Preparation for Career Development in the Graduate Portfolio Module [The Animation Industry: Preparing for a Career]
Preproduction Exploration to Prepare for Career Development in the Graduate Portfolio Module
16/04/25 - 08/05/25
Introduction
This blog post explores my initial preproduction to build a foundation for the next module (Graduate Portfolio) that aims to develop work for my portfolio to support the development of my career. I'm going to focus on producing animation for the video games industry in Unreal Engine 5 due to game studios in my local area being more prominent and also currently this is the type of work that my portfolio is lacking. This blog post will feature ideas development, research, analysis, concept art, storyboards and project management to create clear technical and creative direction for my next project.
Initial Ideas Exploration
16/04/25
To begin steering the creative direction for this project I explored a range of initial ideas that could be built upon further throughout this blog post. This is the initial mind map I created:
I want to create a 3D action platformer so that I could create a responsive and stylised character that would allow me to develop a complex animation system and rigging. I am heavily inspired by 3d action platformers I played growing up like Banjo-Kazooie (1998), Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2001) and Kameo: Elements of Power (2005), however, I also want to take inspiration from modern action platformers like Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (2021). The reason for this genre selection is because I could easily make a character controller in Unreal engine without complex mechanics and I could solely focus on locomotion and platforming opposed to combat in order to achieve a functioning game.
I am vegan and I really like the idea of making a game that is very pro-plants and there are typically less games that explore plants as a main theme (apart from Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (2014)). Despite this I want to create characters that were anthropomorphised and still humanoid so that the work that I create translates well the majority of characters in games. This should then demonstrate the skills that I develop as hirable. Plants would also have some interesting elements that could be rigged and develop some good technical animation skills. For art style I am heavily leaning towards a stylised art style to suit the target audience and personal preferences with art style. I really like the detailed yet stylised 3D art style of Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (2014) and the hand painted finish of World of Warcraft (2004).
Game Research
21/04/25
As inspiration for the type of game I want to produce I've looked at a range of 3D platformers including Kameo (2005), Banjo Kazooie (1998), Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2001), Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (2021) and Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (2003). I've revisited these games and picked out the elements I like for each that I'd like to incorporate into my idea.
Video review (Nintendo Life, 2024) of Banjo-Tooie (2000), analysing gameplay mechanics and features.
I love the platforming mechanics from Banjo Kazooie (1998) series. Whilst I'm focussing on bringing the character to life I want the game to have context and be playable so that it feels like a real game. Platforming primarily relies on collision, which will be easy to set up, therefore choosing this genre will allow me to create a product that feels alive. It will allow me to create some great locomotion systems that I can bring to life using Unreal Engine's blueprints systems. This should allow me to create a classic N64-era platforming experience!
The combat in these games is a little bit more limited and combat animations can be quite engaging to create! Therefore, even if I can't get combat systems working I would like to explore the creation of these animations. In order to get inspired for these combat systems I will need to look at other games because combat is fairly simple in the Banjo Kazoo series!
Video review (ColourShedProductions, 2017) of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2001) and series, analysing gameplay mechanics and features.
The Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2001) series combines 3D platforming with action combat elements paired with some great cutscenes. This demonstrates the same target audience I'd like to hit with my project and is a great example of how personality and story can be integrated into game cutscenes. The animations are also exaggerated and stylised which is something that I'd like to incorporate into my animations. There are a range of complex mechanics that provide ample opportunity for engaging animations like running, jumping, double jumping, attacking, charge attacks, special attacks and more!
Video review (Camp Xbox, 2023) of Kameo: Elements of Power (2005), analysing gameplay mechanics and features.
Kameo: Elements of Power (2005) is another 3D platformer/action game that focusses a little more on adventuring and combat. In this game you can transform into a range of different creatures each with their own abilities. The art style is striking and features a hint of medieval fantasy that I find a modernising twist on generic stylisation and integration of fantasy elements. This game could inspire the plant characters I want to create through a range of different abilities that could be used as various gameplay mechanics.
Video review (LongplayArchive, 2021) of Star Fox Adventures (2002), analysing gameplay mechanics and features.
