After our briefing for our third Portraits assignment, inspiration struck me with an idea I'd really like to develop. We were tasked to showcase After Effects skills through creating 1 minute or more worth of multi-screen moving image, thematically centred around the relationship between the human and digital world.
My idea involves simplistic drawn animation as well as use of AE, which will be done in Photoshop. The angle I want to take with this project is using video games as a comfort & coping mechanism in childhood as things might not be going well around you - escaping into the virtual world when the real one fails you, and getting drawn into the world within a mere handheld device. This is a very personal concept, as I remember playing on my 3DS as a child, and using it to distract myself from situations. Essentially, this project calls out to me like a way to console my inner child, and I'm sure many people can relate with their own video game experiences as sort of safe spaces.
I'm inspired by animated loops used on lofi music radio livestreams, which I watch to relax whilst doing other things, like many people - so I thought I'd design the child's bedroom in that style. The characters themselves should be minimalistic abstract forms, so as to keep the design ambiguous (applicable to anyone) and utilise more of the AE framework rather than drawn animation. Animation-wise, 2D assets within a 3D environment would be a good option for the console screen visuals, as I couldn't fully model the game environment but it would be a cop-out to throw in some screen-recorded footage. A top-down RPG style would be the best option for this make-believe game. As for the bottom screen, animating a stylus would be more of a challenge than keeping it static, so I'll try to work that in where I can, as well as a minimap feature. In researching motion graphics on YouTube, Vimeo, Behance and Stash, I've found some trends that I would be able to replicate, such as grainy colour gradients, textural collage effects and flat illustrated elements created in Photoshop or Illustrator. Overall, I want to give it a very stylised feel. Here are some top-down references for the world design.
Narrative
Parents argue while child sits with their back to the door. Child sits on bed and opens Nintendo 3DS console. Parent figures on second screen melt away in a blur and are replaced by warm, comforting colours. Bedsheets cover the frame, followed by legs, then hands holding the console, one holding the stylus - the console starts up. We now enter the two 3DS screens to continue the story. Child opens a game inspired by the Animal Crossing franchise (popular childhood console game) and interacts with simple mechanics such as avatar customisation (taken from New Horizons), bug catching and interacting with NPC villagers, whose dialogue will be reassuring messages aimed at the child themselves, breaking the fourth wall within the world of the film. They make their way through the village down to the pier at the beach, a recognisable place for ACNL players. They encounter an adult version of themselves sitting in the boat, where normally a character called Kapp'n would sit. The top screen quickly fades to the ocean horizon background with a mid shot of the adult character, while the bottom screen serves as a large dialogue box. It reads, "You are safe here." Camera zooms back out to the POV of the child holding the console. Child presses 'Save & continue', then screen cuts to black.
Visual References
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