strength of Straps’ shape, I rendered his design as a silhouette, and have found it to be recognisable enough, just to confirm I made a quite comparison with buckle, which can be seen down below.


I have also made a refined turnaround of Straps’ and his “Hero” Costume. As mentioned previously, his “Casual” attire won’t be seen too much, so I have only crafted a frontal view of that outfit.

Due to his long hair, I created a version that includes and doesn’t include it for better reference when animating. He doesn’t have any noteworthy details hidden behind his hair, but due to the amount of movement the hair will make during production, I will need a clear view of his back so I can draw it correctly.

Lastly, I have a simple expression sheet for Straps’, I don’t want his facial structure to move too much, as his references to eastern animation don’t particularly do this, and try and keep facial


movement simplified. Despite this reasoning, I thought it would be entertaining if his ears would move depending on his reactions, this also helps amplify his expressions as his lack of eyebrows in some expressions makes it difficult to tell what he is feeling, I felt this was a positive solution to this problem.

Moving on to Buckle, I went through a similar design process as with Straps’ by sketching out a drafted turnaround with different clothing and colour tests. However upon completion, I wasn’t too fond of the outcome due to the bizarre anatomy choices I had made, and decided to create another one.

I kept the similar clothing styles, but tried to make the anatomy somewhat more realistic. I didn’t want to go overboard with detail however as mistakes could be distracting during animation. I decided to give him a hat to match Straps’ a bit better, I went with a bandana due to its soft texture that would allow the cloth to form around Buckles’ horns.


His casual clothes are nice and simple, and I have tied his bandana around his arm, he also shares his red belt buckle between both costumes. His “Casual” attire won’t be seen much throughout production, so I have kept it simple. His “Hero” clothes were inspired by wrestling gear.

I have also cleaned up his turnaround for animation reference.


Lastly, I created a few expressions for Buckle. He’s more extreme in comparison to Straps. I also wanted his eyebrows to be visible at all times so they do appear over his bandana to provide clear, exaggerated expressions.

Lastly, I’ve created some updated “Chibi” Designs of both characters, both share similar facial and body structure but at different masses, and are defined by their own unique and amplified features. I considered making them like soft toys, but ultimately decided against it as it would have no correlation with any previous finalized design work.

Overall, I am very happy with my pre-production this term, I am personally astounded with how much content I have created and researched, and what factors I would need to consider for production.


Some thing, like my animatic and some final design work I felt were a bit lacking in comparison to all the research I had done into design philosophy. I have a feeling I will alter some of these next term, but the majority of pre-production I feel is at a positive standard.

I would like to further my skills at illustration as I move onward, as I feel my skills are still lacking in what more professional companies would like to see. But I am confident at coming up with original ideas and character designs.

I would also especially like to better myself at speed drawing, as I personally feel I am too slow sometimes, to combat this, I should practice thumb nailing different scenes, characters and poses in sketchbooks and digital programs. This may take some time, but I am confident I will achieve the speed I desire.

I look forward to production as I move on to next term, I feel as I have learnt a lot and have dramatically improved my skills and design processes since the start of the term.

My original production diary can be seen below.


The following document is my previous production diary of my project before I decided to start over again from scratch.

Pre-Production Methods (CT6APME) – Production Diary (Old)

To begin with, I based my idea on my own personal project titled: Straps & Buckle. The premise involved two outlandish individuals that both a nightclub and were also part time superheroes, they would have used outlandish weapons such as whips to fight with and leather gear to protect themselves with.

Overall, the concept was designed to be outlandish and silly, while exploring sexuality and dark themes. However, the scale of the project deemed too large to create a pilot with (Which was my initial idea) And I also felt the themes that would have been tackled could cause controversy (Stereotyping certain sexualities and personalities for humour was one concern for example) Thus, in order to combat this, I scaled the project back down and tried to re-imagine it that would better suit an animated short.

