Influences - Artist Inspiration - Major Film

Influences - Artist Inspiration

Genndy Tartakovsky

One of the key artist who has influenced my short animation is Genndy Tartakovsky, a Russian-American Animator, Director, Producer and Storyboard Artist, known for creating the animated television series, Samurai Jack, Dexter's Laboratory and Star Wars: Clone Wars for Cartoon Network. He has also worked on animated series such as the Powerpuff Girls and most recently, Tartakovsky directed the animated Hotel Transylvania films.

(Top; Dexter's Laboratory. Bottom; Samurai Jack 2017)

I think what appeals to me in terms of his character designs, is Tartakovsky's use of simple characters with angular designs and thick, flowing outlines.  from to his designs have maintained this style and though these designs may not seem inherently nice to look at, I still think the are done so for a purpose. Though some of the angles may seem unnecessary, in my opinion the limited number of outlines seems to help streamline the images and thus, the animation clicks for the viewer.

(Top; Concept art from the animated film Hotel Transylvania. Bottom; My own early concept art of the Zombie Main character)

I wanted to try this type of drawing style as it is simplistic yet effective in focusing the audience on the character and not drawing them away with too much excess detail. My attempts at Tartakovsky's have shown me that my own character designs are still too overly complex and I will need to simplify them further.

Peter McVerry Trust Project

Peter McVerry Trust Project

As part of the Professional Animation Project, we were given the opportunity to develop a 15 to 30 second animation for the Peter McVerry Trust, a charity set up to reduce homelessness in Ireland and the damge caused by drug abuse and social disadvantage.

About Peter McVerry Trust

Peter McVerry Trust is committed to reducing homelessness, the harm caused by substance misuse and social disadvantage. Peter McVerry Trust provides low-threshold entry services, primarily to younger people and vulnerable adults with complex needs, and offers pathways out of homelessness based on the principles of the Housing First model.  

Aims

• To target those most marginalised in society and offer a safe, challenging and supportive environment through our service provision.
• To treat participants with warmth and respect and actively encourage them to be involved in all aspects of their own support plan.
• To offer a comprehensive prevention package of support to reduce the likelihood of homelessness to those leaving care, those leaving treatment, those leaving prison or other institutions and those whose accommodation is vulnerable.
• To offer a comprehensive package of support that will provide the best opportunity possible for them and assist them in planning a pathway out of homelessness or drug use, or if they continue to use drugs, to assist them towards some level of stabilisation in order to live a life of dignity, with respect and opportunity.
• To assist each person to re-establish himself or herself in the community and move towards greater independence.

Style Influences;

1minute Nature 

http://1minuutjes.nl/?page_id=267

BABA

https://vimeo.com/96454349

'Andersartig' by Dennis Stein-Schomberg

https://vimeo.com/31686433

Story Ideas

The style I had in mind was paper cut out, with maybe digital animation layered over it. I do not have a set story in mind just yet, however I have an idea involving an enlarged environment where the character appears small next to mundane items and objects. A scene in mind would be set on a kitchen table and the character, describing his story, would be represented by things like cups or salt shakers.

Script Draft 3

‘BABY TROUBLES’ (WORKING TITLE)

DRAFT 3

FADE IN:

VFX. CAMERA PANS TOWARDS HOUSE.

EXT. FOREST, HOUSE ON A HILL - NIGHT

Camera pans over treeline to a rickety, two storey cabin perched on a shallow hill. The moon is high and a old car sits outside. The camera moves forward, towards upper window and passes through.

VFX/SFX. PAN THROUGH WINDOW, NIGHTTIME SOUNDS SHIFT TO LULLABY

INT. TODDLER'S ROOM - NIGHT

Brightly coloured room. Stuffed animals scattered across the floor. A crib sits in front. On MOTHER as she places TODDLER in crib. Baby is asleep. The lights are turned off and the door closes.

CUT TO:

INT. SITTING ROOM - NIGHT

Back View of Mother. She is looking through profiles that says ‘BABYSITTERS’. One shows a douchey looking girl with a high price. Mother huffs, she turns to other pile that says ‘SCARILY CHEAP PRICES!’ in tacty writing. Passes on the bloodthirsty werewolf with high body count, the creepy religious vampire and the mad scientist that show him/her with various body parts, laughing madly. Stops on picture of zombie.

Profile shows CREAK, stands nervously while not looking at camera in ridiculous HAWAIIAN SHIRT. He has never eaten children and only wants a BIG, JUICY BRAIN as payment. Parents hum in agreement and pick up phone.

