Storyboard (in-progress)

This is what I have completd for this portion of the project. I am currently finishing up the remaining scenes in the storyboard and will post them shortly. (My idea is working with the "micro-to-macro" vice-versa for this title sequence)

Additional Elements

Here are a few of the graphical elements that I will be incorporating into the title sequence. One of them I plan on using a similar style as part of the layout.

1)

2)

3)

4)

Music selection

Here are a few of the sounds that I plan on using for the theme of this title sequence:

1) "AYO (Technology)" - 50 Cent
2) "Bad Boy This, Bad Boy That (theme)" - Da Band
3) "Si Señor" - Control Machete
4) "Hip Hop Police" - Chamillionaire
5) "Like Whoa!" - Black Rob**
6) "Sick Beats Remix" - DJ Brody**

(**)-these are the ones that will most definitely be added to the title sequence.

Other sounds that will be added are sound effects as well as a bit of dialogue from specific scenes and characters (coming soon).

Work In progress

The following images are the starting 5 sketch concepts that I might want to consider for this project:

1) With this one, I was planning on telling a bit about the story and introduce the characters in a sort of neurological sense and give the viewer the feeling that this is an intense movie.


2) Here I am relying on the vetor-based image of each character and would play around with the usage of animation graphics so as to indicate that the image is coming from far away.


3) One onf my options is to play with the concept of micro-to-macro. The bar of soap is a symbolic icon of this movie and the usage of bloog in the sink would help tie that concept together. Having the entire opeing scene start inside the faucet, move outward, see the water drop, see the blood then splatter and then finally see the bar of soap fall into te sink would also be similar to the original style.


4) The logic behind this one is to rely more on the color and the tone of the movie. Since it is a movie about "good vs. evil" and the duality that this individual has to overcome, rendering the images, like so, would allow to distor the image in such a way that it would make it work.


5) Even though this isn't my design, the way that this is portrayed could also work for the title sequence. Again I am invisioning the micro-to-macro concept and the usage of graphical elements too (like the trail of blood for example). And the other lines indicate tension/stress, which occurs a lot on this movie.

Fonts

Based on the following image (logo), these fonts were chosen for how they are related to the movie.


Here are the font choices as of right now.
HOTEL CORAL ESSEX

DIRTY EGO

FAIL

KNIFE

FIGHT THIS

Images

The following images are some of the few elements that I plan on using or focusing on when creating this title sequence.

Creative Brief (ART 328: New Media)

Project Details
Date: October 19, 2008
Prepared by: Salvador (Sal) Miramontes
Project name: Project #2—Movie Title Sequence for “Fight Club”
Design Lead: Sal Miramontes
Hand-off to Production: (10/15/08)
Product Release: (11/12/08)

Project Concept
The concept--core value--of this project is to create a title sequence for a movie from a list of available options. My chosen movie, “Fight Club”, will be the basis for this project. The usage of Adobe’s After Effects program will be the main focus in order to create a minimum of a minute-long animation. The purpose of the title sequence is to either portray the story of the movie in a short animation, or use key qualities/aspects of the movie to emphasize it. This needs to occur with the title sequence that I will be creating for this project as well.

Objectives
The title sequence needs to reflect what the movie is about as a whole, which has been done is a couple of ways: (1) as a short story that uses characters/figures from the movie and are represented in a unique way, or (2) by using key elements/moments from the movie in order to display the title in a creative way.
The original title sequence for “Fight Club” sets the tone of the movie, which is something that I plan on incorporating. It also works with the micro-to-macro level of things so that one feels as to see things occurring from the interior and end up being on the exterior.
Even though I want to create something totally different, I will focus on incorporating both of them in a unique way into this project.

Audience
The audience for this movie is primarily directed towards males (ages 18+) that like action movies and are into some sort of fighting profession, like boxing, wrestling, etc. As for the secondary audience, this would pertain to those people that like drama/suspense films and the issue of wrong vs. right (having to deal and overcome ones inner-self).
Perception/Tone
The tone of the movie is composed of multiple features:
(1) This issue of “good vs. evil” but with a twist, meaning that it’s only one individual whose faced with fighting himself. He must discover that who he sees is actually who he would like to be. But the end result is that he knows that the “evil one” isn’t worth it and must “triumph” over him in order to save not only him but also those he cares about.
(2) The issue of “dark vs. light” or “wrong vs. right” and overcoming ones fear. This triumph is one that all of us deal with in our lives and is a major part of the movie.

