Outsourced Concept Art

As I am unable to complete the detail concept art part of the dissertation, I am going to post the concept art that I used for inspiration, so that there is something to refer to, in accompaniment to the storyboard.

Hero:

Village:

Village (destroyed):

Villagers:

Immortal World:

Villain:

Some Unfinished Artwork

I was unable to finish the detailed artwork, but here is one that is a work in progress:

List of Storyboard Iterations

The storyboard will be in a physical form, so this post is somewhere to keep a list of the changes that the storyboard has gone through over the course of the dissertation. I will also make notes here on why I picked certain aspects e.g. the colour scheme of that scene, etc. The storyboard itself will make note of which colours, camera shots, and such are used, but this post is where I will make any more substantial notes.



Exile Scene:

In the concept art, the Chanda is originally portrayed as strong, and confident. In the exile scene the camera always looks down on the Chanda, and up on the King. This both accentuates the King's power, and emphasises that the Chanda is being stripped of her power, strength, and confidence. Her poses and expressions are indicative of a humbled child; regretful of her actions.

In part of the scene, Chanda's top layer of armour, medallion, and weapon is removed, to show the loss of power. Originally I had the storyboard scripted to have the guards remove her armour/medallion/weapon, but I changed it, so that the King removes it instead. This way it further emphasises the King's power and control. I also decided that Chanda should place her weapon down in front of the King, before her armour/medallion are removed., to portray her remorse for her actions; showing her shame and guilt, as she accepts her fate. This serves to help the viewer feel sympathy for her; she is impetuous and selfish, but she is not a corrupt and villainous person (in contrast to Laufeia, who worships corruption and chaos). When the king passes the sentence over Chanda, he looks down and away. He does not relish having to exile Chanda; she was like a daughter to him, but he cannot change what must be done, for the greater good. This helps the King to remain likeable, even though he is exiling Chanda.

I also decided to add some extra shots to the exile scene: shots of the main villain, Laufeia. I wanted the villain to be introduced fairly early on, but I wanted the scene to have a sense of foreboding, both alluding to Laufeia's sinister plans for Elysia and Baraeuan, and foreshadowing the destruction of the village, Dagneserena. The shots with Laufeia should evoke feelings of unease and apprehension. I decided to add some shots of him after Chanda is removed from the room where she is sentenced to exile; he will go unnoticed by the other characters, but the close up of his face will bring him to the attention of the viewer. As Chanda is about to be exiled, this shot helps to add to the feeling of distress and dysphoria that the viewer should be feeling at this point, to further add to their sympathy towards Chanda. The shots of Laufeia will be a close up of his face, shadowed by a hood, so that all the viewer can see is his mouth grinning, as he watched Chanda being taken away. Keeping him hooded makes the viewer see him as a dark, mysterious figure, to help pique the viewer's interest and curiosity, as the viewer will already be unsure of Chanda's future.

The Scene ends with a bright flash of light, and the shot dissolves to a blank white shot, signifying the end of the scene.



Scene A:

To carry on from the end of the exile scene, sounds of birds tweeting will first fade in, to signify the passage of time and the change of location. The white shot then fades in to a bright sky. The camera will slowly pan down through trees, to the forest floor, where Chanda lies, unconscious. The slow pan will build suspense, because the viewer doesn't know where Chanda is, and what condition she is in. Even when the camera finally pans to her, the viewer will not know if Chanda is alive or not at first. The camera will look down on Chanda, representative of how she is no longer a being of power, and is now a mortal, a "lower" being (again in contrast to the original concept art of her).

The first part of the scene should be full of uncertainty and confusion; is Chanda alive? Who are the people that have appeared, and are standing over her? Where are they taking her? What's going to happen? Then when the village is revealed, it provides comfort to the viewer; a respite from all the negative scenes.

When the village is revealed, the colour changes dramatically, from dark and harsh, to bright and cheerful, to show that Chanda is stepping into a new world, that is not as horrible as it seems. The mortal plane may be primitive in comparison to Elysia, but it is still a place of great beauty and serenity.

When the village is revealed, the camera will pan over the top of the village. This is not a shot that is supposed to be seen through the eyes of the hero; Chanda would be too weak to fully take in the sights, so a high, establishing shot is used to show the village to the viewer instead. The beauty of the village serves to give the viewer hope, that Chanda may actually have a good future.

The villagers take Chanda in and care for her, helping the viewer to bond with the villagers. Chanda begins to then bond with the villagers, in turn helping the viewer to bond with Chanda, as they start to see her friendly, carefree side.The viewers are starting to see the good side of Chanda, as she herself is discovering it. The villagers teach her how to do everyday tasks that she has never had the need to learn before; washing, cooking, crafting, etc.


