Evaluation

Evaluation
Following up from my original rationale I decided I would take up the subject of advertising undertaking to school leavers.. As I want to specialize in character design I wanted to continue focusing around this area. My very first ideas for this task were to make the job out to be a mockery. From the group ideas at the beginning of the unit I was set on pursuing the zombie idea. Here I thought i could have some fun drawing up the characters and be as creative as I wanted. I first drew up a storyboard to show what the personalities of the characters were going to be like. After sketching a few images, I then began to research more into the actual job looking at the different types of work an undertaker does. To gain further detailed research I was advised to ring up arrange an interview with an actual funeral director. This proved to be more difficult than I thought as a lot of the companies were family owned businesses and were constantly busy. I also felt quite aw quad and insensitive when talking to them as they were busy taking care of families deceased member. So I decided to ring up a bigger corporation. Finally I was able to have an over the phone interview where I got my questions answered. After acknowledging more information about the job and what person you have to be, I decided to drop my original zombie idea as it did’t feel that it would fit well with the characters I wanted to design. I quickly drew up another storyboard where I would used the style of a black and white 1950’s announcement video to show the personality of the characters. I decided that I was going to continue using the designing undertaker’s character but instead of continuing with the zombie idea I was going to replace it with a corpse character. This way any drawings I designed before I could still use them as further development. when it came to designing the both characters i focused mainly around the head area as I feel that more personality is shown through the face. I drew them to scale making sure that the lining on both views of the drawing were equal. Like the usual process I added colour to them on photo shop which I always enjoy. This is mainly because I like to see my drawings at their best. Here I created two versions of the characters where one in colour and the other is tinted black and white. I used this effect to make them look old and more in the style of my storyboard. I especially looked forward to the next stage when it came to importing these designs into Maya which is a program I am quite interested. Although it was not long until I realized how difficult and time consuming it is modelling a character truly was. I was able to shape a basic looking head of the undertaker where had to continuously alter the vertex points to make the cheekbones and jaw structure. I also halved the model so there were less points to move about. As I have not really attempted anything this big in Maya I soon felt out of my league and got stuck at times. Finding it frustrating instead of keeping it simple I kept creating more vertex points and ended up getting to complicated and mixed up. Instead I was advised to build my characters as an avatar in second life where I felt more familiar. Although I have never built a customized avatar properly which was also new to me. After looking at a few tutorials it seemed to be quite basic to understand. This was to simply add my original character designs over the second life templates, where they had to fit perfectly. This was a trail and error process and I had to alter a lot from my original designs. mainly because the scale I drew them at was either too big or small. Each part of the clothing had to attach in line with each other. Eventually I managed to fit everything together quite accurately but because the shape of my actual characters the clothing looked a little distorted and stretched. Never the less I found the process very interesting to do and would like to continue creating second life characters maybe as another project. I continued to work mainly in second life throughout the rest of the brief. where i created my own funeral home including an objects that relate to an undertakers job. These included coffins, gravestones etc. i also created my own hearse as it features as a main prop in my storyboard. to make the hearse more eye catching i tried to make it similar to the hot rod hearse from the programme the Munsters. As i was a bit limited with the textures, the overall model looked a little plain looking, making it very similar to a toy car. overall i still think it looked similar to a toy as i was a bit limited with textures the colours came off a little plain looking. To make the place look a little more professional work place i included tables and filing cabinets. What really worried me at this late stage was that i found out that I had to document the models and characters on second life as a moving image. With the lack of movements and gestures I was unsure what to actually film and with the mixed advice I started to worry. Eventually I decided to just take screen shots of the scenes which featured in my storyboard making them as a slider. To refer back to my original style of how i wanted my storyboard i made to versions. one slide is with colours from second life and the other has a tint over the top so it creates a 1950's feel to it. although i came across many complications over this unit i would still like to continue doing this sort of work in the future. I especially like to design more characters using second life but i will also like to learn more about the gestures and how i can create them.

Building an Undertaker Home

As i fell fairly confident, building in second life i decided to build a miniature Funeral Directors workplace. This way i could advertise the job over the Internet instead of in sequence. Here i built coffins, gravestones and i scanned in my original leaflet and posters and planted them around. Although it is basic it is more of a educational centre for anyone interested.

