The Music of Erich ZannArt of

Unit 2.03- TranscriptionBy Ruben MartinsRubensblogpage.blogspot.com

Foreword This “Art of” book contains all the research and development done for “The

Music of Erich Zann”, an animation based on the original story with the same name by H. P. Lovecraft. This book will explore different areas which helped

create the final outcome.

Defining the chosen artistic style, German Expressionism, understanding the characters and their designs, visualising the worlds they inhabit are some of the

things that this book will address.

On a more technical note, it will also explain how was possible to achieve such an unique and ambiguous style, with a the powerful world of 3D.

So fasten your seatbelts and travel into the world of “The Music of Erich Zann”.

Ruben Martins

Map of Paris, Final Render

Directing with Pencil

Script I

Final Script, 1- 4

Script II

Final Script, 5-7

Visualising the Story

Initial Storyboards,Pencil Sketch and Digital

Storyboard , Pencil Sketch and Digital

Storyboard , Pencil Sketch and Digital

Defining an Artistic StyleYoung Man Arriving to the Rue D'Auseil – Animation Final

InfluencesWith such interesting story, the right artistic direction was needed. Knowing that the story was set in 1920's France. I decided to opt for a style that was predominant in Europe around that time.

German Expressionism, is better known for the use of dark, bold distorted prints where is evoked strong feelings in a more graphical and abstract way.

Main Influences

Beim Vorlesen, 1914, Eric Heckel Zwei Manner Am Tisch, 1913, Eric Heckel

Other Influences

Tifusari, 1963, Vatroslav MimicaZagreb Films

Research – Style Influence Maps

These influence maps were guides that were constantly being used throughout the overall process of the animation.

Research - Music

Music has an important role in this animation, not only it accompanies the piece but also to evoke strong feelings. These feelings are better perceived because the music varies throughout the animation. From calmer notes to babels of insanely played music. At places, the music may be seen as a 3rd invisible character, that gradually becomes more and more mysterious.

Although the music varied throughout the overall animation the artists of choice remained.

Artists of Choice

Nicollo Paganini

Bela Bartok

GOBO Lit World

With the Art direction defined, it was important to find ways to convey that same style.

One of the things used in the animation to emphasize the distortion shown by the German Expressionism was the Gobo lighting.

Gobo Lit Environment, Animation Final

Meet the Cast

Erich Zann Young Man

Erich Zann

Age: Unknown, maybe around his 80's or 90's

Race: Human pale white

Height: 1.55 m

General Demeanour: An old, lonely, nervous, afraid, temperamental and mysterious.

Career: A viol-player, who would play evenings in a cheap theatre orchestra.

Prejudices: He is defensive, tries to defend what is menacing to escape from his window.

Best Qualities: Regretful and rarely thankful.

Worst Qualities: Nervous, afraid, temperamental.

Bio: Zahn is an old viol-player living in the mysterious Rue D'Auseil, he is a solitary, afraid and temperamental being with an unimaginable burden. He lives in the boarding house owned by the paralytic Blandot, the 3rd house from the end of the ascended street. his room is on the top floor, a small place with little furniture looking almost inhabited. As a job, he plays evenings in a cheap theatre orchestra, though at night he has to worry to something far creepier, coming from his window. With his weird and crazy music, he attempts to keep the inexplicable mystery away.

Erich Zann, Final 3D Model

Discovering the Character

Erich Zann character took a series of stages before the final design was chosen. Collage to create strong silhouettes and the use of the random shapes to create possible designs helped explore various ways to create his final design.

Erich Zann Influence Map

Initial Erich Zann Silhouettes, Collage

Initial Face Designs, Digital

Developing a CharacterWith a clear direction of what the design should look like. It took some development to arrive to the desired design. Firstly , a less stylised approach was done, until a consistent design was created. Later, to better fit the artistic direction, the same design was taken further in stylisation, to have a character with a stronger silhouette.

