[Vampire Pixel] Week 2 summary

This week with the project I've focused on three things; casting, writing the script, and getting back in to the art style.

Casting
As per usual when casting, I published audition lines and character information in a Flash file on my Deviant Art page. This was the first appearance of the new story line to the public and was met with praise and anticipation. I also included a few slides explaining background information about the city, information on the generator, and a summary of Vampire Pixel (the team).

Script writing
One of the main things I need to achieve in my script is a certain "feel" to it. After watching some Cartoon Network shows and pilots as research, I really got a feel for the "cheery funny" vibe I wanted to accomplish. I need to make sure the story is told with high energy at all times to keep the mock demographic's attention.

Below is an example of the script writing, I've started to read things as a viewer after writing them to see how clearly things are told. This section of script is replacing what used to be a monologue over shots of the city, which had a very down tone feel to it in comparison;

SCENE 0 

Scene: City power core
Two men in lab coats are operating controls for the power core and engaging in idle conversation. 

Coat 1:
Ah ghost energy, nothing like it eh, Dear partner?
Coat 2:
I hear you there brother! Really puts you in good spirits working here!
Coat 1:
Wellp, look at the time, I think we can lock it for the night and get some... rest in peace! 

Coat 2 laughs heartily and slaps Coat 1 on the back rather forcefully in a comedic way. Coat 1 collapses over the controls and his arm turns a dial, he stands up without noticing. Coat 2 puts his arm around him and they walk away. A warning light glows on the console and a small yellow blob of light pops out of the power core and sprouts eyes. Cut to opening sequence.
Show title card after opening sequence.

This short, pre-opening sequence gives the viewer enough of an idea about how the story works, while being fast paced to keep a tight production time. One of my primary concerns is not getting this animation done in time, but thankfully a lot of shows I've researched have fast pacing.

ART STYLE
As I'm reviving an art style I made earlier in the year, I need to make tweaks to incorporate what I've learned since then. To do this I've worked on a series of background characters that vary in body structure. I  did this in the form of cameos for my classmates, results below:

 A problem with my work before this project is that a lot of my characters have the same body build, thus making them hard to personalize when it comes to animation. I decided to take some tips from when I studied caricature in college and draw people I knew, playing on their unique features while keeping them tied to the art style. Example being Will (Vallhemn) on the left. He is the tallest in the class, so I gave him a stretched, slender appearance to play on this. One of his interests is parkour, so I also made his body thin so I can exaggerate movement while keeping a strong silhouette.