Setting the Scene

I have started creating my final scene of the training area. Beginning with basic elements I have made the cliffs, an ocean and sky.

Sky and Clouds

I experimented with creating a sky and adding different clouds to the scene.

Rocks

Similarly to the chains, I created these rocks using script. The rocks are a big part of my environment, as the setting itself is located on a rock cliff.

Time of Day

After watching the movie, it was clear to establish the different times of day the different scenes were displaying. 

Morning

Midday

Afternoon

 Evening

Night

For my setting, I plan on having the time of day set around afternoon to evening as that is when most vikings would start to finish training for the evening. It also would display the cliff and formations nicer, and viually enhance the colour scheme I am using.

Camera Exploration

For my camera exploration, I plan on having the camera explore the area from a dragon riders perspective. Similar to an over the shoulder camera shot, but without any visibility of the rider or dragon. 

The camera moves quite quickly and rigidly when following hiccup ride night fury in the movie, and explores heaps of crazy varying angles and heights of flight. I will create my camera to move as if flying around the training area to give an establishing shot of the overall setting, then have the dragon land to explore the training area and facilities further and finish with him flying away into the sky.

How to train your dragon - Romantic flight scene

Terrain

I experimented with different types of terrain that would suit my training area. I feel a rocky ground similar to the one shown in my previous post, or a more steep cliff like structure.

rocky ground

cliffs

Texture

After experimenting in maya and beginning to create elements in my scene, I realized the importance of texture to get an accurate representation of the How to train your Dragon visual animation style. I decided to inspect a lot of the aspects of each scene, and analyse the textures and shades the creators used to get a polished result.

stone texture

cliff texture

inscriptions

wood & metal

ocean & cloud

fire

Chain Barrier

Here I have created a mock up of the chain barrier that sits around the training area. I used script to create a successful chain, and edited them to dangle realistically.

Brazier

I have decided to start experimenting and creating elements of my setting in maya, and the first one is a brazier. The fire is on a continuous animation loop, and the brazier is built from sticks with rope and a metal bowl. 

Setting Elements

I created a list of all the elements I will need to create for my How to train your Dragon training area. They are as follows:

• fire pots
• weapons
• clouds
• cliffs
• wooden bridges
• chains
• barns
• enscriptions
• wooden arches
• rocks
• steps

Hypershades & Letterbox

Here are some screenshots of the hypershading and letterbox exercises I've completed-

Vikings

Vikings are the primary characters in How to train your Dragon and are revised to be mainly Dragon killers. The author of the book Cressida Cowell (which the movie was based on) says that she based Berks culture true to Viking history, and the location was based on an uninhabitable island in west Scotland. Therefore I decided to do some brief research on the architecture, language, landscape and weaponry of the viking age.

Architecture

Vikings would often make camp and build their villages on headlands and islands, which were more easily defendable from land-based armies. They would use easily repairable materials built with common resources they could access. Such resources include wood, fur & animal fibres and iron.

 Language

The Viking peoples could read and write and used a non-standardized alphabet built upon sound values. The language spoken by the language is known as Old Norse, however the language no longer exists. While there are few remains of runic writing on paper from the Viking era, thousands of stones with runic inscriptions have been found where Vikings lived. They are usually in memory of the dead, though not necessarily placed at graves. 

 Landscape

Scotland is known for its lucious green inlands, and its symbolic cliff bounded coasts. In general, the west of Scotland is usually warmer than the east, owing to the influence of Atlantic ocean currents and the colder surface temperatures of the North Sea. Scotland's wildlife is typical of the north west of Europe, although several of the larger mammals such as the lynx, brown bear, wolf, elk and walrus were hunted to extinction in historic times.

 Weaponry

Our knowledge about the arms and armour of the Viking age is based on relatively sparse archaeological finds.According to custom, all free Norse men were required to own weapons and were permitted to carry them all the time. These arms were indicative of a Viking's social status: a wealthy Viking would have a complete ensemble of a helmet, shield, chainmail shirt, and sword. A typical bóndi (freeman) was more likely to fight with a spear and shield, and most also carried a seax as a utility knife and side-arm. Bows were used in the opening stages of land battles and at sea, but they tended to be considered less "honourable" than a melee weapon. Vikings were relatively unusual for the time in their use of axes as a main battle weapon.

Development Sketches

Here are a couple of mock up sketches I've made using Photoshop. I was able to experiment with colours that suit the How to train your Dragon style, and create an environment that evokes a similar mood.

 Birds eye view

Close up - Dragon stables

Colour Palette

Topographic View

Here is a topographic view of the area I have created. I sketched it then traced it in Adobe Illustrator-

Research

Environment, Shapes, Textures

The settings for How to train your Dragon reflect the environment during the time vikings existed. It consisted of untouched natural land formations and any human structures were created using stone and wood. The textures and shapes reflect this, through the distinctive use of rock and mossy textures combined with the natural realistic land forms. 

Colour Palette

The colour palette is very grey based. The exterior scenes display luscious greens and browns with a big emphasis on light and reflect the natural scenery of the viking land. The interior scenes are either depicted in man made wooden houses or caves, which create contrast as they're portrayed using darker greys and browns. Tints of purple are often included to help give a surreal and mystic feel.

Camera Shots

The camera shots of settings in the film are often emphasized, as it is well renowned for its beautiful animation. Similar to video games, when introduced to a new scene the camera often pans accross the setting with an establishing to aware the viewer and set a particular mood. It then displays the scene from one of the characters points of view (usually Hiccup's).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88x08ePynt0

Initial Sketches

These are some initial sketches I made of the Training area I plan to create. This gives an idea of the location and particular elements I plan on having on site.