The final design was achieved, the rest of character exploration could take place.

Erich Zann less stylised approach, Pencil Sketch

Erich Zann Body Development, Pencil Sketch

Erich Zann Stylisation, Pencil Sketch

Erich Zann Final Design

Erich Zann carrying the Viol, Pencil Sketch

Erich Zann carrying the Viol, Final Model

Visualising the Character

Erich Zann Fully Modelled, 3D Software

Erich Zann Modelling Progress, 3D Software

Erich Zann Model Sheet, Pencil Sketch

Model Sheets were done to initially visualise the character in 3 dimensions, later those same model sheets were taken into a 3D Software program and modelling began. Alongside the main body and head of the character, other features were explored such as hands and an extra head

Creating Emotions

The expression sheet (above), was drawn at the pre-production stage, exploring some of the emotions that the character could possibly express throughout the animation. This sheet was very useful for a later production stage, when similar faces were created in the 3D World (right). Although not all the faces are displayed, the ones that are, are the root in which many others can be expressed.

Main Character Expressions, Facial Rigging, 3D Software

Erich Zann Default Expression, Final model

Erich Zann Expression Sheet, Pencil Sketch

Creating the Insanity Expression

In the animation, the character Erich Zann, suddenly morphs into this insane being. Although, he keeps the same features, they will change his face considerably. This extra face depicting insanity, was done totally separate from the body and then attached purposely for the only scene it appears.

Where the other expressions were modelled, from an already finished model of Erich Zann head, this one because of its deformation and level of detail, had to be modelled and textured separately.

Erich Zann Insane Head, Pencil Sketch Erich Zann Insane Head , Final Model

Erich Zann Insane , Animation Final

Young Man

Age: Unknown, but maybe around 20.

Race: Human-white

Height; 1.80 m

General Demeanour: he is a friendly and caring person, but also curious and disobedient.

Career: A student of Metaphysics at university.

Best Qualities: Friendly and caring.

Worst Qualities: Curious and disobedient.

Bio: The young man moved to the Rue D'Auseil, because it was closer to his university. It was there that he lived one of the most horrific episodes of his life.When he moved to his new room in the old boarding house owned by the paralytic Blandot, he began to overhear the music played by Eric Zahn. Being so drawn into it, he discovered the mystery of the old man and the weird music.

Young Man, Final 3D Model

Discovering the Character

As well as Erich Zann, the Young Man character took a couple of stages before arriving to the final design. This stage was crucial to explore the different ways the character could be designed. Most of this process was done spontaneously, and with only one purpose in mind, variety.

Erich Zann Influence Map

Initial Young Man Silhouettes, Collage

Initial Face Designs, Digital

Collage Process

Developing a Character

With a broad exploration of the initial designs. It took some more development to arrive to the desired design. Firstly , a less stylised approach was done, until a consistent design was created. The same design was stylised even further, to have a character with a stronger silhouette.

Young Man Body Silhouettes, Digital

Body Development, Pencil Sketch

Less Stylised Approach, Pencil Sketch

Final Design, Pencil Sketch

Young Man Final Design

Young Man, Pencil Sketch

Young Man Sees the Void, Final Model

Visualising the Character

Young Man Fully Modelled, 3D Software

Young Man Model Sheet, Pencil Sketch

Model Sheets were done to initially visualise the character in 3 dimensions, later those same model sheets were taken into a 3D Software program and modelling began.

Young Man Face Detail, 3D Software

Creating Emotions

The expression sheet was drawn at the pre-production stage to help visualizing some of the expressions that the character would have. This sheet was very useful for a later production stage, when animating the emotions felt by the character. Young Man Scary Expression, Final model

Young Man Expression Sheet, Pencil Sketch

Comparing the Characters

This comparison chart was done in pre-production measuring the characters and their respective scale. This chart was extremely helpful at the production stage helping to scale the characters together, so they would be proportional.