Similar to Kameo: Elements of Power (2005), Star Fox Adventures (2002) had a good amount of adventuring and combat! The main character has a staff that they use as a versatile weapon for melee combat, ranged combat and puzzles. I'd like to use something similar in my own project so that I don't need to build too many different props.
Video review (IGN, 2021) of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (2021), analysing gameplay mechanics and features.
This game achieve a 'cool' stylised art style with elements of realism that are more mature in presentation than Banjo Kazooie (1998). I'd like to incorporate similar aesthetics into my design but take more thematic ideas from Kameo: Elements of Power (2005). The main character is also an example of humanoid like character which would create a good base for a character to animate. The cutscenes are engaging and push the boundaries of what can be achieved in a game compared to stylised films from creators like Pixar or DreamWorks.
The alien themes are inspiring here, perhaps if I used the plant-like alien creatures as the protagonists and more machine like characters as the antagonists. The characters have some great stylised proportions and feature well developed and easy to identify designs that achieve the stylised, cartoon like elements I explored earlier.
Video review (OlympusGamingTV, 2021) of Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (2003), analysing gameplay mechanics and features.
Lastly I remembered the quirky 3D platformer, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (2003), the featured exaggerated animations and stylised character designs. I love the absurdity of this game and how alive the character feels. For example, the run animation features flailing arms and legs as the character speeds through the scene. Everything feels very bouncy and cartoon-like, which is what I aim to achieve in my project. Similarly there are some quirky character designs with striking silhouettes, including the main character. I love how the costume of the main character takes elements from chickens and exaggerates them to create a striking design. This is what I would like to achieve with my main character by combining humanoid and plant like elements to create an engaging stylised character that I can bring to life.
Whilst I am sure I will look at many other inspirations these core 5 influences are ones that I will use as the foundation for what I want to achieve and contextualise the character creation.
Game Context
21/04/25
This section sets a key foundation for the idea for my project. Without this direction the character's animation and purpose will be lifeless. This foundation will help me develop the personality of the character by providing context to their world and help shape their motivations. This will make the animations I make more believable and ultimately create a more engaging character and outcome overall.
Working Title: Plantz: Seeds of Hope
Genre: 3D Action Platformer
Art Style: Stylised Cartoon 3D Art inspired by Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (2014), and World of Warcraft (2004). This will be explored in more depth later in this blog post.
Game Overview :
A 3d platformer where the character needs to transverse platforming and compete in some light combat. The character needs to reseed the planet building a base camp and securing resources to create a new home. The player will need to:
- Platform
- Defeat enemies and bosses
- City building
- Resource management
Story :
In a once vibrant world the Plantz struggle against the annihilation of the Machinez. The Machinez, originally designed to support the Plantz society, evolved beyond control and became the harbingers of destruction! The Plantz, once the caretakers of their thriving ecosystem, now watch their world die as the relentless Machinez choke out the very essence of life.
Left with no alternative, the Plantz send a lone adventurer to seek a new home in the galaxy to secure their survival. Their spacecraft, a living construct infused with the last remnants of their planet’s energy, takes off on its mission in search of an untouched world where life can flourish once more.
However, destiny has other ideas...
A catastrophic system failure sends the spacecraft plummeting to crash land on an unknown planet. To their surprise this world appears eerily perfect... An almost blank canvas featuring crystal-clear waters, untouched landscapes, diverse weather systems and clean air filled with hope. As the adventurer begins their mission to reseed this world, mysterious beings emerge from beneath the surface.
Will the Plantz succeed in pollinating their new home or will this strange planet challenge their hopes for survival?!
Character Profile
21/04/25
To build on the story, this section will explore the development of the character profile. This will add further context to who the character is and their backstory. This will impact their design and help make them feel real and believable as a character. This will strengthen their appeal and prevent them from feeling generic. Furthermore, this will feed into their animation and actions so that when they are brought to life they feel characterised and distinctly different from other characters.
To support thorough exploration I'm going to use the template provided by Villirilli (2024) to flesh out the details of the character.
