Thesis Proposal

I had my Thesis Proposal yesterday and it passed!  So now I just have to make it.  After a meeting with my committee the night before, I made changes to my animatic.  Here is the latest version of this film.

Help Yourself Animatic Revision 01 from Mark Reisch on Vimeo.

Enjoy and as always comments are encouraged and welcomed.

Thesis Proposal Draft

Here is the first draft of my thesis proposal. Things that need changing are my timeline to be more specific and revising my target audience to be ages 5-80.

You can download the proposal Help Your Self (working title)

I finally have a theme!!

In helping others you may inadvertently help yourself.

I came to this decision after talking to David H.  He had suggested that I refine the story even more.  It was hard to do this being that it was my own project.  Helping others figure out their thesis is much easier than trying to iron out my own story.

I ran it by Peter K. one of our story guys here at SoFA.  He helped me brainstorm some possible ideas. One of the ideas that we came upon was the idea of switching the story sequence around a bit to give a stronger ending.  But the main theme that came out of that session was the idea that by helping someone else, you can possibly help yourself.

This struck me right away because I was listening to The Rotoscopers Podcast. In podcast #21 they interviewed Don Bluth (Animator at Disney untli 1979 then started his own company). In that interview one of the things that struck me was this quote:

"If you help someone else be happy, you inadvertently make yourself happy."
           - Don Bluth Interview 23:00 http://www.therotoscopers.com/episodes/ episode #21

Also in the Moth Podcast : Jessica Lee Williamson & Don Ray Smith: StorySLAM Favorites, Mrs. Williamson describes how she selfishly tries to help a homeless woman to make herself feel better.  In this case it didn't work out, and because she was not sincerely trying to help the woman, the woman ends up rejecting her help.

In my own personality, I genuinely want to help people.  I get an extreme satisfaction when the help I have given, helps the other person out.

So going forward that is the message that I want my thesis to say to my audience.

Story Revision 01

After more thought on the story, I took the idea that there was nothing redeeming about the tulip to make us care if he gets weeded out or not.  So I had him help the sunflower in the only way he would know.  Thoughts?

Sunflower and Tulip fields

Sunflower basking in the sun

Hearing a buzzing sound, He looks to see what it could be.

Big grin, trying to look as appealing as possible

...but it was not enough

Hearing another buzz,

Sunflower tires to look even more attractive.

Again it is useless.

Sunflower goes back to catch more sunlight

In the middle of sunning him self a tulip Poops up.

Fsunny motions that the tulip is supposed to not be there.

Tulip refuses to leave.

Another buzz is heard

Sunflower tries to be even more attractive with a bigger grin.

Still no use.

The bee flies by.

The bee stops in his tracks

The bee finds a great scent

More bees come and enjoy the nectar.

The sunflower is sad

Seeing that, the tulip feels bad.

To help the sunflower, the tulip takes one of his bees and gives it to the sunflower.

Placing the bee on the sunflower

the sunflower is happy

Just then the sunflower notices something.

Farmer off in the distance weeding

sunflower tries to think of a plan (tulip won't be reading)

Sunflower has an idea.

Sunflower scoops up dirt.

Slapps dirt on tulips face.

Plucks pedals from his head.

Sunflower goes to work on the tulip

stunned tulip incognito.

Farmer walks by and gives the "scrawny" tulip the evil eye.

Farmer walks off.

tulip shakes off the disguise.

Tuilp gestures thanks to the sunflower

Pull out to see the sun set.

End

Salvaged...

Rethinking the story

After presenting my storyboards to my thesis prep class, and then a google+ hangout meeting with Shaun Foster and David Halbstein I decided to rework my story.

One of the problems is the dialogue.  I have now eliminated it.

These are some of my notes from the Hangout meeting:

• What does the Rose do to change the attitude of the sunflower.  Why would he care if he gets weeded out or not, he doesn't want him there any way. There has to be a change.
• Sunflower is about bigotry 
• Watch "War" with Kevin Costner 
• There is nothing redeeming about the rose
• Similar to Ugly Duckling
• Possible story change - Farmers Wife comes and pulls the rose out and places it in special pot
• Perception of beauty
• Flower attracts bees -talks about diversity
• Realize just another part of beauty
• Could create interactive book
• Apple Lion has interactive book builder
• Could be a lyrical piece of color light
• growth of the flower
• Research should be woven into the piece who has done it before
• how is it different and better?
• technical, aesthetics and narrative
• making it interactive could push it
• what area does this further?
• Do we like that character or not.
• Struggle of him getting over his conflict

I have a Second story about a worker in a factory who finds a light, but then has it broken but then finds a piece of it. These are some notes about this one:

• Read book "Steal This Plot"
• This story could be similar to adam and eve / tree of knowledge
• Watch Pleasant ville. -Toby McGuire
• Black and white to color
• Similar to Wizard of Ozz
• It isn't clear what the core conflict is.
• Whole world change after being lit up.
• Watch Lawnmower man
• Watch Flowers for Algerian -guy sweeps floor. He is a janitor.  He takes a pill to help him get smarter.
• short life and see color
• long life and see ambient color
• it could be too late for people who use color.

What Direction do you want to take it?

• ***RESEARCH (gotta love it!)
• How is this going to further the world of CG?
• How does this add to the intellectual stories of IP?

Quite a bit of stuff to think bout.  I think I have good changes, I'll post them tomorrow. (2am....Good Night)

Original Story boards

These are the original storyboards for the thesis that I want to create. I was thinking that a book rather than an animation would be more appropriate. We will see what the committee has to say.

Sunflower and Rose fields

Sunflower basking in the sun

Up pops a rose

"You don't belong here, you are a rose!"

"Well, no actually I am a flower, and that is the sun, so I'm
a sunflower too!"

"No that is absurd! A rose by any other name is still a rose!"

"Well in this book it says that we are closer in relation
than you think."

"It says right here..." Sunflower plugs his ears

"Wait what is that? Oh NO!"

Farmer off in the distance weeding

Indistinct mumbling while sunflower tries to think of a plan

"I got it!"

Sunflower scoops up dirt.

Slapps dirt on rose's face.

Plucks pedals from his head.

Sunflower goes to work on the sunflower

stunned rose incognito.

"You better get growing, Yer looking a bit scrawny"
Farmer walks off.

rose shakes off the disguise.

rose- "Why did you do that for me?"
Sunflower - I know! 

"I know why!  Because you like me!"

sunflower - "No I don't"
rose- "Yes you!"
Arguing continues into the night.
End