My Moodboard, outlining the project in preparation for my presentation

I began by creating a Moodboard. I wanted to keep the comedic nature of my project as outlined in my initial ideas, and also keep it lighthearted (Without the use of exaggerated stereotypes) Because of the personal nature of the project, I included some of my interests in Anime (Panty & Stocking)


Manga (Food Wars) And Videogames (Super Mario, Danganronpa) I also included some cultural references to both American and Japanese animation as the combination of these two genres of media inspired my art style. Lastly, I included some reptilian references for use with my protagonists (as they are literal ‘Lounge Lizards’)

After documenting my inspirations on a Moodboard, I began to creating some initial design work.

My initial ‘Re-imagining’ of the characters: Straps & Buckle.


While these characters had been part of a previous personal project, I used this time as an opportunity to experiment with new ideas. The more exaggerated designs seen above I deemed too serious for this project, while the ones below that seemed to clash with the theming, being a bit too cartoony than the audience I was aiming for.

Finalized Mock-up Designs for Straps & Buckle

Using what I created before, I created a cleaner mock-up of Straps & Buckle. Previously, I had never designed any casual clothing for them to wear beforehand, so this was new for me. I didn’t really use any particular reference when it came to designing this, and I feel because of this, the clothing style was unrefined and rather incoherent. Despite this, I feel this issue could be developed throughout the project.

After settling on some initial designs for the two main characters, I began brainstorming ideas for other secondary characters I could implement. Because I used literal ‘lounge lizards’ for the protagonists, I wanted to continue this theme with the other characters, such as using ‘Playgirl Bunnies’ as literal Bunnies.


A concept for ‘Playgirl Bunnies’

I drafted some designs for these bunny characters. While their source material that they’re based on (Playgirl) is heavily sexually themed, I tried to tone it down somewhat and present it as an obvious parody, I messed with various body shapes (using inspiration from drinks bottles, with their curves and such) to help assist with this mentality. However, after going over these designs again, I don’t feel like they captured the animalistic traits enough. If I continue with these designs further, I need to reference more animal imagery and material.


My initial character design for a Bouncer

Unlike the previous two character designs, I didn’t have an animal parody to base this character on, which in turn has made this character feel a bit too bland and generic. This does detriment him to a boring side character, but perhaps could be used in background shots to help keep with the continuous theme. Despite the lack of references, I tried to make him a stereotypical, big headed bouncer, providing him with a large upper frame (and giving him small legs to help emphasise this) and a somewhat smart uniform to give him authority. Like stated with the bunnies, I would need to reference more animal pictures and details if I kept his species a bird, thought it would perhaps be wiser if I tried to find another ‘parody animal name’ that could be used so it matches with the other characters theming.

Moving on, after completing some basic character designs, I did some brief environment and prop design.

While I didn’t go into much detail, I wanted to design a setting and a few props to help represent my idea, I had the idea to create sort of ‘mascot’ plush toys for humour, but this idea isn’t finalized


either. I also quickly drew up a nightclub building and interior for reference, mainly influenced from the 80’s style of nightclubs.

I also experimented with a “Cute” version of Straps & Buckle, Maybe they could be used as mascots?


I thought it would be interesting to create simplified version of the two protagonists, they could either by used as mascots (similar to those plush toys seen earlier) or maybe personifications of the characters in certain scenes. For example, maybe when Straps is really angry, he could briefly morph into this form and played up for comedy, examples of this can be seen in some anime and also in the original Teen Titans TV Series.

Pixel Versions of the Main Duo.

In a similar fashion, I also created some pixelated versions of the two characters, inspired from my large interest in videogames. However these were mainly created for reference, and I will need to consider how these could be implemented in the final animation appropriately.


A few extra images I included in my presentation, they weren’t for anything in particular, but I drew them just to spice up the presentation a bit, and help illustrate some of my comments.


Upon completion of my presentation, I received some feedback. The initial designs of Straps & Buckle didn’t really look lizard like enough, to be fair, this was because they were based on an old concept of mine, but I understand that this would need to be changed.

