6th May Deadline

My deadline for handing in my final film has been and gone and unfortunately my 18 hour working days were not enough to get my work done in time.  Although, the long days and strange discipline I found for concentrating on my work in the end and not getting at all distracted by shiny things were not enough to get done in time, they did manage to give me some incredibly achy drawing muscles so today I’ve been resting and thinking things over.

I think my main problem was setting myself a task that was just too huge for the time frame. Five characters and an almost continuous cascade of blood from about a minute and a half in to the film sounds like heaps of fun and mayhem but the true chaos was in trying to animate it all in only 3months. I did have a stack of drawings big enough to rival my class mates that did hand drawn 2d but mine took up under 2 minutes where theirs took the full 3. Though I probably could have composited and handed in what I had; I left it too late to organise and found a few things that made it impossible.

Firstly I drew and cleaned up my work with pencil and foolishly didn’t do a test shot. When I had tidied all the work I had and shot half, I tried taking it in to Photoshop to colour where upon I realised my lines were too faint to be automatically picked out. This meant either colouring by hand each individual frame or going back over my work with heavier lines. I chose the latter and finished the day before hand in. I shot all my work with an slr that evening and then proceeded to composite but unfortunately despite staying up through the night working on After Effects I didn’t manage to finish even half of what I had by 4pm. Leaving little time for rendering and getting to uni to hand in.

Secondly my After Effects file had become corrupted and despite setting proxies for all “missing files” they didn’t pick up on the render.

I’ve learned that setting your sights high is good EXCEPT when you have an immovable deadline. That testing everything from the beginning is more than important if you intend to avoid problems further down the line. That a tutor’s knowledge is pretty much priceless and should be taken advantage of and that 18hrs straight drawing causes serious pain.

I’m going to keep working on my film and posting updates here both to keep me sane and so that I can perhaps hand it in as a referral in August. 

Final coloured Background for shot002

Ink on rice paper taken in to Photoshop and painted on to with layer opacities turned down. This is how I intend to colour all my backgrounds.

Backgrounds

I have tried 3 different methods for colouring my almost monochromatic backgrounds.

Ink on watercolour paper

Ink on rice paper

Photoshop collage

I like the colours of the last one and the bleeding effect of the second one. I’m going to use a combination of these for my final backgrounds.

New Shelley

 

These are my preliminary drawings for changing Shelley, I’ve tried just changing the size of her body and separately changing her clothes so that her limbs show more. I also tried both together. I decided in the end to use the drawing top right with both a change of clothes and size.

I think the smaller body, hands, feet and nose make her look cuter and younger and the dress emphasises her size and gender; making her seem more vulnerable. The dress is plain and simple so that Shelley will fit in with the uniformity of the orphanage. I’m also thinking of having two different colours for the dress so that while Shelley is at home in the flash back she seems free and vibrant as oppose to the orphanage where she’ll be made to look trapped.

Changes to character designs

I’m worried that my child characters don’t look especially young or vulnerable so I’m thinking of making changes to make them more so.

I’ve decided to look at some Disney characters for reference; beginning with Lilo because I’ve already used the work of Chris Sanders to help with the style of my film.

I’m taking into account that Lilo’s head could fit 3 times into her body. Here’s Shelley.

Her head could fit four times in to her body. Perhaps making her body shorter would therefore make her appear cuter and as such younger. Preston Blair says that “cuteness is based on the proportions of a baby” (Cartooning Book One, Animation 1 with Preston Blair, pg 18). Making her body shorter in comparison to her head would definitely achieve this effect.

I’ve also decided to look at Disney’s character Penny from “The Rescuers” because she is an orphan in need of help and is therefore an ideal example of a vulnerable character.

Penny’s head is still quite big in comparison to the rest of her body and her hair adds to this effect. She’s also wearing plain blue dress which shows the size of her skinny arms and legs. Perhaps then putting Shelley in a plain dress as opposed to dungarees and a baggy t-shirt will make her appear more vulnerable.

Animatics and a new opening shot

Here is a link to my animatic as it is:

I don’t like the pan shot at the beginning of the film, the way the camera just drifts passed the orphanage does nothing to draw the viewer in or add drama to the shot so instead I’m going to track in towards the gate and have it close behind. I think this will set the pace for my film and add horror to the opening.  Here is the initial drawing for the changed shot:

 

At the moment I’m still unhappy with some of the angles in the shots where the transformations from orphans to dolls take place.  These specific shots are straight on; following vertical or horizontal lines which doesn’t suit the horror genre or the chaos of the scene.

I’ve taken print screens from a few different horror films to illustrate where tilted angles are used for scary moments.

Silent Hill

In a scene where Rose is alone, looking for her daughter in the bowels of the haunted town of Silent Hill as the creatures of the darkness creep around her.

in a scene where Rose flees from Pyramid head.

 

Grudge

In a scene near the end of the film where Kayako the “onyo” or evil spirit crawls down the stairs and gives Doug the kiss of death.

 

The Evil Dead

In a scene showing members of a university friendship group who have been possessed by the Evil Dead.

