final project proposal

Final Project Description

For my final project, I do not have an absolute clear idea of what I want to do, but I am sure of several aspects of the project. First off, the piece will focus on several topics- high-res modeling, advanced photorealistic texturing, and good character animation. I want to model at least one, if not more than one, complex character in zBrush, export that character to Maya and animate it. The modeling itself will most likely be stylized, perhaps in a caricature or juxtaposed (I hate that word) creature mash up. The textures, however, I want to be as photorealistic as possible. I always liked exploring the idea of a completely impossible creature in an impossible environment that is still convincing based on its realistic appearance.

As for the actual setting, story, environment etc, I could go one of two ways. One concept I could follow is, for lack of a better word, a metaphysical type of setting with elements that are beyond the scope of traditional physical understanding. I have been playing around with a Greek mythology creationist type piece, drawing on the myths of the Titans. I wanted to do an outer space type of scene with a being so large that it was interacting with the planets, creating and manipulating time and space itself… but without being really, really, really cliché. I feel like using motifs like time has become extremely stereotypical. But I would want to do something surreal, but still sticking to plausible and realistic things, like realistic anatomy and subtle skin tone shaders etc. The other approach would be to do something in the vein of a one liner joke, but in animation form somehow. I don’t often see this sort of thing, which is what compels me to do it.

Some ideas I have had lately-

Pool shark- a crowded pool bar where in one of the pool tables the felt starts rippling like water and a shark explodes out of the table and starts thrashing around destroying things, and the felt of the table would turn to the consistency of water.

Jurassic Park- a couple of close shots of some velociraptors swinging around and it zooms out to them innocently swinging on swing set with piles of remains all around them, possibly with torn up children’s clothes.

Fish n chips- a goldfish driving down the highway being pulled over by two highway cops

Captain Mexico- this one might be in bad taste… but instead of having captain America, I wanted to have captain Mexico’s story told, where instead of being all heroic and fighting crime he is working as a fry cook in some fast food joint. Or a janitor. But this one probably wouldn’t go over too well.

In the end I will probably end up trying to do a surrealistic scene that still tells a story. What that narrative is exactly, I haven’t figured out though. I will toss around the Greek mythology idea for a bit and see if I can come up with a solid narrative that would be plausible to accomplish within the given time frame. I am also considering using my character from last semester’s final and incorporating it as one element, perhaps a man vs. machine mythos, but again I am trying not to make something that has been so overly done before. Plus I would like to have something original for use in my portfolio. But I will consider it nonetheless.