Scene B:

This scene starts when Chanda is travelling back to the village, after a quest/mission. The forest is portrayed to look happy and picturesque, mimicking Chanda's feeling of contentment and ease; a big contrast to both Chanda and the forest in Scene A - Chanda has changed a lot by this point. When something comes floating down the river, it is expected to be something pleasant, (like a flower, or just a leaf), because the scene so far has been so carefree and pleasant. This part of the scene is about this unknown object, but it's not an unsettling unknown for Chanda; it's more of a peaceful curiosity, which is a contrast to the feelings of unknown that have been in the Exile Scene, and Scene A. Chanda doesn't dread the future, and is happy.

The aesthetic of the whole scene changes when the object is revealed to be a blood-soaked object from the village. The trees rush by as Chanda frantically runs towards the village; the forest now feels even more perturbing than in Scene A. What has happened? Are the villagers okay? Is Chanda going to have to go through more hardship? The same shot is used from Scene A, where the trees part for the imminent reveal of the village, so the viewer will be hoping that the trees will open to the same beautiful, peaceful view as before. They will not be so lucky; the trees part to reveal the village, completely destroyed. The scene pans through numerous shots of the village; destroyed buildings, fires, corpses. This serves to show the viewer the depth of the destruction, to give the tragedy time to sink in.

Originally I had Chanda rush into the large tent that she had been taken to in Scene A, to find the body of the child she had bonded with. She tries and fails to revive the child, and eventually goes to bury her. The death of a child is always tragic, but I wanted the scene to show more about Chanda, and be more connected to the rest of the story, rather than just be a random act. If the village was destroyed by a passing gang, or tribe, then it would still be tragic, but Chanda would not have any direction afterwards, other than to just mourn the loss. So instead, Chanda finds the village elder in the tent. He is mortally wounded, but still alive. He tells Chanda that the attack was spearheaded by Laufeia, and that he was looking for her, but they refused to tell him of her whereabouts, before passing away. This is theoretically just as tragic as if a different villager had died, but tells both the viewer and Chanda that the destruction was caused by Laufeia. This serves to add to the hatred of him, but actually makes the scene even more tragic, because it happened as a result of Chanda being there; despite her growing as a person, things are still going wrong because of things that happened in her life. This scene shows the viewer just how much Chanda had bonded with the villagers, because they were willing to defend her, even at the cost of their own lives. Chanda's distraught

Chanda still digs a grave, but instead the shot shows that the child's teddy has been placed on the graves that Chanda has just finished digging. This implies the death of the child, so adds even more tragedy to the scene. Instead of focusing on just the child's grave completely, the camera will also pan out to reveal the numerous amount of gravestones, showing the viewer that everyone in the village is dead. When Chanda was digging, the camera looks up at her, to signify how she has changed since she first arrived in Baraeuan; she is confident and powerful again.

There are two ways Chanda can react to the destruction of the village:

1. Despair.
2. Anger.

With Chanda's initial personality, she is most likely to react with anger and determination; she has always been fierce and strong minded, she has just learnt to care more for others now. The loss of the villagers will just serve to fuel her resolve, and give her purpose; to avenge the loss of her adoptive family.

After the graves have been dug, Chanda stands up, the camera still looking up at her. She puts on the cloak that she left on the floor while digging, puts up the hood, picks up the shovel, puts it over her shoulder, and walks out of the village. After thinking about it more, I decided it was better to have Chanda pick up a weapon instead of a tool, to suggest that she is going to battle, not just giving up and walking away. She will pick up a weapon from the ashes of the village, dust it off, and head off into the forest. The camera shows a shot of her back as she walks into the forest, showing that she is metaphorically turning her back on the village, as there is nothing left to stay for any more. I wanted it to be evident that she will never forget the villagers, so I added a shot to the part where she picks up the sword; see sees a pendant on the floor, the one that belonged to the village child. She puts it around her neck before picking up the sword and leaving.

The destruction of the village should evoke powerful emotions, and serve to make the viewer want revenge against Laufeia just as much as Chanda does. So when Chanda leaves the village, we want to follow her, in the hope that she will avenge the villagers. This makes the viewers more invested in the rest of the story.


Contrasts between Scene A and B:

In Scene A, the forest will be dark colours, to signify the unfamiliarity and fear that the hero is experiencing. The village will be bright and cheerful, and full of brilliant greens and yellows, because it is a place that the hero will be able to find inner peace; the village is a beacon of light amidst the dark (so the forest being dark and sinister works both metaphorically, and in regards to the physical aesthetic).

