Major Project: Patissier Character- Initial Profile Sheet and Research

At this early stage of the project, I decided to initially define the character of the patissier featuring in my animation. By creating an initial profile sheet, I am using it to guide when experimenting and developing the character designs. Also, I have gathered some initial influence maps, to give an overall idea of how I want my character to resemble to.

Alongside these 2 elements, I will also write a list on this post with the influences for the designs, it will serve as a quick referencing when accessing my research.

Initial Profile Sheet- Patissier

Fig. 1 & 2- Initial Influence Maps

Name: Olivier

Age: 47

Race: Human (Extra Stylised)

Height: 1.20 m

Body type: Cute Baby Shape, Short with Rounded Body, Chubby Arms and Belly, Small Feet.

Face Type: Chubby Face, Cute Shaped with Rosy Cheeks.

Complexion: Vivid Skin Tone, With Rosy Pigmentation.

Eyes: Probably Blue (Maybe Green or Hazelnut)

Hair: Dark Blonde or Light Brown Hair with Curls Coming Under His Chef's Hat.

Facial Hair: Maybe a Well- Trimmed Moustache Curling Upwards.

Clothing Style: Wears the Patissier Uniform, a Whole White Outfit with a Customised Insignia, and a Chef's Hat.

Speaking Style: Bohemian, Polite and Very Social.

Career: A Well-Established Patissier in the Heart of Paris, Specialised in Making Wedding Cakes.

Best Qualities: Happy, Contagiously Joyful, Pleasant, Amiable, Cute, Likeable, Content, Energetic, Hard-Working, Ecstatic.

Worst Qualities: Overwhelming and Hyperactive.

Weaknesses: Too Short to Properly Reach the Cakes.

With the initial profile of the character understood, now I will be able to begin exploring a few designs. Therefore a few sketches will be uploaded here shortly.

Research List

Character: 

Danny de Vito

Gusteau from Ratatouille, Pixar

Skinner from Ratatouille, Pixar

Russell from Up, Pixar

Happy from Snow White and Seven Dwarves, Disney

Sultan from Alladin, Disney

Cogsworth from Beauty and the Beast, Disney

Baby Brent from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Bill Plymptom Characters 

Gnomes

Character Clothes and Props: 

Patissier Uniform- White Jacket, Black Trousers, and maybe a scarf around the neck. 

Chef's Hat

Rolling pin

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Major Project: Tutorial #1 w/ Phil- Deciding on the Final Idea

This week was the first individual tutorial for the major project, Individual tutorials are great, to receive feedback and talk about our project with someone who is looking at it in an objective manner.

Thus, this first week I took with me the initial ideas for the transcription of the audio just so me and Phil could discuss these ideas. Phil's first comment was regarding the need of having 2 or 3 characters, after some discussion ideas began to float in the room and by the end of the session I was very happy with how the story was beginning to form. By using the idea with the French patissier, me and Phil began to narrow the story down.

The outcome of the meeting was something like as follows:

Final Idea: Adaptation of Paul Mottram- Capriccio 5 Animation


                                             Paul Mottram- Capriccio5

Main Characters:

A French Patissier

Location:

Patisserie Shop in the Heart of Paris, The Cake World.

Period:

1900s

Length of the Animation

1 min to 1.10min.

Actions on the music:

The Pastry Chef decorates the wedding cake, adds the cream, chocolate, cherries, wedding toppers, etc.... (specific ideas to have).

A Patisserie Shop in the heart of Paris is home of one of the most talented patissiers in whole France. The Patissier is recognized by his exceptional sets of skills in making and decorating wedding cakes. Having a new cake on order, this animation will follow the patisserie decorating one of the most beautiful wedding cakes he ever created. The patissier is so concentrated and joyful making the cake that his real world merges with the “cake” world, as he decorates layer by layer the wedding cake. From adding the cream to placing the ribbons, the incredibly happy patissier interacts with his “cake” world in which the actions of the real world will be transported to the fictional delicious world according to the music. At the end, when the patisserie arrives to the top of the cake he vows to the wedding toppers in a sign of consideration, icing sugar is then splashed onto the scene and we return to the real world, where the Patissier is posing next to this most stunning cake.

As you may see the main difference from the previous ideas, is that the story was narrowed to have one character only. It is also changed in the animation formula. In this final idea, we follow the journey of this magnificent pastry chef as he creates the most beautiful cake. To have a less linear story and create dynamism, the audience will be transported between 2 world, the real world and the "cake" world ( the patissier imagination), this will allow me to play with transitions and have fun animate the character and his environments. Finally, unlike the other animation where it was competition which would end in a gag, this version of the idea is mainly a feel good animation, in which the character is entertaining the audience from the beginning until the end .

Surely, This it the initial version of the final idea, therefore more development will be done in the following week, however for now I can begin the research and the designing stages.

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John "Rusty" Hero Robot Pirate Turnaround

With the rendering of the turnaround taking some time I was able to get the documents ready to add on my website, documents such as Texture Maps making presentable, different views of the character etc.

So without further ado, here I present you the first Robot Pirate fully done. 

John "Rusty"  The Hero Robot Pirate Turnaround

Character Different Views 

Character Geometry

Character Texture Maps

note that I will do  quick animation to add to my showreel when I have the rest of the characters and some more time. 

The next stage will be to continue modelling the second Character , "Metal Jaw" Gertie the Hunchman Pirate. I will update this page again regularly. 

Stay Tuned!

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