Mock script for assessment film

Mock script for assessment film                                                                                                                15/11/22

Figure 1: Film production on set: https://www.londonmet.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/film-and-television-production-including-foundation-year---ba-hons/

For my final project of my MSc degree, I will be producing a short film that will detail my perspectives on life using the technique of animation and the city of Dundee.  I have chosen this path because of how close animation is to my heart and how the city of Dundee has resonated with me.  The title for the film will be Seoras, which is Gaelic for my name.  

One of my primary influences for the film is the practice of rotoscoping by Richard Linklater in his films "A Scanner Darkly" and more recently "Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood".  The films were animated using the software known as "Rotoshop", created by lead animator Bob Sabiston, and allows the animator to create keyframes of animation over the live-action footage whilst the software would create inbetweens which would speed up the animation process.  The effect that this has on the film is that it allows Linklater to create filmic worlds that are very identical to reality but are distinct enough in look and feel to be their own unique environments.  This also contributes to the themes present in both films: in Apollo 10 1/2, the narrative is a juxtaposition between the main character's dream of informally testing out an earlier iteration of the Apollo program and the daily routine of childhood life in Houston during the late sixties.  Because of the animation style used, the film blends in the two visions seamlessly, and we accept the idea of the character landing on the moon before Neil Armstrong as entirely plausible.  In "A Scanner Darkly", the film takes place in a plausible, dystopian future where technology has overwhelmed society, as has drug addiction, so the grip on what is reality has become blurred.  The style also fits the inherent theme of the main character becoming so addicted to the drug he is monitoring that by the end of the film, he has lost all sense of self-identity.  Since Rotoshop is not available for public use, my main objective with this influence is to create a similar look to the software and the films using the tools we have available at the college, such as TV Paint and Photoshop, whilst also maintaining my own adaptations on the practise so I'm not just copying Linklater.

Another vital influence for the film is the Pictish symbol stones located around the country.  Their meaning has been of much debate, and I will use them alongside the locations in my film to give them my own meaning, such as the Pictish bulls running giving an indication of unease and the deer giving an indication of connection with nature.  But the symbol that I will use is my own version of the Z-rod and the double discs, which has been suggested to represent a link between life and death, the duality of the Sun.  My interpretation of them will be of harmony between people and location: the protagonist will keep seeing them until they realise this ultimate meaning.  This art style will also give the animations a more rustic, carve-like quality and indicate their vital cultural connection to local culture.

Previously, I have done a degree in Film at Arts University Plymouth, and in retrospect, I didn't push myself enough for my final film in Year 3.  For this course, it will be my most ambitious thus far.  The project will consist of a mixture of live-action photography, 2D animation, rotoscoping and 3D animation and visual effects.  These elements will contribute to the plot of the film, which will focus on a self-inspired protagonist named Seoras who comes to Earth and lands on the outskirts of Dundee before venturing into the cityscape.  He is disconnected from the world around him due to his extra-terrestrial origins, and can see visions of life that are invisible to spectators.

The live-action elements of the film will be filmed at various landmarks around Dundee which are renowned as symbols of culture and past life.  Several examples of this include Dundee Law, Cox's Stack, Camperdown Park,  Verdant Works and the Tay Bridge memorial, the latter of which being chosen for the fact that it was my very first sight of Dundee and I was immediately impressed by its unexpected scale.  These select locations will work with the animation's placed on top of them to give them additional meaning as well as represent what they specifically mean to the main protagonist, Seoras.  The connotations will be logical to the viewer though, such as the site of Caird Hall being shown with a Pictish harpist, which is appropriate because of its musical productions and plays being shown, as well as Cox's Stack, which represents the Jute industry.   

Figure 2: Apollo 10 1/2 Moon Landing: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/apollo-10-12-reviewed-richard-linklater-unites-inner-and-outer-life

My choice of software for the project will include TV Paint, After Effects, Maya, ZBrush, and Premiere Pro.  They were chosen because of how they will compliment each other in their functionality.  After Effects will mainly be used for final assembly of shots and simpler VFX elements, such as inserting rendered obj models into scenes, TV Paint will be used for the hand-drawn, two-dimensional elements of the film, and Maya/Zbrush will be used to construct three-dimensional elements such as the whale and plumes of smoke.  Of all the programs, I have gravitated towards TV Paint the most, but I am aware of how indispensable Maya and Zbrush are in the animation industry.  I still have some degree of adapting to do to with the software, but I am confident I will learn the software enough to put it on my CV.

Here are some examples of my experimentation in software thus far: (show clips of experiments)

At this time, I estimate that the project will take me through to at least the end of May, if not June.  My work does not require the intensive rendering or post-production necessary if it were fully 3D or 2D, but I will still need to produce the best quality animation possible for the film.  I recognise that I am not as experienced with this field of expertise as my peers, but I will still strive to make the most of every moment available.  The film will largely act as an allegory for me moving to Scotland and my self-development.  I recognise that my creative path is significantly different from other people on the course, and I will use this as an opportunity to show how I gradually connect with the environment I live in.