Communication Strategy
What will you do to create the perception/tone and how will you meet the overall project objectives.
Because this movie has such a unique way of portraying its title sequence, I plan on not copying it, but rather embrace it. Therefore, I have a few ideas that I'd like to try for this project.
A) The usage of key elements/moments to emphasize the typography choice within the title sequence. For example, the movie, “Fight Club”, has to deal a lot about fighting. One of the scenarios of the fight could be used along with the typography. Another example could be the gun that is pointed into the narrator’s mouth or the acid that is placed on his hand. I would make sure and have all of the images used as vectors so that it would emphasize the movie without taking away from actually watching it.
B) Use the bar of soap (symbol of “Fight Club”) and use the “8 Rules of Fight Club” as part of the presentation of the typography within the rules or the bar of soap. This would only be capturing one part of the movie but it is such an important part that it would be worth doing
C) Mimic the original title sequence but focus on something else that can be seen from a micro-to-macro level from this movie. Maybe even the bar of soap? Or the image of the narrator? This means I would have to be zooming in and out with a limited amount of image(s).
D) Think of more as I go along.

Competitive Landscape
The following is a list of examples that are considered “competitive” to this movie in that they are of similar style:
2008 Choke
2006 V for Vendetta
2003 The Machinist
2001 Vanilla Sky
2000 American Psycho
1999 American Beauty
1999 Office Space
1998 Broken Vessels
1997 The Game
1996 Crash
1995 12 Monkeys
1994 Natural Born Killers

The best thing to do is watch the title sequence of these movies and analyze how they would relate to the one in “Fight Club” and the one I am to create.

Single-Minded Message
One term? That would have to be “Self-struggle”. As for a single-minded message…capturing the effects of the mind in a creative way.

Project 2: Movie Analysis

Movie selected: “Fight Club” (1999)

Opening Scene: Fox 2000 Pictures and Regency Enterprise present…
A Linson Films production
A David Fincher film

A) Main cast appearance: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helen Bonham Carter
B) Title Appearance: “Fight Club”
C) More cast: Meat Loaf, Jarez Leto, Zach Grenier, Holt McCallany, Eion Bailey
D) Cast by: Larry Mayfield
E) Costume designer: Michael Kaplan
F) Special Make-up Effects Supervisor: Rob Bottin
G) Sound Designer: Ren Klyce
H) Music by: The Just Brothers
I) Film Editor: James Haygood
J) Production Designer: Alex McJowell
K) Director of Photography: Jeff Cronenweth
L) Executive Producer: Arnon Milchan
M) Based on the novel by: Chuck Palahniux
N) Screenplay by; Jim Oals
O) Produced by: Art Linson, Cean Chaffin, Ross Grayson Bell
P) Directed by: David Fincher

Visual cues: Loud music of the Rock genre, uses the role of micro to macro (from inside
the human body in an outward motion), depth-of-field is important and the speed used for it (fast-to-slow), color choice is dark, grungy, and feeling of isolation.

Main Characters: Brad Pitt = “Tyler Durden” – lazy, laid back, easy going, philosopher,
obnoxious, and a pushover. Edward Norton = “Narrator” – always on the go, calm, had insomnia, complete opposite of “Tyler”

Usage of “person”: First person used by Edward Norton’s character while the remainder of the movie is in third person.

Key elements: there’s a lot of usage of repetition when it comes to what is important in
the movie. Type is used as a visual effect when it comes to describing the furniture in the narrator’s condo. The majority of the movie has a dark, grungy, and dirty tone to the way the characters are interacting with one another. There seems to be two complete opposites in the movie – that which happens by day and then what occurs at night. This can also be seen between Norton’s and Pitts’ characters.

Female figure: the presence of “Marla Singer” makes the plot change a bit each time.
This especially occurs when Tyler’s character get to meet her. From that point on, things are starting to “worsen” for the narrator.

Introduction of Fight Club: this becomes the escape route that the narrator needs for his
insomnia but at the same time almost becomes a drug when later we find out the Tyler and the narrator are the same person.

