approaching "Roundabout"

Above is a quick concept poster that displays a basic colour pallette and graphic style for Roundabout.  The technique that we are pursuing currently involves digital camera projection of traditional watercolour environments onto 3D geometry.

The challenge we face with this film is bridging Joao's traditional technique and my CG approach to animated film together in a seamless and appealing way. The work i have created for the film so far has been entirely digital so the image above does not accurately represent what we want the final film to look like but rather indicates the areas that traditional techniques can replace and develop.

The animation of rigid structures will be tackled in 3D while characters will be approached in a similar way to Chomet as traditional 2D, however this is subject to change if 3D is a more viable option.  This innovative process will undergo many animation tests but will hopefully achieve a unique look. 

ASF and "Roundabout"

the concept of Roundabout cropped up in many discussions and workshops whilst at the Filmakademie in Germany, September 2010.  While practicing my pitching technique with the idea a traditional Animator, Joao Lopes Da Silva, expressed a keen interest in the project and from that point on we worked in collaboration. 

Firstly a few words on Joao, a brilliant draftsman, he is a Portuguese traditional 2D animator.  He worked until very recently as an animator at Sardinha em Lata and now currently directs an animated children's series in Portugal.  Having his expertise and eye for storytelling was and is an indispensable tool in developing the project. His blog can be found here http://joaoreel.blogspot.com/

digi-painting by James Lewis

Above is an early digital painting of the vision I'd had, the concept of a desert island atop a pool of fumes and busy traffic.  This was an aid in communicating to Joao what was going through my head but this was step one and then came STORY!

The short follows a theme of Health and stems from a personal experience of my own where I was involved in a road accident and experienced a euphoric sense of relief and fear. Working from a personal experience really helped in identifying what tied into the mood

Without giving too much away we developed over several months the story of a man who loses control of his car on a busy roundabout and crashes into what seems to be the fountain of youth, An Urban Paradise that everyone seems too busy to notice. 
below are some examples of Joao's brilliant visual development for the short.

character/environment concept by Joao Lopes Da Silva / Logo by James Lewis

Without the help of Mike Robinson (Cosgrove Hall) and Tim Leborgne (TAW Denmark) this project would not have been developed so I look forward to crediting their support with a great final product.

If you are interested in contributing to the project as an Artist/TD or Financer please contact me at jamesense@hotmail.com.

A very belated Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!, I know it's May! and this blog update is well overdue.
The past months have seen alot of story development on my projects as a result of the great workshops I've attended through Animation Sans Frontieres.  On top of the Chimney Sweep I began work on a project for ASF called, "Roundabout". Which I am Directing and Developing with Portuguese animator Joao Lopes Da Silva, friend and a fellow ASF alumni.

In January I started work as a visual development artist on a feature for Tony White, a brilliant opportunity that I'm thoroughly excited to be working on.  I've thrown something very rough into this post which should give an idea of what's in the pipeline without giving too much away.