Character/Scenario Development 1

I had a meeting last week with Mark Grossi and Tom Paxton, who graduated from Animation and Electronic Media (BA Hons) this summer with me.

We went through the project and communicated the main objectives in the piece I have discussed briefly in other posts.

Mark has provided his first few starter concepts.

Here they are:-

- A man has constant nightmares of searching for his brother through large, pertinacious rooms and constructs. His brother is always within sight but he can never reach him. Shattered and despondent, he's plagued by these scenarios crafted by his subconcious. He awakes in a sweat and breathing heavily, but is soon calmed to find his conjoined brother is still there next to him.

***

- A happy go lucky kind of guy. He takes to the streets with a spring in his step and seems to be amazed and enchanted by his surroundings (what he 'sees' can be embellished or fabricated: everything is breathtaking). Whenever a person walks past with a dog a smile flashes up on his face as he immediately squats down and talks to the dog as if it were human (completely ignoring the dog walker). This happens a few times along with other incidents until something triggers the reality that he is in fact a dog being walked down a dreary street.

***

And here is an optional third:-

- A bitter and resentful character who left his wife after their kid died at an early age. He lives a life of not only regret, but denial; refusing to face the realities of his actions. He didn't leave his wife because he was inherently nasty, but because he was weak and every passing day her face would remind him of their daughter.

He knows deep down that he has to confront this fear for the sake of not only his mental state but, most importantly, his wife and daughter.

***

Let me know what you think is your favourite and any ideas on them if you'd like.

Initially what I like about these is the simple premise which I can develop around visuals and techniques and influences, etc, which also have a nice twist in the (dog's) tale. This is the simplicity I'm looking for, whilst being a rounded concept.

The second character is a funny one. It seems original, but I'm also thinking how I will reveal it is in fact a dog. But again, it is visual through a subjective viewpoint, which is what we are looking to create. 
The first one is in the lead for me, at the moment, because the character has a clear desire which will drive the short piece - and is a simple gag and interesting to play with...
It will be good to develop both, they are interesting and I am very keen to make these. But, I am waiting out for other ideas, and see if they change a little as well...

With these ideas collecting, I am getting more excited about exploring these visuals and techniques.

More ideas to come from Mark Grossi's creative brain...

Tom Paxton is also working on his starter ideas at the moment. A string of posts imminent.