Two Final Shots from the film!

Title and composite update

We're on the home stretch and the film in coming together slowly but surely. We have put off our title shot for some time now but finally have a stand in.

Text Testing

Here's a rough attempt at making words that solidify into text solidify into uh... dirt? Check it out!
 
Text Experiment v01 from Halcyon-17 on Vimeo.

Props Update

The final prop assets are near completion. Below are the main props in our film. Again exploring a mix of photographic textures mixed with Photoshop painting to build our art style.

 

The ladder at the bottom of the tree. Also holding the first article of clothing lost

 

The exterior of the rocket ship with metal texture

 

With the interior of the rocket ship we played with the concept of it resembling a uterus that would cradle him

Last the image we will use inside of the book he is reading. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

Rocket Test

Here is the result of a quick tutorial given on a possible way we could quickly produce fire using After Effects CC plugins. Later in the week we will be filming a butane torch and a sparkler to explore other methods and looks to the flame.

Color Script

Parallel to working on the Animatic to refine the timing of the film, we have been using the storyboard thumbnails to develop our color script.

Prop Designs

Looking at the design of various props throughout the film. We started by exploring the critical props, mainly the rocket ship. Additional props will include things such as his hatchet, his book and the ladder.

An early cockpit design.

Rocket shape exploration.

Character Design

We are still exploring the look of the character in relationship to the environments. The character will be animated 2D digitally using Toon Boom. We are currently leaning towards options without the paper edge.

Exploration of the paper edge around the character animation.

Above is a character line up of Goddard at various ages.

Lastly some thumbnail sketches of 16yr old Goddard's facial expressions.

Environment Development

We have been exploring a variety of color palettes and design directions for the environments. The team is narrowing in on a final direction of the film that includes photo textures and compositing, with watercolor backgrounds, digital painting and digital 2D character animation.

Initial direction. Colors based on colors from a prop concept.

A revised concept adding more colors to the sky. This also explore the ripped paper cutout look for our character.

A newer concept exploring a blue color palette and watercolor textures for the sky. Also another approach to the character animation.

A concept exploring the original styleframe color palette and a fully colored character design. This concept also introduces some flower blossoms scattered on the branches.

Final environment direction includes the texture quality of watercolor.

Story and Art Direction Initial Pitch

Art Direction Concept 1

Sound Design Concept 1

Film Summary

The short begins with a close up of cherry tree branches. Limbs are twisted and contorted to create a complex graphic pattern similar to synapses of the human brain. The camera cranes down through the thicket of dead branches to lush budding flowers, and reveals the title card carved into the tree’s trunk.

The environment is expansive and empty with a single tree in its center, extending above the frame with a short ladder leaned against its trunk. A teenage boy walks towards the tree.

The boy climbs the ladder and slowly ascends the tree. Branches transition from ripe with life to dying as he climbs higher and higher. When he crests the canopy, the boy is looking out into endless space. In the distance the young boy sees a hazy red planet. He reaches towards the planet in awe. Suddenly, the branch he is supporting himself on breaks and he begins to fall back to the ground. He turns slowly while falling and now, with his back towards the ground, is looking back towards the red planet. He is aging as he speaks the line "it has often proved true that the dream of yesterday is the hope of today, and the reality of tomorrow."

The words physically animate from his mouth and decay into black soil that collects on his chest where a seedling begins to sprout. The frame slowly tightens around his face as he calmly closes his eyes. He dies.

A hatch closes, framing his face in a porthole window. The camera trucks out to reveal a rocket ship being propelled into space. The loud rumble of a rocket is increasing and increasing in volume as the reverb layers and builds. Hard cut to black as only the echo of the rocket reverberates into hollow space.

The final frame is an old man sitting on a red planet under a cherry tree reading the book The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells as credits roll to the side of the frame