The Basics
- Name: Terrax
- Age: 24
- Gender: Male
- Place of birth: Old world (Gaia), once a luscious utopian and now a polluted wasteland ruled by the Machinez
- Current location: The new world (Gaia II). The oddly perfect planet perfect for repopulation, however, mysterious entities lurk below the surface.
- Nationality: The Plantz
- Education: Street-wise, knowledgeable but not academic.
- Occupation: Plant Soldier and adventurer
- Sexual Orientation: Gay
- Name: Terrax
- Age: 24
- Gender: Male
- Place of birth: Old world (Gaia), once a luscious utopian and now a polluted wasteland ruled by the Machinez
- Current location: The new world (Gaia II). The oddly perfect planet perfect for repopulation, however, mysterious entities lurk below the surface.
- Nationality: The Plantz
- Education: Street-wise, knowledgeable but not academic.
- Occupation: Plant Soldier and adventurer
- Sexual Orientation: Gay
Physical Appearance
- Eye color: Icy blue, super vibrant
- Hairstyle: No hair, but plant like fin/hair elements
- Build: Very athletic and trim.
- Do they have any distinguishing features: Plant inspired markings
- What's their preferred outfit: Sci-Fi adventurer/military suit. Inspired by plantlike and metal elements.
- What accessories are ALWAYS associated with them: They have a nature staff that has elements of nature and also machinery. This acts as a melee and a ranged weapon.
- What's their usual level of grooming/appearance: They take pride in their appearance. They don't like getting dirty and are well kept. They want to look cool and slick.
- What's their health like: Healthy - peak fitness. They are in their prime.
- How do they walk: Confident and athletic.
- Eye color: Icy blue, super vibrant
- Hairstyle: No hair, but plant like fin/hair elements
- Build: Very athletic and trim.
- Do they have any distinguishing features: Plant inspired markings
- What's their preferred outfit: Sci-Fi adventurer/military suit. Inspired by plantlike and metal elements.
- What accessories are ALWAYS associated with them: They have a nature staff that has elements of nature and also machinery. This acts as a melee and a ranged weapon.
- What's their usual level of grooming/appearance: They take pride in their appearance. They don't like getting dirty and are well kept. They want to look cool and slick.
- What's their health like: Healthy - peak fitness. They are in their prime.
- How do they walk: Confident and athletic.
Speech and Communication
- How do they talk: They talk cool and confident. Quite up themselves. They are lazy and don't like to be bothered.
- What's the style of their speech: They talk with slang, kind of like a teenager.
- Do they have an accent: American inspired.
- Posture: They flip between slouched and relaxed to hyper alert and heroic, ready to strike.
- Do they gesture: Easily agitated they can become very animated. They always think they are better and gesture a lot when talking down to people. When relaxed they are less animated.
- How much eye contact do they like to make: When alert they are laser focussed. When they aren't they are slouched and never make eye contact.
- What's their laugh like: What do they tend to find funny? They find stupid people funny, however, they deem themselves above most people so they tend to mock most other people.
- Describe their smile: Large and exaggerated. They laugh in a super exaggerated, knee slap, fashion.
- How emotive are they: Do they wear their emotions on their sleeve? How easily can others read them: This is the contrast again. When they are slouched and relaxed - they aren't interested in anyone else at all. When focussed in soldier-mode they are focussed on their enemies. When interacting with other people they tend to mock them. They can be impressed by other people that are able to do things they are not but this is very rare. In these cases they are awestruck.
- How do they talk: They talk cool and confident. Quite up themselves. They are lazy and don't like to be bothered.
- What's the style of their speech: They talk with slang, kind of like a teenager.
- Do they have an accent: American inspired.
- Posture: They flip between slouched and relaxed to hyper alert and heroic, ready to strike.
- Do they gesture: Easily agitated they can become very animated. They always think they are better and gesture a lot when talking down to people. When relaxed they are less animated.
- How much eye contact do they like to make: When alert they are laser focussed. When they aren't they are slouched and never make eye contact.
- What's their laugh like: What do they tend to find funny? They find stupid people funny, however, they deem themselves above most people so they tend to mock most other people.
- Describe their smile: Large and exaggerated. They laugh in a super exaggerated, knee slap, fashion.
