What I have been doing for the last couple of hours is going over and over the same extract of King Solomon's mines, trying to find a way to show this through a concept but in a way that has never been seen before. To Keep things simple I have only concentrated on one section/scene, for the time being. The scene consist of and early morning day, with three tall mountains at a close distance with snowy peaks and a selection of people at the foot of the middle mountain just awaken from there sleep. Now that seems rather easy to imagine, and I have got some okay ideas to present, but the thing is I dont want it to be what everyone else sees it to be. This is a new cg film; this could either be back in the past, maybe way way back in the past. It could be updated, for example the expadition of people have mountaining climbing equiptment instead of horses, which might have been used in the time the book was writing (1885). But what really interests me is this could be set in the future, a twist to the book! As i said, I've read through the same piece of extract time and time again and it doesn't say anything about the location being on earth! This could be set on a completely different planet! There could be machines, oddly shaped mountains, thre could be a green sky for example, if its on a different planet, there is no end to what the vision could look like. This is what interests me, this is where I think I could go and this could be my way to getting my piece to look like my work!! I'm just reading between the lines but theres not a lot there, I want to feel that gap,but I dont know how far I'm allowed to take this.
I haven't read the rest of the book and I haven't watch any of the adaptation of the book because i don't want to go into the side of almost coupling what I see or drawing something that will happen later on in the book.
I could really do with some guidence, with path should I take?
Hey Chris - this is too much of a leap - especially as, so far, you haven't really explored the full range of options inferred by the brief. Remember - this is concept art for an ANIMATION (not a live action film) and cg realism is but one style. If, for example you look at the strongly styled worlds of a cartoon series such as Samurai Jack, you'll see straight away that the various environments are strongly stylised - because that show takes its 'visual concept' from a variety of asethetics - traditional Japanese prints, being one of them. Before you decide to transplant the plot to something completely 'alien' (in both senses of the word), I'd like to see you deal with your 'visual concept' - which you haven't so far. I suggest you look at the concept art - not for games or movies - but for animated features instead. Also, have you actually looked at the world of the author - his time, his influences etc. - and I think you DO need to research the book and all its various adaptations. Trust more in your own creativity - you needn't drown in all that's gone before. Personally, I don't think you've done enough groundwork yet - I don't think you have 'a visual concept', and that's why you're 'just drawing mountains'. Think about your colour palette, your 'system of shapes' - I suggest you have look around a few of your classmate's blogs... You need to dig in deeper, not take a flight of fancy - because, right now, if you do up sticks to another planet, you'd be swerving what is difficult about 'seeing' the world you've been given.
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