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VISUAL STORYTELLING
EXAMPLES OF DESIGN LOGIC TO INFORM VISUAL DESIGN CHOICES IN SERVICE OF STORY
• Worked with Pixar pre-Toy Story as a freelance Graphic Artist & Digital Matte/3D Painter on Commercials and ABC interstitials.
• Joined the feature art department as a Character, Set & Graphic Production Artist on A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc and Toy Story 2.
• On The Incredibles, I contributing to the design of many Sets and almost all of the film's Graphics, including end-credit crawl.
• As Case Study, I have broken down the process and logic for designing the Insuricare sequences of The Incredibles.
• Joined the feature art department as a Character, Set & Graphic Production Artist on A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc and Toy Story 2.
• On The Incredibles, I contributing to the design of many Sets and almost all of the film's Graphics, including end-credit crawl.
• As Case Study, I have broken down the process and logic for designing the Insuricare sequences of The Incredibles.
• Examples of earlier work as a Set and Character production artist exploring and iterating environments.
• For Bug City and the Bug Bar I was tasked with translating a handful of approved concept illustrations into fully functional sets.
• I approached Bug City by first building and photographing from a bug's PoV, a practical set made with real-world objects boxes and objects.
• I built the Bug Bar out of card stock, with scale cut-out characters and real-world props that we shot from inside with a fiber-optic camera.
• The drawings were about capturing mood, lighting, and additional detail.
• For Bug City and the Bug Bar I was tasked with translating a handful of approved concept illustrations into fully functional sets.
• I approached Bug City by first building and photographing from a bug's PoV, a practical set made with real-world objects boxes and objects.
• I built the Bug Bar out of card stock, with scale cut-out characters and real-world props that we shot from inside with a fiber-optic camera.
• The drawings were about capturing mood, lighting, and additional detail.
• Production artists are also responsible for breaking down approved designs into detailed plans, mechanical studies,
cross sections, turn-arounds, poses, expressions--anything that helps communicate its design and functionality to modeling, rigging,
texturing, and animation departments for executing the design in 3D.
cross sections, turn-arounds, poses, expressions--anything that helps communicate its design and functionality to modeling, rigging,
texturing, and animation departments for executing the design in 3D.
• As a graphic artist, I designed graphics for many of Pixar's films, which typically perform one of two functions:
• Visual exposition, as a way of communicating important story information, such as newspaper headlines; or as details of
authenticity, without which, the world would feel empty and synthetic.
• Graphics also serve design logic for supporting and expressing emotional or narrative intent, such as the layering of stickers in
Andy's room in Toy Story 3 chronicling his growth from child to young adult.
• Visual exposition, as a way of communicating important story information, such as newspaper headlines; or as details of
authenticity, without which, the world would feel empty and synthetic.
• Graphics also serve design logic for supporting and expressing emotional or narrative intent, such as the layering of stickers in
Andy's room in Toy Story 3 chronicling his growth from child to young adult.
• Examples of film graphics in context of final shots for how they support the authenticity of the world, convey character,
tone, information, subtext and/or visual interest.
tone, information, subtext and/or visual interest.
• As a Set and Graphic Designer on The Incredibles, I learned how design logic aligns artistic choices with narrative intent
• This Case Study demonstrates the process and logic for designing the Insuricare sets for 2 sequences from the Incredibles.
• Here, a dramatic arc illustrates the highs and lows of Mr. Incredible’s dramatic progression relative to his wants and desires.
• Note the drop from the emotional high of the Prologue to the emotional low of Bob's job at Insuricare at the beginning of Act 1.
• This Case Study demonstrates the process and logic for designing the Insuricare sets for 2 sequences from the Incredibles.
• Here, a dramatic arc illustrates the highs and lows of Mr. Incredible’s dramatic progression relative to his wants and desires.
• Note the drop from the emotional high of the Prologue to the emotional low of Bob's job at Insuricare at the beginning of Act 1.
• Color Scripts are tools to mapping visual design choices to dramatic intent. This color script by Production Designer Lou Romano
shows how image his design choices relate to the story's dramatic highs and lows.
• Even at this level of abstraction, note how dramatic contrasts are visually codified through contrast of color, shape and pattern,
specifically how the emotionally low Insuricare sequences of the 1st Act contrast with the more dramatic moments of the 2nd & 3rd Acts.
shows how image his design choices relate to the story's dramatic highs and lows.
