Leica Reel

Check out my leica reel!

Thoughts on my leica reel

Two major things

1) I am pleased with how it turned out. I think I’m heading in the right direction. With Porcelain it’s like I’m working in the dark. I feel a little lost as I battle my way through storyboards and models. But every now and again I will do something that seems right, where it think “oh yeah, this is my film!” This leica reel was one of those moments. Even though it’s nowhere close to where I want to be I can at least catch of gimps of what I hope for on the horizon.

2) The ending does not work! I had my suspicions at the storyboarding stage but decide to wait and see how it played in a time based format. It plays like a big hunk of stinky cheese! Luckily I have some idea on how to fix this problem du fromage. Thanks to a brilliant suggestion from my Senior Animation Project instructor and a helpful class critique, I am on my way to creating a much more compelling ending!


Even though Porcelain is feeling a lot like swish cheese with its plot holes and lame ending, I really feel that I need to leave the story alone. I’m feeling a little anxious having to continuously work on storyboards and my leica reel because they are currently in 2D. I really feel the best course of action at this point is to bunker down and complete all of my major CG elements so I can create a leica reel in the medium my film will be in. Working in 2D requires 2D problem solving. I don’t want to spend a lot of time editing my current leica reel only to have to recreate it in CG with a bombardment of new CG problems.

Project Proposal

PROJECT PROPOSAL

Date:	October, 2011
Working Title:	Porcelain
Director:	Robyn Fulbrook
Composer:	TBD
Techniques:	3D animation Autodesk Maya, Autodesk Softimage, Adobe After Effects
Format:	High-definition video
Length:	5 minutes
Proposed Production Period:	Current to April 30, 2012

Summary:

Porcelain is a five minute animated short set in the Victorian era. It is told through the perspective of Anna, a child from a wealthy family as she struggles to find herself in a culture that regards her as an object.

Synopsis:

In a society where children are seen and not heard, a young girl is lost in a world of precious and fragile objects. As she is perpetually surrounded by silence and isolation, her vitality begins to fade and she gradually transforms into one of the delicate, inanimate porcelain dolls.

Project Description:

Porcelain is a narrative film that explores the inability to establish self. The film follows Anna as she struggles to find her identity but lacking emotional support and nurturing, she increasingly fades into a mould of Victorian society. The loss of self is both terrifying and infinitely sad therefore these are the emotions I am striving to convey within Porcelain. Self is a fragile and ephemeral entity. We constantly struggle to define ourselves, continually negotiating between individualism and social expectations; never sure where one begins and the other ends. I hope that Anna’s internal struggle can transcend Porcelain causing the viewer, whether consciously or subconsciously, to enquire “Who am I?”

The plot of Porcelain is constructed into three acts. The first act establishes the protagonist Anna and her efforts to find an identity in an extravagant yet rigid and isolating world. The second act illustrates her continual entrapment within this environment. The third act is the result of her entrapment, where Anna is unable to find herself and succumbs to the moulding of the external influences.

Visual Treatment:

Porcelain is a computer animated short film set in the Victorian era. I am fascinated by the extravagance of wealthy Victorian society, especially how symbols of wealth also functioned as cages for women and children. In Porcelain I want to capture the beauty and decadence of Victorian high society in a way that also feels oppressive and confining. I chose the Victorian era specifically because of women’s fashion of the time. The high button up necks, long sleeves with tight cuffs and the use of corsets illustrate how the ideals of fashion and wealth also functioned to reinforce social ideals of propriety and served to restrict and inhibit both physical movement and psychological development.

Example of Victorian fashion  

This scene from Titanic illustrates the era's extravagance and social confinement   

The majority of the film takes place in the dark or low lighting. The first act is set at night with oil lamps or a fire place being the source of light. The flickering of the flames will be the most warm and energetic light source of the film. The second act takes place on an overcast afternoon. The light should be soft yet give a feeling of mundane and bleak. The last act is set at night, with moonlight as the major light source. I want the light to feel silent and cold.



Sound Treatment:

Porcelain is a film of isolation and silence. The overall sound treatment should enhance the feeling of silence. The music and the sound effects will be cognizant of the Victorian era. I hope to use piano, string instruments and chimes as the primary instruments. The sounds should seemingly flux between diegetic and non-diegetic; where a musical line could start with a diegetic source but then transcend beyond the story space.