The Bond of Four - Statement of Intent

   Not much has changed since the first proposal that I sent in, there were just a few tweaks here and there on some details, such as the duration of the animation and the narrowing down of the ethnic groups that I wish to focus on. There is also another confirmed stakeholder now, that being Rosy Turner, whom I have had a pleasant enough experience with when she had made a set of title sequences for my COP3 project.

STATEMENT OF INTENT

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

   While everything will be documented through my Studio Practice blog as per normal. Concept art and other visual contents will also be posted on my Tumblr side blog: http://thebondoffour.tumblr.com/

   I plan to continue using this blog even after this module ends, teeing that this will be a series that I hope to continue and expand upon after.

2. Subjects and Themes - Broadly speaking what are you interested in exploring and why?
A story centering around the fantasy and adventure genres, 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 always wanted to promote since it became an independent country.

I will particularly be focusing around the major groups (That being Chinese, Malays and Indians), as well as a few minor groups such as the Japanese, Koreans, and Peranakan.

3. Statement of Intent - Specifics of what you want to do, during this module? 

What

   For my extended practice, I will be aiming to produce a short animation (Of around 1 and half 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. This will be a realistic enough duration for the animation considering that it will feature fully-colored sequences (Come complete with proper shading and lighting) and dynamically animated scenes.

   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. During this pre-production, I will also attempt to improve further on drawing stronger poses to evoke a stronger personality for my characters aside from typical referencing to their appearances.

   The animation itself will be worked on in Adobe Photoshop and will be touched up on in Adobe After Effects. Adobe Indesign will be used when putting the concept art book together.

   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, including my recent Context in Practice 3 project.

When

   While the module’s final deadline is on the 6th of May 2016, there are several other deadlines for presentations and critique sessions. A Gantt chart has been 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. Resources and Workshops - What do you need and by When?

   Perhaps a refresher course on After Effects might help (Particularly when it comes to the camera tools). 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, as well as a classmate who will be working on a opening and closing title sequences for the animation itself.