CUT TO:

INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT

Opens to darkened hallway with cheap vibe, cracked photo frames and furniture that has been hastily repaired instead of replaced. On Mother as she opens the door. Creak stands outside. He waves awkwardly to the Mother. She simply pushes past him and out the door. Creak left standing in HALL. DOOR SLAMS SHUT and Toddler begins to CRY.

Creak startles at sudden noise, looks frantically about for source. He begins to PANIC and follows the sound, lumbered towards the stairs as fast as his rotting legs can.

CUT TO:

SILHOUETTE of Creak fumbling up the stairs, falling once or twice.

CUT TO:

INT. TODDLER'S ROOM - NIGHT

Creak enters the Toddler’s room. He is stand at the EDGE OF CRIB, crying fiercely. Creak approaches slowly, he is HUNCHED and making COOING NOISES as best a zombie can. Toddler is scared of Zombie. Creak tries to play PEEK-A-BOO, but opens eyes to much and they fall out. Baby only cries harder.

Zombie panics even more, looking around. He quickly picks Toddler up and rocks him back and forward.

Toddler only grows more distressed. Flails arms and KNOCKS OFF Creak’s head. Head BOUNCES and ROLLS. Toddler laughs at head as his body picks him up. Creak has conversation consisting of gurgles and moaning with SUBTITLES. Creak convinces Toddler to go back to sleep. Places baby in crib as head breathes a sigh of relief.

FADE OUT:

Script Draft 2

‘BABY TROUBLES’(WORKING TITLE)

DRAFT 2

FADE IN:

VFX/SFX. PAN THROUGH WINDOW, NIGHTTIME SOUNDS SHIFT TO LULLABY

INT. TODDLER'S ROOM - NIGHT

Brightly coloured room. Stuffed animals scattered across the floor. A crib sits in front. On MOTHER as she places TODDLER in crib. Baby is asleep. The lights are turned off and the door closes.

CUT TO:

INT. SITTING ROOM - NIGHT

Back View of Mother. She is looking through profiles that says ‘BABYSITTERS’. One shows a douchey looking girl with a high price. Mother huffs, she turns to other pile that says ‘SCARILY CHEAP PRICES!’ in tacty writing. Passes on the bloodthirsty werewolf with high body count, the creepy religious vampire and the mad scientist that show him/her with various body parts, laughing madly. Stops on picture of zombie.

Profile shows CREAK, stands nervously while not looking at camera in ridiculous HAWAIIAN SHIRT. He has never eaten children and only wants a BIG, JUICY BRAIN as payment. Parents hum in agreement and pick up phone.

CUT TO:

INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT

CLASH OF THUNDER, RAIN HITTING THE GROUND.

Opens to darkened hallway with cheap vibe, cracked photo frames and furniture that has been hastily repaired instead of replaced. On Mother as she opens the door. Creak stands outside in rain. He waves awkwardly to the Mother. She simply pushes past him and out the door. Creak left standing in HALL. DOOR SLAMS SHUT and Toddler begins to CRY.

Creak startles at sudden noise, looks frantically about for source. He begins to PANIC and follows the sound, lumbered towards the stairs as fast as his rotting legs can.

CUT TO:

SILHOUETTE of Creak fumbling up the stairs, falling once or twice.

CUT TO:

INT. TODDLER'S ROOM - NIGHT

Creak enters the Toddler’s room. He is stand at the EDGE OF CRIB, crying fiercely. Creak approaches slowly, he is HUNCHED and making COOING NOISES as best a zombie can.

Toddler is scared of Zombie. Creak tries to play PEEK-A-BOO, but opens eyes to much and they fall out. Baby only cries harder.

Zombie panics even more, holding ARM IN THE AIR in panic and looking around. He quickly picks Toddler up and tries to rock him back and forward.

Toddler only grows more distracted. Flails arms and KNOCKS OFF Creak’s head. Head BOUNCES and ROLLS, Creak experience mild discomfort. Toddler laughs at head as his body picks him up.

Creak has conversation consisting of gurgles and moaning with SUBTITLES. Creak convinces Toddler to go back to sleep. Places baby in crib as head breathes a sigh of relief.

FADE OUT:

Chosen Story Outline - Major Film

Story Outline

The original outline for the story, where the werewolf and the zombie fought over the baby who in the end turned out to be a monster hunter, felt to cumbersome for the animation I wanted to do. With three characters, I felt that there would be to many characters on screen and too much happening at one time. I decided to redo the story from scratch, though kept the theme of an interaction between a monster and a young child. The zombie won out against the werewolf as the number of things I could do with the character where greater and provided me with more laughs when I began writing up a gag list.