- How emotive are they: Do they wear their emotions on their sleeve? How easily can others read them: This is the contrast again. When they are slouched and relaxed - they aren't interested in anyone else at all. When focussed in soldier-mode they are focussed on their enemies. When interacting with other people they tend to mock them. They can be impressed by other people that are able to do things they are not but this is very rare. In these cases they are awestruck.
Backstory
- Hometown: Solaris, Planet : Gaia.
- Childhood: Neglected by their father who was not at home much. Their father is a leader in the military and wasn't at home much. Their father has really high expectations of them but rarely shows approval - this is what my character seeks. Their mother is really nice and looks after them but they are a typical teenager who doesn't appreciate it. They want to impress their father.
- Education: As forced by their father they achieved top grades in school and enlisted in the military corps as soon as they graduated. They always strive to be the best and tend to achieve really well but don't seek approval of others - instead they are more arrogant.
- Organizations and clubs at school: Captain of the sports teams. Arrogant and always know best.
- Jobs: They are a lieutenant in the military. Leader of a small platoon.
- Dream Job and why : Aspires to be the General of the Plantz Army to impress their father who is a Lieutenant General.
- Role Models: Their father is their role model, although they keep this to themselves. They show it through their determination to be the best. This is what feeds their arrogance. They only care about themselves and advancing their career or their physical athleticism.
- Greatest Regret: They have no regrets, they pity those that are carefree.
- Hobbies: Anything outdoorsy like climbing trees, sports, competitions.
- Favorite place to be as a child: They loved spending time in the alpine forest on a hill overlooking the Earth Tree. This is what powers the Plantz cities through green energy. It is awe inspiring and great.
- Earliest memory: Their mother singing a local folk song to send them to sleep. This is supressed but it is the key to unlocking their inner child.
- Saddest memory: When their father left home after being promoted in the army to fight the Machinez.
- Happiest memory: A family camping trip in the Alpine Forest when they were very young with their mother and father. They went camping, had a picnic, played catch and watched the stars together. This is when their father ranked lower in the army before the Machinez came to strength.
- Clearest Memory: Coming first in a school competition for sports day and being criticised by their father because they could have achieved better.
- Hometown: Solaris, Planet : Gaia.
- Childhood: Neglected by their father who was not at home much. Their father is a leader in the military and wasn't at home much. Their father has really high expectations of them but rarely shows approval - this is what my character seeks. Their mother is really nice and looks after them but they are a typical teenager who doesn't appreciate it. They want to impress their father.
- Education: As forced by their father they achieved top grades in school and enlisted in the military corps as soon as they graduated. They always strive to be the best and tend to achieve really well but don't seek approval of others - instead they are more arrogant.
- Organizations and clubs at school: Captain of the sports teams. Arrogant and always know best.
- Jobs: They are a lieutenant in the military. Leader of a small platoon.
- Dream Job and why : Aspires to be the General of the Plantz Army to impress their father who is a Lieutenant General.
- Role Models: Their father is their role model, although they keep this to themselves. They show it through their determination to be the best. This is what feeds their arrogance. They only care about themselves and advancing their career or their physical athleticism.
- Greatest Regret: They have no regrets, they pity those that are carefree.
- Hobbies: Anything outdoorsy like climbing trees, sports, competitions.
- Favorite place to be as a child: They loved spending time in the alpine forest on a hill overlooking the Earth Tree. This is what powers the Plantz cities through green energy. It is awe inspiring and great.
- Earliest memory: Their mother singing a local folk song to send them to sleep. This is supressed but it is the key to unlocking their inner child.
- Saddest memory: When their father left home after being promoted in the army to fight the Machinez.
- Happiest memory: A family camping trip in the Alpine Forest when they were very young with their mother and father. They went camping, had a picnic, played catch and watched the stars together. This is when their father ranked lower in the army before the Machinez came to strength.
- Clearest Memory: Coming first in a school competition for sports day and being criticised by their father because they could have achieved better.
Family
- Father: 58, Army General, Constantly trying to impress their father but never being good enough.
- Mother: 57, Village Seamstress, super kind and caring, loves you intently. You're kind of rude to her but she makes sure you're well looked after!