Maya Exercises

Here are screenshots of some of the maya exercises I have done-

Ideas & Influences

I have looked at a few other films and shows that display a similar idea to training areas where characters go to practice fighting and train. Here are some of the ones I believe portray elements of what I want to display in my scene-

Spartacus Training Area

This area is where the gladiators go to train their fighting skills. The villa is on the hilltop, and this area is at the edge of the cliff. I think having it at edge is effective and very practical, particularly for flight training in How to train your Dragon. It also allows beautiful panning shots, and efficient endurance training running up and down the hill.

Naruto Villiage Arena

This is an arena from the anime Naruto that is used for training and fight matches. What I enjoy about this setting, is the feeling of enclosure from the high walls but openness from the exposed sky. The natural grassy terrain works well and suits the How to train your Dragon terrain also.

Hunger Games Training Arena

Displayed is the training room contestants of the Hunger Games used throughout the film for training. What I like about this area, is the display of weaponry and usable training equipment for contestants to practice with. Ofcoarse for How to train your Dragon, I will look at weaponry vikings used in the film & historically to display.

Purposed scene - Training Area

The new purposed scene I have thought up that could be included in How to train your Dragon, is a Training Area.

The movie displays Hiccup and the others fighting dragons and killing them in the arena, whilst his father and the older vikings fight them at the Berk village and dragon nest . I want to create a training area as a post fighting scene, where all the vikings train and practice their skills.

I'm planning on having the area enclosed similarly to the arena, but open and located on a high hill top to allow flight and better air training. 

Battle Arena-

 Waterhole-

Chosen Film

I have decided to study the film How to Train your Dragon for this assignment.

                                       

 I started by watching the film, and writing a list of the settings of each scene-

The settings I'm currently thinking about basing my scene on or extending are the are the inside battle arena, the waterhole and the long house.

Visual Styles

Avatar

Avatars visual effects were created by Weta Digital.

The scenes were created with photorealistic computer-generated characters, created using new motion-capture animation technologies.  To achieve the performance capture, actors wore individually made skull caps fitted with a tiny camera positioned in front of the actors' faces; the information collected about their facial expressions and eyes is then transmitted to computers.  According to Cameron, the method allows the filmmakers to transfer 100% of the actors' physical performances to their digital counterparts.

Horton Hears a Who

Horton hears a who follows the visual style of the original creator Dr Seuss (Theo Geisel).

Geisel's figures are surreal often rounded and somewhat droopy. He evidently enjoyed drawing architecturally elaborate objects. His endlessly varied (but never rectilinear) palaces, ramps, platforms, and free-standing stairways are among his most evocative creations. Geisel also drew complex imaginary machines, such as the Audio-Telly-O-Tally-O-Count. Geisel's images often convey motion vividly. He also follows the cartoon tradition of showing motion with lines.

How to train your Dragon

How to train your Dragon was generated by Dreamworks Animation.

The settings for the the film were influenced by video game aesthetics whilst maintaining a sense of real-life. The filmmakers embarked on a series of trips to a variety of real-life locations, in order to gain inspiration for their settings. They attained the film’s bright, vibrant visual style and fused it with realistic locations they'd visited.

Rango 

The CGI animation for Rango was created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM).

The visual style of the film was strongly influenced by traditional cartoons whilst designed to look as realistic as possible. Often, the character designs lean more towards amusingly ugly then cartoony cute. There’s a sense of lived-in reality to the setting of which John Bell ensured has a classic western feel.

Frankenweenie

Frankenweenie is a remake of Time Burton's 1984 short film.



Tim Burton has a very apparent characteristic visual style. The strange worlds and their stylized look have a design that is unique and recognizable. The highly contrasting dark and light, distorted perspectives and dark and stylize lighting reflect not only German Expressionist film but also the horror films of Universal in the 1930’s as well as science fiction B-movies of the 1950’s. Compared to other stop-motion animation sets,Frankenweenie's set is much larger. Around 200 separate puppets were used, with roughly 18 different versions of Victor.

Metropolis

Metropolis is a japanese animated production (anime) created by Osamu Tezuka .



The film renders a classic visual style with an archetypal story.. Set in an alternate future, Metropolis in utmost detail, a feat fully appreciated on larger screens. Contrasting the city backdrop are the characters themselves. The character artwork is very reminiscent of Tezuka's style, with characters sporting all manner of exaggerated features.

Fantastic Mr Fox

Fantastic Mr Fox is a stop-motion animation of Roald Dahls Fantastic Mr Fox.

Felicity Dahl says that the visual style of Fantastic Mr Fox has nothing to do with Quentin Blake's illustrations for the English book editions. Instead, the visual reference point was the director's own American childhood.

"He fell in love with Donald Chaffyn's illustrations, who illustrated the first editions of Fantastic Mr Fox for America. They are absolutely enchanting." Each puppet was constructed with immense attention to detail, including the use of real fur. The set for Fantastic Mr Fox is based on an English/ American farm.

District 9

District 9 visual effects were created by Image Engine. 

District 9 is a photorealistic computer generated film. The filming for the setting took place during the winter in Johannesburg, South Africa. According to director Neill Blomkamp, during the winter season, Johannesburg actually looks like a nuclear apocalyptic wasteland. Blomkamp wanted to capture the deserted, bleak atmosphere and environment, so he and the crew had to film during the months of June through July. Blomkamp wanted the aliens to maintain both humanistic and barbaric features in the design of the creatures.