Final Video and Shots of Model

Rationale

Fantastic Mr. Fox 

For my scene I decided to create a new home built inside a tree for the Fox family. I wanted to create the Fox's new home in a post movie setting, where the farmers have/ are destroying the environment for the animals. Although this is a very grim setting in comparison to the original, I retained the very warm orange colour scheme the movie has. I found this gives an optimistic feel despite the bleak setting. 

To display the destruction of the scene I added a number of broken and degraded elements, the most obvious one being the giant hole in the side of the hill. I based this on Mr.Fox's original hilltop that was destroyed. In terms of style, the film has very disproportionate elements. For example, the trees size in relation to the interior, the underground in comparison to some of the farm houses, and the general size of the hills in the background compared to the elements in the mid, and foreground. To portray this disfigurment in my scene I used skewed proportions in all of the components; the tree in comparison to the door and swing, also the sizing of the letterbox in comparison to the stacks of wood and patches of grass.

  The filming in Fantastic Mr. Fox is very static with mostly pans and some zooming in on key objects. To complement this I used similar pans, along with a shot ascending along the path leading from the letterbox to the front door. I added this to better exploit some of the intricate detailing I created within my scene.

In terms of music, I used a track from Fantastic Mr. Foxes OST "Une Petite lle" by Georges Delerue. The track is soft enough to complement the premise of my video. The song gives a sense of cheerfulness after a sad moment.

My final video

Some renders of my final model with a lens blur, to create some focal points. the field of depth also gives a sense of scale to the viewer. 

video test

A quick video test. Things I need to change; Some of the transitions need a lot of work. Also the audio needs to be added.

Storyboard

Colour Refinement and shading/ shadows

I was experimenting with different types of light and colouring the light, also adding a background image (placeholder image). For the background I will need to paint my own sky texture.

Music and Filming

I have found the Fantastic Mr.Fox OST, however after listening to it it seems to upbeat with songs like Beach Boys- I Get Around. Given that my seen is set after the destruction of Mr. Foxes new house (Post movie), I need to find something that is some what sad, but not overly so. The movie on a whole is very upbeat and brightly coloured so the music, despite the scene being quite sad, should be more hopeful in a way. One song from the soundtrack I believe captures the sense of, calm after the storm, I was looking for is Une Petite lle by Georges Delerue ( Une Petite lle)

For the filming of my scene I will use simple pans horizontally and vertically, similarly to how the actual movei was filmed.

The opening scene will be a front on shot that slowly pans up over some smaller hills in the foreground, bringing the hill and tree into focus. From there a horizontal pan across the front of the hill and tree showing the whole of the front section. Then a pan towards, almost into, the caved in section on the side of the hill. The final scene Will be at the letterbox panning upwards at the tree.

Scene development

I have added more detail to the scene, using bits of wood, stones/ rocks and visible damage to the letter-box. To enhance the scene I will next try adding different lights, along with coloured light to enhance the mood of the scene. To complement this I will colour the textures of the model in shades of orange.

Remodeling of tree and bump maps

I have added a bump to the ground and cave in to add detail. I have also modeled a tree and added custom painted leaves. I have also added a bump map to the bark of the tree to add detail.

Scene development

Rendered using metal ray. I am happy with the model so far, I think the little amount of vegetation helps add the the sense of destruction. Which I have reinforced with most of the secondary elements being damaged eg: letterbox broken, swing off the tree is snapped, bits of fence and wood scattered around the scene. I would like to enhance the scene by making the tree higher quality. To do this I have found a good tutorial which involves altering the geometry of the paint effects ( Link) Also I have found this tutorial series, which shows a simple way of modelling trees, or small planets and the leaves.  

link to first video in 3 part seris

Further scene development

I have made a letterbox to add to the scene as well as continued to add paint effects to add patches of grass. To give the hill a sense of destruction.

Hill with cave in and tree

I created the hill for my scene and started experimenting with the paint effects trees. (trees rendered with mental ray)

Final concept and colour palette

colour scheme

top view of site to get a sense of placement

Practice with textures

Practice using textures in Maya, produced a simplified tree.