Further resources in determining my animations

The following are the examples of "limitations" on what I based my animations on. Enjoy.

My original "hand-drawn" sketch that was taken into photoshop and cleaned up so that I could use the "Live Trace" option in illustration and yet still be able to keep my design intact.


Color limitation was basd on this magazine cover. The color choices were those seen on the fan's stomach (the white and sea-green). This made it interesting when it came to working with type.


When thinking about the referential piece, I wasn't getting anywhere. But, after thinking a bit outside of the box, I started to imagine something more on the mechanical level. Therefore, this image helped me in determining to use a set og gears for the final piece.

Working with my concepts

1) Abstraction: for this first piece, I plan on focusing with the echo of the sound. Depth will be playing a significant part in this animation. We listening to the sound, there seems to be two factors involved--the first is the constant background sound that seems to fade in and out but on a continuous basis. The second is the introduction of a sound that seems to overlap and is only present for a short time.

With the second part, I will be using the media limitation of something "hand drawn"--this allows it to correspond with that particular sound on a more micro level since there doesn't seem to be a set sound that is being made. And because the sound is present for such a little amount, I will be having it fade in and out in a timely fashion so that it will be synced to the sound.


2) Type-based: here the sound will still be the "fireworks", but the focus will be mainly that high-pitched sound that seems like something is falling from the sky. Because this has such an impact over the rest of the noises in the sound clip, this needs to be the point of emphasis in the animation.

One f the ideas that I plan on working wwith is whether or not I should use words when creating this animation. I like the idea of creating something that will have meaning in the end, but ultimately I'm not sure if it will take away from the experience of the sound.

The limitation that this one will have will be based on using "only 2 colors, derived from magazines, photos, books, any printer matter". By doing so, I am setting myself up to work "Raw" and not deal with worrying about illustrating the obvious.


3) Referential: the sound that I will be using for this one is that of the ice cubes being poured into the glass and then adding in the soda pop into it.

This one is so hard to stay away from showing the obvios because the sound makes it hard to depict something else. I'm still not sure how I am going to make this piece referential but I am in the process of finding out and will document it once I do.

Even though I am still not sure of what I'm doing, one of the limitations that I would like to use for this one would be that of "a type of climate".


(Note: examples of my work-in-progress will be added on here shortly)

Time for change?

Last time in class, I still wasn't sure of what I wanted to do or how I was going to approach each sound and it's corresponding animation. And the more I thought about it, the more I began not liking the sounds that I had chosen.

Therefore, I have decided to change things around a bt. My sounds will still be the same ones but I have decided to switch the first sound (the ice pouring) with the last sound (the boilig water).

I noticed that by doing this, the abstraction and referencial pieces will seem to correspond "better" with the ideas and sounds that I have.

Project 1 (Mindmaps and Sketches)

So far, this project seems to be interesting in relation to the video we saw in class last week. By having us add limitations to our designs, it is allowing us to focus more on just those principles. This is something I haven't really worked with before and I hope that it will help me become a more well-rounded designer.

Here is some example of the mindmaps that I did for each of the 6 sounds:


As I began to notice the sounds on a more critical level, I decided that the last three options that I had were going to be the ones that I wanted to use for this project.

Here is an example of one of the sketches that I was working on for the next step:


As of right now, I am looking into both the concepts that I want to address for each portion of the project as well as the limitations. This will be a long process, but once I have narrowed it down, it will be easier to work with. And as of right now, the few ideas that I have been working with seem to be pointing me in the right direction.

(Please note that not all of my mindmaps and sketches are up but they will shortly.)

Sound Clip Results

Searching for sounds seemed to have taken me a long time to do but after not worrying about what exactly it was I was looking for, it then became much easier to chose.

The following 6 sounds were the ones I ended up choosing for class:

Thrasher - (sound of a chirping bird)
Claps - (just someone clapping)
Kskbell - (sound of jingle bells playing)
Ice-pour-02 - (2 ice cubs poured into a glass then water is added)
Firework-2 - (simple firework explosion)
Boiling_water - (constant water being boiled)

(Please note that I haven't placed links to theses because I am looking for the url's to theses--will add them soon)