Posing and General Design

Here are some of the poses i've been working on for John and some designs on the sprinkler. Some of the poses I need to improve.

Layout

Ok this is a Layout concept, noticed that while I was doing the thumbnails this will change slightly, only the perspective. Want the garden to look as if has been well maintained and with the house and shed give the idea that he has a modern taste.

Production Plan

PRODUCTION PLAN FOR WATER TECH
The following is the file management I am currently using for the major:
· Folder plan:
o Project Name >
§ Preproduction
· Concept Art
> Ref.Images
> Tests
· Storyboard
· Thumbnails
· Animatic
· Documents
> Script
· Video block

§ Production
· Backgrounds
> PSD
· Frames
> Colour
>Pencil
· Model Sheets
> Character.Name.jpg
· Tests
· Files
>Flash
> After Effects
§ Post Production
· Composition
> 001_Scene.Description
· Files
>Flash
>After Effects
· Final Composition
· Exports
> DVD


BACK UP PLANS

Plug and Play
One the things I had most trouble with last year was not having a reliable computer to work with regarding graphics. I was always in the look out for the program to crash and leave me with nothing or someone accidentally unplugging the only plug that connects everything in the room. A solution would be to make my graphic programs to save every 10 minutes, which I didn’t do last year. For the plugs I’d have to purchase one of them multiple plugs that stores power in case of a sudden shut down on the main power.
To Save
To back up my work in a digital format I am currently saving my work in two hard drives, one in my Mac and the other in my portable hard drive. Will also use online storage as an alternative in case I loose both physical hard drives.
The real world
Because I will be doing my animation on paper, I will prepare a portable file “cabinet” where I can keep each of the drawn frames divided by sequences. Which I have to do since my house suffers of sever leaks during winter. Computers, hard drives and electrical devices will be secured in the case of a sudden water disaster.

TECHNICAL
All frames will be drawn on paper, over a light box with pencil and ink, and then scanned into the computer.
There are two options for the scanning and clean up process:

1) Draw all the images with a clear blue pencil, then trace the final drawing in Ink and scan into the PC as a black and white image. In Photoshop put them into a greyscale and then to RGB to be able to colour it. After this has been completed, clear any white from the image either with the magic wand or Colour Range. Then import them to After Effects.
2) Draw all the images with a pencil, then scan the images into the computer and retrace everything with a WACOM in Photoshop on a different layer to be able to have a transparent background. Then import into After Effects.

Importing and rendering
The final piece will be rendered out in Full HD (1920 X 1080). The scanned (300Dpi) images will go into Photoshop where they will be coloured and digitally manipulated (image will be 3x bigger so that when imported into the next program I have the flexibility to re frame and manipulate it, vital for big backgrounds), saved as BMP or PSD depending on the manipulation required, then imported into After Effects where I will work on a 1920 x 1080 framing.


BACKGROUNDS

There are a few things I’d like to tackle in this production that concerns the preproduction stage. In the animation I will test the paper marbling technique to create everything that’s in the garden (trees, flowers, grass). Paper marbling consists of “a method of aqueous surface design, which can produce patterns similar to smooth marble or other stone. The patterns are the result of color floated on either plain water or a viscous solution known as size, and then carefully transferred to an absorbent surface, such as paper or fabric.”

To be able to do these tests I have to buy a number of materials. What I am not sure is how it will take me to pump out the images, given that I need to wait for the images to dry and maybe the first test will not work, etc; but it is worth a try. If this does not work I will step back and go to water colours, I want to avoid having to sit down and do all my back images in a digital format.

The look of the animation is essential because it will give it that mood that it needs to give it the sense of a gag.
Like newspaper cartoons, their backgrounds are slightly painted which helps to give it depth (this is usually done with watercolour). Because “Water tech” is a more of a gag I want to achieve the same look, as if the characters act over a watercolour paper, but the colours and the back ground won’t be as washed out.

During post production, once I have achieved the look of the backgrounds and they have been dropped in the composition and if I have the time I would like to try out a visual effect I have been thinking about.
There is a scene where John picks up Alice and walk towards a gravel path, preparing his daughter to be surprised about the sprinkler; in this particular shot John walks towards the path as if walking off the paper, there is no background, but as he does, the path, the grass, the house and the remaining background will reveal it self as if had been washed onto the paper, surrounding the character in a margin of colour.

The option I can think of is to paint the background, add a mask over it in After Effects and then apply some kind of effect that would give the effect of being washed onto the paper.