• Even at this level of abstraction, note how dramatic contrasts are visually codified through contrast of color, shape and pattern,
specifically how the emotionally low Insuricare sequences of the 1st Act contrast with the more dramatic moments of the 2nd & 3rd Acts.
• To emphasize the emotional low of Insuricare, Lou established a visual language around desaturated values, grids, static and flat framing
to contrast the dramatic lighting, saturated colors, dramatic angles, deep spaces and organic environments of the later Acts.
• As a set designer, my role was to apply this design theory into specific application while serving the dramatic needs of action & camera.
to contrast the dramatic lighting, saturated colors, dramatic angles, deep spaces and organic environments of the later Acts.
• As a set designer, my role was to apply this design theory into specific application while serving the dramatic needs of action & camera.
• My first step in the process was to interpret approved illustrations, against the needs of the storyboards.
• Working with 2D director Brad Bird on his first 3D animated feature, our goal was to recreate or improve upon his storyboards.
• Working with a 3D artist we pre-visualized sets through specific camera angles, to make sure scale was correct, characters could
perform their actions relative to the camera angles Brad and his story team had painstakingly worked out in editorial.
• Working with 2D director Brad Bird on his first 3D animated feature, our goal was to recreate or improve upon his storyboards.
• Working with a 3D artist we pre-visualized sets through specific camera angles, to make sure scale was correct, characters could
perform their actions relative to the camera angles Brad and his story team had painstakingly worked out in editorial.
• Once approved I quickly sketched over the layouts, applying design Lou's design logic through with set and prop design choices.
• In this manner we built only what we needed, in contrast to the tradition of building out entire sets directors would later location-scout.
• In this manner we built only what we needed, in contrast to the tradition of building out entire sets directors would later location-scout.
• Supplemental drawings provided the design iteration and details further supporting Lou's design logic so that all the design choices
worked in service to the larger needs of the scenes and sequences as a whole.
• I tried to rationalize the gridded, square design logic through each object in a way that hopefully felt believable and natural.
worked in service to the larger needs of the scenes and sequences as a whole.
• I tried to rationalize the gridded, square design logic through each object in a way that hopefully felt believable and natural.
• To convey Bob's boss as the ultimate useless bureaucrat, all the clocks are set to the same time and there are no wall outlets.
• The only things to break the square shape language are chairs and desk with angry angles designed to express aggression
towards Bob in his weak, backwards-leaning chair.
• Trivia: the only other living thing in the office is a small cactus that is simply his bosses head with a cactus material.
• The only things to break the square shape language are chairs and desk with angry angles designed to express aggression
towards Bob in his weak, backwards-leaning chair.
• Trivia: the only other living thing in the office is a small cactus that is simply his bosses head with a cactus material.
• Additional examples of how the gridded, square design language manifests through each and every shot.
• To contrast with the bold, colorful dramatic opening, Bob's cube conveyed the oppressive feeling of being trapped and powerless.
• The cube reflected grids from any camera angle, whether from the filing cabinets, insurance binders, wall calendar or desk blotter.
• The single structural pillar taking up half of Bob's cube holds up the building in the way Bob used to be a pillar as Mr. Incredible.
• Even the faded lightning bolt on the electrical box calls back to danger and emblem of being a superhero.
• The cube reflected grids from any camera angle, whether from the filing cabinets, insurance binders, wall calendar or desk blotter.
• The single structural pillar taking up half of Bob's cube holds up the building in the way Bob used to be a pillar as Mr. Incredible.
• Even the faded lightning bolt on the electrical box calls back to danger and emblem of being a superhero.
• Besides just the emphasis on squares and grids, a secondary visual motif is imbalance
• The furniture and props are designed to be top heavy, structurally unsound, prone to falling over.
• This was an ironic way of suggesting how ineffective Insuricare was at reducing risk as an Insurance Company.
• The furniture and props are designed to be top heavy, structurally unsound, prone to falling over.
• This was an ironic way of suggesting how ineffective Insuricare was at reducing risk as an Insurance Company.
• More examples of design logic informing each individual prop, from top-heavy phone and paper clip holder, to square paper clips.
• The challenge in applying design logic is how to do it in a way that feels believable and consistent without drawing attention to itself.