- Siblings: None, they're an only child.
- Grandparents: Grandfather only, your father's father. They have the same relationship with your father as you do with yours. They are keen for you to be strong too. Retired military.
- Other Family: Uncle and Auntie, aged 55. They are the opposite to your family - very nerdy and interested in science. They don't have a lot of money but they are realy happy.
- Cousins: There is one cousin who is 22. He's great with technology. You enjoy hanging out together playing video games but you are significantly stronger than him. They are your closest friend other than those in your platoon.
- Economic status: Wealthy.
- How often do they see their family in a year: Live at home with mother and father, however, Father rarely comes home.
- Friends: There are 4 other people in your platoon that look up to you and respect you. Another solider, engineer, medic and vehicle specialist. They are all about your age and you're a close knit group. They are all very strong and athletic which is their greatest strength. They are all very traditional too. The cousin is the engineer in the platoon and is the oddest one out in their platoon.
- Perceived by others: A stronger over achiever destined for greatness. Despite this you are hard on yourself because you can always be better.
- Role in group dynamic: The leader, always.
- Who would be their ideal partner: Someone kind and intelligent. They need to be able to do things that this character can't - often by a different way of thinking. Creative thinking opposed to always relying on brute force/ athleticism.
- Love interest: Another platoon leader. He is kind, successful and creative. Their platoon are also close and think creatively about how they approach things. They succeed but not in the expected way, this often yields better results.
- Father: 58, Army General, Constantly trying to impress their father but never being good enough.
- Mother: 57, Village Seamstress, super kind and caring, loves you intently. You're kind of rude to her but she makes sure you're well looked after!
- Siblings: None, they're an only child.
- Grandparents: Grandfather only, your father's father. They have the same relationship with your father as you do with yours. They are keen for you to be strong too. Retired military.
- Other Family: Uncle and Auntie, aged 55. They are the opposite to your family - very nerdy and interested in science. They don't have a lot of money but they are realy happy.
- Cousins: There is one cousin who is 22. He's great with technology. You enjoy hanging out together playing video games but you are significantly stronger than him. They are your closest friend other than those in your platoon.
- Economic status: Wealthy.
- How often do they see their family in a year: Live at home with mother and father, however, Father rarely comes home.
- Friends: There are 4 other people in your platoon that look up to you and respect you. Another solider, engineer, medic and vehicle specialist. They are all about your age and you're a close knit group. They are all very strong and athletic which is their greatest strength. They are all very traditional too. The cousin is the engineer in the platoon and is the oddest one out in their platoon.
- Perceived by others: A stronger over achiever destined for greatness. Despite this you are hard on yourself because you can always be better.
- Role in group dynamic: The leader, always.
- Who would be their ideal partner: Someone kind and intelligent. They need to be able to do things that this character can't - often by a different way of thinking. Creative thinking opposed to always relying on brute force/ athleticism.
- Love interest: Another platoon leader. He is kind, successful and creative. Their platoon are also close and think creatively about how they approach things. They succeed but not in the expected way, this often yields better results.
Motivation and Goals
- What do they do on rainy days: When they're not competing or bettering themselves in anyway they play video games and watch movies. They aren't your obvious nerd but this is something that allows them to bond with their cousin and shows a different side to their personality. They enjoy action games and typically 'boyish' games/movies.
- They are:
- Street-smart - they fit in well with the cool kids and the nerds a like. However, they don't like to be seen doing nerdy things. They were also top of their class, teachers love them and they excel at everything they do.
- Realist - They think very logically and are neither optimistic or pessimistic. When they want something they set out to achieve it and always achieve it. Others think that this comes naturally to them (because it looks like it does) but really they put a lot of effort in.
- Extroverted - They are extremely outgoing and cocky. Whilst they try hard they love their achievements and see that they achieve more than others.
- What secrets do they keep? What are they most afraid of people finding out? They don't talk about their relationship with their father, although this is the main driving force behind why they are an overachiever.
- What do they want the most: The rank of general in the Plantz military to achieve their father's approval. However, really it is just their father's approval they want.
- What's their biggest flaw: They think extremely logically and sometimes can't see alternate ways of approaching challenges.
