Maya Character Workshop #01

In our Maya workshops, we've begun to look at character modelling by starting with an initial cartoon character. This has been very insightful in learning how to approach character modelling, from good topology to general tips and tricks when it comes to modelling. Next, we'll move on to modelling the head and to begin rigging the model.

Character Profiles + Narrative

Been meaning to get this up sooner. Here is a refined synopsis of the cartoon for the character design project, along with initial write-ups of the character profiles of the Hero, Villain and Sidekick. Some details are perhaps a little superfluous but I had fun creating this little world in my head, hopefully this will help me when designing my characters.

The profiles will most likely be tweaked as I continue to develop the characters.

Hero must fight to save the world against the forces of the Empress, ruler of the Regnum Nation. Their terror and oppression has reigned supreme over the lands and has scattered the neighbouring nations into chaos and disarray. As the last surviving subject of the Renatus Project, Hero must unite the lands before it is too late and stop the Empress and her forces once and for all.

Regnum = Royal power, control, kingdom
Renatus = Rebirth


Hero
Male human, Solider. Early 20s.
Athletic, driven, determined.
Friendly and emotional demeanour.

Strengths and Abilities: Cybernetic Arm can be used for great strength (smashing, lifting), has an in-built energy weapon. Cybernetic Legs enhances speed and agility, able to jump/land at great heights.
Weaknesses: Cybernetic technology reliant on Energy Cores. Ill-informed of the cybernetic technology invested in him. Mentally scarred from his ordeal, having lost his friends and loved ones.

Character Arc:
Initially confused, unwilling to accept what he has become and daunted of the task ahead of him.
Accepts who is he, learns how to wield his abilities and accept the responsibility that has been placed upon him.

Motivation:
Unite and save the world from the Empress's forces.

Hero was the sole survivor of his unit after the attack of Empress's forces on his home town. Having suffered grievous injuries, Hero was taken into the Renatus Project (a programme designed to refit and augment soldiers with cybernetic technology) where he was healed and experimented on with new advanced forms of cybernetics that were designed with the sole purpose to stop the Empress. However, the facility came under attack and was destroyed by the Empress's forces. Hero barely escaped with his life. Confused and ill-informed of the cybernetic technology invested in him, Hero soon becomes the last hope capable of stopping the Empress, being the last surviving subject of the Renatus Project.


Empress (villain)
Female human. Ruler of the Regni, the people of Regnum.
High/regal, cold and calculating demeanour

Strengths and Abilities: Telepathic, Psychic abilities through cybernetic devices. Can read/influence minds and manipulate objects.

Character Arc:
Becomes obsessed in trying to capture Hero to the point which affects her ability to rule effectively.

Motivation:
Lust for power and control, to rule the world.
Capture Hero to steal/assimilate his technology

Powerful and cunning, The Empress rules through fear, oppression and indoctrination. She rose to power through the forced abdication of her brother - and will now stop at nothing to establish Regni supremacy and be the supreme ruler of the world.


Servo (sidekick)
Robot. Last surviving intelligent service bot from the Rentaus Project facility.
Chirpy, lively demeanour with animated expression. Frequently exhibits 'blips and beeps' tones as a voice.

Strengths and Abilities: Can repair/hack electronic terminals and devices. Can also be used to communicate long distances.
Weakness: EMP (Electro magnetic pulse) charge.

Character Arc: Contains information stored on the Renatus project. Forms unshakable bond with Hero.

Motivation:
To accompany, aid and assist Hero whenever possible.
Protect self contained files on the Renatus Project.

Servo awakened Hero when the facility came under attack and helped lead him to safety. With the facility destroyed, Servo now follows Hero assisting him in his mission.

Character Design Workshop #06

In our latest workshop, we looked at how stereotypes can help define and add further dimension to a given character. This can immediately communicate the demeanour of the character and strengthen the believability of a character as a whole. While characters don't necessarily have to follow a stereotype, it is certainly something to be aware of in order to avoid misinterpretations. As such, reference imagery becomes vital in capturing stereotypes as well as designing different and unique designs.

With a random given theme, we had to create characters that matched a stereotype while being unique from each other as possible. In this case, I had the theme of Knights where I tried to create different characters as distinct and different from each other as possible, while capturing the design of a knight, from height, shape and details in clothing.



We also covered the importance of character silhouettes, where characters that are instantly recognisable from silhouette form alone prove to be the strongest designs that are both iconic and interesting. This is something that must always be taken into consideration when designing characters.

London MCM Expo

Came back from the madness that was London MCM Expo yesterday.



It was very busy, but fun stuff. I played some games, picked up a few trinkets and books, and also got to attend the Q&A session for Ubisoft developers Raphael Dominguez and Mathieu Gagnon for the upcoming game Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, as well as an Avatar presentation showing some exclusive never-before-seen scenes of Avatar which will be added to the new 'Collectors Edition' Blu-Ray DVD. This included a new opening sequence highlighting Jake's background, a Na'vi hunting scene along with some more screen time with Sigourney Weaver. It doesn't look like it will add much to the story, but it will undoubtedly please some hardcore fans.





As usual, there were plenty of cosplayers around dressed in all strange and wonderful costumes. Its crazy stuff, but always great to see as people unite and express their common interests. I saw Shabir at the expo, where I think he was eager to see Marvel vs. Capcom 3 in action. So perhaps Shabir will post his thoughts on the expo too.



Overall, despite some absurd prices, the London MCM Expo was good fun where I had a great, if tiring, day out.

House of Wax (1953)

House of Wax (1953) explores the horrors of a waxwork museum. It was also one of the first films to feature the use of stereoscopic 3D.