• The challenge in applying design logic is how to do it in a way that feels believable and consistent without drawing attention to itself.
• Even the graphic signage was an opportunity to reflect the design logic.
• Grayscale, grids, squares, oppressive imagery, all to subtly reinforce the tone.
• Grayscale, grids, squares, oppressive imagery, all to subtly reinforce the tone.
• For context, here are examples of final shots from the Insuricare sequence for how design theory was applied.
• Fundamental to Production Art and Set Design was problem solving, arriving at designs that served the needs of story and camera.
• In this simple example a problem arose on Ratatouille after director Brad Bird came on to the film with significant script changes.
• One scene he added to the reels entailed a chase scene for Gusteau's will through Paris city streets across the Sienne.
• Without budget or resources for a new set, I was tasked with finding a way to achieve the scene with existing assets.
• I quickly mocked together a map repurposing and reposition existing buildings and city props relative to camera shots for achieving
the scene as the director envisioned it.
• In this simple example a problem arose on Ratatouille after director Brad Bird came on to the film with significant script changes.
• One scene he added to the reels entailed a chase scene for Gusteau's will through Paris city streets across the Sienne.
• Without budget or resources for a new set, I was tasked with finding a way to achieve the scene with existing assets.
• I quickly mocked together a map repurposing and reposition existing buildings and city props relative to camera shots for achieving
the scene as the director envisioned it.
• For the Mater Private Eye episode of Cars Toons, I used SketchUp to simultaneously pre-viz and design characters and sets.
• Given the time and resource constraints of the shorts, this enabled us to more quickly vet design approvals for production.
• Given the time and resource constraints of the shorts, this enabled us to more quickly vet design approvals for production.
• This Case Study demonstrates my creative and problem-solving process coming on to WALL-E one year from release.
• As Graphics AD, I was responsible for planning, designing and directing remaining graphics for Act 1, and all graphics for Acts 2 & 3.
• Worked closely with VFX extraordinaire, Philip Metschan to scope & plan vast number of graphics in the storyboards.
• For the Axiom, I applied a graphic design logic over Production Designer Ralph Eggleston's set and emotional design logic, breaking
down the ship into three graphic languages: Utility, Passenger & Command.
• As Graphics AD, I was responsible for planning, designing and directing remaining graphics for Act 1, and all graphics for Acts 2 & 3.
• Worked closely with VFX extraordinaire, Philip Metschan to scope & plan vast number of graphics in the storyboards.
• For the Axiom, I applied a graphic design logic over Production Designer Ralph Eggleston's set and emotional design logic, breaking
down the ship into three graphic languages: Utility, Passenger & Command.
• Developed graphics style-guide for quickly establishing a design logic and more scalable approach to executing vast number of graphics.
• Sourced reference to quickly convey rules and guidelines for application of fonts, iconography, texture, pattern, color and motion,
differentiating distinct parts of the ship, as they related to WALL-E's (and the audiences') emotional journey.
• This Style Guide became a very effective tool in quickly aligning with Director Andrew Stanton, and helping guide the rest of the graphics
team or nearly a dozen designers and motion artists.
• Sourced reference to quickly convey rules and guidelines for application of fonts, iconography, texture, pattern, color and motion,
differentiating distinct parts of the ship, as they related to WALL-E's (and the audiences') emotional journey.
• This Style Guide became a very effective tool in quickly aligning with Director Andrew Stanton, and helping guide the rest of the graphics
team or nearly a dozen designers and motion artists.
• The first areas in the Axiom WALL-E is exposed to are in the Utility areas inhabited only by other robots.
• A visual language specifically for the robot class, these graphics were black & white emphasizing functionality, directionality and utility.
• To speed up the execution of graphics placement, I designed decal sheets with simple usage rules empowering layout artists to
autonomously place graphics., in contrast to the tradition of only artists hand-placing each and every graphic in the film.
• A visual language specifically for the robot class, these graphics were black & white emphasizing functionality, directionality and utility.
• To speed up the execution of graphics placement, I designed decal sheets with simple usage rules empowering layout artists to
autonomously place graphics., in contrast to the tradition of only artists hand-placing each and every graphic in the film.
• The second step in WALL-E’s journey was through three Passenger sections, starting with Economy Class.
