My VFX project will consist of an art-film-esque sequence that incorporates illustration/animation superimposed onto photography/video recordings. It will be designed as if it were a segment from an episodic fictional TV drama or animated series. I’ve decided that the overall theming of this sequence will be pretty moody and down-to-earth in terms of visuals and tone but with an otherworldly twist. Its name is ‘Weathering Away’, due to its theming of the weather and elements.
I decided to use illustrated characters against photographic backgrounds as the juxtaposition makes a visually striking and unique experience. Additionally, I opted to utilise illustrated characters instead of myself or others acting on camera, as I am not confident with my acting ability having no prior experience, and I do not know anybody else who could act for me either. There is a big chance that the acting would be visibly corny and cringe-inducing because of this, but I can accurately depict what I imagine and have more creative freedom with illustration. I am using my smartphone for photography instead of a professional camera to make the production feel more grounded and human, as opposed to an expertly produced piece of media. The illustrations of the two characters will be created using the illustration software Clip Studio Paint on my touchscreen laptop. All of the VFX will of course be created in Adobe After Effects, and each segment of the sequence will be edited together with the help of Adobe Premiere.
The theoretical overall plot, presuming it was a real TV series, follows an unnamed human man going through a life-threatening crisis following his multi-year-long relationship (and subsequent break-up) with a ‘female’ elemental being of an otherworldly nature. The episodes would follow the story of how he caused the break-up and the consequences of dating a non-human entity, as well as his general life struggles, mental health and his journey to rectify his relationship with the elemental woman. The plot outline for my project’s sequence in particular can be found on the blog post ’03) Storyboard’.
Before starting this project I did attempt to seek pre-existing media that incorporates the style of media I will be utilising, but it appears that the utilisation of illustrated characters against photographic backgrounds is practically non-existent, or a niche at the most, as I could not find any examples. In turn, this just makes me more eager to utilise this visual stylisation and discover its potential, especially through the use of VFX to elevate the overall experience.