The premise of the story is, what if a mother was too cheap to hire a real babysitter, so hired a zombie instead? The question why, is simple. The mother is desperate for a night out, but is cheap. The advertisement for babysitters at "Scarily Cheap Prices!" and the zombie is the only monster in the book willing to work brains and not money.

Summary

The scenes opens onto a dilapidated house on a hill in the woods. The camera pans into the under window of the house and into the room of a toddler. The mother appears and lowers the child in her arms into the crib and steps away, turning off the lights as she leaves. Downstairs the mother looks through babysitter profiles with 'Scarily cheap Prices' on the front of the folder. She sorts through the various monsters showcased, but settles on the zombie. She runs up the company and the scene jumps to the hallway as the camera trucks up to the door, when a knock taps on the door. The door is opened to reveal the zombie. He waves nervously as the mother rushes by him and pushes him inside, slamming the door behind her. The zombie is left standing in the hall, when the baby begins to cry. The zombie panics, fumbling up the stairs and enters the baby's room.

The zombie tries to calm the baby by playing peek-a-boo, but he opens his eyes to much and they fall out, making the baby cry even harder. The child grows more distressed and the zombie pick it up, rocking it up and down to try and calm the child. It does nothing, and the child begins to flail, knocking the zombie's head off. The head bounces across the room, coming to a stop as it bags into the far wall. The zombie finds the baby laughing at him as his body comes to pick up the head. Cradled in his own arm, the zombie talks to the baby through moans and groans, and convinces the child to sleep. After the baby falls a, he puts his head back in place and turns to walk out, but trips and falls. His head comes tumbling off once more and he panics as it bounces to the stairs.

Character Influence - Major Film

Character Influences

With the character designs of the wolf and zombie, I wanted to do a style that was simplistic and yet would be easy enough to follow on-screen. Taking influence from the works of Genndy Tartakovsky, I began looking into concept art from animated films that featured monsters as the main aspect.

(Concept Art from Hotel Transylvania; Artwork done by Pete Oswald and Carter Goodrich)

These concepts where the first pieces of influence I took inspiration from, attracted to the concept of horror creatures in an unexpected situation. 

(Art by Tracy Liang)

(Art by Maxime Mary)

Some examples of influence I used in developing my zombie character; here I witnessed the ghoulish creatures express a quirky nature despite their normally terrifying stereotypes and I wanted to test what strange designs I could come up that where as half as interesting to look at as these character designs where for me. 

Script Draft 1

‘BABY TROUBLES’ (WORKING TITLE)

DRAFT 1

VFX. CAMERA PANS OVER TREES AND TOWARDS HOUSE, GOES THROUGH WINDOW.

EXT. FOREST, HOUSE ON A HILL - NIGHT

Camera pans over treeline to a rickety, two storey cabin perched on a shallow hill. The moon is high and a old car sits outside. The camera moves forward, towards upper window and passes through.

INT. TODDLER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Close-up shot on crib. A child, TODDLER, is put to bed by MOTHER while FATHER can be heard in back. No voices, only mumbles and random jibberish. Baby goes to sleep.

VFX/SFX. DOOR CLOSES, LIGHT SWITCHED OFF

CUT TO:

INT. DOWNSTAIRS, SITTING ROOM - NIGHT

Back View of Parents. They are looking through profiles that say ‘BABYSITTERS’ on the cover in big, mess handwritting. One is revealed to show a douchey looking girl with a high price. Mother huffs, tapping the price. She turns to other to folder that says ‘SCARILY CHEAP PRICES!’ in tacty writing. Opens to reveal monster profiles. Passes on the bloodthirsty werewolf with high body count, the creepy religious vampire and the mad scientist that show him/her with various body parts, laughing madly. Stops on picture of zombie.

Profile shows CREAK, stands nervously while not looking at camera in ridiculous HAWAIIAN SHIRT. He has never eaten children and only wants a BIG, JUICY BRAIN as payment. Parents hum in agreement and pick up phone.

CUT TO:

Opens to darkened hallway with cheap vibe, cracked photo frames and furniture that has been hastily repaired instead of replaced. On Mother as she opens the door. Creak stands outside in rain. He waves awkwardly to the Parents. They simply push past him and out the door.

Creak left standing in HALL. DOOR SLAMS SHUT and Toddler begins to CRY.

Creak startles at sudden noise, looks frantically about for source. He begins to PANIC and follows the sound, lumbered towards the stairs as fast as his rotting legs can.

CUT TO:

VFX. PALETTE CHANGES TO BOLD BLACKS AND WHITES, SHADOWS

SILHOUETTE of Creak fumbling up the stairs, falling once or twice.

