Carrara Community Movie Project Year 1 -- Story Ideas Welcomed

ckalan1

FYI

Warner Brothers used a similar idea in 1941.

In an episode titled “A Coy Decoy,” Daffy Duck falls in love with a sexy wooden decoy, which lures him ashore to be ambushed by a wolf.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWIA2mmDPUw

Maybe we should turn this into a 3d version. It is in the public domain and it would provide a good model.

We would have to use characters.

Craig

McGuiver

Because there has been some interest in the duck story, I "hunted down" (pun intended) all I could find on what I started.
(although not much was found)

I could only find 1-page of the "basic" story & a couple of other sketches. ( I do still have all of the scene files and texture maps)

1. A sketch of the moon that was to be in the sky when the duck was going to sleep.
2. A sketch of the "Roost Resort" where the narrator was walking during the storytelling.

Dennis

Rashad Carter

This discussion of story line is going well. I just want to update everyone, I'm a little behind with some personal things I need to iron out this weekend so the polls are delayed by a couple of days. My apologies team, have not forgotten about you just need some time to make some space for this project in my schedule. New plan for polls is tomorrow, I turn 38 tomorrow so likely tomorrow will be busy for me as well but at least I don't have to work at the day job for more than an hour or two providing me the time to summarize these stories and get some voting going. Thanks all.

3dView

Mcguiver ---
Your notes and story board are awesome to see. thanks for sharing. I hope to be able to crank out my own duck fable today to add to our collection.

I now have some carrara images in my head already flashing from all this duckiness. For instance - I cannot think somewhere, somehow in some storyline there will not be a shot of some ducks flying up , through, around or under some nice volumetric clouds. Now, that's not such a easy task to make and renders forever but I "see" it someplace in a movie about ducks.

Ok ---enough daydreaming----- need to write some stuff.

Rashad Carter

Admittedly, I like this duck idea as well. Seems very promising. I too can think of a million ways to tell this story. Excellent.

Jay_NOLA

I like the duck idea.

One other resource that I forgot to mention.

http://www.writersdigest.com/

They publish many of the how to writing books you'll find in bookstores and have numerous free articles about writing online. They have a few script writing articles you can read.

Forgot to mention this stuff in my previous post.

The free ware program, Inspiration Pad Pro has a 2.0 and a 3.0 version. The page online random generators right before the link to the program has ipt files you can download each of them so you can use them with the Inspiration Pad Pro.
The page with the Victorian - pulp generator runs th random generator every time you load the page and the 2 random generated plots are given before the 2 non-random ones on the page.

Dartanbeck

Roygee said:

Speaking as a non-artist modeler, I think it would be wrong to showcase Carrara using models made in other applications. The VM is a major, but underutilized part of C and to use models made in other applications would be an admission that the VM, spline and metaball modelers are not up to scratch.

I personally prefer to model in Hex because i know it better, but am capable of using the VM to model about anything needed and there are some very competent modelers who do use it. I for one would be happy to bite the bullet and get to know the modelling capabilities of C a lot better to help in this endeavor and I am sure that other Hex modelers would do so as well.

I suggest that at this stage some stocktaking of who is willing and able to do what be set up - perhaps a site where we can register, state what we are willing to do, etc., so that the managers can take stock and start allocating tasks.

Absolutely. I love the VM and use it quite often. My point was that I haven't the time to re-invent the wheel. I use V4 and M4 mostly, for people, and I don't see anything wrond with that. But if we could use Carrara-made characters, that would be very cool! I've always intended on making my own people straight in Carrara using the SubD in the VM, without any other software, except to create the textures. But that is not in my immediate future. Just don't have the time.
Faba made a great person in Hex and rigged it in Carrara - great model!

Roygee

I would be very wary of using "real" people like V4 in a production of this nature - audiences expect to see real people moving like real people and I don't think its possible to do this. I have never yet seen that type of character used in movies or animated adverts and I think this is for a good reason - it simply can't be pulled off. Seems to me that it is only amateurs who even attempt to animate "real" people and I for one have not seen this done very successfully - they always come across as wooden and stilted.

