Street painting

This was a rough sketch I did some time ago when I was trying out some exaggerated perspective. The result seem pretty cool so I thought I'd scan it and work it into a rough concept painting.  This Is the first real visual take on the Ben and George Idea - the characters are loosely base on me and my older brother when we were younger.

I'll definitely be doing more character sketches for here and some more concept paintings too

Photo shopping

Here I decided to take a different approach and use images to start my paintings off. I found these ones on google images and liked either their composition or colour so I thought I'd work them into wide screen shots. 

This is image actually depicts the concept of webbed lights quite well - the concept comes for the idea that that light from street lamps does look a bit like cob web if it is slightly foggy.

 So in this painting I try and play with that idea and spread the spider web out from the lights themselves. That way they sort of blend in and look more inconspicuous. This was painted in black and white first and an overlay layer or colour has been add later so that the tone and values are kept.

I've been working on some of these and doing them on one page as is suggested by Feng Zhu in his design tutorials on concept art painting. this way I can use some of the same values and relate some of the shot angles. These tutorials are free and very thorough and can be found on youtube. I will do a post on them next and include some of the videos I've been referencing.

 The last one I was able to make up but adopting some of the qualities of the other images and interpreting them into composition of my own - a shot looking up at the lights.

Referencing photos has been good to understand what pallets of colour work together logically and how a whole composition can be define by just two or three set colours. Interesting play time doing this.

Script ideas

Thought I use this post to upload a production bible overview for the film. This include the Premise, the Theme, Synopsis, a rough script and a really rough budget. The working title for the film project 'Web Lights' - There are 2 ideas for the same concept of giant spiders, but I'm leaning towards the second right now with Ben and George.

‘Web Lights’

The Premise

Buckle up tight and turn on your web light!

Theme

Acceptance

Synopsis

Daniel seems to be the only one who can see them and knows they only come out when night falls - the silent crawlers amongst the trees and above the streetlights. Equipped with just his wits and his Web light, can he protect his family through another night’s drive home or will this journey truly be their last.

Story Development

Some kids collect stamps and some pogs, some collect marbles and others collect frogs – But not Daniel; he collects bulbs. Daffodil bulbs? No, light bulbs and of a particular kind too. His parents find his obsession strange but they’ll never see or understand the truth. Daylight and UV bulbs are the only kinds that can fend off those hunting crawlers of the night because they are sensitive to light. Daniel dreads a night drive home from his grandma’s but always leaves prepared, and tonight is no exception.

Spiders, hundreds of them of different shapes, sizes and breeds, hide amongst the trees and behind the leaves. Grown ups can’t see them but if you‘re young enough you can always try, look out at night at the streetlights, focus hard and squint your eyes. If you do the light’s glare will spread and the lines just might reveal the thread of a spiders web. When you first see it, if you ever manage to get a glimpse you’ll be very surprised but from then on you’ll forever see through the disguise.

Beginning:

Introduction like above^ and the viewer learns about Daniel’s strange collection habits and his nervousness about the drive home with his parents that night from his grandmas.

Daniel is perhaps equipped with all kind of silly looking gear such as torches, goggles, battery packs, aerosol spays and water guns etc. ready for the drive home. He says goodbye to his grandma who is possibly in on the mystery, and he and his parents head to the car to leave.

(Narration or Daniel narrating in third person) giving stories/insights into the night crawler, which is mixed with visuals.

Middle

(Crisis 1) Daniels has a special daylight torch that he uses to scare off any night spiders that approach their car on the way home. But whilst in the car, Daniel learns that his Dad had swapped the batteries back from his torch after realising Daniel had pinched them from his portable radio. So with his torch batteries dying and no spares, will Daniel be last the journey home or will the night crawlers finally home in.

(Version 2)

Ben and George are at their Grandmothers house and are put to bed. Ben Starts telling George tales of giant spiders that come out at night and lurk in the shadows above the street lights; preying on cars and late nightwalkers.

George gets scared as he begins to imagine Ben’s tale vividly but then refuses to believe him. Being eager to prove that he isn’t lying, Ben dares George to go outside if he doesn't believe him and walk down the road to the bridge and back. George immediately says no at first, but then to Ben’s surprise he suddenly agrees to go in hope that Ben might stop calling him a chicken.

Equipped with just one Torch, a cricket bat and a large umbrella, they sneak out of the house. Ben leads the way down to the bridge with the torch and George follows closely behind him. They’re both frightened now but Ben tries to hide it - He asks George if he‘s ready to turn back yet but George puts on his brave face and pushes him to continue. As they reach the bridge there are less and less lights and it becomes really dark. Ben starts to panic while frantically shining the torch around the grand arch of the bridge until he drops the torch

Ending 1

Suddenly Ben cries with fear and immediately turns to run back up the road to the house, leaving George alone and more frighten than ever! George cries out for Ben as he runs off but he doesn’t look back. George quickly picks up the torch off the floor and shines it above him with his umbrella ready, trying to get a glimpse of anything he can. He sees something moving but can’t quite make it out. Just then, a van approaches and it’s full beams light up the entire bridge revealing nothing but a shredded bin-bag above him, which is caught on the bridge and blowing in the wind. George is bewildered at first but then becomes hugely relieved. He pulls himself together and heads back for the house.

Back at the house Ben is hidden under his covers, still quite shaken up. Just then George creeps into the room and jumps back into bed, startling Ben. Ben suddenly appears from the covers relieved to see George back in one piece. Ben immediately asks if George is ok and starts firing questions at George trying to find out what happened. Suddenly with his wits about him, George starts describing a giant Bridge spider more vividly than ever and how he was left to fend him off. Ben listens intensely but then eventually says that he doesn't believe him. George then proclaims that he could have seen it all for himself had he not been such a chicken!

Proposed Production Team

12 Staff members (6 of Animation production team + 5 Voice Actors)

1 Production manager

1 Lead Animator/Art director/Clean-up artist

1 animator/Clean-up artist

1 Editor/Compositor

1 Colourist/ Background artist/Clean-up artist

1 Clean-up Artists (sole role)

5 Voice Actors

1 Musician/Sound Engineer

Rough Budget

Equipment

3 x Adobe Photoshop licences 3 £1000

3 x Digitcel flipbook licences 2 £750

2 x AfterEffects licences 1 £300

2 x PREM Pro licences 1 £300

2 x cintiqs £3400

1 x pen tablet £100

2 x Computers  £800

2 x Hi Spec computers £2000

Total

£8650

Accommodation over 20 weeks

1 Studio

gas/electric

Council tax

Rent

Total

£4000

12 Staff members (Rates per week)(6 of Animation production team + 5 Voice Actors)

1 Production manager £600 x 20 weeks

1 Lead Animator/Art director/Clean-up artist £800 x 20 weeks

1 animator/Clean-up artist £600 x 12 weeks

1 Editor/Compositor £1000 x 6 weeks

1 Colourist/ Background artist/Clean-up artist £500 x 15 weeks

1 Clean-up Artists (sole role) £300 x 10 weeks

5 x Voice Actors  £300 (x5) x 1 weeks

1 Musician/Sound Engineer £500 x 5 weeks

Total

£49,700

Overall Total

£62,350