Some Reference.

I think the style of Jacob Two Two is simple and messy, and could be suiting to our film in both character design and layout. 

Look at this one for backgrounds, its stylized and wonky with no  hard outlines.

 

And this one, not for style, but its a crazy reaction video, to give a sense for cool angles and timing.

Hope this is helpful in any way.

Edited Script

 Hey guys, for Hawking's replacement, I'm seeing a frail old man in a wheel chair, he can move his arms (though he has trouble raising them, and picking up heavy-ish objects.... like a mug of tea). Hes a bit shakey, maybe huge glasses that magnify his eyes, scraggly crazy hair. Kinda the robot chicken scientist but helpless and not as crazy. Harold, Arthur, Walter, Norman, whatever old person name people want to call him. I'll go with Norman for now, edits in yellow.

Start on long shot of Norman in wheelchair. There’s a monkey at the blackboard..writing out an immensely complicated series of equations. Window is open behind Norman. They are on the 4th floor in a busy city.

Norman shakes his head as the monkey writes on the board looking disappointed at the monkeys mistake.

monkey screeches

He points angerly at the board, gesturing where his mistake was made, to keep this mainly silent we can have him grunt, and smacks the monkey on the back of his head.

monkey screeches again but louder and throws chalk

Norman has had enough of the monkeys bad attitude, shoots him a glare as he wheels himself away.

Monkey freaks out, leaps out the window.

Norman- Wait...Monkey where have you gone? What have I done?

The monkey bounces off an awning...flies through a clothes line, comes out dressed as a woman smoking a pipe. From the street you hear a cat-call whistle.

(Guy on street (off camera) - It’s a monkey!

Another guy (off camera)- I know...) Can show these two as the monkey goes by, they look at each other confused and shrug

Monkey dressed as a woman lands in a baby carriage. A woman leans over and looks into the carriage. I didn’t know you had twins Mikki. Cut to inside of carriage to show two monkeys sucking their thumbs. Lady, I don’t! Takes fake monkey out, and kicks him off screen.

Cut to hot dog vendor. He’s just put a new weenie in a bun and hands it over to a guy in a ball cap. The guy squirts some ketchup on it, then turns to pay the hot dog vendor. Just then when the guys head is turned the monkey zips into the hot dog bun, and knocks the weenie out. The guy turns back to take a bite, but the monkey notices, kisses him on the lips, and jumps off screen.

Cut back to Norman trying to write on the board, he can stretch but he cant reach the top of the board, his arms shake as he reaches. As he stretches too far, he can't support himself and topples over into the wall, and pushes himself back upright, looking defeated.

-Cut back to monkey-
Monkey falls in the back seat of a rickshaw. Monkey is relieved, wipes sweat off his brow, but then is shocked at the driver/puller of the rickshaw. Cut to the front of the rickshaw, and it’s himself, Universe the monkey pulling it. Pull out wider to reveal the monkey pulling the cart with no one in the back. Cut to monkeys point of view to show a bunch of nuns crossing the street slowly. Monkey tries to stop but there’s no breaks and he’s running too fast.

Big explosion, nuns become angels and/or winged pandas and start floating up to heaven.

Cut back to monkey and he comes back down landing on one of the wheels from the cart and rides it like a unicycle. rotate camera 180 degrees and stop following monkey as he bombs a series of hills screaming.

Cut to interior of Norman's house...Norman is wheeling across a room..

Norman goes to the fridge and starts to pull on the door with all his might using both hands, he struggles, and finally the door swings open sending him backwards and flipping his wheelchair on it's side. He looks grumpy and snaps his finger as if to say "darn"


Cut back to screaming monkey as he charges camera and we enter his mouth. The unicycle hits a curb and Universe is tossed up into the air, collides with a streetlight, spins around the pole with the streetlight, and is flung back the way he came through the sky.

Cut back to Norman’s room
Wheel chair is on it’s side. Norman is being pecked by many vultures, he tries to shield his face, looking scared and in pain.

Monkey flies in through the window, lands, and scares all the vultures away.

The monkey helps Norman up in his chair, dusts him off, looking happy to be home again.

Monkey screeches!

Norman praises the monkey, pats his head, and all those nice general gestures people do once they've been saved. He is apologetic to the monkey for his earlier actions.

Monkey screeches..runs to blackboard..rewrites equation..looks to Norman for approval.

Norman - You’re fired.

END

Keeping the two lines of dialogue since the punch of the cartoon is the last line, and one before hand wont make it seem so out of no where. I didn't change much since people said that their main beef was that the character was Steven Hawking and no one new. Hope this works for everyone. 

