PROCESS & PRODUCTION BLOG3
Study Task - 1 Weekly Journal
Experimental 




Storyboard

Character Experimentation/Development 

After sketching around I have created some character designs and I'm deciding which ones are easier to recreate multiple times, so I'm looking for a style that communicates character facial and body features that I can reproduce without much difference of appearance. 

I like these designs because they are simple but affective because they capture all the characteristics of the character in a humorous, simplistic comical kind of way. 

The character designs communicate the characteristics, for example the Warrior is always very serious with a frown upon almost anything in her experience, her armour is basic and fitted with only the bare components required, her hair is in a secure bun and well bound, easier to make eye contact with her, battle strategy and aggression despite there being no enemy. She has a larger head in a comical style because all her expression is in her face, mostly in her eyes and tight mouth.

The dragons design doesn't communicate any threatening elements and he basically seems like an oversized horse with horns that can talk. This because despite his being a dragon, as I have stated, he is ironically the friendliest of the duo and his features are designed to communicate this to the audience. His head is the only part of his body with noticeable horns or protruding scales which don't look too threatening, although as a dragon he does have a mean set of fangs on his large maw.

Notes: 

-Speech, Dialogue (scratch track).

-Action, Tongue keeps protruding from maw (Dragon's sense of smell through tongue).






Animatic feedback:

Character design, audio timing and sketches for the punch-line are solid because it's like a 'bull in a china shop', slapstick type humour. 

The chain of events caused by the dragon accidentally breaking the restaurants interior is humorous because its leading up to the punchline ending. How she is losing her temper as her huge dragon companion is trying to be good and maintain composure her under pressure.

Maybe improve on the ending scene with a better punchline which links with want has happened and elate each scene together so that it flows better.

This critical feedback spurred me to produce a twist at the end that explains the main plot points better, for example. Why is the dragon so afraid of this small human figure?
The reason is that she is a very powerful warrior who can breath fire despite the fact the dragon can also breath fire (despite the fact that the dragon doesn't show this in the animation). This feature of hers is only showed in the last few scenes as the twist.

I also considered breaking the 4th wall for humour, so the dragon would look at the audience and ask a rhetorical question but I like the first idea.

Maybe use mashing windows that suggest a 'bull in a china shop', I like the use of environmental features because they help describe the face he's huge and destructive even if he doesn't want to be, which is exactly the point of the dragon reactions and the tripping waiter.

He's too big and because he's too big that is what's funny from the start, there is more that one element of humour. 

I like the domino affect continuously causing more damage than good and how the woman is getting more and more angry until she rages from the smallest thing which everything else has built up to.

Timing should be more apart of the joke, to show different timing between the scenes because of the different impacts they describe, how am I going to covey better timing between each shot for punchiness and use sound effects to help describe a bit.

The complication of scenarios or added complication of accumulated affect builds up tension for example the saying, 'the straw that breaks the camels back' weight of anger in the warrior is too much and she explodes in rage.

Though they are companions, how does the audience understand this. She could say something like, 'calm the down!' between scenes or communicate more with the dragon because the fact that they are eating together isn't enough to suggest that they are companions.

Dragon tries to compose himself.. gap with time to think the chaos is over and he relaxes, then a little then the chopstick break causing the final blow to the woman's feelings causing her to lash out in rage.