The target audience was also unclear, and this is something I didn’t keep in mind. During development I’ll need to determine what audience that I’ll aim for, but my current thoughts would be somewhere to late teens to young adults (16+ to 24 Years Old).

Overall, I’m thinking I need to move away from the “Straps & Buckle” concept. Doing so will allow me to be more experimental with the project, and I could explore new ideas visually and story wise.

I want to keep the parody of sexualisation theme of the project as I move forward. I’m thinking of keeping the “Lounge Lizard” and Playgirl Bunny” Motif also when it comes to character design. To assist with this, maybe I shall create some moodboards to better determine my character design (as that was a complaint mentioned previously)



The mood boards shown above are further research development. I split them into three different categories.

The first is for the “Lounge Lizard” Character. I wanted to give him a 70’s/80’s disco theme attire to show how out of touch he is with the present world, he’s rather old fashioned so this could be used for humorous effect. I also want to base him off either an iguana or gecko, as these are the most common reptiles used as pets, so the design will be more relatable than the previous ones.

The Second is for the nightclub, I mainly want to focus on pink and purple colours to bring a fantasy element to the project. I also want it themed around the 70’s/80’s in a similar fashion to the “Lounge Lizard” Character, both to amplify the fantasy element and also to keep the setting out of touch.

Lastly, I made a concept sheet for the “Playgirl Bunnies” inspired by models and pin-ups from Playboy, I also wanted to use various costumes to help define the characters better. Similarly to the “Lounge Lizard” character, the “Playgirl Bunnies” would be based on household pets: Specifically, Bunny Rabbits.

Now that I have some mood boards, I’ll begin designing some initial character concepts

Initial Concepts for the “Lounge Lizard” and “Playgirl Bunny”.

I based the designs on cartoon characters from my childhood (for examples, Spyro the Dragon, Gex, etc.) so they have rather exaggerated limbs and proportions. I chose a Gecko and Rabbit for their respected characters for familiarity with the audience.


Further development will need to be done of course, but for now I’ll begin writing a script to help develop these characters further through their actions. (Which can be seen below)

_____

Lounge Lizards Script – Draft #1

Log Line

A nightclub owner agrees to an interview in order to promote his business, but due to his bloated ego and uncooperative staff, things don’t go according to plan.

___

The environment is a rather run down nightclub, stuck in the 1980’s. The furnishings are drab and dated, with a mixture of red and purple colour. A large, rather pristine sofa can be seen in the centre of the shot with the Lounge Lizard sat in a rather lax pose. While he cannot be scene, a cameraman and journalist are present.

The camera is focused on him, but other characters can be seen walking between the shot.

The shot slowly fades in, initially blurred but shortly focussing on the Lounge Lizard sitting on the sofa. The shot is filmed through a camera (including small effects like a recording button and a timer) after the camera focusses, the interview begins.

[Coughs]

Interviewer: And rolling…

After brushing off his shirt, Lounge Lizard gazes at the camera with a cheeky smile. The interviewer begins his questioning.

Interviewer: So then, Mister…?

[Lounge Lizard Interrupts]

L.L.: Now, Now… This isn’t about me my friend. No, No, No… You see, it’s all about my wonderful establishment!

He raises his arms up, the camera attempts to focus and frame the whole scene. A light flickers and cuts out, while dust falls from the ceiling, emphasizing the run down nature of the establishment.

[Cameraman Coughs]

The camera returns to its original position, and the Lounge Lizard leans back on the sofa.

Interviewer: Yes… W-well. What would you say makes your club worth a visit?

L.L.: Can’t you tell?

He rests his hand on the sofa arm, which his hand begins to stick to. While he tries to get his hand free the interview continues.

Interviewer: Well, no. I’m not sure what you’re talking about.


[Interrupts] L.L.: It’s the Zen! The feel, those vibes… The ladies…

He tips his head, gazing at the passer by waitress. She groans annoyingly.

Interviewer: Okay, but that doesn’t really answer my question…

[Interrupts]L.L.: You just don’t get it man… To understand the appeal requires open mindedness, pride and

respect.