Also just a bit of suggestions for script- the mad scientist - we can make him really intimidating - to the point where it's funny. For a closely related example- if we take Freddy's character designs of gangsters/ thugs, they are not just badass; they are so over the top badass that they are funny. Anyways the reason why I say this is because we don't really feel for the monkey- the scientist was not really that rude or mean to the monkey. We don't have a sense for the karma. I'm not saying to change anything major. However let's just say for the intro of the scientist; he comes out of the shadow slowly with a squeaky wheel chair- and the shadow is still covers his face-he says something in a really menacing tone like - hello monkey (or whatever his name is) and does like a icy/ crazy - but not diabolical- laugh. - and does the mr. burns finger tip thing- (excellent?) - Anyway just suggesting that we make a villain out of the crazy scientist so we feel for the monkey and the audience feels good when the scientist gets covered with the vultures and what not.
-Another thing if people find the robot voice offensive- you can just use an untraceable accent? maybe?
-Lastly instead of a everyday science monkey- is it possible to change it to a baboon? Because every show/ movie did something with a monkey and science- baboon is still a monkey - but looks far more interesting -maybe just a new layer on a pile of unoriginality?
-To summarize add a bit of dark humour to the otherwise just plain goofy scientist?
-accent over robot voice?
-Science Baboon over Science Monkey?

If it's too late, or the suggestions aren't that constructive, then don't worry about it- I'm just thinking on the top of my head...

Salehin Nobi

Hey guys just posting the design links-http://colin-jack-interview.blogspot.com/ - scroll down to see the designs, and also- this is his blog- http://jackomtablet.blogspot.com/search?updated-3A00&max-results=7

-as you can see it's not that it has no lines it's just that the lines are just a bit darker whatever it's outlining.

-Salehin Nobi

Re-Cap Part 2

Storyboard, layout and character design people start drawing. Everything can be rough, but you need to show something on Thursday for class.

Storyboard artists:
Focus on the staging more than on actually getting an actual clean drawing. The drawing still needs to be legible, but just enough detail to make out whats going on.

Also I would like to bring up the class animation we did for Barney last semester. We had all the characters move to the left for consistency, if you can try to implement that (left or right, which ever you like) to keep the film conistant and easier in the animating stages that would be great. Obviously when the monkey flings back to the apartment it would be moving in the opposite direction to show visually that hes going back to the appartment.

Character Desginers:
The style is going to be with no outlines, so keep that in mind when you design. Think 6Teen in terms of the outlines of the characters, there will be no dark outlines on them. Salehin will also be posting up the pictures that he showed us today.

A recap of the characters that you need to design:
Main Characters:
- The Monkey (or "Universe"). Try to give him a visual look showing that he was created by the scientist. Something subtle, like a wrist band, or a big brain. Just something to show that hes different, and smarter than the average monkeys. You also need to design the monkey in women wear because he goes through a clothes line, and comes out looking like one.

- Mad scientist (replacing Steven Hawking). Also note that the scientist needs to be old, and incapable in order to show his reliance on the monkey, so some suggestions were to keep the wheel chair or to just give him a crutch.

Side Characters (these don't need to be as detailed as the first two):
- 2 Mothers with baby carriges, and a baby inside (the babies can look the same)
- A hot dog vendor, and a guy buying the hot dog (design the hot dog stand as well)
- Nuns, and their Winged-Panda angel variants (I say Nun(s), but they can all look the same. Just something generic cause we're killing them off anyway)
- A rickshaw, I know its not a character, but its a prop and if you guys can design that too that'd be great.
- A vulture. Instead of having vultures, rats, and owls, im thinking just have one vulture design and we'll just make copies of them when we animate. That way we only have to build one character, but duplicate it if need be.

Layout/BG Artist:
Location, location, location. Go through the script a couple times, and see if you can picture where everything may be and draw a birds eye view of the entire layout. If time is of the essence, and it is too hard to figure out just draw out concepts (or research, and show pictures on Thursday) of:

- Scientist's apartment interior, and exterior
- The street of where the hot dog stand, rickshaw, hill, nuns crossing, and traffic light, all will be.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think thats everything? I hope I didn't miss anything, but post as much as you can people. Please. We need to get this thing rolling.

DEADLINE FOR ROUGHS IN ON THURSDAY, FEBRURARY 17 in class.

If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. Ill be in the studio all week, and if you need an immediate response, my cell phone number is 647-271-9848. Email: jasonslwong@hotmail.com

Hope this helps.

SCRIPT!!!

Chain Reaction Monkey

Steven Hawking as Steven Hawking
Monkey's Name: Universe
Location: Hawkings Apartment

Start on long shot of Hawking in wheelchair. There’s a monkey at the blackboard..writing out an immensely complicated series of equations. Window is open behind Hawking. You could hear robot voice from Hawking. They are on the 4th floor in a busy city.

Hawking - No, no, no....are u even listening, Universe? I don’t understand... You came highly recommended...

monkey screeches

Hawking - Who forgets to carry the one? Oh I remember.... a monkey!

monkey screeches again but louder and throws chalk

Hawking - That’s it. I’m sending you back to Michael J. Fox.

Monkey freaks out, leaps out the window.

Hawking - Wait...Universe where have you gone? What have I done?

The monkey bounces off an awning...flies through a clothes line, comes out dressed as a woman smoking a pipe. From the street you hear a cat-call whistle.

