I have a few posts in the pipeline that will be posted in the coming weeks but I thought to myself…
…Is there anything in particular that people really want to know about when making a short film?
If you do have any questions please post them in the comments below and hopefully I can either answer them with either a quick response or it could also inspire a new post to discuss the issue in greater depth.
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CHARACTER DESIGN - RATS OF THE SKY!
The Pigeon designs for ‘Bird Food’ were always going to be difficult.
We wanted to create something that stood out as being original, but as there have been so many animated version of our feathered friends it was always going to be a challenge.
The first thing that you should always look at when designing a character that is based on an existing creature is to research how it is in the real form.
By studying the mechanics and its mannerisms you will be able to get a better understanding of how it works and what are the most important things that define it.
Once all of this information is taken on board and preliminary sketches are made then it’s time to look at the script again and see if it can be improved by any of your discoveries.
Here are some exploratory designs Andrew Crotty did…
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CHARACTER DESIGN - THE CREATION OF MAN!
Apologies for the lack of making-of posts recently but as you will read we have been very busy and lots of things have been checked off our extensive to-do list…
In the last post we saw how the Man’s design was being redesigned for the better by Nicky Phelan. Well now we can reveal the final version of the man!
Here he is in lovely 2D…
Oh but wait that’s not all!
You also have the privilege to be the first to see him in glorious 3D! … read more
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CHARACTER DESIGN - THE EVOLUTION OF MAN!
Just like a script is never complete on the first draft, the same goes for the character designs. To get to the final version you will always do designs and redesigns until you are happy with them.
The starting point of designing the character is always to read the script. This will give you all of the clues you need to start going about creating a character. The design needs to match the descriptions of the character in the script but also take note of the actions they are doing, as it will inform you how they will need to move etc.
The main character of “Bird Food” is described in the script as:
“A BUSINESS MAN with his sleeves rolled up and his briefcase in hand, walks along a path under trees whistling with the birds. He is a tall, skinny man in his early thirties with 50’s styled brown hair. His tie is slightly undone and he walks with a swagger, happy to be in the sun.”
These lines give us a lot of information about how the character looks and also it starts to give an idea on how the character will move.
Once the script was completed I gave it to several artists to explore possible designs. … read more
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I was delighted to learn this week that Brown Bag Films’ latest short film has been selected by the Irish Film Board for this year’s Shorts Shorts scheme.
The short is called “Bird Food” and is about a man who plans to eat his lunch in the park ….while the local pigeons have other ideas!
It’s a jazz-like animation piece featuring slapstick physical humour with sinister undertones.
It will be done in 3D but feel very much like a classic 2D short.
I wrote and will direct the film, and it will be produced by Laura Roche. It will premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh next summer.
More updates will be posted throughout the year but until then here is the teaser poster for it…
Please friend the Bird Food Facebook page for updates and artwork throughout the year.
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Christmas time is upon us and every television station is playing the Christmas Specials of all of our favourite shows.
This got me thinking of what were the best animated Christmas Films or Specials?
Here’s my Top Ten….and yes I’ve checked it not once but twice, to see who’s naughty or nice! 
… read more
In the old school yard game ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ everyone knows that Paper always beats Rock.
Unfortunately for Boulder Media, nobody told them this before they challenged us to a game of football!
Brown Bag Films faced Boulder Media at UCD on Friday night in a terrific game of football.
The scene was set. The rain subsided; the crowd’s anticipation rose and the tensions between the two teams grew.
The time was nigh where legends would be made and egos would be crushed!
It was a cagey opening but BBF took the game by the scruff of the neck in midfield with the commanding performances by James Stacey and Kevin Farrell.
“Football isn’t a matter of life or death, it’s much more important than that.” — Bill Shankly
The most hotly anticipated match in the history of football* is happening tonight in UCD @ 8pm
Brown Bag Films vs Boulder Media!
Recently Boulder Media sent us a message, throwing down the gauntlet, challenging us to a game of football.
We gracefully accepted and the anticipation has been growing ever since.
Boulder Media then created a poster for the game…
The audacity! Just look at the size of the font they used! … read more
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The Looney Tunes are set to return to our screens!
Being big fans of the old Warner Bros cartoon here in Brown Bag it’s great to see our favourite characters brought back to life.
New Looney Tunes line-up by Jessica Borutski
But the old, wary and cynical animator in me will wait and see what it’s like before I make any comments.
Here are a few articles on it that you can judge for yourselves…
Article on Collider.com about the new launch…
Cartoon Brew article on Character Designs
Designer Jessica Borutski’s Blog
So what do you think of the designs and approach to the format of the new shows?
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Coming to our cinema screens in the near future are two all time classics tv series shows.
Yogi Bear and The Smurfs are getting their first full length feature adventure next year but now they are going 3D!
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