Suddenly, a pair Passer-by waitress interrupts the interview to give her opinion.

Waitress 1: Excuse me!?

Waitress 2: Open mindedness? Pride? Respect?! What a joke.

L.L.: Ladies! Ladies!

Waitress 1: Ugh, give me that!

The waitress grabs hold of the camera and snatches it from the camera man, however it focuses on her chest as she struggles to get it to focus on her face. The three characters squabble, making grunts and silly sound effects.

L.L.: Hey, hey, hey! I charge for those! That doesn’t need publicity.

After a short squabble. The two waitresses get a hold of the camera and start talking into it.

Waitress 1: I don’t know why you agreed to this. This man does not deserve any attention.

Waitress 2: Yeah! Don’t listen to him.

Interviewer: P-please, you’re going to break-

The lounge lizard wraps his arms around them both, as the cameraman gets a hold of the camera and tries to refocus it.

L.L.: Ladies, listen to the man… He clearly knows how to handle his property.

The two ladies begin to fume.

Waitress 1: You DID not just go there.

Waitress 2: He went there!

Waitress 1: Oh he is not leaving here alive.

Interviewer: Wait, hold on we’re not d-done.

The two ladies push away the cameraman, with the shot now looking up toward the ceiling. Sounds of pain and violence can be heard off scream as the camera tries to refocus.

[Off Screen]

L.L.: Hey don’t touch that! …Oh…Actually you can touch tha- OUCH!


Waitress 1: You rude, inconsiderate piece of filth!

L.L: Oh you haven’t seen filthy yet- YEOUCH!

Waitress 2: Eww…He’s so…Gross

L.L.: You ladies must really be enjoying this, I certainly- AGHAHAGH!! N-not the tail…

After all the off screen torment, the camera finally returns to its initial position, the two waitresses can be seen walking off set while a beaten up lizard is laying down on a busted sofa, all bruised and battered.

L.L.: …A-and that’s what makes our club…S-special.

After delivering his final words, he collapses onto the floor with a loud thud, a piece of the ceiling follows suits and lands on him with a crash.

Interviewer: I…um…That’s a wrap.

_____

After writing this script, I have confirmed to myself that the “Lounge Lizard” Character is quite the sleaze ball, hitting on staff members and women as much as he can. Nobody really takes him seriously and tends to just ignore his irrational behaviour.

On the other spectrum, the two “Playgirl Bunnies” are sick of his behaviour, and are finally standing up to him, they’re clear and confident, perhaps even breaking some social stereotypes in the process as well. However, this reaction does come out of nowhere, so it would be wise to implement something that spurs this on, perhaps a visual reaction for example.

After finishing this initial script, now would be a good time to experiment further with character designs.


The designs above are some further character experiments, the character designs were inspired by Bob Rafeis Illustrations of Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter.

I designed the “Lounge Lizard” to be smaller than the two bunnies for comedic effect, it also makes it clear (along with his other features) that he isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. I also thought he would hold objects in his tail to relate to his animalistic origins, this also allows him to move his hands while occupied, allowing him to be more animated. I gave him a robe and “haircut” to add to his sleazy characteristics.

As for the “Playgirl Bunnies” the one on the left is dressed in exercise gear, I also gave her an afro to link it more to the 80’s style I’m going for. The one on the right was inspired by Marylyn Monroe.

After getting some feedback, it was suggested I design a uniform for the girls to wear, since they’re technically part of a work establishment, I could refer back to my mood board for inspiration on this. I also was asked about the art style, why are they based on old cartoons? I need to experiment more with different designs before I make any decisions.

To help with this, I have begun to create character profiles for the characters. Here is one for the “Lounge Lizard”.

Name: Lounge LizardAge:???

- Main Character- Perverted, Bloated Ego, Unlikeable Hero, Sleazy- Sticky Fingers, Amazing Fashion Sense (Well Dressed)- Self-confident- Ruled by Money- Extrovert


- Extreme Mood Swings- Flirts with staff, treats them like objects.