Script Final

After the feedback I fixed minor issues with the script which makes more sense action wise.

scene 1

ext. garden - day

JOHN stands next to a beautiful young orchid-like flower in his garden that stands tall right under a big tree, beside him is his daughter ALICE.

She holds on to a small teddy bear and looks puzzled

John is holding a garden watering can in one hand and the other behind his back, he shakes his head in disapproval throws it away. From behind his back he brings out a small box and shows it to his daughter, like a telemarketing ad.

The box says "SPRINKLER 3000". It has an image of a happy man with his new gadget, a small futuristic looking sprinkler. John holds it for a second before ripping away the front, revealing the contents.

John pulls out his new sprinkler and it's remote control, and drops the box.

Alice is intrigued

Puts the sprinkler in place right next to his special flowers.

John picks up his daughter and walks back to get a better perspective.

He leaves her on the ground and they both look towards the orchid-like flower with the proud sprinkler standing next to it.

John, very theatrical, turns the dial on the remote to a low watering setting and presses the button.

The sprinkler begins to water the Orchid-like flower in a stylish way.

John looks back at his daughter and gives her a 'what do you think? ah?' laugh.

Being even more of a show off he turns the dial even more to a medium water level.

the water level on the sprinkler rises, and it looks even more impressive, watering the flowers as if directed by a musical director.

John turns the dial once more but now to a High water level

Alice looks and contemplates in awe.

He fixes his glasses and gives a slight grin to his daughter.

John turns towards the garden, a squirt of water goes flying passed him, he just manages to dodge it,(Foley: Cat screaming and cans smashing) John covers his face protecting himself from what just happened, a rake goes flying passed his head which he manages to dodge. He gives a 'that was close' gesture, but his hand got hit by the squirt. He looks at the remote control, electric sparks come out of it, it's wet.

Alice looks at her father then back to the garden where she notices that something has gone wrong and looks surprised.

As john is just about to speak, a strong squirt of water hits him on the face which makes him fall to the ground, he quickly stands back up looking back at the faulty sprinkler in anger.

He walks right up to the sprinkler and stares in an intimidating way right into it which turns off.

Just when he is going to press the button another squirt attacks him.

He cleans his face and glasses and stares back at the sprinkler, which squirts a tiny bit of water.

John cleans him self up and turns to walk towards his daughter but does not notice a rake that was lying on the grass which hits him straight on the face.

he picks it up.

John is angry now and marches up to his daughter with the rake in one hand and presses the button, but nothing happens, he shakes the wet remote control and presses it again, but still nothing happens.

Now at his boiling point he walks quickly back at the sprinkler with the rake, he intends to hit the sprinkler with it when a strong squirt of water explodes that throws him into the tree just above (Foley: Sound of screeching Cat). the rake flies away.

Alice jumps in surprise.

John is trapped in the tree, the cat clings on his face in fear, he tears the cat off his face. He looks back down at the sprinkler, pulls out the button and presses it as hard as he can.

scene 2

EXT. neighborhood Street - Day

A huge water explosion is seen in the distance, like an atomic bomb.

ext. garden - day

(FOLEY: Cartoon fall) John falls in front of his daughter all dirty and wet, with one of the flowers sticking out of his head. Alice is as dirty and wet as he is. She looks like a cranky drowned rat.

Alice pulls out her soaking teddy bear and flaps it in front of his father and walks away.

She then brings back the watering can and waters the orchid-like flower, kicks the can away and walks back to the house very angry.

John sighs.

end of scene

John and Alice and everythig else

I have come to feel that my script has come to it's almost last draft, which will post soonish. Last week got down to finish up some thumbnails and drew up both characters, now gotta concentrate on the garden and it's details (cat, rake, trees, grass,etc)
I have decided to give "paper marbling" a go for my backgrounds, which i was lucky enough to bump into at a Turkish festival last week. paint up all the trees, flowers, grass and composite them all in after effects, if that doesn't work for either time or technically goes wrong I will stick to water coloring everything.
I want to give my animation a watercolor paper texture/water colored gag feel to it (last year I gave a 'old children book for The Blackberry Monster). The animation will take place inside a margin of watercolor background, like newspaper cartoonists paint their gags.
And 'only if I have time' to try out a VFX for when John picks up Alice and walks to the side of the garden, to make the background open up, as if washed on the paper revealing the rest of the background. Kinda hard to explain but will explain to who ever asks ;D.
So here goes an expression sheet for Alice and the final design for John (although I might work a bit on his outfit, probably a pair of boots? we'll see)