My project, titled “Blue” is an animated exploration into hybridity focusing on the combination of multiple moving image mediums. Which aims to answer the research question “How can I use a 2D/3D hybrid animated character, inserted into live action footage, that represents depression to tell a story about struggling with mental illness through character design and animation.”
Blue is an animated short film utilising hybridity of moving image, focusing on the combination of multiple moving image mediums.
My project is about creating a 3D animated character that believably represents depression through character design. Complementing the character, Blue, and his design with live action footage and 2D animated eyes and scribble effects added. This involved designing, modelling and rigging my own character to animate, as well as plenty of compositing of the multiple layers of moving image and style matching of those layers to make everything cohesive. An ambitious project as before embarking on this project I had no experience in combining 3D animation and live action footage, and little experience designing and building a 3D character from the ground up. Due to this, I had to really research compositing, tracking and character design essentials like shape theory, archetypes and aesthetics before jumping into production to be able to create high-quality, style matched, well designed, well integrated character and hybrid footage short film.
The main methodologies I am using for this project are contextualisation and practise-based research. Using contextualisation to research into compositing methods and practises as well as character design, analysing two different hybrid animated media works. The feature length film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (Robert Zemeckis, 1988) and the children’s animated short form tv show “The Amazing World of Gumball” (Ben Bocquelet, 2011).
I utilised my methodologies and my research to answer the research question of “How can I use a 2D/3D hybrid animated character, inserted into live action footage, that represents depression to tell a story about struggling with mental illness through character design and animation.”
