3D Animation Cinematic Storyboards: SPLATTERHOUSE Video Game

 
 Another assignment from Brain Zoo Studios, to storyboard the 3D-animated cinematic presentations in the Splatterhouse video game, developed by Namco Bandai Games for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Usually, deadlines for these cinematic storyboard jobs are very tight.  I pushed myself to give more fully notated boards this time around, as opposed to some other jobs where the deadline was so incredibly tight, it wasn't possible.  It's best to do this whenever you can, because when you don't (even when your storyboards are well received) you still have to take time out of your busy schedule to go back and do complete versions that you hoped you had time for in the first place.

You have to do such things to be able to present your good work to other potential clients.  Many clients don't care how tight the deadline was, how you were able to perform mightily to do twice as much work in half the time, or that you had a death in the family, or that there was a hurricane.  Or locusts.  Or a sinkhole opening up right below your house, or that your whole apartment complex's power goes out on a regular basis.

You just need to show them solidly good and readable storyboards that are properly notated.  That gives them the confidence that you can do the same for them.   

However, there are still deadlines you cannot help but get the bare minimum finished before the already truncated deadline comes to an end.

Just one of the many various challenges one has to deal with.

3D Animation Cinematic Storyboards: MERCENARIES 2: WORLD IN FLAMES Video Game

My first job for Brain Zoo Studios was to storyboard the cinematic presentations for the Mercenaries 2: World in Flames video game.  I worked for the Emmy Award-winning (for The 30th Sports Emmy Awards - Outstanding Graphics Design for Sport Science / FSN/BASE Productions) Mo Davoudian, Creative Director of Brain Zoo.

This is another one of those jobs where I started out doing 'tight roughs' storyboards on a pretty restricted deadline.  Once I had gotten up to this stage, I was told this level of tightness was acceptable, and that I wouldn't have to go to the next level.  This worked out well, as the deadline for the project was only a week for this cinematic, and there were several more to be produced in as many weeks' time.

More and more, you find jobs where everyone is boiling down every stage of the animation process to its most basic workable form.  Shorter deadlines, rate reductions that restrict those deadlines to 1/3 the amount of time to complete the work... this is more and more the standard when it comes to animation companies' competitive survival.

The silver lining to this is when you get a client who likes your work, and will continue to hire you, as the super high quality Brain Zoo Studios did with me for an extended period of time.

*CLICK ABOVE TO SEE FULL STORYBOARD SEQUENCES*

 

3D- Animated Video Game Cinematic Storyboards: STAR WARS - KNIGHTS OF THE REPUBLIC

Sometimes it seems as if all I do is work on pitches that go nowhere.  Not true, as I do get paying jobs also!

Brain Zoo Studios contacted me to ask if I'd like to pitch storyboards for the Star Wars: Knights of the Republic video game cinematic presentations.  I've successfully pitched with Brain Zoo before, turning a spec job into a paying one.  And since Brain Zoo is an excellent studio with a top-notch reputation, it was a no-brainer to give this a try.

Star Wars video game projects are highly sought after by animation studios, so we had our work cut out for us.  I was given treatments of each storyboard concept, then I drew up my thumbnail storytelling.  I was given 3 boards to work on, and it was decided that I was only to go to finishes on 2 of them.  It was also suggested that I keep the frame count for each board to about 17, so I wouldn't do way too much on a pitch that didn't succeed.  This results in the storyboards becoming more like 'key frames' rather than the fully fleshed-out storytelling that is usually done with fully finished storyboards.  I did a few more frames anyway, to better flesh out the storytelling.

I am including the thumbnail layouts below of the one board that did not get finished, just to show you the process.

 

When I do my 'first pass' on a job, it's usually done in what are called "thumbnails", which are proportionately smaller versions of frame compositions.  It's a good way to plan a storyboard project without spending all that extra time drawing full-size, only to make mistakes that you have to correct later.  There's no sense in making your mistakes on all that 'real estate', when you can get everything right in a much smaller form, which you can enlarge later when you're ready to go to finishes.  Not all jobs require or need this approach, but it comes inpretty handy. 

As with many pitches, someone else got the job.  That's the way it goes.  Oh well, nice try.

TIME... MARCHES ON!

Video Game 3D Cinematic Storyboards: ALPHA PROTOCOL

This is another example of working under a very tight deadline.  I finished these inked and graytoned storyboards for the cinematic presentations within the video game Alpha Protocol for SEGA.  I was told that since the boards were primarily 'key frames', I shouldn't do final notations on the boards.

I did these for the incredible Brain Zoo Studios in southern California, working under the direction of President & Creative Director, Mo Davoudian.

Penciled & inked, then scanned & graytoned in Photoshop.