Silhouette Experiments

I have been trying to create interesting silhouettes using animal shapes. I’m not really sure about them for the most part. However, a few seem to have some personality that could be expanded upon.

Victorian Prints and Illustrations

Proposal Update

After some consideration I have decided not to move forward with my War of the Worlds Idea. This is for a number of reasons; the main reason being that the idea has been explored by a number of other authors in the past (Scarlet Traces by Ian Edginton, The Second War of the Worlds by George H. Smith). I could potentially put my own spin on the idea, however I would feel dispassionate toward the project knowing such similar works are already in existence.

During my second meeting with Alan we disgust potential ways of moving forward with my second idea (a modern adaptation H.G. Wells Island of Dr. Moreau). I decided to abandon the idea of updating the story into modern day. Instead I will aim for a more conservative adaptation of the original story set in the Victorian era. However, I wish to make this project different from Transcription by aiming for a younger audience (13 to 15). The tone will be dark and morbidly comic in a similar vein to Coraline (2009) or ParaNorman (2012). A Victorian/Steampunk setting opens up lots of potential areas of exploration in production design. I will be looking at Victorian caricatures, illustrations and prints as well as more contemporary works that have used similar references, such as Alan Moor’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.  

My final outcome for this project will be a fully developed character design and 3D model of one of Dr. Moreau’s creations. This is a list of characters I could potentially create:

• M'ling - Montgomery's bear-based servant.
• Sayer of the Law - An unspecified animal that recites Moreau's teachings about being men to the other Beast Folk.
• Leopard-Man - A leopard-based rebel who breaks the Law by killing and eating a rabbit.
• Hyena-Swine - A carnivorous hybrid of hyena and pig who becomes Prendick's enemy in the wake of Dr. Moreau's death.
• Satyr-Man - A goat creature. He is described as unsettling and "Satanic" in form by Prendick.
• Fox-Bear Witch - A female hybrid of fox and bear who passionately supports the Law. Prendick quickly takes a dislike to her.
• Sloth Creature - A small, pink sloth-based creation. Described by Prendick as resembling a flayed child.
• Dog-Man - A Beast Man created from a St. Bernard who near the end of the book is Prendick's faithful companion. He is killed when the Beast Folk start regressing back to their primitive states.
• Ape-Man - A monkey or ape creature that considers himself equal to Prendick, who refers to himself and Prendick as 'Five Men' because they both have five fingers on each hand which is uncommon among the Beast Folk. He is the first Beast Man, other than M'ling, that Prendick speaks to. He has what he refers to as 'Big Thinks' which, on his return to England, Prendick likens to a priest's sermon at the pulpit.

Minor Project Proposals

After my initial tutorial with Alan I have come up with a couple of ideas to pursue.

I am fairly certain that I want to work within character design as it is the area I find most satisfying. I initially wanted to design a character from an original source material, most likely a novel or short story (similarly to the transcription brief).

Alan suggested that I expand on the ideas of the original source material to create something more original.

We discussed two promising ideas; one idea was a modernized version of the H.G. Wells classic The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896). It would be similar in tone to the BBC’s TV series Sherlock (2010) or Jekyll (2007). The original novel was written within a climate of fear surrounding the use of vivisection in scientific experiments. I could update this concept to represent more current fears such as DNA experimentation and cloning. I would be creating one of the beast human hybrids mentioned in the novel. 

Another idea also related to H.G. Wells is a sequel to his War of the Worlds (1898). The pitch being that after the failed Martian invasion of 1898 the British Empire captures re-appropriates abandoned Martian technology for its own use. The Empires technological capability is advanced to such a degree that they are able to lunch an invasion of Mars. I would be designing a re-appropriated Martian tripod (or other peace of Martian tech).  I think this is the stronger of the two ideas; however I am slightly put off due to my discovery of a couple of graphic novels with a similar premise.

Amorphous Thing