- What's their biggest strength: They are super athletic and can always achieve what they set their mind to.
- What's their biggest fear: Mediocrity. They always want to be the best at everything they do. From a bowling match to their career. They want to know how to be better and when they know how they refine this so that they are the best.
- What is their biggest accomplishment: Promoted to lieutenant in the Plantz military. They love leading their platoon and want them to be the best.
- What is their idea of perfect happiness: Achieving their dream job and getting approval from their father, however, because they are so focussed on this they aren't sure what really makes them happy. They need a love interest to show them this.
- Do they want to be remembered for: They grab the opportunity to go out in search for the new planet to save the Plantz species against the Machinez.
- How do they approach:
- Power: They respect those in power, especially typical roles of authority.
- Ambition: They have strong ambition and are always focussed on how to advance towards whatever they have their sights on.
- Love: They don't tend to focus on love interests because they are so focussed on themselves.
- Change: They adapt well and focus more on how to excel in the situation of change rather than worrying about the change itself.
- What is the one object or possession that they would rescue from their burning home? A framed photo of their family on the camping trip in the Alpine Forest. It brings them great joy and reminds them of how important family is. This love for family is the motivation for why they want to impress their father.
- What (or who) bores them? Stupid people! Since they tend to be very intelligent they don't have time for time-wasters or people that need things explaining.
- What makes them angry? When someone can't understand or do something that they find easy!
- How strong is their moral compass? When, specifically, are they willing to compromise their morals? Very strong moral compass. They love to follow rules and do the 'right' thing. They struggle when orders may clash with their moral compass of if their platoon/friends are in danger.
- If they didn’t have to sleep, what would they do with the extra time? More training! They sometimes go to the wire and have little down time. When they do have down time they game/watch movies.
- If they won the lottery, what would they do? They aren't interested in money. Family and achievements/rank are the most important thing to them.
- What is the best compliment that someone ever paid them? Their father didn't pass any comment (positive or negative) when they were promoted to Lieutenant. Prior to this, even when they achieved challenging feats, their father always passed some criticism for how they could have done it better.
- In an elevator, do they push the elevator button more than once? Yes. They can be impatient, especially if things work slower than expected.
- What is their story goal?
- Their goal is to search for and reseed a new planet for the Plantz species. Their current planet has been taken over by the Machinez and they need to find a new planet to reseed so that the Plantz society can thrive once more.
- Story motivation (answer in a single paragraph)
- They put themselves forward for this dangerous reseeding mission, no Plant has left the planet in thousands of years. They do this because they want approval from their father and advancement in their military career. They were the only platoon to volunteer. Whilst their platoon is initially shocked their lieutenant put themselves forward, they would follow him to the ends of the earth and share similar values, just not quite as strong.
- What do they do on rainy days: When they're not competing or bettering themselves in anyway they play video games and watch movies. They aren't your obvious nerd but this is something that allows them to bond with their cousin and shows a different side to their personality. They enjoy action games and typically 'boyish' games/movies.
- They are:
- Street-smart - they fit in well with the cool kids and the nerds a like. However, they don't like to be seen doing nerdy things. They were also top of their class, teachers love them and they excel at everything they do.
- Realist - They think very logically and are neither optimistic or pessimistic. When they want something they set out to achieve it and always achieve it. Others think that this comes naturally to them (because it looks like it does) but really they put a lot of effort in.
- Extroverted - They are extremely outgoing and cocky. Whilst they try hard they love their achievements and see that they achieve more than others.
- What secrets do they keep? What are they most afraid of people finding out? They don't talk about their relationship with their father, although this is the main driving force behind why they are an overachiever.
- What do they want the most: The rank of general in the Plantz military to achieve their father's approval. However, really it is just their father's approval they want.
- What's their biggest flaw: They think extremely logically and sometimes can't see alternate ways of approaching challenges.
- What's their biggest strength: They are super athletic and can always achieve what they set their mind to.
- What's their biggest fear: Mediocrity. They always want to be the best at everything they do. From a bowling match to their career. They want to know how to be better and when they know how they refine this so that they are the best.
