Alan suggestion's have changed my idea slightly and I now think the story works a bit better. As suggested I've included a female suitcase which is already on the train. The lost luggage sees her and from then on is determined to board the train. Alan also suggested that I looked at making the animation in black and white. I couldn't decide whether or not to do this, I was worried it would be harder to get the characters across, so I've decided to go somewhere inbetween.

As the storyboards show, everything in the animation will be in black and white, except the female suitcase, who will be coloured (Pinkish) I thinnk this would make her really stand out and considering she is the aim and objective, it will make things really clear. It reminded me a bit of Schlinders List, with everything desaturated apart from the one red-coat. I wanted to build on the love-story part, I've got a copy of 'Brief Encounter' (Thanks again Alan!) and I'll try and replicated some of the shots and try and put across the genre.

I'm about half-way through the storyboards, I need to quicken up really. I've also got half the animatic (with very rough-music, all needs to be changed)

When I've had the chance I've been working more on my storyboards over the last few days. I'm struggling a bit with the decsion of how complicated to make the story. I have drawn so far up to the point where the Suitcase makes it onto the platform, out of the ticket office. I originally was going to have the suitcase climb out of a window, but I think that is over-thinking it, and creating more work than is needed for a simple scene. My new plan is to make these first few scenes as simple as possible so they can be easily understood and then when the suitcase makes it near the train, to create a lot more action.

I'm starting to come to terms with the amount of modelling, texuring and animating that this short is going to take. Once I have the storyboards completed, I'm hoping to crack on with some Pre-viz alongside more concepts so I know exactly what to do in Maya, not to waste any time. The most complicated part of this all will be the train, I've got huge amounts of references from films for it and with a bit of patience I'm sure I can create it how I imagine.

If I don't manage to finish this, and think it is worth finishing, maybe at some point over the next year I'll have the time (But I doubt it! lol)

I've created the first few frames of my storyboard, I'm hoping it comes across in the way I've imagined it. The introduction will be jump cuts between the train moving along the tracks to the station and the baggage holder being pulled along towards the platform. I'm now working on the next part of the storyboard, and then I'll try and refine it all.

I think I've now gathered enough references from around the Era I'm setting the animation in. These references below are all from different times, but they all have common objects and settings which show the American West, and I know they'll be useful. They've been taken from two films - HIDALGO and FLYBOYS. There are also a few images from a recent Episode of The Pacific also.


Flyboys









Hidalgo






The Pacific

I haven't progressed as far as I would like to have over the last week or so as I've spent most of it away in the Lake District, but I'm now cracking on with some concepts. I wanted to research into some of the materials and the dusty look of the time and place. I found a great website full of photographs of the American Western Ghost Towns which have been deserted with a lot of old objects and buildings left. These have proven very useful for figuring out the look. I've got a huge folder of images but here are a few which I'll definitely use.














I'm hoping to have at least a couple of finished concepts by the end of the week, a bit ambitious maybe.