Size Comparison Chart, Pencil Sketch Scaling the Characters, 3D Software

From 2D to 3D

To achieve a final 3D look of the character, it was needed to follow a process- a character pipeline. This consists in a certain number of tasks that are always needed when moving the design from 2D to 3D,those tasks range in variety, from modelling the character and adding the bones and muscles(skinning) to create controls for animation (rigging ), and adding believable skin colours (texturing).

All this was needed to be done, in order to accurately transfer the character from the paper to the computer.

This processes are elaborate and take time ,as you can see on the previous pages, modelling enables to visualise the character already in the 3D world, though it is a still model.

Adding the joints or bones and carefully bind them to the model is a process known as skinning

Modelling

Erich Zann Body Model, 3D SoftwareErich Zann Face Model, 3D Software

Young Man Body Model, 3D Software

Young Man Upper Torso Model, 3D Software

Erich Zann Skeleton, 3D Software Young Man Skeleton, 3D Software

At this stage, character is able to move. However to help the animator, rigging is done, controls are created to move each part of the body, from the point of a pinky to a blink of an eye. Every possible character movement needs to be controlled.

For these characters, a more advanced rig for the arms was created, IK/FK Switching rig allowing the character to be control by 2 sets of controls, FK used for motion such as walk cycles. And IK used for grabbing things.

Rigging

Erich Zann Fully Rigged, 3D Software

Erich Zann FK Rig, 3D Software Erich Zann IK Rig, 3D Software

Young Man Fully Rigged, 3D Software

The creative part comes after when texturing a characters comes to play, creating believable textures for skin, fabric , etc. May seem elaborate but nonetheless enjoyable when you see the characters finally “dressed up”.

The texturing done for these characters was using a more advanced process, using sculpting and normal maps to create textures.

Texturing

Erich Zann UV Mapped, 3D Software

Erich Zann Sculpted Head, 3D Software Erich Zann Textures, Final Render

Erich Zann Texture Detail, Final Render

Erich Zann Texture Detail, Final Render

Character Renders

The Wold of the Music of Erich Zann

Rue D'Auseil

Rue D'Auseil, Pencil Sketch Rue D'Auseil Model, 3D Software

Rue D'Auseil Model- Camera View, 3D Software Rue D'Auseil , Animation Final

Lodge House

Lodge House, Pencil Sketch

Lodge House Detail , Animation Final

Lodge House , Animation Final

Hallway

Meeting the Genius!, Pencil Sketch

Young Man Arriving to the Apartment, Animation FinalYoung Man Arriving to the Apartment,Pencil Sketch

Meeting the Genius!, Animation Final

Staircase

Staircase Textured, 3D Model

Staircase, 3D ModelStaircase ,Pencil Sketch

The Path of Mystery!, Animation Final

Void

Young Man sees the Void, Pencil Sketch

The Void, 3D ModelThe Void , Pencil Sketch

Young Man sees the Void, Animation Final

The Instrument

The instrument that Erich Zann plays, a Viol, has an important role in the overall animation, therefore a lot of thought was done. In order, to get a good design for the instrument.

The viol is the carrier of such strange music, so a it should evoke power. Thus , a theory was used to create the design for the Viol. The Viol supposed to be this heavy instrument that should be difficult to carry around, as a symbol of the burden that Erich Zann has. The main focus was to create a bizarre yet mysterious scenario, where a frail character carries an enormous instrument as a burden for life.

The Viol

Viol Turnaround, Pencil Sketch

Viol Model, 3D Software Viol UV Mapped, 3D Software

The viol, was taken also to a pipeline similar to the characters, where it was modelled, uv mapped, rigged to create the strings controls, skinned and finally textured.

The Viol

Viol Rig, 3D Software Viol Texture, 3D Software

Viol, Final Model

The Music of Erich Zann

Unit 2.03- Transcription

By Ruben MartinsRubensblogpage.blogspot.com

Art of

Lecturer: Alan Postings