GA - Development - Setting Up The Unity Project

Since I had started to get some of the models from other members of the group, I decided now would be the time to start putting together the Unity project.

Starting, I took Kingas model hut and placed into a blank Unity project with a plan terrain object.

I then decided what scripts I would be needing for this project, to be honest I wasn't sure on what I would use image effects for at first.

For quick reference I grabbed the Terrain Assets (which is essential for quick work or even to use permanently).

I decided that 100 x 100m would be plenty of space to make a ground environment with room to spare for the fall off.

From using the skills we were taught from first year and our refresher, I quickly came up with a simple (for now) ground environment.

Our chosen place is a swamp so naturally a swamp will have water, I added day time water in first and realised it didn't look right at all.

The inside out the house was going to need an ambient glow from the only light source in the room which is the cauldron. I turned the water into night time water and that started to work really well with the rest of the environment.

After checking over the story and realising that the end colour of the cauldron was going to be fire red. I decided to start it off with a blue to get a great contrast with colours.

GA - Development - Personal Narrative

Over time I have been a great fan of epic fantasy books, I hope to believe that they have taught me how to write quite en captivating narratives when needed. Which is exactly what I've tried to do to aid Tom in his concept art. I took abit of his concept sketches, his storyboard ideas and compiled a four page description of the story, our main hero, the antagonist and the environment it's self.

GA - Team Tasks - Chosen Story

In our second group meeting, the one which each of us was set to create a few small stories with a mood board. We then took the time to read everyone else stories and take a vote on our favourite one. In the end we all chose Toms final story. Unfortunately I've been able to get access to his story in writing.

GA - Team Tasks - Moodboard

As per my chosen stories, and our team tasks I compiled a group of images to use for my mood board. I've spoken about it before and I'm saying it again, I love ambience, darkness and flame flicker. There is just something about that eeriness that really captures my imagine, like a moth to a flame. I had a feeling we were going to go for something creepy so all my stories are based around this and so is my mood board. Consisting mostly of horror images, images that really make you go 'oh god' when you look straight at them. They range from movies over 40 years old, some of them quite iconic.

There isn't much that needs to be said for a mood board, basically a source of inspiration and a quick over for the theme of your chosen idea. This gives me plenty to work with, you can see I've added mostly facial expressions because this is usually what gives the most scare in people.

GA Development - Google Drive Setup

As for making for sure our team was organised, I took it upon my self to make a Google Drive directory that was laid out in a professional manor, a way we could work in steps towards our final goal. Folders from concept art, test projects to our final piece. Using this would ensure we had each had access to everyone else work whenever we needed it for development purposes. To the right you can see a folder tree of the whole directory, the team were happy and every other uses had permission to change them when ever they needed. I think organisation is absolutely crucial when developing a project, especially when a team is involved, the work needs to be update and accessible at any time. It's possible we may need to come back to this work at a later stage and if nothing was labelled and in disarray it would just make our life harder in the long run. So do it now I say, a great professional practice to work by.

GA Teams Tasks - Individual Stories And Notes

After being briefed on our final practical module for the year, our team got together to discuss our plan for the next few months. As for our first task in the next team meeting we decided to all come with four different story ideas, that way we would have a great diversity of information to work from. The story we liked best, we would use that story. The parameters, four simple story ideas, a title and a paragraph. A mood board in our own style and a character mood board to accompany it.

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Paralysed (Location - An Abandoned House)

Starts with a slow awakening, you begin to realise you’re in a dark hallway (possible slouched on the ground). Upon standing up you take a few steps forward and hear a distinct noise behind you, as you spin round something evil, a black figure or something deformed is staring right at you. Startled beyond fear you turn around to run again but as your vision full spins it’s there on the other side, you finally are able to run down the hallway and round the corner; the thing seems to be toying with you and you can hear it’s distinct noises getting closer. You turn back and see you it bolt around the corner, suddenly you are paralysed moving feels like you’re moving through mud and the thing closes in.

The Meeting (Location -In The Woods)

You are walking with a friend to a meeting that you have no information about, all your friend has said is be quiet. Within 10 seconds you reach the destination and there are three very strange looking people stood around a small camp fire, the middle speaks in a very raspy but unsettling tone. Suddenly you feel a loud crack or thump to your head and begin to fall slowly from the hit realising it was your head, turning to the right you also see your friend falling aswell. Everything goes black and slowly awake to be locked in a room, your friend next to tied up, still unconscious. Instantly the three figures come through the door laughing and snorting. They have some kind of tool in the hand, a chainsaw. With three swift pulls it gnarls to life and as the sound grows louder towards your face, everything goes black..

The Manikin

You are a urban photographer possibly, exploring an old house as it begins to get dark you should leave; but you want to get some flash pictures in the night. Upon entering one room that appears more eerie than the rest, you take a picture and have a quick look. You see a few things and a manikin in the corner in a limp position. You take another few shots and move around the room slightly, you look through your photos and being happy with them you carry on. After a few moments an icy realisation hits you, you look back at the camera and check your photographs only to see that photo by photo the manikins position has moved. Frozen with fear you build up your strength and take another photo in that direction, in the flash you couldn't tell where it was so looking back at your camera you see that it has in fact disappeared from that corner of the room. You slowly take a few steps back and bump into something and fall down, as you turn around to look the manikin is standing directly above and releases some unknown sound and the screen goes black.

VFX Final - Breakdown

Here is a breakdown of my shots, specifically the the scene where a wisp withers away.

VFX Final

So this is my final vfx video rendered out.

Within

GA - Team Tasks - Job Roles

For the most efficient work flow in our team we decided to each say what our favourite part of the 3D modelling process was, and thankfully we all chose different things.

Tom 

Storyboard and animation, character development and scripting. This also includes floor plans and elevation plans, any other concept work is also involved.

Kinga

Scenographer and environment artist, this basically involves where the animation will be happening and how it will look. This doesn't include lighting.

Simon

Taking the concept art for characters and modelling, rigging and animating them. Working in conjunction with me and Tom to get the best animations for each of them aswell.

My Self

The jobs I am taking on are, scene building - I'll take all the assets from each person and compile them into one master project to start building the actually cut scene. I'll then be doing the lighting for the animation, making sure the environment is fully lit and looking eerie. Character lighting, hopefully involving some 3 point professional lighting when needed. I'll be taking Toms concept story line and working in the camera shots accordingly, a good use of depth of field is going to be crucial here to get that high quality look. The audio will be all my responsibility and since I want to make this a high grade piece of work, I am going to attempt to calibrate with an audio engineer for a step by step layering of the animation. Any finishing touches will also be on me, rendering the piece out and taking it in to after effects for extra detail. Lastly as I'm doing the final part of the workflow I'll be taking a directorial role to ensure everything is organised in a way that makes everyone else job and ultimately my own and straight forward and efficient process.