Conversely, in Scene B, the forest will be bright and happy, to represent how happy and content the hero is with her new life here; the forest has now become the familiar and comfortable place. When the hero arrives at the village, the village's aesthetic has changed dramatically; the village has been destroyed, so it is now dark and full of sinister red tones, corpses, and burning buildings. The village that used to be the beacon of light has now been snuffed out; life is now full of misery and uncertainty. The aesthetic of the village serves to show how the hero's life has suddenly been turned upside down again.

In Scene A, the villagers stand over Chanda, while she lying on the floor of the tent. The camera looks down on Chanda, implying that the view is through the eyes of a villager. This portrays her as being vulnerable and powerless; the villagers have the power, as they can choose whether to help her or not. The villagers also live happy and peaceful lives, so they are arguably psychologically more powerful/successful, while Chanda is tormented by the recent exile.

Updated Dissertation Recap! (Changes to Style Guide Contents, etc)

There have been quite a few changes made to the overall plan of the artefact. This post serves to list these changes, and the reasons behind them:

[PREVIOUS] Style Guide Details:

•   About 15-30mins of gameplay for each visit to the village. Village is there to act as a break from the current quests and combat.
•  Mostly digital images, but may include some pencil sketches, especially for initial drafts.
•  Final artefact will be digital, either a PDF or Word document, although I may get a physical copy made, time and funds allowing.

[CURRENT] Style Guide Details:

• The artefact is going to focus largely on the cinematic portions of the scenes. This is because the cinematics are the easiest parts to control, as the player cannot influence them; this is more of an issue in an RPG game, as it tends to involve a lot of free-roaming gameplay. The amount of gameplay intended for each section of the game has not changed; I just will no longer be focusing on the gameplay part itself.
• Rather than just have piles of concept art, I decided to have storyboards for scene A and B, in addition to some concept art. The storyboards will allow me to clearly illustrate all the important parts, without the need to focus as much on drawing fully detailed artwork. The concept art will then be there to act as an extra guide - so that the style of certain parts of the game can be seen at a glance (the main character, the village, etc).
• I was really struggling to digitalise the storyboard, so in the end I decided to just create a finalised version in paper form, as I find it much easier to work with pencil/paper. Also, the hours I would have spent trying to digitalise the remaining parts of the storyboard would not be worth it, when I could make something that I am much happier to present as my final artefact, in much less time, leaving me more time to focus on the important parts, such as actually iterating the storyboard itself, rather than obsess over its appearance. There will still be some digital artwork, but the main storyboards will be on paper, in a sketchbook.

[PREVIOUS] Style Guide Content List:

• Village at point A in storyline: approx. 20 images.
• Village at point B in storyline: approx. 20 images.
• Characters (player and non-player): 5-10 images, plus a small description for the main character and each tribe or group featured in the game. So for example, the villagers that live in the village mentioned above will have a small paragraph describing the village's backstory as a whole, rather than a paragraph for each person. The main character of the game will get their own paragraph, as they feature much more heavily in the game.
• General World Overview: 5-10 images. Just a few images of the area around the village, so game artists know what kind of world the village exists in.

The village at point A and B are the main focus, but I will want some artwork for the world and the people in it, to give game artists more scope when creating the villages.

[CURRENT] Style Guide Content List:

• Exile Scene: one storyboard, approx 20 panels. Exile scene was added, as it shows how the hero goes from a confident, powerful being, to a scared, weak individual. It also sets the scene for the rest of the game
• Scene A: one storyboard, approx. 20 panels.
• Scene b: one storyboard, approx. 20 panels.
• Characters: Hero, Villagers (Children, Adult, Elder).
• General World Overview: Village, Aldarene, Dagneserena.

The exile scene is not actually the first scene in the game - the hero will be introduced, and will commit the act that will lead to her exile. As I am focusing on Scene A and B, I don't want to storyboard the entire game, as that will take more time than is appropriate for this dissertation, when the focus is on a specific point. Instead, I will make concept art of the hero and city before the exile; this will serve to show the power of the hero, and the beauty and majesty of the city, without having to storyboard every scene. A storyboard would also be visually less detailed, so concept art is even more beneficial.

[PREVIOUS] Marking the Artefact:

I want to be marked on the contrast between the village at point A in storyline, and the village at point B in storyline. I want to be able to use the knowledge and skills I have gained to make the same location have an entirely different look and feel. I want the emphasis to be on what I choose to put IN the scene, not the quality of the pictures. The pictures will be sketched out similar to a storyboard, like this: Margrave: The Blacksmith's Daughter Early Storyboard. If I have time I will make the storyboard into finished images, but I don't want to rush the artefact, when the main focus is more on the thought behind the images.

