The Bond of Four - Rationale

Respondent: Rebecca Wong Si-Lin_253249 Submitted on: Tuesday, 1 December 2015, 10:58 AM

RATIONALE

1. Where are you documenting the development of Extended Practice online?

   While everything will be documented through my Studio Practice blog, I have considered creating a Tumblr blog for it as well, especially if this will be a series that I will be able to continue and expand upon even after this module as ended.

2. Broadly speaking what are you interested in exploring and why?

   
While the project is highly fantasy based, I will be looking into a variety of ethnic cultures to create a diverse world that would strongly portray the message of Racial Harmony that Singapore have been so strong about since it became an independent country.

3. What you want to do during this module? Be as specific as you can at this moment in time.

If you plan on working on multiple briefs to demonstrate your practice, identify clearly each brief.

What 

   For my extended practice, I will be aiming to produce a short animation (Of 2 minute duration) and a concept art book (Consisting of character, prop and setting designs, storyboards of various scenarios (Scenes that will be featured in the animation short and concepts) and a look into the story’s universe itself as well as the characters’ relationship with one another) to go along with it.

   Titled “The Bond of Four”, the story takes place in a fantasy-based world where four siblings are separated from one another at a very young age, only to reunite with one another several years later, one now a humble scholar, one a daring pickpocket, one an assassin to a wealthy king and another a crown prince. And soon they will realize that it is fate that has brought them back together as a war will soon wage between two kingdoms. 

Why 

  This project was initially presented as a concept for a stage play, while it was not necessarily stated that the universe the story would be a non-fictional one, the designs were heavily based on a variety of Asian cultures and religions (Such as Chinese, Malaysian, Peranakan and Japanese). In the end, this series was created as a way to show further appreciation for not just Asia’s wide variation of colorful cultures, but to also promote racial harmony. 

Who

   Seeing as this series had originally been designed as a booklet that would be handed out to those that would be viewing this hypothetical play, this was originally aimed at teenagers and adults (When considering the age groups that would possibly be interested in attending such plays). Again, seeing as this had been created to promote racial harmony, the series is aimed at roughly the same target audience, but can now be further extended seeing as it is presented in a more reachable form of media.

How

    In terms of my research, aside from looking into a number of inspirations (Which will include movies, shows, video games, comic books and music) for my animation, I will also be referring to various animation, concept and fashion books.

   The concepts will allow me the chance to play around with both traditional and digital mediums, especially when experimenting with an art style that would work for the overall series.

   The animation itself will be worked on in Adobe Photoshop (Though I hope to perhaps make some attempts with Flash and TV Paint Animation if I am able to better familiarize myself with either or both over the next few months) and will be touched up on in Adobe After Effects

   Music and sound for the animation short will be composed by a collaborator whom I have worked with on a few other projects in the past.

When

   While the module’s final deadline is on the 6^th of May 2016, there are several other deadlines for presentations and critique sessions. A gantt chart will also be made so that I will be able to stay on track over the next few months and efficiently progress and produce the work needed for the final product.

4. Explain how this will be developing your Specialist Practice?

   Such a major project will also be a huge addition to my portfolio, which will be required by the time this module ends. I wish to explore into all the areas (Visual Development, Character Design, Storyboarding, Scriptwriting and Animating) that I hold a deep interest in, and by the end of this module, I should be able to confirm which areas in particular that I think I will work better in and should focus more on.

5. What do you need and by When?

Perhaps a refresher on Flash might help, and if anyone has had experience with TV Paint, receiving assistance from someone that has used it before would be beneficial. An available Cintiq would also be of great help.

6. Will you be working on a group project or brief?

( If YES explain )

   ... No.

7. Are there any stakeholders in your project?

If YES, explain who they are and what their responsibilities are? - This is essential if you've got a Live Brief from a client

   At the present moment, I have definitely confirmed that I will be collaborating with an ex-Leeds College of Music student for the music and sound of my animation.

8. What, where and when do you need to research. Begin to identify and artists, practitioners, companies or organisations that you will need to talk to. This could include getting to speak to people at conferences, events and other organisations. 

   I might be visiting a few studios over this period, and during then, I can hopefully show some progress for this project and receive some proper advice on how to further my concept art and/or storyboards before the deadline.

9. Please identify at least 6 books, periodicals, websites or other media that may be informing your rationale. Please use Harvard referencing. 

Books

1.     DiMartino, M, D. and Konietzko, B. (2010). Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Art of the Animated Series,US: Dark Horse.

2.     Louis, W. (2015). Super Turbo Atomic Ninja Rabbit Groundworks, UK: The Line.

Games

1.     Capcom. (2002) Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny. [DISC] Playstation 2. Osaka: Capcom

2.     Capcom. (2006) Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams. [DISC] Playstation 2. Osaka: Capcom

3.     Clover Studio. (2006) Okami. [DISC] Playstation 2. Osaka: Capcom.

4.     Game Republic. (2005) Genji: Dawn of the Samurai. [DISC] Playstation 2. Tokyo: Sony Computer Entertainment.

5.     Heart Machine. (2015) Hyper Light Drifter. [ONLINE DOWNLOAD] Kickstarter. California: Heart Machine.

6.     Ignition Tokyo. (2011) El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron. [DISC] Playstation 3. UK: UTV Ignition Entertainment.

7.     Level-5. (2010) Ni no Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn. [GAME CARD] Nintendo DS. Fukuoka: Level-5.

8.     Omega Force. (2004) Samurai Warriors 4. [DISC] Playstation 4. Tecmo Koei.

9.     SEGA AM2. (2000) Shenmue. [DISC] Dreamcast. Tokyo: Sega.

10.   Square. (2000) Legend of Mana. [DISC] Playstation. North America: Square Electronic Arts.

11.   Square. (2001) Final Fantasy X. [DISC] Playstation 2. North America: Square Electronic Arts.

12.   Square Enix. (2003) Final Fantasy XII. [DISC] Playstation 2. Paris: Ubisoft.

13.   Ubisoft Montreal. (2014) Child of Light. [DISC] Playstation 3. Paris: Ubisoft.

14.   Tecmo Koei. (2012) Pokemon Conquest. [GAME CARD] Nintendo DS. Tokyo: The Pokemon Company.

15.   Tobyfox. (2015) Undertale. [ONLINE DOWNLOAD] Microsoft Windows. US: Tobyfox.

Movies and Shows

1.     The Book of Life (2014) Directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez [Film]. US: 20th Century Fox.

2.     Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011) Directed by Makoto Shinkai [Film]. Japan: Media Factory.

3.     Kung Fu Panda (2008) Directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne [Film]. US: Paramount Pictures.

4.     Kung Fu Panda (2011) Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson [Film]. US: Paramount Pictures.

5.     Millienium Actress (2001) Directed by Satoshi Kon [Film]. Japan: The Klockworx Co., Ltd.

6.     The Secret of Kells (2009) Directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey [Film]. UK: StudioCanal.

7.     Song of the Sea (2013) Directed by Tomm Moore [Film]. Ireland: StudioCanal.

8.     Spirited Away (2001) Directed by Hayao Miyazaki [Film]. Japan: Toho.

9.     The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) Directed by Isao Takahata [Film]. Japan: Toho.