MacDonald First Round Props

Above is an idea for a table used during her performance. I thought it could be fun if it  "magically" collapses when she's packing up at the end of the day. Think Mary Poppinsish.

This is the concept for her packed up performance gear. I wanted her equipment to look well used and timeless. Also thought her briefcase could have a pop up poster inside she uses to grab attention.

A simple bird cage. This is something that could be off to the side of her performance. Maybe full of a few birds in one scene then empty the next as if she did a trick and made them disappear.

Her lounge chair back home. I was going for the Victorian look with carved wood covered in lush fabric with a floral print.

Lastly the magic wand. One thing I wanted to do was break away from the typical wand a magician uses. This is something tied into the street performer character trait. I noticed most performers customize things as part of their gimmick. But then I thought "what if her wand was the key to her house?" and instead of inserting a key, she presses the wand into the empty slot on the door and voila! Just something to think about. I also added a small ribbon to grab more attention to the wand and add an opportunity for some fun overlap animation.

Nassri_RoughStoryboardThumbnails

This is a very rough storyboard thumbnails. It needs a little bit of explaining but basically incorporates the idea of having fast repetition to show that he what he does on a daily basis with the last one being from his eyes and showing how wonderful the world is to him.

Cordova_CharacterSketch

I'm no concept artist but I gave it a go and this was my result. I kept the design simple keeping in mind the "ways to economize production" that we discussed in the previous class. The colors blue and purple are often related with magic.

MacDonald Environment Concepts

2:35 Theater Widescreen

 2:35 Theater Widescreen

Above are speed paintings to capture an idea I had of restricting our magician character using light. So while people coming through the square are in the light, our magician character will be separated standing in shadow to screen left. I see it as a subtle conflict adding one more metaphor for this character's detachment from the perceived world. I have also tinted the grey slightly cool so it reads unwelcoming as opposed to say sepia tone.

2:35 Theater Widescreen

This second concept I have moved down south! I was thinking the city could be a New Orleans/Savannah/Charleston inspired. First and foremost these cities have amazing architecture to design from, but secondly they also have a strong presence of life long street performers. I played around again with light. This time showing contrast between the neighbors while the magician heads towards an empty house.

MacDonald Character Concepts

The above character is a woman in her 60's that has been performing as a magician for over 40 years. I wanted an older woman that wasn't what you normally see in animated films; hunched, wrinkled, and eccentric. She should have a sophistication and refinement about her gained through performing her act for decades. A past that was filled with stardom and beauty in which she continues to confidently project.

My key influence was the beautiful 63 year old Jessica Lange. Another is a Canadian street performer by the name of Billy Kidd who along with Janelle Monae inspired the androgynous outfit. This adds an interesting character trait to her unseen history of struggling with not only trying to introduce magic to the world but also to stand out and become accepted. Billy Kidd stated in an interview "It's a boys' club,"... "I have to work harder and do different things." which is one reason for Kidd's androgynous persona.

Lastly the color pallet chosen is an example of how the world could look towards the final few scenes of the film. Bright colors that play with a high contrast complimentary pallet. This method is more about experimenting with hue contrast than value contrast.

After finishing the last environment frame I decided to do a quick concept of the little girl in the street to refine that sloppy painting. This idea of having a child being able to also see the magic everyone else overlooks was brought up in class and I though it was interesting and worth exploring. I wanted her forms to reflect the magician she is impersonating so I tapered her arms and legs to mimic the magician silhouette.