Second LIfe

As things didn't go to plan in maya i decided to make the character in second life as avatar creations. As i have not really created a custom second life character before it was quite new to me. These were made on photoshop using actual second life templates and by covering them over with my original designs. This is a very time consuming process and before importing it properly into the 3D world i had to be preveiw it and check it carefully to see that all of patterning on the parts fitted together accuratly.

Leaflet and Posters

With the designs that i had done and the information that i collected before i created a leaflet, advertiseing whats needed in becoming a funeral director and the stages of different jobs they take on. I also designed a few posters advertising the job itself, making them look like propagana designs.

Maya failure

Character Design stage 2

As i want to specilize in 3D character design my next step is to import the images as planes into maya and try and model round them.

Character Design stage one

After trying to draw the characters to perfect scale, i decided to change as i found this process to be difficult and limited. Especially when drawing the facial features they just looked crushed up and not very noticeable. so i drew in my own style with big heads and smaller bodies.

The undertaker

Trying to keep the undertaker character as a role model for teenagers i decided to give him a young look too, as if he had just left high school as well. Giving him big eyes and stylish hair.
Here are a few ideas.

The Corpse

Although i dropped the zombie idea i did not want to completey discard it all. So i used the original drawings and developed them into a corpse character, where i made him less grusome and more human looking. still keeping him expressionless.

Moodboard

This is my earlier research moodboard.

Style

Although i am designing the characters the style of the whole animation is very important to know. the reaon is because it gives me more ideas of the actual personality of the character. I especillay like the old corny stle of the old educational videos and the 1950's announcement videos.
These are some examples that i found.

storyboard 2

After learning more about undertaking i decided to alter my idea slightly still keeping the same style of it being humorous but educational as well.

Interview with the undertaker

After researching undertaking i was advised to have a talk to a real funeral director to gain further knowledge about the job itself. So i wrote out a few questions and tried to arrange an interview. Although it proved to be quite difficult finding someone who could help me as i went after smaller family businesses. Eventually i managed to get an over the phone interview with a larger company which proved to be very helpful.
These are the questions i asked
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What are the presage’s when organising a funeral and who are the different staff involved?

Stage 1 Death-
The doctor pronounces the person to be deceased
The embalmer is called, who takes the body away.
Stage 2 Embalming-
The embalming has to be requested by a loved one or if it's really necessary
The body is disinfected and massaged so if rigamortis sets in the body is easier to move.
Body is shaved.
The body is then injected with a large amount of fluid which pushes the blood out.
Body organs are punctured letting any gas fluid out.
Cuts and bruises are covered with make up to make the body more presentable at funeral.
The body is then suited up, then put in the coffin

Stage 3-LAST RESPECTS
The body is returned to the family of the deceased for last respects
On the day of the funeral the body is then loaded into a Hurst and and driven by the undertaker to the church.

stage 4-FUNERAL
To make things less painful for the family the undertaker arranges the ceremonial service times, writes the obituary's and sorts out whether the body is to be buried or cremated.


What are the requirements and do you need any experience to be a funeral director?

No real legal training requirements needed , tend to be a family business which own their own funeral home.
Some funeral directors want a diploma or some sort of education experience.
Some Undertakers learn embalming as well.
No education is required for embalmers and can actually get work experience at a funeral homes.
Embalming licence is required after a completion science training program.

What type of clothing do you wear?

Depending on the deceased families religion
Undertakers wear a white shirt, black trousers, black waist coat, black blazer coat, top hats.
Mainly to be respectful to the mourning family and the deceased.
The tradition began when Prince Albert died and queen Victoria went through a stage of mourning wearing nothing but black.

What sort of person do you have to be to be a funeral director?

Strong hearted but sociable, Caring
Have to be empathetic and be highly respectful.
Has to be able to work on a 24 hour basis.

My first scaled up character

Using a ruler i managed to keep the main points of the character scaled accurantly(head),(arms),(torso)etc from front to side.

First zombie ideas

To show more of an idea of the personality of the zombie character, the first parts i sketched and focused on was the stance and then the main facal features making them as graphic as much as possible.

storyboard 1

My first ideas towards this breif was to advertise undertaker as a humourous joke. As the subject was to interest teenagers leaving high school i thought the idea of zombies would be a good catch towards them.