• This is where we encounter the current state of humanity for the first time, bringing to life WALL-E’s fantasizing of humanity.
• Given how much humanity had devolved in space, it was important for the audience to re-associate them with the BnL branding from Earth.
• As the Director wanted the emotional & visual peak at the next step of WALL-E's journey, I designed & directed the BnL graphics to be
more reductive and constrained in color, proportion and placement.
• This is where we encounter the current state of humanity for the first time, bringing to life WALL-E’s fantasizing of humanity.
• Given how much humanity had devolved in space, it was important for the audience to re-associate them with the BnL branding from Earth.
• As the Director wanted the emotional & visual peak at the next step of WALL-E's journey, I designed & directed the BnL graphics to be
more reductive and constrained in color, proportion and placement.
• Additional constraint came from limiting the motion graphics to simple sliding or radial movement, with solid colors.
• The goal was to up the visual-emotional impact from the Utility area of the ship to Economy Class while leaving room for the
visual-emotional crescendo at the next stage of the journey.
• The goal was to up the visual-emotional impact from the Utility area of the ship to Economy Class while leaving room for the
visual-emotional crescendo at the next stage of the journey.
• The visual-emotional climax happens in Coach Class, where WALL-E and the audience finally get to see how humanity has (de)evolved.
• Meant to be dazzling, confusing and overwhelming, I designed and directed the graphics to suggest how humanity, BnL, and their mutual relationship of dependency had also evolved and deepened.
• BnL graphics now had appealing colors schemes, gradients, thick, bubbly fonts & playful pictorial iconography targeting children.
• This was to help express how humans had regressed into infantilized, bottle-fed babies barely able to walk or function
without their automated-parental caretakers.
• Meant to be dazzling, confusing and overwhelming, I designed and directed the graphics to suggest how humanity, BnL, and their mutual relationship of dependency had also evolved and deepened.
• BnL graphics now had appealing colors schemes, gradients, thick, bubbly fonts & playful pictorial iconography targeting children.
• This was to help express how humans had regressed into infantilized, bottle-fed babies barely able to walk or function
without their automated-parental caretakers.
• The motion graphics for Coach class were cranked up with z-axis, perspective, angular and multi-directional movement, dynamic
animating patterns, gradients, and figures.
• The effect was to evoke Times Square meets Las Vegas, meets Hello Kitty.
animating patterns, gradients, and figures.
• The effect was to evoke Times Square meets Las Vegas, meets Hello Kitty.
• The second to last stage of WALL-E’s journey to the Lido Deck, where the director wanted to dial down visual complexity
and intensity for reseting the audience’s palette and expectations.
• These graphics were designed to be subdued elegant designs, soft swirling patterns and relaxing color gradients and no motion.
and intensity for reseting the audience’s palette and expectations.
• These graphics were designed to be subdued elegant designs, soft swirling patterns and relaxing color gradients and no motion.
• WALL-E leaves the Passenger stage of the Axiom Tour for the Bridge, entering into an entirely new graphic visual language: COMMAND.
• These graphics were designed to be complex, cryptic, and overwhelming so that no one on the ship could decipher the controls.
• To keep these more sophisticated graphics in the same world style, I emphasized colorful, circular shapes & rounded corners.
• Adding to the challenge was the that the director wanted multiple activity states for each control panel that circumscribed the bridge,
along with the ability to move them anywhere.
• To achieve this, we developed a library of modular, swappable graphic panels and sub-panels with different animation states.
• These graphics were designed to be complex, cryptic, and overwhelming so that no one on the ship could decipher the controls.
• To keep these more sophisticated graphics in the same world style, I emphasized colorful, circular shapes & rounded corners.
• Adding to the challenge was the that the director wanted multiple activity states for each control panel that circumscribed the bridge,
along with the ability to move them anywhere.
• To achieve this, we developed a library of modular, swappable graphic panels and sub-panels with different animation states.
• Utility graphics in final shots
• Passenger Economy graphics in final shots
• Coach Passenger graphics in final shots
• Bridge Command graphics in final shots
Design Logic, Visual Storytelling, World-Building, Problem-Solving
• One of my greatest learning experiences at Pixar was in being asked to Production Design a short.
• As a Production Artist or Set Designer, I had been focused on problem-solving self-contained component-parts of the film.
