Fantastic Voyage Brief 14-15

RCAA4003: Storytelling & Commission /Project 3 Fantastic Voyage 2014/15

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Project 3 (of 3) Fantastic Voyage Submission deadline: Friday, May 1st, 2015

Content ...scientific disciplines with good pictures are rich in resources that keep them well funded and moving forward Some fields, such as paleontology, manufacture their imagery; for example the reconstruction of fossil remains for public viewing, or through imaginative illustrations of immense creatures from the past. And Hollywoods use of stunning computer-generated graphics has likewise had a profound impact on the publics understanding of new ideas and discoveries. Sciences that target objects large enough to photograph with an optical microscope or larger must skillfully exploit the tools of visual communication. Even chemistry with its focus on structures and processes about a thousand times too small to capture with a camera has a standard iconography with which to communicate its results to the public. In the same way, nanotechnology has garnered wide support for its endeavours using visual descriptions of novel geometric structures such as nanotubes and quantum dots the link between good images and good science.

Eric Heller, The Power of the Image to Promote Science

Commissioning contexts for computer-generated arts and animation are increasingly ubiquitous; successful practitioners are expected to adapt to a diversity of briefs; an effective methodology is therefore essential if they are to embrace these demands and successfully navigate between the demands of clients and their audiences. In Richard Fleischers 1966 film, Fantastic Voyage, the submersible, Proteus, is miniaturized and injected into the body of a comatose scientist, its groundbreaking mission to transport its micronized crew to the site of a surgically inaccessible blood clot in the scientists brain. Winning Oscars for both art direction and visual effects, the films depictions of inner space are interpreted imaginatively. For this unit, you are asked to develop, design and execute creatively a fantastic voyage through a micro-biological environment/scenario. You are challenged to transcribe a biological process accurately and dynamically and consider ways in which complex ideas and data might be represented engagingly to different audiences. AIMS


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The aims of this unit are: A1 to develop awareness and understanding of pre-visualisation and narrative

structure. A2 to promote an understanding of commissioned work A3 to develop the ability to engage in research that supports conceptual ideas. A4 to develop communication strategies for clients and audiences and take

responsibility for project-management. LEARNING OUTCOMES On satisfactory completion of the unit you will be able to: LO1 understand the creative application of time-based narrative structures. LO2 practice creative story development and techniques relating to pre-visualisation. LO3 employ research methods to support development of concepts. LO4 synthesise creative and technical skills in response to the demands of a

commissioned brief. ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS In response to one of the scenarios presented to you at time of briefing, you are required to produce a complete 3D animation that demonstrates creatively your ability to interpret, transcribe and represent complex ideas in engaging and dynamic ways. Your final animation should demonstrate clearly your creative methodology as established by your Year 1 curriculum, i.e. pre-production (production design and art direction via concept art and the structuring of time-based narratives via storyboarding and pre-visualisations), production (modelling, UV layout, texturing & lighting, and animation), and post-production (compositing, digital editing, sound design, publication and promotion). Format Requirements

PAL 25fps 16:9 ratio Mpeg or Avi A maximum of two minutes in duration.


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Please note: only royalty-free music is to be used and voice-overs must be professionally produced. The use of inappropriate formats and codecs will result in viewing problems. You are required to produce a deluxe Making Of publication showcasing your creative methodology. Your making of should provide a complete record of your project work and should include your research and development, supporting concept art, storyboards, a behind-the-scenes look at your models and animation - from wire-frame through to finished renders and your sound-design and post-production. Your Making Of should be designed graphically, engagingly and presented professionally. You are asked to produce a comprehensive blog archiving and annotating your creative development during the duration of the unit. You should use the blog to reflect critically upon your own creative practice and the wider cultural and thematic context of the unit. Important! Your blog must include:

1) Your final animation

2) Your Making Of publication (as Scribd Presentation)1

3) Your Pitch presentation (as Scribd Presentation)

4) CG Pre-vis

5) Animatic

6) Final storyboard

7) Final script

8) Concept art (16:9)

9) Final production art (orthographs, model sheets etc).

10) Matte paintings (if applicable)

11) Final textures (and their development).