Guy on street (off camera) - It’s a monkey!

Another guy (off camera)- I know...

Monkey dressed as a woman lands in a baby carriage. A woman leans over and looks into the carriage. I didn’t know you had twins Mikki. Cut to inside of carriage to show two monkeys sucking their thumbs. Lady, I don’t! Takes fake monkey out, and kicks him off screen.

Cut to hot dog vendor. He’s just put a new weenie in a bun and hands it over to a guy in a ball cap. The guy squirts some ketchup on it, then turns to pay the hot dog vendor. Just then when the guys head is turned the monkey zips into the hot dog bun, and knocks the weenie out. The guy turns back to take a bite, but the monkey notices, kisses him on the lips, and jumps off screen.

Cut back to Stephen Hawking trying to write on the board with a makeshift broom and chalk attached to his wheel chair. It’s moving back and fourth and making a scribble on the board.

Hawking- Ah crap, my body is a prison.

-Cut back to monkey-
Monkey falls in the back seat of a rickshaw. Monkey is relieved, wipes sweat off his brow, but then is shocked at the driver/puller of the rickshaw. Cut to the front of the rickshaw, and it’s himself, Universe the monkey pulling it. Pull out wider to reveal the monkey pulling the cart with no one in the back. Cut to monkeys point of view to show a bunch of nuns crossing the street slowly. Monkey tries to stop but there’s no breaks and he’s running too fast.

Big explosion, nuns become angels and/or winged pandas and start floating up to heaven.

Cut back to monkey and he comes back down landing on one of the wheels from the cart and rides it like a unicycle. rotate camera 180 degrees and stop following monkey as he bombs a series of hills screaming.

Cut to interior of Steven Hawkings’ house...Hawking is wheeling across a room..

Hawking- So hungry...wheelchair!! Throw a burger in the blender!
Wheel chair flips over.
Hawking - Dern!

Cut back to screaming monkey as he charges camera and we enter his mouth. The unicycle hits a curb and Universe is tossed up into the air, collides with a streetlight, spins around the pole with the streetlight, and is flung back the way he came through the sky.

Cut back to Hawking’s room
Wheel chair is on it’s side. Hawking is laying on his back covered in vultures and owls and rats. They are picking him to pieces. Hawking says owe, owe, owe, every time a vulture pecks him.

Monkey flies in through the window, lands, and scares all the vultures, rats, and owls away.

Hawking- Universe.....you....you saved me?! I was so helpless and scared without you.

Monkey screeches!

Hawking- I’ll be more patient with you from now on.

Monkey screeches..runs to blackboard..rewrites equation..looks to Hawking for approval.

Hawking - You’re fired.

END

Update on Task List

Aaron - Character Designer
Adam - Storyboard
Adrian - Director/Writer/BG Artist
Alice - BG Artist/Back up for which ever area needs help
Anna - Storyboard/Crazy Animation
Cat - Character Designer
Chewy - Character Designer
Craig - Assistant Director
Dani - Writer/Sound Editor/SFX
Dave - Sound Editor
Elena - BG Artist
Freddy - Art Director
Gemal - Storyboard/Leica Editor/Crazy Animation
Immalyn - Character Builder/SFX
Laura - Storyboard/Compositor
Mikki -Leica Editor/BG Artist/Crazy Animation
Min - Storyboard/Character Builder/BG Artist/Crazy Animation
Salehin - Character Designer
Sean -Character Builder/Compositor
Sonia -Character Designer/BG Artist
Travis - Character Builder/Leica Editor/Crazy Animation

just some ideas~~~

hi everyone, it's adam writing. anyways i saw the post for art style and i think it's a good direction, just wanted to add some more ideas to it though.

check this link out: http://hykade.com/

and look at the film ring of fire. i really like the shadows sketched in on each frame, it makes it look really lively. maybe we could use this in a small part of the animation???

and for backgrounds idea that are vastly different from new grounds, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6sQTkt2xoU

i don't think this whole style would work for what we are doing, but i think we could draw certain elements from it, like the lighting and texturing...

so basically i'm just throwing these ideas out. i think that one thing that most flash cartoons don't have is atmospheric effects or lighting effects... so maybe if we put some fx in there (and really push it!) our animation can stand out!!!

Art Direction

> I've been looking around at the different styles of animation possible in flash and I really like the Jimmy two shoes style. Its the perfect combination of simplicity and great design with a lot of flexibility to go really crazy with the poses.
>
> The tricky part with flash is making a cartoon that doesn't look too "newgroundsy" so I think this style would be perfect. But then again the style also depends on the story so nothing is really set in stone at this point.
>

Appologies

Sorry for the confusion Craig, hotmail assumed your email address as Junk and sent it to my Junk email folder. I don't know why it did that, but you weren't the only one. Dani's, and Laura's were also sent there. In any case I fixed the problem now, so you along with Dani, Laura and Freddy have been added to the posting list =).