The only movie I've seen where "real" people were used was polar Express and even there they didn't try for a "real" look. They were what they were - cartooney - and audiences accepted them for what they were.

The type of character that Faba used in the frog and princess story is absolutely stunning, as are those that Stu used to use in his 11-second animations - because they don't try to imitate real people. Audiences expect to see cartoon characters acting like cartoon characters, with exaggerated moves and expressions and that is what makes them so good.

I for one wouldn't even attempt to build something as good as V4 - look at how long MakeHuman has been in development by teams of modelers and they still haven't got it right:)

3dView

I think also original created real people would be just way to difficult an attempt.

and I have thrown together a duck story ---so here it goes.

This is one of the stories of three Canadian mallard ducks named Zach, Wack and Quack. Brothers actually but very different of feather. Wack is the oldest by a few hours and in that time developed a rather selfish strong me-first attitude. Wack cracked his eggshell second and has always felt like he has come in second in everything.
Lastly , there is Quack. Quack is playful soul. Never serious, often goofy. Many even call him silly. He was known to tell a good joke.

The ducks knew this year would be not much different then the others - Another year putting up with those big, know it all, braggart geese. They could not stand sharing the lake with these guys and as fall approached it only got worse. As goose after goose would tease and make fun of the silly smaller ducks incessantly.

However unknowing to the other brothers Wack (Determined to change the status quo) makes a rather large bet with the leader of the Geese of lake Summertime that he and his brothers would beat all the Geese to Mississippi this year.
The leader, a goose named Honker laughed heartily at the sheer ridiculousness that these three silly ducks could beat his gaggle.
He accepted the bet and knew in his heart there was no way he could lose either playing fair or not. Most likely not.

And so as the first orange leaf falls on the lake below ---the adventure begins with a series of adventures and misadventures as the three brothers attempt to beat
the geese to the southern migration spot.

The brothers visited the official lake Summertime migration kiosk which at this time of year was full of maps and brochures of all
the southern places but these three ducks could not afford these expensive maps.
Instead they were left to get the advice of a dragonfly who lurked nearby. The dragonfly , named Copter, was a real eaves dropper. He heard everything on lake Summertime
and of course knew all the gaggles secrets. He did not like the geese anymore than the ducks did and so wanted to help the three ducks very badly. In fact, he end up traveling with them on the back of Quack.

And so they would listen to Copter, taking his directions and advice.

The brothers knew the geese would sneak off early as Copter overheard Honker give the orders to the gaggle to start making preparations. And so on Thursday nite the ducks started southward. Or at least they thought. It seems Copters sense of direction was a little off which became pretty evident when they looked down and saw some icebergs.
Fortunately, on one iceberg was a rather friendly and drunk polar bear ----who just happened to have a shiny compass which he found on some early artic explorer who might have been a lunch or two. Having no use for this shiny metal object he gave it to the four adventurers.

Now with compass in wing at least they knew what direction to fly again. They flew long and hard through the nite and eventually got back to Lake Summertime only to find that the geese had already left. Tired and disappointed they moped on the Lake until they met up with this old wise frog sitting on a rather large Lilly pad.
His name was croaker and he overheard how the geese were going to fly south towards Chicago and then south to Louisville and then follow the Ohio River south to the Mississippi.

Crocker who often sat on the Johnson family vacation home front window said he just heard today on the radio that a big terrible wave of thunderstorms and tornadoes were coming into the Midwest. This was the break they needed.

So to the southeast the four would fly via New York, Washington and southwest then to Mississippi. Or at least that was their new plan.

Seems you should not expect a compass made in 1900 to still keep good direction all the time. Before the three ducks knew they were having such a terrible time flying
and in fact ---were chased down by a giant tornado near Louisville. Worse yet........after resting from that near disaster to their dismay they were sharing space on this beautiful Ky. Lake with Honker and his gaggle. Honker was not happy to see the three ducks and plans to deceive them by having a near by snapping turtle give them a faulted map.

