Early Production
two early concept images for the pitch
I had planned from the start to have a personification of darkness follow Nat around. While she seems paranoid in the beginning, once she reaches the gym to retrieve her costume the darkness starts to chase her out of the school.
Character Design and Motion Tests
inital rough sketches of Nat
Nat was a character I had drawn and animated before (see Pit Stop and detergent), but this was the first time I was tested on her design and consistency. I worked various ways to try to cut down details and make her a strong character.
motion test of Nat meeting the gaurd
motion test of nat running from the darkness
Motion tests provided a great general basis for what the final product would look like, and helped refine how Nat moves and her personality.
Storyboard
rough storyboards
As the project was made by myself, I was able to use a lot of personal shorthand when drafting. When it got to the stage to show others for feedback, more refined storyboards were created.
Layouts
layouts of the front of the school
I wanted all the shots to be dynamic inside the school, and to give solid grounding to where Nat is in comparison to both the entrance and the gym locker.
The layouts really challenged my strength in perspective, and I wanted to make each shot clearly readable and flow within the plot.
a rough shot of Nat looking inside the school building
Nat walking through the halls and entering the gymnasium
Within the process of making the layouts, I decided to warp the spaces Nat walks through to enter the gym as she runs out, instead of creating brand new backgrounds. This helps disorient the viewer and make it feel like the space is truly distorted.
Final Production
As the goal was just a rough animatic, my main goal was to just give solid layouts and movement blocking through out the story. The layout and motion for each shot were compiled in After Effects, and the final assemblage was in Premiere.
the first shot in the final film