- What is their biggest accomplishment: Promoted to lieutenant in the Plantz military. They love leading their platoon and want them to be the best.
- What is their idea of perfect happiness: Achieving their dream job and getting approval from their father, however, because they are so focussed on this they aren't sure what really makes them happy. They need a love interest to show them this.
- Do they want to be remembered for: They grab the opportunity to go out in search for the new planet to save the Plantz species against the Machinez.
- How do they approach:
- Power: They respect those in power, especially typical roles of authority.
- Ambition: They have strong ambition and are always focussed on how to advance towards whatever they have their sights on.
- Love: They don't tend to focus on love interests because they are so focussed on themselves.
- Change: They adapt well and focus more on how to excel in the situation of change rather than worrying about the change itself.
- What is the one object or possession that they would rescue from their burning home? A framed photo of their family on the camping trip in the Alpine Forest. It brings them great joy and reminds them of how important family is. This love for family is the motivation for why they want to impress their father.
- What (or who) bores them? Stupid people! Since they tend to be very intelligent they don't have time for time-wasters or people that need things explaining.
- What makes them angry? When someone can't understand or do something that they find easy!
- How strong is their moral compass? When, specifically, are they willing to compromise their morals? Very strong moral compass. They love to follow rules and do the 'right' thing. They struggle when orders may clash with their moral compass of if their platoon/friends are in danger.
- If they didn’t have to sleep, what would they do with the extra time? More training! They sometimes go to the wire and have little down time. When they do have down time they game/watch movies.
- If they won the lottery, what would they do? They aren't interested in money. Family and achievements/rank are the most important thing to them.
- What is the best compliment that someone ever paid them? Their father didn't pass any comment (positive or negative) when they were promoted to Lieutenant. Prior to this, even when they achieved challenging feats, their father always passed some criticism for how they could have done it better.
- In an elevator, do they push the elevator button more than once? Yes. They can be impatient, especially if things work slower than expected.
- What is their story goal?
- Their goal is to search for and reseed a new planet for the Plantz species. Their current planet has been taken over by the Machinez and they need to find a new planet to reseed so that the Plantz society can thrive once more.
- Story motivation (answer in a single paragraph)
- They put themselves forward for this dangerous reseeding mission, no Plant has left the planet in thousands of years. They do this because they want approval from their father and advancement in their military career. They were the only platoon to volunteer. Whilst their platoon is initially shocked their lieutenant put themselves forward, they would follow him to the ends of the earth and share similar values, just not quite as strong.
Creative Research
22/04/25
This section explores creative research (in mood board format) to inspire the design of the character. It looks at a range of different factors to inspire the design of the character including:
- Gardeners
- Athletic physiques
- Plants
- Creative Artworks of characters
- Tools/Weaponry
- Space ranger/cadets
This first image shows the layout of my Pure Ref board and then I will hone in on each section after this. Whilst it can be difficult to see each image, I'm using the Pure Ref board to zoom in and out of when developing the character.
This next image (below) shows a range of gardeners. I liked the idea that because my character was a plant and was tending to the plant they are almost like a gardener but in military format. I thought it would be a good idea to incorporate elements, like the dungarees/overalls, into the design of the character. Some gardening tools could also inspire props/tools/weaponry used by the character too.
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| Mood board of gardeners. |
The next image (below) shows an array of athletic build types that will inspire the overall physique of the character. As outlined in the character profile I want the character to be very athletic, captain of the sports teams and always very active. This feeds into their role in the military well. I found one stylised image that was an interesting look at how the physiques could translate into artwork.
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| Mood board of athletic masculine physiques. |
The next image (below) shows a collection of plants, fungi and tree bark that could be used to inspire elements of the design. I was looking for interesting leaves, forms and colours that I could translate into the design.
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| Mood board of plant elements. |
Next I looked at a whole host of stylised artworks that could inspire my design. I felt like plant-like elements could get quite complicated quite quickly so I was looking for simplified elements that could look interesting. This shows some characters that had further stylisation of their physiques too that could inspire the base mesh of the character.