Unknowingly the three ducks use the map and soon discover that they have been sent right towards a large hunting club's annual duck hunt. It is near disaster as Quack
gets shocked from the blast of a shotgun and falls to a pond below where he meets up with the teeth of Porch. A rather playful Flat Coated Retriever who was as good as they get
in retrieving ducks from the water. By the time Porch got Quack to the shore of the pond he had come to. Quack using his joke telling skills is able to buy his freedom by trading his freedom for the broken compass. Porch just like the shiny metal did not care if it worked. But even better than that Quack learns of Mr. Daryl Hopkins who comes up to the club every year for this event and just happens to live in Mississippi who was leaving in a hurry as one of his cows took sick.

It was not that difficult for the three ducks to sneak upon Mr. Hopkins pick up that night ..and they rode all night comfortably in the back of Ford f-150.
Once in near Tupelo they took flight and arrived a whole half day before Honker and his gaggle. When Honker and the gaggle finally arrive on the wintering Lake they are dismayed to see the three ducks relaxing on logs and having a good ole time. Oh and that bet.......it was simple. If the ducks beat the geese the geese had to shut up all winter. And so it was .......the most peaceful southern vacation of Wack, Zach , Quack and Copter.

bigh

3dView said:

I think also original created real people would be just way to difficult an attempt.

and I have thrown together a duck story ---so here it goes.

This is one of the stories of three Canadian mallard ducks named Zach, Wack and Quack. Brothers actually but very different of feather. Wack is the oldest by a few hours and in that time developed a rather selfish strong me-first attitude. Wack cracked his eggshell second and has always felt like he has come in second in everything.
Lastly , there is Quack. Quack is playful soul. Never serious, often goofy. Many even call him silly. He was known to tell a good joke.

The ducks knew this year would be not much different then the others - Another year putting up with those big, know it all, braggart geese. They could not stand sharing the lake with these guys and as fall approached it only got worse. As goose after goose would tease and make fun of the silly smaller ducks incessantly.

However unknowing to the other brothers Wack (Determined to change the status quo) makes a rather large bet with the leader of the Geese of lake Summertime that he and his brothers would beat all the Geese to Mississippi this year.
The leader, a goose named Honker laughed heartily at the sheer ridiculousness that these three silly ducks could beat his gaggle.
He accepted the bet and knew in his heart there was no way he could lose either playing fair or not. Most likely not.

And so as the first orange leaf falls on the lake below ---the adventure begins with a series of adventures and misadventures as the three brothers attempt to beat
the geese to the southern migration spot.

The brothers visited the official lake Summertime migration kiosk which at this time of year was full of maps and brochures of all
the southern places but these three ducks could not afford these expensive maps.
Instead they were left to get the advice of a dragonfly who lurked nearby. The dragonfly , named Copter, was a real eaves dropper. He heard everything on lake Summertime
and of course knew all the gaggles secrets. He did not like the geese anymore than the ducks did and so wanted to help the three ducks very badly. In fact, he end up traveling with them on the back of Quack.

And so they would listen to Copter, taking his directions and advice.

The brothers knew the geese would sneak off early as Copter overheard Honker give the orders to the gaggle to start making preparations. And so on Thursday nite the ducks started southward. Or at least they thought. It seems Copters sense of direction was a little off which became pretty evident when they looked down and saw some icebergs.
Fortunately, on one iceberg was a rather friendly and drunk polar bear ----who just happened to have a shiny compass which he found on some early artic explorer who might have been a lunch or two. Having no use for this shiny metal object he gave it to the four adventurers.

Now with compass in wing at least they knew what direction to fly again. They flew long and hard through the nite and eventually got back to Lake Summertime only to find that the geese had already left. Tired and disappointed they moped on the Lake until they met up with this old wise frog sitting on a rather large Lilly pad.
His name was croaker and he overheard how the geese were going to fly south towards Chicago and then south to Louisville and then follow the Ohio River south to the Mississippi.

Crocker who often sat on the Johnson family vacation home front window said he just heard today on the radio that a big terrible wave of thunderstorms and tornadoes were coming into the Midwest. This was the break they needed.

