Project 1: Status Update #1
For those who are just now joining me feel free to read more on the project and why it is that I’m doing this in these two posts: The “Personal Project” Project and “Project 1: Kickoff”. You can view the previous post in the series: Research, Direction, Sketches for some more insight on how I got to this week’s status update.
Where I’m at
I had not even intended on posting a status update but since I’ll be taking my first vacation in three years this week (we’re going to Disney World) I figured why not share what I have so far. Granted, what I’m sharing is nowhere near complete nor up to the level I had hoped it would be I’d love to get some feedback from those who are following the project.
The Reference
After spending a good amount of time researching story arcs, re-reading some comics and doing a mind map (seen in the previous post), I began searching for visual references. Initially I began Googling images based on keywords taken from the mind map and stuck them in a folder. I ended up with dozens of reference just based on imagery alone.
From there, I began digging into my vast library of inspiration that I’ve been collecting over the past several years. I dug into every folder — not just the “Style Frames” folder, and grabbed everything that caught my attention. I used Adobe Bridge to add a “1 Star” rating to everything that I thought was interesting at first pass. I then did a second pass with the images I starred filtered and thought about what it is that I liked about each piece of inspiration, rather than simply saying; “Oh this looks cool! Let me copy it!”
At that point I began laying out the mood-board. I usually make these in Indesign with a really nice grid setup but seeing as I was strapped for time, I simply opened all of the reference in Photoshop and ran the “Load files into stack” script to get them all into one PSD file. I’m all about automation for boring, repetitive tasks.
It is important to note that what I’ve placed on the mood-board is not to be taken as imagery that I’d like to directly copy or steal. Each image has something that I liked in particular. I tried to focus on typography, color, texture and light. From the transparent wings of the bat, to the deadly stare of the Owl to the nicely set typography — each image will hopefully spark inspiration as I reference it throughout the project.
The Work In Progress
With the limited time I had, I wanted to get a few key elements underway before I began the style frames. I started modeling the Owl Medallion that is found throughout the entire Court of Owls story. In the comics, you see the Owl Medallion on the throwing blades of the Talon Assassins, inside the “Owl Nests” and even in the tooth of Talon recruits. I think that the medallion needs a lot of work with the lighting and texturing still but I’m happy with where I’m at so far.
I then began on the old colonial painting of the Court of Owls by snagging a free 3D model of a gallery frame from Turbosquid. I used an old painting from the 1800's that I found to add the Owl masks to make the Court appear as though they’ve been in Gotham City since it was founded. I had to download an older version of Photoshop CC to access the Oil Paint filter (they removed in in CC 2014) to give the painting a cohesive look rather than just slapping the Owl masks on the people in the painting. This also allowed me to add some texture to the painting in Cinema 4D via the Normals channel.
From here I began working on the style frames. I have several more elements to model in C4D but I wanted to just get started on an initial look. My thought process behind the sequence is that the Court will be hunting Batman — they want to bring him out of the shadows. I want to represent that by having all frames that focus on the Court and the Talons to be bright, white and full of light.
I’m not entirely happy with the medallion. It feels way too new, way to shiny. I also thing that I need to reverse the Normal map so that the outline of the owl are what what gets stamped, rather than the solid shapes.
In the next round of frames, I’d like to connect the lone Court member to the rest of the Court, to somehow connect with the next pair of frames. Ideally, with a budget for talent, photography and props, I’d setup a room with two sets of actors — one set being dressed in colonial attire and the other in modern day business attire.
This next set of frames is intended to depict the hunt scene in which the Owl (the Talon Assassin) is hunting the lone bat (Batman). I’ll be showing much more of this segment in the next status update.
I don’t want these frames to seem like “Light vs Dark” in the sense of “Good vs Evil” so I’m keeping in mind that I need to keep anything involved with the Court of Owls in a sinister tone. While you can’t see the narrative and the reason behind the details in these frames, I hope to tie them all together by the next status update along with a set of frames focusing on the dark segment (the Batman) of the sequence!
Truthfully, I’m happy with the direction that these frames are going. At one point I actually smiled when I got the style frame for the Colonial Portrait to a somewhat presentable point.
Do I present a second look?
I’ve been thinking of doing a second set of style frames with a completely different look. Based on my earlier notes I’ve been considering a “comic cut-out” concept where I use scans of comics in the Court of Owls story arc to create my style frames. Is this too cliché? The wealth of assets is definitely something I’d like to work with — I’d have zero issues with finding a way to portray the characters in the story without having to do a bunch of photo manipulations. I think that if I have the time, I’ll have to at least explore a few style frames.
What’s Next?
This week I will be taking a much needed and long awaited vacation with my family. That being said, I doubt that I will get any more work done on this project until early/mid next week. In the meantime I’d love to hear what you think of my progress, my direction and the frames I’ve shown so far. Also, if you are into comics and haven’t read it yet, check out the Court of Owls story arc to get some context on the project. See you next week.
