http://vashivisuals.com/alfred-hitchcock-hiding-cuts-rope/ Rope is a film by Alfred Hitchcock that takes place after two men murder one of their friends, trying to commit the 'Perfect Murder'. They hide the body in a chest containing books. They also host a dinner party, in which they invite another friend, the murdered person's parents (although the mother doesn't attend and his aunt comes in her place), and the two's old housemaster, the one who inspired them to commit the murder in the first place. There are multiple points at which the chest could be opens, but they are always interrupted. The films ends with the house master holding the two at gun point, sitting in a chair next to the chest/body. In this film Hitchcock is creating suspense, using what is called "The Bomb under the Table" Theory. He says " There is a distinct difference between "suspense" and "surprise," and yet many pictures continually confuse the two...
OGR 23/11/2017
ReplyDeleteHey Ollie,
You've got a really strong expressionist vibe going on in this image - the overall result is somehow disturbing - and very post-ww1 European! This is due to the colouring, the distortion, those Caligari-esque windows and doors, and those spidery benches. It looks very depressing in your city - this isn't a criticism - it's just a very strong feeling created by your choices. Are you aware of this impression? What would your collaborator think? Have you captured something important to her, or have you created this mood by accident? I'd be interested to know.
I don't know if you ignored/explored my previous feedback about reconsidering your approach to designing all the sundries (the doors and windows etc) and I'd still observe that I think it unlikely that your collaborator would be as wedded to squares and rectangles as you appear to be. In truth, I don't dislike the net result of your choices, but are you on brief if the challenge is to work as closely and sympathetically as possible with your artist?
In terms of your proposed matte painting - it doesn't make a whole lot of sense that you'd be matte painting the floor plane; a matte painting would never be used in this way to 'save time' - when it would likely be more efficient to model the floor plane, as opposed to giving that same time to trying to blend your digital set with the lighting and shadows of a 2D floor plane. I suggest you reconsider your to-do list and use the matte painting to extend the background of your set.
In terms of your production art and orthographs; you're lacking a level of detail as it relates to fabrication and materiality - i.e. what are your assets made from and how are they constructed? At the moment you've got a lot of nondescript shading that doesn't convey how the facades of your various buildings are built (cladding, tiles, modular elements) and this is as true of all the windows and doors etc. At the moment, I'm still looking at 'drawings made of Photoshop' as opposed to 'designs made of substances, textures and details and parts'. You need to commit to this level of thinking, because it will be these little elements that will help you make decisions in Maya and really sell your final image.
So - you've achieved something here, Ollie - but I will be asking you to help me understand how/why you and your collaborator have envisioned somewhere so dystopian and 'un-nature', and I do want you to give more thought to the design and accenting of your assets - or you risk modelling a bunch of beige featureless elements.