So to the southeast the four would fly via New York, Washington and southwest then to Mississippi. Or at least that was their new plan.

Seems you should not expect a compass made in 1900 to still keep good direction all the time. Before the three ducks knew they were having such a terrible time flying
and in fact ---were chased down by a giant tornado near Louisville. Worse yet........after resting from that near disaster to their dismay they were sharing space on this beautiful Ky. Lake with Honker and his gaggle. Honker was not happy to see the three ducks and plans to deceive them by having a near by snapping turtle give them a faulted map.

Unknowingly the three ducks use the map and soon discover that they have been sent right towards a large hunting club's annual duck hunt. It is near disaster as Quack
gets shocked from the blast of a shotgun and falls to a pond below where he meets up with the teeth of Porch. A rather playful Flat Coated Retriever who was as good as they get
in retrieving ducks from the water. By the time Porch got Quack to the shore of the pond he had come to. Quack using his joke telling skills is able to buy his freedom by trading his freedom for the broken compass. Porch just like the shiny metal did not care if it worked. But even better than that Quack learns of Mr. Daryl Hopkins who comes up to the club every year for this event and just happens to live in Mississippi who was leaving in a hurry as one of his cows took sick.

It was not that difficult for the three ducks to sneak upon Mr. Hopkins pick up that night ..and they rode all night comfortably in the back of Ford f-150.
Once in near Tupelo they took flight and arrived a whole half day before Honker and his gaggle. When Honker and the gaggle finally arrive on the wintering Lake they are dismayed to see the three ducks relaxing on logs and having a good ole time. Oh and that bet.......it was simple. If the ducks beat the geese the geese had to shut up all winter. And so it was .......the most peaceful southern vacation of Wack, Zach , Quack and Copter.

over all I like it - good job

mmoir

Hey all,
This sounds like an exciting project .. and I hope it comes to fruition as past attempts have not done so well. I am willing to help out with the modeling as I have used Carrara as my modeler for quite a while(VM Modeler) I can model people to props to landscapes but my time to put toward this may be limited.
Actually Rashad , I think it was you who posted something on a forum about rigging a human character made in Carrara and I still have the human character I modelled for your post which was all done in Carrara. You could use that as an asset if you want'
This may have been suggested but maybe you should first try producing a 15-30 second clip just to get the community process down. The story doesn't have to be great but it will help you sort out the workflow you will need for the bigger movie. This is something you can start right away and once you have completed this the bigger movie should go smoother. I don't know time frames but maybe set 4 weeks to complete this short clip . . Just a thought.

Mike

Dartanbeck

Roygee said:

I would be very wary of using "real" people like V4 in a production of this nature - audiences expect to see real people moving like real people and I don't think its possible to do this. I have never yet seen that type of character used in movies or animated adverts and I think this is for a good reason - it simply can't be pulled off. Seems to me that it is only amateurs who even attempt to animate "real" people and I for one have not seen this done very successfully - they always come across as wooden and stilted.

The only movie I've seen where "real" people were used was polar Express and even there they didn't try for a "real" look. They were what they were - cartooney - and audiences accepted them for what they were.

The type of character that Faba used in the frog and princess story is absolutely stunning, as are those that Stu used to use in his 11-second animations - because they don't try to imitate real people. Audiences expect to see cartoon characters acting like cartoon characters, with exaggerated moves and expressions and that is what makes them so good.

I for one wouldn't even attempt to build something as good as V4 - look at how long MakeHuman has been in development by teams of modelers and they still haven't got it right:)

Ahhh...
(yeah... V4 gets pretty darned real - but as with anything... it's all how you use it)

mmoir

3d view ,
That is a good story , to me this fits the bill (no pun intended) perfectly for the short film IMHO.

bigh

ok I bite what happen to every one :coolgrin:

mmoir

bigh said:

ok I bite what happen to every one :coolgrin:

I guess I scared them away with my posts.. I guess my idea to create a 15- 30 second clip to get the community process down was just too scary.:vampire:

Seriously, I am ready to start as I always like to help promote Carrara in any way I can .

