A Rough Patch... 1/3 process

Time is going by faster than it looks, and today is the day where I acknowledge this and take advantage of the time I have left to complete this project. That goes to all of my struggling classmates as well; these next upcoming weeks should be where you put in your best effort!

Since the last time I made a post on here I proposed to complete something I have yet to accomplish, which is a mood board and some background examples. The mood board wasn’t necessary; however, it would be a great reference and be helpful throughout my work process. The background examples are particularly important, and I will be working on them over the Thanksgiving break.

As for the title, you can notice my project hasn’t been the smoothest process. To be completely honest I’ve had some setbacks reguarding my storyboard. I am going to adjust/change my storyboard due to plot holes. (I’m having some trouble with telling the story, too many ideas.)

I have completed digital character sheets to understand how my characters will look like and have a layout of their color schemes. I also started working on the storyboard keyframes in photoshop and creating an animatic that will be modified, as I said earlier.

Recently I have been inspired by an artist called Anna Scott; she works with creating intricate character designs that are visually pleasing. She also makes very spectacular illustrations that show off her skills and abilities with characterizing environments. The color schemes she uses are naturalistic yet are presented in a way to be whimsical, with pops of bright or unusual colors. When exploring with my backgrounds I will aim for more natural toned colors instead of bold and bright color schemes. (Check out Anna Scott's website! https://annascottcharacterdesign.carbonmade.com)

Moving on, what is important for me is to focus on taking a day just to sketch out a solid storyline that is relevant to Sunnie and his backstory. (Basically a revision of my storyboards.) I’m no expert, however, I received feedback from a critique group and they suggested I rework and fully flesh out my storyboards. 

In the original storyboard, It is quick and focuses on how sunnie and rob meet and their interactions. However, because the story is centered on Sunnie and is about abandonment, I need to focus more on the concept rather than character interactions and side plots.

A storyboard artist by the name of TinAnh Huynh caught my eye, posting almost daily storyboards based on random prompts. I think that such a fun approach when it comes to creating a story/narrative and characters based on one word. Taking inspiration from TinAnh, I can try working off the word abandonment to establish a strong story/concept. (Also they have some wicked animation skills, check them out here! https://www.instagram.com/tinhanh.huynh/)

What I must accomplish by the halfway point of my animation senior thesis film:

1. A Strong and complete story and storyboard

2. Digitalized Keyframes and an animatic of the possible animation

3. Color keys for backgrounds, experimental backgrounds, and finished backgrounds

4. Background music (find or create music for the film)

5. Mood board of inspirations 

6. Turn arounds of characters (Optional)

Do you have any suggestions on what I should prioritize?

Explain down below, it’s very much appreciated!