Sketches of Sentience
Overview:
Critical appraisal:
To begin our project, I started by jotting down my thoughts in my sketchbook. I used markers and writing to capture all my knowledge of the Frankenstein novel. I was able to identify the key elements in the narrative, such as hybridisation, creation, anxieties related to advancements in technology, and the loss of innocence.
During our discussion, we discovered a fascinating theme – The Illuminati and the French Enlightenment – which Mary Shelley’s work reflected. Symbolising the tension in the digital age. To align with the group’s vision of the narrative’s overall vibe, I created a mood board. Our aim was to reflect Shelley’s gothic writing style and the Victorian era in which the novel was written.
In summary, the story takes place in a cluttered workshop owned by an inventor who aims to create a functional creature that can guide ships to the North Pole. When the inventor leaves the room, lightning strikes, the candle casts a soft blue glow on the desk where the sketchbook is placed. This mysterious phenomenon causes the creature in the sketchbook to come to life. The creature experiences the world for the first time, reflecting the inventor and its own anxieties.
The creature fears its existence, worried it will become a tool for manipulation like the creator’s past projects. It tests its abilities, using its compass eye and ability to fly briefly. The inventor enters, and the creature is sucked back into the sketchbook, leaving us to question its fate.
I doodled some ideas and determined the features of the creature’s final design. Initially, the inventor would experience the creature coming to life through the sketchbook pages. We abandoned the idea to create a greater sense of mystery and missed potential. This momentary glimpse of life before being sucked back into the confines of the book also symbolises hope. Whether the creature will be free to live or only exist in the sketchbook remains a mystery.
I found the concept of adding wings to the creature to be fascinating, as it reflects the story of Icarus. The tale represents human beings’ fascination with discovery and innovation. The tragedy of Icarus also mirrors the inventor’s anxiety that his creation will suffer the same fate as his previous prototypes, as well as the apprehension that humanity has about the potential advancements of technology in the future.
After brainstorming ideas for the appearance of our creature, I created a mood board to capture the inspirations we discussed. This helped us identify the key features we wanted to incorporate in the design. Afterwards, we all sketched our ideas to experiment with different shapes and colours. We agreed that using the compass as the creature’s eye was a fitting concept since it symbolises navigation, with the pupil serving as the pointer to indicate different directions displayed around the eye. We found inspiration in Leonardo da Vinci’s aviation sketchbook work. He created intricate drawings of mechanical bird-winged gliders, driven by his dream of flying.
I also created concept art for the inventor, but we cut him out in the last version to create more ambiguity. Only the silhouette of the inventor is shown as he walks in at the end.
To expand our visual knowledge and gain insights into unique species, we paid a visit to The Natural History Museum. We drew inspiration for our creature designs from insects and other flying creatures like bats and birds. During our visit, I sketched various specimens to gain a deeper understanding of their physical attributes and to further explore interesting characteristics that I had not noticed before, such as the structure of bird wings and the delicate formation of bug limbs.
We decided to simplify our designs to better convey our idea and make it easier to animate. To meet the needs of the inventor’s invention, we made the creature transform like liquid, adapting to the unpredictable weather of the Arctic. After experimenting with assorted colours, we decided to layer sketches over the character to give it a more sketchbook-like feel and distinguish it has not yet been a part of the world. This helps to differentiate what is real and what is unreal.
To ensure consistency in our backgrounds, I chose to create a basic layout of the workshop. This proved to be quite helpful as it allowed us to select more dynamic and interesting camera angles, resulting in the ability to experiment with various camera shots. Additionally, this was an excellent opportunity for me to become more familiar with 3D software, specifically Blender. Using the 3D toolkit also taught me about combining 2D animation with 3D space, thus enabling me to expand my skills in this area.
Using my 3D model, we were able to capture fun camera angles. We struggled to determine the appropriate background style to pair with the animation. After exploring an array of styles, none of them seemed to suit the style we were aiming for. Eventually, I decided to alter the textures to make them more paper-like and gave them a soft blue watercolour effect. This approach gave the animation a more magical and atmospheric feel, complemented by the softness of the candlelight. The colours became more coherent, and the shadows and highlights blended in balance.
We aimed to create a contrast between the character and the background. The background has a 3D look, while the character has a 2D paper-like appearance, to distinguish between the real world and the mind of the inventor.
The desk played a crucial role as it was the primary location where the creature spent most of its time. While designing the desk, we ensured that all the essential elements were placed at a reachable distance for the creature, considering how it would move around the desk to access each area.
During the initial stages of creating the storyboard, Gul Rizvi drafted the first version while I created the style frames to establish the colour palette and overall mood. Once the storyboard was finalised, I refined it and moved on to Storyboard Pro. I utilised my 3D model as a guide for the backgrounds to determine how many backgrounds were required and distributed the work between the three of us.
We faced timing challenges creating the animatic and had to make multiple versions before settling on a 50-second pace. Despite this, we persevered, showed patience, and succeeded in creating a successful animatic.
My biggest weakness was attempting to match my teammates’ animation style. To set apart the creature from the real world, we all decided to animate on threes (3s) to create a choppy effect. Due to our varying styles, I adjusted my animation style to match my other teammates, which helped me create a coherent character animation, letting my animations be looser and sketchier.
In conclusion, I was proficient in managing my workload effectively. I made sure to reflect on my progress each week and had regular check-ins with my group to ensure we were on the same page from post-production to filmmaking. I actively listened to feedback and made necessary adjustments to my concept designs to ensure satisfaction for both me and my group. I have convincing evidence of in-depth thinking about character formations, demonstrated through clear diagrams and highlighting my progression through various style experiments. Additionally, I did a great job compositing my shots, creating eye-catching transitions and special effects in After Effects, such as displaying my skills through flickering candle lights and particle effects.
There are areas in which I could improve, such as experimenting more with 3D. I enjoyed incorporating it into this project. I did struggle with the animation style used in the film. I am more accustomed to working in twos (2s), so working with a fresh style was a challenge for me. Nonetheless, it helped me expand my skills and become more familiar with different animation styles.
As a team, we collaborate effectively and are receptive to providing and receiving feedback. However, we procrastinated a bit and could have been more organised with our interim presentations. This may have been due to the winter break and the fact that we were all away during the holidays, which caused a setback in our project progress.
We did an excellent job of dividing the work and ensuring everyone had the opportunity to contribute their ideas. Moving forward, I plan to prioritise better and establish realistic timelines to ensure we meet our group deadlines.