Mike

mmoir

Well, here is my idea in storeyboard form for the short test clip that the community could do to as a "dry run" for the larger movie project. I have never done a storeyboard and this one took maybe an hour to do. Hopefully we can iron out most of the issues on this short movie clip.
The clip is self explanatory and I don't know if this has been done before or not but I think this is fine for our purposes.
What do you guys think.

bigh

mmoir said:

Well, here is my idea in storeyboard form for the short test clip that the community could do to as a "dry run" for the larger movie project. I have never done a storeyboard and this one took maybe an hour to do. Hopefully we can iron out most of the issues on this short movie clip.
The clip is self explanatory and I don't know if this has been done before or not but I think this is fine for our purposes.
What do you guys think.

works for me

mmoir

Well lets get started then guys. Some things we need

- some concept skecthes of the main character, background style etc. .Feel free anyone to post your sketches here in this thread.
- a website or a place where we can upload/download the asset files etc. Anyone know of a good site for this?
- choose a style for the animation . Mix of realistic/toon, all toon etc. I will post a cg talk Ten challenge that sort of looks cool for a realistic/toon mix.

I have never done anything like this so I don't know exactly what to do but if we don't start something I fear the movie will not happen . So I guess I am starting something.

Cheers.
Mike

Rashad Carter

Had my 38th birthday yesterday, which kept me away from the project. But now I'm back. So then do we still need to hold a vote on story lines or can we agree that the Ducks flying south is the way to go?

mmoir

Rashad,
I am fine with the Ducks race south story. Oh, and Happy Birthday. :coolsmile:

bigh

mmoir said:

Rashad,
I am fine with the Ducks race south story. Oh, and Happy Birthday. :coolsmile:

me too

bigh

mmoir said:

Well lets get started then guys. Some things we need

- some concept skecthes of the main character, background style etc. .Feel free anyone to post your sketches here in this thread.
- a website or a place where we can upload/download the asset files etc. Anyone know of a good site for this?
- choose a style for the animation . Mix of realistic/toon, all toon etc. I will post a cg talk Ten challenge that sort of looks cool for a realistic/toon mix.

I have never done anything like this so I don't know exactly what to do but if we don't start something I fear the movie will not happen . So I guess I am starting something.

Cheers.
Mike

1 - what you did works for me
2 - we could set up a dropbox
3 - kind of real - lets use V4 or M4 - every one has them - I could set up some animation for them
4 - so we need a set scene with path and trees - coin
5 - open
when you all think ?

mmoir

I am looking at dropbox right now. Be back shortly.
Mike

Rashad Carter

mmoir said:

I am looking at dropbox right now. Be back shortly.
Mike

Sweet! Thanks a billion!

mmoir

Hmm... Is dropbox the best solution , it sounds good but would just an online storage site be better.

I would like to hear peoples thoughts on this, I know nothing about dropbox as of now apart from my quick peek at their site.

Cheers.

Rashad Carter

This is one area i which I have no experience. I was really hoping Daz might have given us a forum or something as a place to keep everything organized and even to share resources. Any leads are welcomed.

bigh

mmoir said:

Hmm... Is dropbox the best solution , it sounds good but would just an online storage site be better.

I would like to hear peoples thoughts on this, I know nothing about dropbox as of now apart from my quick peek at their site.

Cheers.

if some one has one to use - that's great
if not dropbox is good

bigh

Rashad Carter said:

This is one area i which I have no experience. I was really hoping Daz might have given us a forum or something as a place to keep everything organized and even to share resources. Any leads are welcomed.

I don't see any thing coming from Daz - we have not heard any thing yet have we ?

Rashad Carter

bigh said:

Rashad Carter said:

This is one area i which I have no experience. I was really hoping Daz might have given us a forum or something as a place to keep everything organized and even to share resources. Any leads are welcomed.

I don't see any thing coming from Daz - we have not heard any thing yet have we ?

Nada. Not sure how I feel about it. But maybe they are still waiting to see that we are serious and truly capable. Who knows? Not going to dwell on it.

mmoir

I would not rely on Daz providing something, it will be much quicker to do it ourselves in my opinion.