The Proud owner of the Sleazy Shrew Nightclub. A lounge lizard by name and by nature, he can’t resist prettying himself up and practicing his moves with the ladies. Ruled by money and fame, he’d love nothing more than to live in a house of cash with all the women he could ever desire. Due to these fantasies he don’t have the best track record in terms of respect towards others, including his staff. Be careful around this sticky fingered suave.

I’ve also started to make some environments to help better understand the setting of the animation.


The environments were inspired by “The Incredibles” concept art. Sharp shapes and edges will be easy to draw, as creating environments is something I feel I struggle with. Because it’s based on nightlife, I want to mainly focus on blues, pinks and purples.

I have also started work on a second script draft:

Lounge Lizards Script – Draft 2

The setting is an 80’s themed nightclub, set in modern day. The entire scene takes place inside this club on a rather populated night. The narrative is set up like an interview, in which the owner is being interviewed on his success at running his business, though gets disrupted at various points by other members of staff, different shots, somewhat unrelated involving the club are shown throughout this process.


A panning shot opens up the scene, we are directed through the doors of the nightclub, passing by members of the establishment until finally ending up with our interview set. The owner is prettying himself up before the interview begins.

Interviewer: And rolling!

A camera snap is heard, signifying the start of the interview.

Interviewer: So to begin, Mister-

He is interrupted by the Lounge Lizard (Interviewee)

Lounge Lizard: [He continuously pretties himself up throughout his speech] Hey Man! This isn’t about me. We should be talking about this fine establishment I’ve crafted!

He raises his arms up wildly as the camera pans outwards and upwards, a light flickers and pops, some coughs can be heard behind the set, before the camera returns to its original position.

Interviewer: [Surprised, but regains his composure shortly] W-well Then. How about you start at the beginning?

Lounge Lizard: Well! -

We cut to a flashback, illustrations represented by what the Lounge Lizard is describing.

[INSERT HERE] 20 seconds?

Interviewer: Intriguing, so what would you say makes your club worth a visit?

He looks over o the camera with a raised brow.

Lounge Lizard: Can’t you tell?

Interviewer: Excuse me?

As he begins his speech, the camera cuts to a scene of a waitress serving drinks to a customer

Lounge Lizard: It’s the Zen! The feel, those vibes… The ladies…

As he mentions ‘The ladies’ the scene depicts the waitress spilling her drinks on the customer, who is trying to get a good peek at her figure. We then cut back to the interview set.

Interviewer: Uh… I don’t understand, what are you talking-

The lizard leans back into his seat and pus his arms behind his back, closing his eyes

Lounge Lizard: Come on man… Don’t you get it?

Interviewer: Um… No, no I don’t.

We cut to a scene in front of the club, while he speech by the lizard continues, a large bouncer is checking guests off the list, however due to his nature, allows a group of minors in disguised as a tall

adult, as he’s about to refute them, he gets handed a large amount of cash, and allows them in

Lounge Lizard: To manage such a creative place requires diligence and charisma. You don’t let anyone run over you, not your employees or even your customers!

Cut back to the interview set


Interviewer: Hold on… You’re not answering my-

Lounge Lizard: You just don’t get it man… To understand the appeal requires open mindedness, pride and respect.

A snort and chuckle can be heard from behind the set. The lizard gets up from his chair and walks up towards the camera trying to grab the camera

Lounge Lizard: Don’t you mock me kiddo! I’ll have you know my staff respect me!

He yanks the camera to focus on him and a nearby waitress

After going over some options, I’ve decided I’m going to start my project over again.

This current project isn’t keeping me inspired, I’ve been worried about aspects such as voice acting, script writing and music which would be required in order to pull this project off, and its making me worried and unengaged.

I’m going to return back to the project roots, back to “Straps & Buckle” were I feel more comfortable with the idea. While I’ll keep the initial characters, I’m going to experiment further with story ideas, environments and animation styles.

In short, this project is something I need to enjoy in order to do it justice, and unfortunately, this current project is something I don’t think will achieve that.

Documents

CT6APME - Production Diary