The actual script is only 3 pages long, but the storyboard came out to be 23 pages... This is definately gonna be something else for me, as most of the stuff I've done is real short and simple (3 line "scripts", 2 pages of storyboards, one simple character and set) and mainly I was just trying out stuff and fooling around. This time I really have a focus on the content, so I'm not worrying about the tools so far. What IS real clear to me now is that for my aim it will have to be mainly a visual story, so I have no dialogues and I don't think I will use more than a word or two here and there. I've got about 8 to 10 different scenes and sets, one protagonist, about 5 incidental characters and 4 of these scenes have from a dozen to a few hundred extras in it... hmmmmmmm.... One big decision that I already see coming up is in regards to facial animation. As I see it in my head, it will have to be very precise, but maybe there's a way to stylize and keep it real simple. I dunno yet... I've done puppet stuff in the past, so I know that lots can be said with just body moves... but yeah... I gotta think about this.
Anyways, I'm real happy that I finally sat down to write and draw this all out. For the last two weeks I was intensely rolling ideas around in my head, but just couldn't pin them down and suddenly I sat down to type and in a few hours the whole thing just took shape. And interestingly, none of the specific details of the stuff I'd been writing down since January are actually in the draft, but I can see that the main points are still there. I did keep the name from one of these older drafts. So actually it's not that I just sat down and the ideas came out of nowhere, I'd been chewing on them for months, it's just the actual shape and sequence of it that came out in a sudden and clear flow.
For next week I'll be collecting reference images and sounds, and breaking down each scene into characters and props and sets properly. I am sure new ideas and some changes will come out of that. I still don't know how long it will actually turn out to be, I'm guessing 12 to 20 minutes, we will see. I want to set up an animatic to figure out the durations and the sounds too (I haven't done sound stuff in years!), as they will play an important part, but that might have to wait until the week after this one....
BEcauzzz, I just got a one month gig working on a video game! Yup, that's right, I'm real excited about it 'cause not only will I get a little bit of cash for some needed upgrades to my computer, BUT it turns out that the work is actually fun and it's at a small company, so I get to be involved in many aspects of the game, not just the graphics. At the moment my job is to lay out a storyboard and after that I'll be making little 2D animations of the characters inside the game editor! wheeee!
Soooooo.... Once I realized I had the job, I sat down and made a real clear schedule to make the most of the coming times. I think this is a real good opportunity to focus my energies. I'm programming just a few but dedicated hours to the animation pre-production every day, so I'll slowly get into the habit of working on it and into the mood of the story, and when the job is over, everything will be set so I can jump right into actual production.
So the upcoming posts will be mainly about the work on the animation pre-production, plus maybe some more game design insights that might come up from the job.
Again thanks to all of you who have inspired, pushed and guided me forward!
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