CUT TO:

INT. TODDLER'S ROOM - NIGHT

Creak enters the Toddler’s room. He is stand at the EDGE OF CRIB, crying fiercely. Creak approaches slowly, he is HUNCHED and making COOING NOISES as best a zombie can.

Toddler is scared of Zombie. Creak tries to play PEEK-A-BOO, but opens eyes to much and they fall out. Baby only cries harder.

Zombie panics even more, holding ARM IN THE AIR as he tries to figure something out and looks around but finds nothing that can help. He quickly picks Toddler up and tries to rock him back and forward, but does it too hard and his arm NOT HOLDING BABY falls off.

Picking arm back up and re-attaches it, Creak tries a to play GOT YOUR NOSE, making noises that resemble gurgled cooing. He pretends to take Toddler’s nose, then his own. Rips of his own nose. Toddler only cries more.

Toddler grows more distracted. Flails arms and KNOCKS OFF Creak’s head. Head BOUNCES and ROLLS, Creak experience mild discomfort. Toddler laughs at head as his body picks him up.

Creak has conversation consisting of gurgles and moaning with SUBTITLES. Creak convinces Toddler to go back to sleep. Places baby in crib in crib and head sighs with relief.

FADE OUT:

CREDITS:

Creak struggles to get his head in place. ENDS with picture of Creak rubbing his face against a big, juicy animal brain, looking in bliss.

Animation Short - Degree Animation Idea

Animation Idea;

I plan to themed my animation idea around dark humour and a parady on cliché horror. The general idea would be that a werewolf and zombie fight over who gets to eat the baby. The story will be loosely tied together by several gags and a minimal story line. I want to focus on character design and character animation mostly, as that is what I am mostly interested in.

Influences

Courage the Cowardly Dog

Courage the Cowardly Dog is an example of dark humour turned into a cartoon and proven to be quite popular.

Dexter's Laboratory

I like the character designs of Dexter's Laboratory as the are simple in shape yet the are detailed.

Early Concept Art - Major Film

Early Concept Art

The Werewolf

The werewolf is the much larger character, compared to the zombie. He is menacing and  meant to look thickly furred, however he is an idiot, with the mentality of dog. Throughout the animation he easily becomes distracted and it is his lack of observation that gets him shot by the child.

The Zombie

Though undead, the zombie character is surprisingly spry for the state of his rotting form. The zombie is the intelligent individual of the main duo, as he is the one to figure out how to open the window and devises more thought out plans to distract the werewolf, who resorts to violence when he finally figures out he is losing.

Concept Idea to Early Story Outlines - Major Film

Concept Idea to Early Story Outlines:

Originally, the story I had in mind at the beginning of the summer was a story of a creature trapped by an evil wizard and would eventually be freed by a young child who finds the creature and helps to defeat the evil wizard. This was quickly scraped due to the fact that it would be too long and would run far over the 90-second limit we had on the project.

(Characters of Hotel Transylvania 2)

The idea for the monster vs. baby concept, the first solid idea for the animation short, came to me when I saw Hotel Transylvania 2 for the first time over the summer. I was influenced by it to try and do a comedy around monsters interacting with each other or humans, but wanted to go with a more darker sense of humour with it. The first idea was a werewolf that hunts a child, but in the end the child turns out to be a Van Helsing-esque monster hunter. The early story had several versions, jumping between the idea that the werewolf was actually just an over-sized dog that wanted to play, to the scenario where the child was eaten after the werewolf survived all the traps the child placed for it. At one point, while thinking of environments and setting, the child was a young boy out on his first hunt in a wintry Russian forest during the 1800s, carrying around a flintlock rifle. His job was to hunt the beast that had been terrorizing the local sheep.

My of this ideas did not really go anywhere; the story I found myself coming up with where often times too long or I knew the audience would get lost during the animation due to the story being to complex and having too many sections. I went back to the first concept I had; the monster and its interactions with the child, from there I gained some influence from watching animated television series such as the Looney Toons and Tom and Jerry, and films like Brother Bear where a huge inspiration for another idea.

Nearing the start of college I had two ideas outlined; the first was the dark comedy involving the werewolf and zombie to fought over who got to eat the baby, while the second one was more emotional that involved a creature that befriended a child beforehand and the animation would be set around it trying to get the child back to her village at the top of a cliff.

(Early background test with character in foreground)

In the end I stuck with the Monsters against the baby idea as it was what I wanted to do from the start and the idea offered more opportunities to animate something funny and test my skills. The the creature determined to aid the child was set to be similar to my last animation project, with complex backgrounds and ambitious shots.