 

Fixing things

It seems there are a few things in my film which really need to be made more clear so that the audience can catch what's happening. I'm going to start fixing them by going back to basics and writing down my film in scenes,adding new actions where things are especially unclear.

1. Outside of an orphanage a gate slams and the catch drops
2. A nun ushers a young girl (Shelley) in to a dormitory where two other girls are sitting
3. Shelley picks up a box which is next to her bed and looks inside as the other girls curiously try to peek round
4. Shelley stares in to the box where a doll lays still
5. START OF FLASHBACK: Shelley is in a loft holding up the doll, her mother calls
6. Shelley's Mother is now in the loft, Shelley tries to hold on to the doll as her mother pulls it away
7. Shelley's mother sees the doll's shadow move of it's own accord and appears anxious. She hurriedly pushes the doll back in to the box
8. Shelley and her Mother are in Shelley's room, Shelley's mother tucks her in. Shelley refuses to kiss her mother goodnight who kisses the pillow instead, leaving a pink lipstick mark.
9. Shelley goes back into the loft and seeks out the doll.
10. Shelley having found the doll, is back in her bed with it beside her as she goes to sleep
11. The next morning Shelley goes to find her mother but the bedroom is covered in blood, her mother is missing and the doll is sitting on the bed.
12. Shelley looks distraught
13. END OF FLASHBACK Shelley begins to sob a pushes the doll in it’s box underneath the bed. The orphans do not get to see what' is indie it
14. Shelley goes to sleep
15. The other orphans go to look in the box but it is empty
16. They go back to bed but find pink kiss marks on their pillows
17. They turn the pillows over and go to sleep
18. Orphan one is hunched over bleeding and moves towards Shelley who is shocked and scrambles backwards; falling off of the bed
19. Shelley can see the orphan's feet under the bed as drops of blood fall down and splash on them. She also sees the dolls skirt slowly drift away from the corner of her eye
20. Shelley gets up and peers over the edge of the bed, as she does blood spurts out from the left where orphan two is huddled behind Shelley's bed bars, throwing up blood
21. Shelley gets hit in the face by the blood and stares on in horror
22. Orphan 1 tries to pull Orphan 2 closer who now fits through the bars
23. Orphan 1 looks up at orphan 2 who is now a doll. Orphan 1 is shocked and drops it. It's head shatters on impact with the floor.
24. Orphan 1 violently spews out more blood as she twists and shrinks, she is hurled backwards by the force of the projectile blood from her mouth and she sprawls across the floor where she lies still; a lifeless doll.
25. Shelley picks up orphan 1 and notices a pink kiss mark on it's cheek
26. Shelley looks up and sees the doll from the box staring back at her, she realises that her mother is trapped inside it
27. Shelley hugs the doll and kisses it
28. The doll begins to shake so Shelley drops it. When it hits the floor it starts absorbing all the blood.
29. It grows and transforms in to Shelley's mother. Shelley hugs her.

Scene 2 update

Beginning the Backgrounds

Unfortunately I won’t have time to put finish my backgrounds for the animatic hand in but here is a taster of them pre-colouring.

I’ve chosen to keep them fairly simple because of the way I’m colouring them. It’s much easier to do them basic with a few simple lines and then elaborate when in Photoshop. Also, as these backgrounds are for the Orphanage scenes it makes more sense to keep the rooms bare to emphasise the isolation and despair.

New Shot 1

I’ve added a pan shot to the beginning of my animatic as it seemed Shelley’s whereabouts are not made clear enough for the audience to grasp. It shows the front of the Orphanage which I’ve named “St Augustine’s Orphanage”.

Script

Doll

EXT. ORPHANAGE – DUSK

PAN SHOT

INT. DOORWAY - ORPHANAGE BEDROOM – DUSK.

We see an elderly Nun usher a young girl (Shelley) in to room. Shelley walks in a sits on a bed in front of which are two boxes, one big and on top of it a small one. There are two more beds behind Shelley's upon which too girls sit. They turn to look at Shelley. Shelley does not acknowledge the other girls. She picks up the smaller box and opens it.

MED SHOT – Shelley.

She takes out a doll from the box.

CLOSE ON DOLL.

MATCH CUT TO:

FLASH BACK – INT. LOFT – SHELLEY'S HOME.

Shelley holds doll high out of it's box. There is a small amount of light coming in from the right. Shelley is in awe of the doll.

SHELLEY'S MOTHER (O.S)

Shelley? Shelley? What are you doing up there?

Shelley looks towards the light source.

FADE TO BLACK.

FADE IN:

EXTREME CLOSE ON Shelley's mother's hand.

SHELLEY'S MOTHER

(worried, shoving the doll back in the box and slamming the lid)

Don't touch it! Don't even go near it again!

FADE TO BLACK.

FADE IN:

INT. SHELLEY'S ROOM

Shelley's mother goes to kiss her goodnight. Shelley puts the pillow in front of her face. Shelley's mother kisses the pillow instead.

SHELLY'S MOTHER

(sighing) Goodnight sweetheart

FADE TO BLACK.

