Okay - so just a couple of observations here: it does seem to me as if you could tell this story without the tree/forest metaphor - because you run the risk of appearing to make this about the life-cycle of plants and trees, as opposed to about the human body. Remember that students of science will also be looking at plant reproduction etc. so is it helpful to blend elements together that already have a pre-existing role in the science curriculum?
Personally, if you replaced the tree with a floating pinkish white globe shining with health, and you replaced the leaf thing with some other indication, your idea would be completely unchanged really and you'd no longer be confusing the audience with a plant-based language. My advice would be me to move your idea into a more fantastical/non-specific/abstracted design world (it can still be cute etc) and ditch the nature imagery. You can show the ill-health by showing the globe becoming dim or black or whatever - and if not a globe, then some other symbol for human health.
One thing you need to remember too when dealing with cancer in an educative context; you can't leave your audience with the spectacle of ruined world - The End! - because that would be insensitive and untrue - as cancer can be treated, and I think you'll need to show how health can be restored to your metaphorical paradise via the intervention of chemotherapy or similar.
In terms of character design, you might want to take a look at this from a current year three student: http://tsyganproduction.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/robots-turn-around-animation-tests.html
Notice how the character itself is super-simple, but how really fun use of squash and stretch etc make it perform and come to life. Your current designs imply a level of complexity in terms of rigging and animation that may come to eclipse the timescale of the project (or not, depending on your speed, experience and proficiency), but ask yourself if you need legs and arms, and if you'd rather put your efforts into animating something simpler, but animating it really, really well... Also, what is it with the pupil-less eyes on the healthy cells - you know great white sharks have black eyes too...?
Another thing I want to see you thinking about: text/voice-over/narration? How is your audience going to understand what they're seeing and witnessing?
OGR 16/03/2017
ReplyDeleteHey Karolina,
Okay - so just a couple of observations here: it does seem to me as if you could tell this story without the tree/forest metaphor - because you run the risk of appearing to make this about the life-cycle of plants and trees, as opposed to about the human body. Remember that students of science will also be looking at plant reproduction etc. so is it helpful to blend elements together that already have a pre-existing role in the science curriculum?
Personally, if you replaced the tree with a floating pinkish white globe shining with health, and you replaced the leaf thing with some other indication, your idea would be completely unchanged really and you'd no longer be confusing the audience with a plant-based language. My advice would be me to move your idea into a more fantastical/non-specific/abstracted design world (it can still be cute etc) and ditch the nature imagery. You can show the ill-health by showing the globe becoming dim or black or whatever - and if not a globe, then some other symbol for human health.
One thing you need to remember too when dealing with cancer in an educative context; you can't leave your audience with the spectacle of ruined world - The End! - because that would be insensitive and untrue - as cancer can be treated, and I think you'll need to show how health can be restored to your metaphorical paradise via the intervention of chemotherapy or similar.
In terms of character design, you might want to take a look at this from a current year three student:
http://tsyganproduction.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/robots-turn-around-animation-tests.html
Notice how the character itself is super-simple, but how really fun use of squash and stretch etc make it perform and come to life. Your current designs imply a level of complexity in terms of rigging and animation that may come to eclipse the timescale of the project (or not, depending on your speed, experience and proficiency), but ask yourself if you need legs and arms, and if you'd rather put your efforts into animating something simpler, but animating it really, really well... Also, what is it with the pupil-less eyes on the healthy cells - you know great white sharks have black eyes too...?
Another thing I want to see you thinking about: text/voice-over/narration? How is your audience going to understand what they're seeing and witnessing?