artblog

FRANK production blog 49

below are some really early production sketches. maybe from 2017-18, pre production for sure. i used animation paper for sketching because i enjoy the over size paper and i just have tons of it from my art school days. so rather then they collect dust i use them.

the images below are mostly thumbnail to a 1/4 the page. i was trying to find the right balance for franks apartment, what kind of plants he would have and how many, he also has art on his walls so i had fun coming up with those

frank at his desk

frank at his desk

frank standing by his desk

frank standing by his desk

frank standing by his desk

frank standing by his desk

frank on the opposite side of the room, there wa a book shelf early into the disgns

frank on the opposite side of the room, there was a book shelf early into the design

frank by his desk

frank by his desk

frank by the window

frank by the window

frank standing by his plant, he also had a watering container early on.

frank standing by his plant, he also had a watering container early on.

frank by the door, the walls where a bit funky also

frank by the door, the walls where a bit funky also

FRANK production blog 44

key poses.png

todays update is a pose sheet. these are some of the keys for the scene, i have been working on this for more then 1 month now. im really happy with the out come but there is still much todo before it is ready for color.

although im not active, i am devoted to my art and usually do a good job at putting time into it daily. some days are better then others. somedays i end up redoing the entire scene, however it is all for the best. i trust the process and dont want to rush because of FOMO. It will be ready soon but not till its done.

FRANK production blog 43

todays update consists of two variations on a scene, i wasn’t happy with the original one so i redrew it. i also played with the colors a bit. which one will make it to the final cut is yet to be determine! ..also i haven’t updated much for to many reasons, but as always im chipping away on it. a lot of a little

color study 2020

color study 2020

color study 2020

color study 2020

old story boards of the scene, 2015 ??

old story boards of the scene, 2015 ??

FRANK production blog 41

todays update is a continuation of the last two updates. its the scene im currently working on. its a updated animatic version, it has some updated animation but still a ways from being final.

as i’ve mention previously, this version of the film is closer to the original animatic and boards, it was not the route i was taking but i recently starting questioning if i was happy with the direction i had settled on months ago. i will animate the scenes and play around with the editing but i wont know which way it will go until the very end.

FRANK production blog 40

todays update is about the scene i been currently working on. the video below is taken from the original animatic put together about 4 years ago. it is very raw and is probably the truest expression of FRANK that i have done. since then i made cuts in order to save time, however i have currently gone full circle. as i continue to refine the film i have decided i do not like the updated version and started thumb nailing this version. i have roughed out the animation and put it together in order to improve my options for the final edit. next post will contain the updated version of this scene.

FRANK production blog 36

Todays update consist of the current scene i’m cleaning up. Below are a few variations on the scene.

The first one is from a more profile angle. He drops the flowers and walk off to the right.

The second is a 3/4 over the shoulder angle and the one i decided to go with. He drops the flowers turns around and walks off screen towards the camera. This was original idea but I did board one other angle just to explore the scene. This angle won due to the fact that while I do want a linear visual style I didn’t want to fall into a hole and lose the audiences attention.

V1BG2A.png
V2BG2A.png

Below are some of the boards from both ideas. Blue is the original with the first version of the character

FB_walkinA.png
FB_walkinB.png

Below are some color variations on the background

color BG2A.png
bg1bJULY.png
pencil and paper, first draft of backgrounds

pencil and paper, first draft of backgrounds

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final draft of the scene

final draft of the scene

todays update is about one of the opening scene. Above is the final design still for scene. Below are a few different variations of FRANK smelling his roses.

We start with the first draft I did on a very old piece of hardware, about 3-4 years ago when I started putting together a rough animatic. My goal was to capture the movement of both FRANK and the roses.

1st draft, done on a very old cintiq about 3-4 years, got it from a friend as payment for a job

1st draft, done on a very old cintiq about 3-4 years, got it from a friend as payment for a job

Next we have the 2nd draft done about 2 -3 years go, this draft is just cleaner but the movement stayed the same.

2nd draft, done about 2-3 years ago on a 13 inch cintiq, borrowed from a friend

2nd draft, done about 2-3 years ago on a 13 inch cintiq, borrowed from a friend

We finally we have the 3rd version done about 2 year ago. Same movement but the roses have been cleaned up and detail has been included, making the next pass to be a simple clean up pass.

However the roses have been reanimated, I wasn’t happy with the shot so i decided to redo it, in the past I would have dreaded reanimation a shot, but after spending so much time with this project and my goal being to make it the best possible, I really did not hesitate on the idea. Once I said, I gotta re do this, I simply went and started. I knew it would take some time but it would be worth it. As of this post its almost complete.

3rd draft, done about 2 years ago

3rd draft, done about 2 years ago

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today update is about the evolution of a scene

below are three different variations of a scene. Only the first one is different. the bottom two only have updated animation but the cuts remain the same.

the scene is the introduction of the device into FRANKs life. It wasn’t a slap in the face for him, and the story was it came from his neighbor, who had himself just experience the device and was over it. I liked the idea that it was being passed down from one person to another. this was from the first draft which was a longer story.

this variation had a reduced number of cuts. as the project evolved I started to remove things from the story. I am fascinated by directors who can tell a story with very little. part of the reason for doing this was to experiment with the story telling and to shorten the film and it’s production.

this third animatic variation has updated animation but the cuts remain the same. at this point I have decided that I will keep it this way. I feel as though I have stripped away everything that can be removed without telling a different story. I removed the neighbor because in the end I felt he wasn’t that important. FRANK and the device are the stars and how they come to meet is something I hope I have done a well enough job on.

At this point all these scenes have been fully cleaned up and are ready for color. I have not updated the animatic yet, but I will soon enough. I feel great with where I am in production and how the scenes are turning out. I do miss the old story a bit, but this being a solo project I have had to make decision that have trickling effects. I am however very excited with what the final will look like.

FRANK production blog 30

todays up date is a color study for our big lovable green guy FRANK

i knew from the beginning of my film that FRANK would be green. for many reasons, one being his design influence is the incredible hulk. also his connection to his plants made it natural to go with green. so below is a fun little spread i put together of a few different green shades. im pretty certain about the final color selection but which one do you like best?

frank spread.png