• As an Art Director, I was responsible for helping establish & maintain the vision of an entire art vertical across multiple departments.
• As Production Designer, I was responsible for bringing the director’s vision to the screen, across every vertical,
in collaboration with every department on the project.
• As a Production Artist or Set Designer, I had been focused on problem-solving self-contained component-parts of the film.
• As an Art Director, I was responsible for helping establish & maintain the vision of an entire art vertical across multiple departments.
• As Production Designer, I was responsible for bringing the director’s vision to the screen, across every vertical,
in collaboration with every department on the project.
• Anytime I work with a new Director or creative superior, my goal is to understand their judgement, taste and communication style to
maximize working efficiency and trust.
• To achieve this as early as possible, I start with inspiration boards to align on the big picture before getting immersed in the details.
• This process became a great calibration tool for Director Gary Rydstrom. Both new to our roles, this process gave us comfort and fun
in aligning on tone, intentionality through key visual touchstones, including: giant mixing boards, driver’s education, Laurel & Hardy,
water weenies, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
maximize working efficiency and trust.
• To achieve this as early as possible, I start with inspiration boards to align on the big picture before getting immersed in the details.
• This process became a great calibration tool for Director Gary Rydstrom. Both new to our roles, this process gave us comfort and fun
in aligning on tone, intentionality through key visual touchstones, including: giant mixing boards, driver’s education, Laurel & Hardy,
water weenies, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
• With character design already well-underway (and outside of my wheel-house) I focused on themes and settings.
• A key motif throughout the film was contrast: contrast in personality between alien student and teacher; in tone between the comedic
driver’s test and dramatically intense abduction; between the farmer’s pastoral home and the cold alien ship.
• My intention with the ship interior was to externalize the student’s insecurity of being in the spot light, judged by the teacher,
with nowhere to hide, with a looming weight hanging over his head.
• A key motif throughout the film was contrast: contrast in personality between alien student and teacher; in tone between the comedic
driver’s test and dramatically intense abduction; between the farmer’s pastoral home and the cold alien ship.
• My intention with the ship interior was to externalize the student’s insecurity of being in the spot light, judged by the teacher,
with nowhere to hide, with a looming weight hanging over his head.
• As concepts were approved they were blocked out for pre-viz to see how they worked in context of camera and scale.
• As we learned what did and didn’t work in camera, we made visual cheats, like sliding the ship struts into frame, or skewing the
control console buttons to avoid moiré patterns.
• I specced out all set & prop materials & details, down to the teacher's oily fingerprints on his metal clipboard.
• As we learned what did and didn’t work in camera, we made visual cheats, like sliding the ship struts into frame, or skewing the
control console buttons to avoid moiré patterns.
• I specced out all set & prop materials & details, down to the teacher's oily fingerprints on his metal clipboard.
• One of the surprising design challenges was in defining the final look of the green gelatinous aliens, the shader of which had already
been prototyped when I first joined. But no matter how much we tweaked it, the look constantly felt synthetic and CG.
• By the time we started getting somewhere, it had been so patched that the film would never render in time for release.
• Our mathematical genius Sup Tech, Bill Polson, spent a few long days and nights rewriting the entire shader from scratch, giving
us all the controls we wanted at a tiny fraction of the rendering cost.
been prototyped when I first joined. But no matter how much we tweaked it, the look constantly felt synthetic and CG.
• By the time we started getting somewhere, it had been so patched that the film would never render in time for release.
• Our mathematical genius Sup Tech, Bill Polson, spent a few long days and nights rewriting the entire shader from scratch, giving
us all the controls we wanted at a tiny fraction of the rendering cost.
• Not being a strong painter, a big challenges and growth opportunity lie in creating the color script for guiding the films lighting design.
• Typically color-scripts are done early in the process before much content is finalized. In my case, a greatly delayed lighting schedule
allowed me to paint over locked, pre-lit shots, enabling me to focus exclusively on color and light.
• As our lighting budget and resources remained squeezed, I even painted numerous matte shots, not typically done with Pixar films.
• Typically color-scripts are done early in the process before much content is finalized. In my case, a greatly delayed lighting schedule
allowed me to paint over locked, pre-lit shots, enabling me to focus exclusively on color and light.
• As our lighting budget and resources remained squeezed, I even painted numerous matte shots, not typically done with Pixar films.
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