The plot involves devoted wax figure sculptor Professor Henry Jarrod, played by the exceptional Vincent Price, whose beloved workshop is burnt down by his business partner in an attempt to claim the insurance money. Believed to be dead, Jarrod makes a miraculous return with plans to build a new House of Wax - yet this time with the bodies of his victims.



The film successfully creates an atmosphere of dread, with a mix of bright colours of the wax museum in stark contrast to the dark shadows of the night. The waxworks, although beautifully made, immediately lend themselves to the uncanny valley being seemingly all too real with an eerie stillness, where the horror is fully realised as we find that Jarrod is turning his victims into waxwork models.




One can also not forget the striking images of the burning waxworks, being particularly disturbing as we see their 'flesh' melt and eyeballs pop out.




Moreover, the appearance of the caped stalker becomes particularly iconic as it captures the dreaded sense of a menacing and relentless pursuer, seemingly being everywhere at once with nowhere to run. This is no more apparent than in the classic scene with actress Phyllis Kirk being chased by the shadowy figure with a billowing cloak.




Additionally, Jarrod's unmasking has been described as one of the great shock moments in horror cinema, as his flesh peals away to reveal his scarred injuries underneath.




Being one of the first 3D films to be featured on the big screen, many attempts are used to exploit this to the fullest, from victims and objects flying at the screen during brawls to a not so subtle entertainer batting paddleballs directly to the camera. Unfortunately, there are no 3D versions of the film available in modern times, but the scenes remain crudely entertaining nonetheless.



Overall, with dusky shadows, a menacing villain, and a bizarre museum brimming with the uncanny, House of Wax remains fresh and appealing as a horror classic despite its age.

Car Modelling - Mustang 06

Sixth workshop on the car, bringing the model together as a whole with the addition of the side and rear window frames, as well as adding a temporary frame of the under body.

Character Design Workshop #05

During our fifth workshop, we began to break down the basic posture of poses. Using straight and curved lines, one is able to capture the essence of pose with a sense of weight for clear readability. This process becomes essential in communicating the right attitude and expression of a given character.



Later, we also had some fun acting some poses of our own to capture. Here were an overly eager date with a shy reaction, to a drill officer reprimanding a berated solider.

Despicable Me (2010)

Went to see 'Despicable Me' yesterday, a gem of a film that I thoroughly enjoyed. There are a number of CG films coming this fall, but Despicable Me stood out in particular with its intriguing setup and witty humour.



The plot involves supervillain Gru in his bid to establish himself as the number #1 villain by stealing the moon. When three three orphan girls become apart of his grand scheme, Gru finds that their innocent love is profoundly changing him.





An odd mix of characters work surprisingly well off each other with the imposing nature of Gru being completely disarmed by the young girls that is genuinely funny. The youngest of the orphans, Agnes, is definitely going to be a fan favourite with her infinite charm and innocence. While not forgetting Gru's minions, small, dedicated yellow creatures that bring Raving Rabbids style laughter aplenty (albeit minus the screaming).







From inflatable pyramids to cookie killer robots, the world of Despicable Me is fantastic with a quirky combination of ideas that all seemingly fit well together. The notable use of 3D is exploited to particularly great effect with scenes such as a roller-coaster ride becoming genuinely disorientating with the sense of speed and depth. As such, the bright and energetic presentation of Despicable Me is remarkably fun and refreshing.



Overall, Despicable Me straddles between action comedy and redemptive heart-puller. Where a few individual critics have felt that the film was overwrought with too conflicting many elements, I found the combination worked remarkably well in a thoroughly enjoyable way. As critic Rich Cline suggests, the film is a fantastic 'combination of deranged humour, nutty slapstick and cute sentimentality'. I heartily recommend this film for its fun and charming story, as well as being a great CG animation made by other than the CG giants of Pixar or Dreamworks.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

American Sci-Fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), features the arrival of a humanoid alien Klaatu and his powerful robot companion 'Gort' to a Cold War state Earth. Together, they bring a warning to the people of Earth to mend their erroneous ways or face total annihilation.



As Klaatu greets us bearing a gift and message of peace, man's initial reaction is violence by striking out with gunfire. This evidently becomes the crux of the film where the violent nature of man prevents him from his own salvation. The film effectively serves as a criticism of the destructive nature of man, particularly in wake of the Cold War and the discovery of the atomic bomb. The moral implications to this day are undeniable, imparting peace and understanding amongst the constant fear of our own self-annihilation.





Despite Klaatu being an advocate for peace, one cannot help but find it a little ironic that their answer to maintain peace is to build robots of complete destructive power to serve as ever watchful sentinels. Peace is maintained through the terrifying and relentless nature of Gort with its uncompromising judgement. To build such machines, it seems Klaatu's people are unable to resolve violence themselves resorting to threats and fear. Perhaps, even Klaatu is not here to save us, but rather to threaten us with destruction if man embarks with space travel bearing weapons.




With visuals that capture our fascination of an otherworldly alien race superior to our own, its hardly surprising to find the film has been heralded as a landmark film in the sci-fi genre, withstanding the test of time as an enduring classic [1]. Imagery of a spaceship landing in the heart of America and the machine of Gort himself have become all too iconic in the sci-fi genre.



Overall, The Day the Earth Stood Still is a profound sci-fi film unlike any other, capturing the iconic qualities of otherworldly beings and technology, as well as delivering a true heartfelt message of peace and understanding with the seemingly inevitable advent of violence and annihilation.

Car Modelling - Mustang 05

More progress with the car, refining the rear geometry and defining the roof. The overall shape is really starting to come together now - next we proceed to begin binding the individual parts together with some interior shapes and details.