Produced by Marianne Tremaroli
Directed by Benjamin Tuttle
Storyboard: Dennis Haugen
Narrator: Trevor Haugen
Music composed by Jesse Lee Don Pringle
American born Yvette Matikunas, one of the privileged few, flees Paris with the mass exodus. When a deathbed promise has her roaming the streets with a dangerous message, she learns no one is who they seem to be and trust is a thing of the past.
Injured when trying to save the life of one of his men, Colonial André Rinaldo is disillusioned by a shell-shocked country and a weak government. Persuaded to go underground and unite his fellow compatriots by forming resistance groups, he meets a beautiful blonde, whose determination to free France from foreign dictatorship is as strong as his.
I saw a thread of Grimhilda's post and it got me thinking about the whole production phase. For educational purposes and such- I will provide a little story and how it was built.
It all started with this thread. I remember making a short test before I left for work; it took 15 minutes. I was approached to take on the project- I needed a little jumpstart after a long hiatus. (Long personal story)
The most challenging part of the process was the set design. There were few Parisian props and the current ones are well... sketchy... I rather make my own. In following Trimble's EULA, I avoided using warehouse items, major landmarks (Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe [later removed, but keeping]) had to be found in 3d sites which guarantee royalty free items.
Under guidance from the producer, what to include and not to include [shot selection, voice over and certain scenes to include], the female character was finalized, then the male character fitting closest to the description. Cellygon's faces are some of the most well crafted, along with Vit's PR5 faces, I had to be careful in hiding the seams. Combining with Alley's costumes- it was a great combination for them.
Set design wasn't as easy.
It starts out as this.
before going to this.
A good production has to have great set design down to the finest detail. There's so much planning involved, foilage- certain colors. (Purple azaleas with purple dress)
Shots tell the story too- think of them as a tool, not a play thing. What does this shot say? What does that one say? The one thing I notice with iCLone productions is a lack of care towards cinematography. There's too few CUs to bring in action or cameras that distract you, just swinging wildly with little purpose. The shot is just as important as the dialog for me. The right frame makes all of the difference.
Sound too is another concern, Jesse's score takes the stage along with the voiceover to bring it all together. I combine light sound effects from
sites that use royalty free effects. To be honest, I was against the use of a VO, but it's grown on to me. It feels welcoming to it and blends in. The right sound too makes a huge difference as well.
All and all it was a month of hard work rebuilding Paris and it pushed my system to its brink resulting in a lot of frustration, it should clear up with a new PC build on its way. It certainly was a good jumpstart- I'm ready to get back to more work, a western is on its way. It was a difficult journey, but I feel like a good video was the result of it.
iClone Certified Director and makes miserable Westerns.
Edited
10 Years Ago by
BenjaminTuttle