[CURRENT] Marking the Artefact:

The intent for the marking of the artefact remains unchanged, I am just focusing on the cinematic parts of the game, rather than the gameplay sections. I felt that a storyboard is a better way of communicating information than just using concept art, especially seeing as the focus is not on the quality of the sketches, but the content. Environmental sketches and such will be more detailed, so artists can get the feel of the landscape, and the characters. The storyboard part is more for giving specific instructions. Having a mix of both will improve the overall quality and scope of my dissertation.

Story Overview

I have been happy with the story for a good while now, but I realised it would be a good idea to actually present it on my blog, in a legible form!

Overview of Story (the main focus is on what happens up until the end of Scene B):

The game follows the life of Chanda, an impetuous young goddess, who lives in the magnificent city of Aldarene, in the immortal realm of Elysia. Her temper ignites a feud between Aldarene and Coldenaeron (a city ruled by Laufeia, a cold and sinister being). Chanda is then stripped of her powers and exiled from her home, as punishment for her reckless behaviour.

[EXILE SCENE] Chanda faces trial, and Zadoc, the King, passes the final sentence; guilty. She is angry with her family for not supporting her in the trial, and feels betrayed. Unbeknownst to her, the family needed to make sure that she was away from Elysia, because they knew trouble was looming, and wanted to keep her safe. The peace between the two cities has always been fragile and shaky, but Laufeia used Chanda's actions as an excuse to start a new war. Laufeia had been planning a takeover for many years, and the attack was imminent even without Chanda's actions; it was just an excuse to ignite the war sooner. If Laufeia is allowed to rule over the immortal plane, Elysia would be doomed to become a dark and desolate place, and the mortal plane, Baraeuan, and its inhabitants would become his slaves and playthings.

After being stripped of her powers, Chanda crashes to Baraeuan, and is left to fend for herself. Chanda is not used to having to live as a mortal in an impoverished land; Aldarene was luxurious, and she had servants to tend to her every beck and call. She thought of mortals as ants; lowly and unimportant, and undeserving of respect from a higher being such as herself.

[SCENE A] Soon after she arrives in Baraeuan, villagers from the nearby village, Dagneserena, find Chanda unconscious, and take her back to the village so that she can recuperate. She is weary of the villagers at first, but in time she learns that mortals aren't bad or lesser beings; in fact they are capable of incredible acts of selflessness, and are fiercely loyal.

[SCENE B] Later in the game, Chanda is returning to Dagneserena after a quest or mission. As she nears the village she sees something floating down the river. When she reaches into the river, she realises that it is an object from Dagneserena, covered in blood. The hero rushes towards the village, but she is too late; the village is in ruins, and corpses are strewn everywhere. When she realises that the destruction was caused by Laufeia, she buries the dead and heads off to confront him.

The rest of the game follows Chanda as she hunts down Laufeia, and tries to get her powers back.


Meanings behind the names I chose:

I spent quite a long time picking the names, as I wanted them to have meanings that reflect their personality or aesthetic in the story. Here is a list of the meanings behind the names that I settled on:

• Main Character, Chanda: Hot, fierce, passionate. This matches the character's short temper and tendency towards impulsive behaviour.
• Immortal Realm, Elysia: Home of the blessed.
• Capital City of Immortal Realm, Aldarene: Alda means prosperous, and Rene means Peace. The city is a grand, luxurious place, and is also a place of happiness and tranquillity.
• The Ruler of Elysia, and King of the Gods, Zadoc: Righteous and just.
• The Main Villain, Laufeia: God of destruction and evil.
• The City (in Elysia) that Laufeia rules over, Coldenaeron: Colden means dark valley, and Aeron means slaughter. The city is a place of darkness and death, a big contrast to Aldarene.
• Mortal Plane, Baraeuan: Bara means innocent, and Euan means youth. The mortal plane is young and innocent compared to the immortal plane of Elysia. Baraeuan is akin to a toddler, when compared to the fully-matured Elysia.
• Village in Baraeuan, Dagneserena: Dagne means new day, and Serena means serenity. Dagneserena becomes the start of a new life for Chanda, as she learns to become a better person, and embrace serenity, rather than the brash and self-centred attitude she used to portray.
• Elder of Dagneserena, Hakeem: Hakeem means wise.

Update: Things left to do!

Just posting an update on what still needs doing over the next few days, before hand-in.

