Storyboard Animatic and Conceptual Drawings

Storyboard

The Pitch - Initial Ideas

I have chosen to undertake the production of a short story. The main reason I have chosen this brief is because it gives me the opportunity to produce an animated sequence, and due to my interest in Anime, it is something i would like to have a go at myself. I've had a go at animation before, but this gives me the opportunity to try harder and gain something from it.
Before i can start production on the short story, i will need to do some initial research looking into some of the generic conventions and styles that are apparent in short stories, and more particularly animated short stories. I'll need to look into the different ways characters are introduced, if any, and also the different techniques used to forward the narrative.
I'll need to produce a detailed storyboard that will help me in the production stages. this storyboard will show camera angles, camera and protagonist movement, and also clip duration. I'll also need to come up with a good plot, that may or may not follow the typical conventions of short films.

Production Company Logo Design

Here is my original sketch for my production companies logo. Seen as a lot of my work is inspired by japanese culture, anime and manga, i thought i would dedicate the logo in some way to the style or culture. i immedaitely thought of using a word and translating it to japanese and using that. i also looked at different Kanji symbols that i could use. In the end i used the word for crazy which is Muchuu. as i thought the word sounded quite cool. When designing the lettering i again thought back to japanese culture, and their 'Kawaii' culture, Kawaii meaning cute, and all things round, big eyed and cuddly looking. so i went for a soft bubbly bold font that's loose and curvy and bends round like a rainbow, further refering to kiddy things.



I wanted the colours of the logo to represent cuteness and fun and colour, so i went for a bright colourful palette and multicoloured lettering, again to refere to the kiddish look.

Production Company Background

20th Century Fox are one of the most major American film studios in America. It was created after the merging of two separate companies, 20th century films and the fox film company. Once joined the company began to be very popular, and today is now one of the biggest and most popular Film studios. It is famous for franchises such as X-men, Star Wars and Die Hard, and was the company that brought Shirley Temple to our screens.



The 20th Century fox logo was an art deco design by artist Emil Kosa, Jr. The fanfare was originally painted on layers of glass and animated frame by frame, these days it's all produced digitally.



Paramount Pictures Corporation is a world renowned film production and distribution company which was formed back in 1912 and is currently owned and part of Viacom. It is said its the most profitable film company. It is responsible for some of the most well known films and is one of the oldest film production companies. The Paramount mountain has been the companies logo since its creation, and even now, it is one of the oldest logos around, and a world recognised symbol. The company is responsible for films such as What women Want, Saving Private Ryan, The Italian Job and also original national treasures such as Popeye.



Both film companies are major names, and their images can be recognised all over the world. One of the major differences between the two, is that Paramount are not only a film production company, but also a distributor.

Primary Reasearch

Exhibition

The various ways of presenting and exhibiting short films is just as diverse as that of movies and music videos.

Film festivals are one of the more obvious places to view a series of short films. A film festival is usual an annual event that showcases various films that usually follow the theme of the evening. For instance it may be a robot theme, and therefore the organisers will choose some of the best robot related films to show. These films can be recent releases, old favourites, or even international films. The festival can even be dedicated to a particular actor or director, it's completely up to the organisers of the event. But it is at film festivals where award winning short films are likely to be showcased and first officially shown to the public or attendees.

Another way of presenting short films or a series of short films is via DVD. Animation companies that produce the short films are likely to release a DVD collection of their films so they are available for buying and owning. Animation companies like Pixar have done this on numerous occasions, releasing their official 'Pixar Short Film Collection' DVD. Collaborative DVD's are also created, such as Batman: Gotham Knight, and The animatrix. This is where various animation companies produce a short film based on the same character or story idea, and each animation studio have their own take on how the characters and setting are presented, usually using their own particular style.

Another way short films can be showcased within DVD's is in the extras or the special features. Normally trailers for related features are put here, but it is also common for short films that relate to the main feature to be displayed here. For instance, The film '9' is due to be released in cinema's soon, based on the short film by Shane Acker, but when the film is released on DVD, it is likely that the original short film will be in the special features or extras for anyone to watch that may not have seen the original story.



Due to the expanding technologies of the world of today it is possible to gain popularity through the Internet. Anyone is able to create websites and show their own work to the entire world. Thanks to websites like Youtube, Vimeo and Megavideo, it is even possible for people with no knowledge of creating websites to upload their own videos they have created. This makes the Internet the easiest place to find and view short films. Many Oscar award winning short films by students from various universities around the world can be found by searching on Youtube alone. And using searcgh engines like Google you can easily locate various producers of short films and other works, amateur or professional to delve into.