Looks like these weeks seem to get crazier and crazier as the term progresses! As previously stated there were alot of areas in the story that i was starting to dislike, scenes didnt flow, camera compositions and timings seemed drawn out and undramatic and many shots that left the viewer confused and disorientated. Even some of the planned gags werent producing any of the desired responses. So.... a major story rework needed to be carried out. For the past few days me (director) and rob (producer) sat down and combed through every shot, discarding irrelevant material and tightening up shots and cuts. We spent some considerable time with Cinematographer Gareth Munden, taking onboard his advice about shot composition, filmic language, how the camera could tell the story rather than solely relying on the character. After plenty of hours deliberating and script writing, it all really came down to a number of factors... time left untill completion date and what we personally wanted out of this project. The removal of the gags from the story structure meant that we could spend greater time on the visual elements of the film, modelling, texturing, lighting, rendering and most importantly the camera work. Aztec Escape has now moved into a more action packed adventure rather than a comedy. Me and Rob both agree that with the gags gone the film does seem slightly bland, but the end result has meant the storyline works and all the confusion has gone. I feel that the blandness can be removed if we play on the tension, mystery and drama of an explorers' journey into the jungle and more importantly, into his dreams.
The main change - the first have to be the transitions from the dream to the real world, the original animatic edit incorporated alot of cuts and chopping from the one world to the other, this was one of the main factors contributing to the confusion and disorientation. There is now really only one main transition change, me and rob designed it while working on the story, it makes the transition very clear for the audience and flows alot nicer than all the others, the flow of the story doesnt seem interupted or disjointed. (Transition set shown in the next post).
The next large changes was the creation and revision of alot of the environments so that i would best suit the new style of the film, me and rob spent time editing map layouts and set design. The jungle was slightly altared due to the new introduction of the film. The removal of the trap chamber with the ledge along the wall was tricky as a new set needed to be designed, i decieded to create a small chamber (not large enough to take anything away from the main chamber) but enough to incorporate a central crumbled stone walkway, steep and deadly drops and a rope swing to safety, the collapsing room idea was still kept, but overall it meant we could have more creative room to play with cameras and lighting.
Im starting to like what this short film has turned into, im a huge fan of Indiana Jones and have always wanted to produce this genre of film.
The main change - the first have to be the transitions from the dream to the real world, the original animatic edit incorporated alot of cuts and chopping from the one world to the other, this was one of the main factors contributing to the confusion and disorientation. There is now really only one main transition change, me and rob designed it while working on the story, it makes the transition very clear for the audience and flows alot nicer than all the others, the flow of the story doesnt seem interupted or disjointed. (Transition set shown in the next post).
The next large changes was the creation and revision of alot of the environments so that i would best suit the new style of the film, me and rob spent time editing map layouts and set design. The jungle was slightly altared due to the new introduction of the film. The removal of the trap chamber with the ledge along the wall was tricky as a new set needed to be designed, i decieded to create a small chamber (not large enough to take anything away from the main chamber) but enough to incorporate a central crumbled stone walkway, steep and deadly drops and a rope swing to safety, the collapsing room idea was still kept, but overall it meant we could have more creative room to play with cameras and lighting.
Im starting to like what this short film has turned into, im a huge fan of Indiana Jones and have always wanted to produce this genre of film.
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