Here is my 3rd concept of my project, for this one I decided to try something different at least a different environment. The Mycelium formation from the germination of the spore.
Finally, only one 1 concept left, to depict the other environment, inside the gills of the mushroom, where the process of meiosis is done. Although this concept took me more time to do, as I found it really complex, the next one will be easier because I have already an idea how the elements look, I just have to get some convincing composition.
For my storyboard, all the shots are studied, I just have to complete it. over the weekend.
Here is the second concept of the mushroom, I decided to go demonstrate the mushroom in community, as well as adding a little bit of sci-fi or fantasy effect to the environment.
So far 2 concepts are done, for the enxt one, I will change the environment, I will depict the mycelium. Formation and junction to the hyphal knot.
This is my concept for the dispersion of the spores, a process that occurs when the mushroom reaches a certain maturity. For this concept, I wanted to show it as something magical, some kind of miracle of nature. Which, In fact, It is but is rarely perceived by humans.
Also, I did some sketches of different camera angles, on the second page is still a concept (3) that I will develop, just to show the community of mushroom fruitbody. The same sketches helped me visualize the difference between a young mushroom and a mature, due to the difference in shape.
As I am going for a science-fiction approach of the mushroom cycles, I decided to look for unusual camera angles that will create a more dynamic view of the cycle. in the idea to appeal the audience. For this purpose , I decided to look to famous films or others in which this cameras are implemented.
2012
I chose particurlarly this scene from this film, because it exactly shows the camera I want to use to demonstrate the spore being released. this peculiar camera is used in flight scenes. it follows the plane,which already applies the dynnamism necessary to the scene, because it makes the audience feel the same movement. The main difference between the camera I want to use and this one is, while the plane is a controllable veichle, the spore will travel more freely, and the camera will follow it with slight less delay just to keep track of the object. what will happen is the object often will almost dissappear the frame, but immediately return. It can be perceived as the view of a spaceship chasing the spore.
Looking at 2012, and its destruction scenes, I found another camera angle that really appealled to me. In this camera, the movement goes towards of what is happening, interlacing with the environment around it. In this case, a volcano is erupting. a really dynamic and effective camera.
Jaws
This type of camera can be seen in a more superficial way, in the trailer for Jaws. Where the camera submerges the ocean.
The Abyss
In this film is a scene, that particular strikes me, it is the first encounter with the Alien creature, despite being already appealing with the use of the glowing effects, the actual camera floats with the character and the create displying all this beautiful and colourful places. For my project, this camera can be helpful when exploring the gills of the mushroom, showing the environment in which the spores reproduce, it will also allow to move the camera zoom towards a specific basidia, and show the process of meiosis occuring inside it.
Kathedral by Tomasz Baginsky
This short film produced by Tomasz Baginsky has a particular shot that I love and im planning to use something similar, in my animation. When the Cathedral builds from a simple priest towards the infinite sky, although the process would take ages and be demonstrated in a quite boring way, the camera position and its movement gives the dynamism to create a beautiful scene. The purpose in this camera angle is to show how extraordinary a growth of the fungi and its fruit body can be. For that effect, I will use a delayed camera following the process and maybe surrounding the stem as well.
Avatar
To better understand the scale of the camera, I decided to show and already use of the same scale of similar. This can be seen in Avatar, with the difference beween Na'vi tribe and the Hometree, where this immense nature growth is the essential and 1st perceived thing in the whole film.
The idea of grandeur on all of the landscapes is what I'm trying to achieve with the use of down to up camera angle, when depicting the mushroom fruit-body.
Although, I had set my mind into using one mushroom, the Amanita Muscaria, I decided due to the circumstances of changing the audience and of the colour palette that I pretend to use for my spores, to change to other mushroom. In this case it will be the Cinnamon Cortinarius ( Cortinarius Cinnammeus).
Cinnamon Cortinarius ( Cortinarius Cinnammeus)
The Cinnamon Cortinarius ( Cortinarius Cinnammeus) is an orange mushroom, mostly visible in coniferous woodlands and peaty habitats, singly or in small groups. Its cap is hemispherical or bell-shaped when young, and when matures becomes semi-flat silky smooth, with narrow, thin gills and with slender, cylindrical stem which can be solid or hollow. The cap is bright yellow-brown, olive-brown to cinnamon-brown; Gills are yellow then cinnamon- brown, and stem pale yellow. and the most important the spores are rusty brown.
Using mushrrom allows me to use my colour pallete to create this really beautiful specimen but also, create a more appealing animation, due the fact that the maturity in this mushroom is easily visible, by the change of format and colours of its fruit body.
I decided to take the previous sketch to photshop and push it a bit further, this allowed me to find the better mixture of colours in which I can apply to the spore.
Now with the colours pallet in mind, i am able to get some composition on and do more concept design.
Before I paint some concept art of my scenes, I decided to get some sketches on Spores done based on the information that I researched. bearing in mind the sci-fi effect, and the cinematic approach.
Firstly, I decided to try different types of spores, although used some imagery reference from pictures, the designs were all my ideas.
After looking at all the drawings I liked some characteristics of all of them, So I decided to create a hybrid of the all designs. Also, decided to try some colour experimentation, this was made with watercolours, in which I have a old passion for. This experimentation allowed me to try different colours together, therefore choose the more appealing ones.
In my opinion, the bottom left, and the orange ones from the bottom have more potential, now I will take the Spore design on the left, and quicly experiment the colours , also I ll push them a bit further with Photoshop tools.