• Storyboard - The storyboard has been completed in its postit note form, I just need to finish digitalising it for submission.
• Other art - I need to finish digitalising the environment and character sketches (The storyboard part will be in basic sketch form, with only basic colour, but the environment and character sketches will be more detailed).
• Finish drafted blog posts - I have a few posts that I've been adding to throughout the dissertation, but they've been kept in draft form, as they were constantly changing. These need to be finalised and posted, so that they can be seen - such as a description of the overall story that the art style guide is based on. Seeing as the storyboard design has been largely created on paper rather than on the blog, I have also been keeping a list of changes I have made to the storyboard and sketches along the way, plus the reasons for these changes - this list will be complete once I complete the last bits of art.
• Update the blog with any final changes to the artefact composition (changes in proportions of content, i.e more character images, less environment images, etc).

Research - Perspective

One of the essential tools in an artist's kit is a knowledge and understanding of perspective drawing. Linear perspective deals with the organisation of shapes in space, while aerial perspective deals with the atmospheric effects on tones and colours.


Linear and Aerial Perspective:

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_index.html

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_index.html

The above images show the use of both aerial and linear perspective to create the illusion of three dimensions on a two dimensional plane. The coloured image shows how colours become more pale, and how the tones become weaker as they get seemingly increasingly further away. The black and white image shows how objects can be arranged to make a two dimensional image seem like it has depth and distance.


The Picture Plane:

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_1.html

It is easy to draw a shape that is parallel to the picture plane (the flat two dimensional surface on which we draw or project an image in perspective). The task becomes more complicated when a shape is drawn at an angle to the picture plane. The picture below illustrates how different a shape can be when it is drawn at different angles in relation to the picture plane:

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_1.html

The Horizon and Eye Level:

When constructing a perspective drawing, the horizon, or eye level, is used to create images that make good visual sense to the viewer. If you compare the two images below, the first image uses the horizon to suggest that the people are standing on the same plane, and are the same height. Conversely, the people in the second image are drawn the same size as before, but their eye levels no longer relate to the eye level of the picture, causing the scale of the people to become confused.

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_2.html

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_2.html

Vanishing Points:

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_3.html

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_3.html

The vanishing point is the part of the image in which parallel lines seem to converge and disappear. Vanishing points are used to demonstrate the simplest form of perspective drawing: One Point Perspective.


One Point Perspective:

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_3.html

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_3.html

The orthogonal lines (red), are drawn parallel to the ground plane, and move progressively away from the picture plane. These lines always seem like they join together at a vanishing point on the eye level.

The transversal lines (green), are always drawn at 90 degrees to the orthogonal lines. These lines are parallel to both each other and to the picture plane. They are the lines that make up the furthest and nearest edges of a rectangle as it recedes from view.


Two Point Perspective:

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_4.html

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_4.html

Two point perspective makes use of two sets of orthogonal lines, and two vanishing points to draw objects.There aren't any planes that are parallel to the picture plane in the image above, but the transversal lines are still parallel to each other, and are at 90 degrees to the ground plane.

This type of perspective drawing is more complicated, because the second vanishing point is normally not actually in the frame of the picture, as can be seen below. If both of the vanishing points are kept in the frame, then it tends to make the angles of the shape too foreshortened.

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_4.html

Three Point Perspective:

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_5.html

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_5.html

The most complex form of perspective drawing is the Three Point Perspective, which utilises three sets of orthogonal lines and vanishing points to draw objects. It is a useful method for drawing buildings that are being viewed from a low or high eye level. The image below uses a low eye level to give the illusion of a tall building.

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_5.html

The Three Point Perspective can also be used to give the impression that the viewer is looking down from a high viewpoint, using a high eye level.

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_5.html

Using a Central Eye Level:

The eye level of an image will have a big impact on the composition of the image.

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_8.html

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_8.html

A central eye level creates a balance between the sky and the foreground, in a landscape. It gives an image the impression that the objects in line with the eye level are at the same height as the viewer.



Using a High Eye Level:

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_9.html

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_9.html

If an image has a high eye level, it draws attention to the middle and distant areas of the image. Ordinarily, this isn't a suitable technique for the image above, but the rendered version has balanced the image by adding hills to the background. This breaks up the horizon, and links the background and foreground together.


Using a Low Eye Level:

Using a low eye level can create dramatic landscapes, by emphasising the height and power of objects in the foreground. This serves to make the viewer feel smaller, while adding to the power of the landscape.

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_10.html

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_10.html

This technique is useful for images in which the sky plays an important role in setting the mood of the scene, as it creates more space for the sky. Having a larger area of sky makes the sky have a bigger effect on the scale, tone, colour, and mood of an image. Examples can be seen below:

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_10.html

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_10.html

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_10.html

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_10.html

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_10.html

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_10.html

http://www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_10.html