FADE IN:

INT. THE LOFT - NIGHT

DOLL (O.S)

(whispering) Shelleeey. Sheelleeeey.

Shelley looks for the box and takes out the doll.

FADE TO BLACK.

FADE IN:

INT. SHELLEY'S ROOM - NIGHT

Shelley snuggles down in to bed with the doll beside her.

FADE TO BLACK.

FADE IN:

INT. SHELLEY'S MOTHER'S ROOM MORNING

CLOSE ON SHELLEY'S FEET.

Shelley walks quickly in to the room. Blood splashes up around her feet.

WIDE ON Shelley horrified. The room is covered in blood. Her mother isn't there. The doll is sitting on her mother's bed.

ZOOM IN ON Shelley's horrified face.

END FLASHBACK - MATCH CUT TO:

INT. ORPHANAGE ROOM.

CLOSE ON SHELLEY.

Shelley's eyes well up and she shoves the doll back in the box, slams the lid and shoves it under the bed. Shelley curls up on her bed. In the background the two girls look curious. Shelley shuts her eyes.

FADE TO BLACK.

FADE IN:

LONG ON ROW OF BEDS. Shelley is asleep. Behind her the other two girls wake up. ORPHAN ONE places a finger over her lips and SHUSHES ORPHAN TWO while taking her by the hand. They go over to the end of Shelley's bed and kneel down. Orphan one reaches under the bed and pulls out the dolls box.

ORPHAN ONE'S POV

The box is empty. Orphan Two looks confused and shrugs. Underneath Shelley's bed is empty. Orphan Two YAWNS.

LONG SHOT

The orphans go back to their beds. As they pull down the covers we see kiss marks on the pillows. They look confused but turn the pillows over and go back to sleep.

FADE TO BLACK.

FADE IN:

SHELLEY'S POV

A SCREAM stifled by GURGGLING is heard. A blurred view of Orphan One. BLINK. HOARSE BREATHING. EXTREME CLOSE ON Orphan One, she is bleeding from every orifice on her face. Crawling backwards, Shelley falls off the bed. We see blood creeping closer and glimpse tiny shoes go out of shot under the bed. Shelley gets up. Orphan One is visible over the top of the bed. As Shelley's view point gets higher, WHIMPERING is heard; Orphan two comes in to shot, she is bleeding in the same way. We see the orphans begin to shrink. Orphan One reaches out then crunches backwards. They shrink further, joints dislocating, limbs shortening. Orphan two drops to her knees then falls forward and her skull CRACKS revealing a shrunken steaming brain. Orphan two spurts out one final gush of blood and settles on the floor, a lifeless doll.

MED ON SHELLEY

Shelley crawls to the edge of the bed and stares at orphan doll one. Shelley is curious and slightly apprehensive as she reaches down to pick up the new doll. Blood drips from it's hair as she lifts it. Shelley notices a mark on it's cheek. She hesitantly brushes the dolls hair aside to reveal a pink kiss mark. Shelley then looks up at the bed opposite.

SHELLEY'S POV

The Doll from the box is sitting on the edge of the bed.

CLOSE ON DOLL

Images of Shelley's mother and inhuman mutilated faces mix in with the innocent doll's and flash before us. Shelley, having seen her Mother's face in the doll's, hesitantly picks it up. TRACK IN ON DOLL'S FACE.

MATCH CUT:

Shelley's Mother's face. Her lipstick is the same colour as the doll's lips.

MATCH CUT:

Shelley hugs then kisses the doll on the forehead. The doll shakes. Shelley drops it in the pool of blood that came from the orphans. The doll soaks up the blood through it's facial orifices and grows. It transforms into her mother.

SHELLEY

Mummy?

Shelley jumps up and hugs her mother.

TWO SHOT – SHELLEY AND MOTHER

Shelley's Mother's eyes are glazed over,similar to a dolls.

FADE OUT.

THE END

Background Layouts

Tadaa!

Top left = orphanage bedroom    Top right = Loft at Shelley’s House

Bottom Left=                             Top right= Shelley’s bedroom

Shelley’s Mother’s bedroom 

Final Character Designs

Orphan 1 Orphan 2

 

Shelley Shelley’s Mother

Doll

Concept Art and Character Development

Here is some concept art done with ink and computer collage in an attempt to find a look for my film.

     

These were done in black and red ink on rice paper. I tried to draw attention by using one bold colour.

 

 

 

 

In the image above I used only brown ink. I like the rustic feel it gives to the room.

In the image to the right I used a very watered down brown ink for the base and then used red ink on top for blood. I’ve written in biro “kiss your mother goodnight” over and over; an idea that I got from Jeffrey Thomas’ “Red” which I’ve mentioned before. I think this would add to the eeriness of my film but I’ve decided not to use the idea on the premise that it would be very time consuming to animate and I feel as though it wouldn’t fit in with the aesthetic of my film. 

In these images I used different textures to make a collage effect in Photoshop. I definitely favour the computer collage effect to just plain ink on rice paper and as such I’ve decided to use this method when creating my backgrounds.

I’ve also been working on the development of my characters.

Shelley’s Mother

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orphan 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orphan 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shelley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doll