12) Your sound design archive: (Original SFX/Processed SFX) 13) Your cg pipeline; Wireframe Models, Untextured Models, UV Maps, Texture Maps, Textured Models, Lighting Tests, Rendering Passes (Beauty, Ambient Occlusion, and Effects), 14) All supporting artwork (thumbnails, preparatory drawings etc.) 1 For instructions see http://ucarochester-cgartsandanimation.blogspot.com/2010/12/scribd.html


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15) Supporting research/Influence maps 16) Market/audience research 17) Your film reviews for the Cutting Edge Film series. Please note in

addition to and support of your own critique, your reviews must include a minimum of 3 quotations from 3 different published reviews2 + poster art + supporting stills. Please note - Harvard Method must be used for all quotations and all illustrations to be referenced correctly.3 Reviews are to include bibliography and illustration list.

18) Your Creative Partnership Archived 19) Your submission disc artwork/branding

Your submission disc must include a pdf archive of your project blog: visit http://ucarochester-cgartsandanimation.blogspot.com/2010/09/how-to-turn-your-

blog-into-pdf-document.html

The Pitch Monday 16th March - Group A : 10am CAA Baseroom Tuesday 17th March Group B: 10am CAA Baseroom You must present: 1) Resolution of research into 3 act structure for chosen audience. 2) Fully-Realised Concept Art: format 16:9 (3 images minimum) 3) Presentation animatic with transitions and SFX.

Presentation should last no longer then 10 minutes.

2 Some good online sources for film criticism and reviews include: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film http://www.bfi.org.uk http://www.metacritic.com http://www.rottentomatoes.com http://www.empireonline.com http://www.filmreference.com http://www.kamera.co.uk http://twitchfilm.net 3 Follow this link for how to reference conventions for all kinds of sources. http://community.ucreative.ac.uk/article/25881/Referencing-specific-sources-of-information/


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ASSESSMENT CRITERIA CRITERION MAPS TO LEARNING

OUTCOME Knowledge of: time-based narrative structures LO1

Understanding through application of: creative and editorial skills required for story development and pre-visualisation.

LO2

Understanding through application of: research skills and conceptual ideas. LO3

Technical and applied skills through: the creative use of software packages LO4

Technical and applied skills through: management, communication and professionalism.

LO4

REFERENCE MATERIAL Essential Author Date Title & publication details Begleiter, M 2010 From word to image: storyboarding and the filmmaking

process, (Michael Wiese Productions) Beiman, N 2007 Prepare to board! Creating story and characters for

animated features and shorts. (Focal) Buckland, W 2008 Film studies, (Hodder Headline) Glebas, F 2009 Directing the story: professional storytelling and

storyboarding techniques for live action and animation,(Focal Press)

Levy, D 2009 Animation development: from pitch to production. (Allworth Press)

Milic, L 2006 The animation producer's handbook. (Open University Press)

Levy, D 2009 Animation development: from pitch to production. (Allworth Press)

Milic, L 2006 The animation producer's handbook. (Open University Press)

Mckee, R 1999 Story: substance, structure, style, and the principles of screenwriting, (Methuen)

Talon, D.S 2007 Panel discussions : design in sequential art storytelling, (Talon, TwoMorrows Publishing)


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Recommended Author Date Title & publication details Bayley, S 2008 Life's a pitch: how to sell yourself and your brilliant ideas.

(Corgi) Cristiano, G 2008 The storyboard design course: the ultimate guide for

artists, directors, producers and scriptwriters, (Thames & Hudson)

Dancyger, K 2011 The technique of film and video editing: history, theory, and practice 3rd ed., (Focal Press)

Fraioli, J. O 2000 Storyboarding 101: a crash course in professional storyboarding, (Michael Wiese)

Hahn, D 2008 The alchemy of animation: making an animated film in the modern age.(Disney)

Hart, J 2007 The art of the storyboard: storyboarding for film, TV, and animation, (Focal Press)

Levy, D 2010 Directing animation. (Allworth Press) Marx, C 2010 Write your way into animation and games. (Focal) Sullivan, K 2008 Ideas for the animated short: finding and building

stories. (Focal) Truby, J 2008 The anatomy of story: 22 steps to becoming a master

storyteller.(Faber & Faber) Tumminello, W 2005 Exploring storyboarding, (Delmar Learning) Wright, J 2005 Animation writing and development: from script

development to pitch, (Focal Press)

Fantastic Voyage Brief 14-15

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