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| Mood board of stylised characters. Featuring stylised physiques, outfits, overall designs and plantlike elements. |
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| Mood board of plant/nature inspired weaponry/tools. |
The last image (below) looks at some space ranger/cadet type characters. I included these to look at outfits that could inspire my character. I would change elements of the suits to be more plant-like to match the world I've designed. This should create a good fusion between nature and metal/sci-fi elements!
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| Mood board of space ranger/cadet/soldiers. |
Character Initial Concept Art
05/05/25
To help develop a strong character I'm using the concepts, theories and pipelines explored in Creating Stylized Characters (3dtotal Publishing, 2018).This involves exploring thumbnailing, posing, gesture development, facial expressions, colour theory, stylisation, idea development, research, shape language and variations. It takes these simplified concepts and shows how they work in practise when applied to a range of different projects.
This next image shows the initial silhouette thumbnails that I've been developing. I wanted to explore the physique and rough outline before working on the detail. I'm trying to include the plant-like elements and also 'space-ranger' style physique. The main plant elements I'm including are leaves and thorns into various aspects, however, a lot of this work will come in the colour. I find that the more I draw the closer I get to the idea that I want, so whilst I don't think I'm quite there yet, the silhouette in the bottom right corner is currently my favourite. I'm looking for a simple easy to create physique that isn't going to be too complicated to animate. I also like the silhouette to the left of this, however, its a little bit more heavy set which isn't quite the physique I had in mind. I'm going to keep sketching a few more silhouettes before working into the detail, similar to the blue sketch on the left.
Cutscene Planning: Storyboard
24/04/25
This section will explore the development of the storyboard for the opening gameplay cutscene. I hard a core idea that the spaceship would be crash landing on a planet and that it would focus on the main character going down with the ship. I thought it would be a fun idea if slowly more and more alarms were going off and the character had to press loads of buttons. That reminded me of the Lifted (2006) animated short by Pixar, where the character was trying to abduct a human in a very slap dash manner. I loved how there were loads of buttons to press to resolve the scenario and thought I could use this in my work.
I began development by creating a short treatment followed by drawing the storyboards. The treatment allows me to visualise the concept and break it down into simple steps before creating the storyboard to visualise it.
Cutscene Treatment
Camera is facing the character as if we are looking in through the window screen.
- Slouching in the captains chair watching a movie eating popcorn.
- Alarm goes off (Red light).
- Casually presses a button that makes the alert go off. (Doesn't move much).
- Continues to eat popcorn watching the movie.
- 2 Alerts go off.
- Looks slightly concerned, sits up and presses a few buttons and switches. The alerts go off.
- Character says "Phew!" and returns to slouching.
- 3 alarms go off.
- Character startled.
- Franticly presses buttons.
- Alerts momentarily stop.
- Character waits cautiously.
- Even more alerts go off and flashing lights.
- Character panics and exclaims: "Argh! Why won't it stop?!"
- Grabs steering controls and as the spaceship crashes.
- Cut to the planet scene with character laid on the floor.
- Character gets up and dusts themselves off.
- Gameplay begins.
Storyboard
25/04/25
This section shows the storyboard I have developed for the introductory cutscene, following on from the notes above.
The above two images show the complete storyboard for the gameplay intro cutscene. This will be created in game and will begin the gameplay. This has came out really, really well and I feel there is a lot of room for characterisation and personality to be shown through the animation. I tend to find the creative process of planning quite well, however, can find it challenging to visualise it through drawings. However, I feel this storyboard has a nice quality to it because there is a good range of movement and the character interacts with the background well. It also conveys a high level version of the story well that can be expanded up later. Overall, this has been successful and provides a good plan to be built upon and brought to life in the next module!
Animation Set
22/04/25
An animation set or animation list is a series of animation that enables the full movement of a character in a game in order to feel alive. Its made up of a series of individual animations and loops that respond to the input of the player that give the character the illusion of life. This is one of the key elements I want to achieve to develop my graduate portfolio to create a video game character that functions.
To support my planning for this I have reviewed the Game Anim book (Cooper, 2019) to look at what animations to create and how to create them. I will be using this book closely across the next module to delve deeper into the nuances with the goal of creating the most engaging character that feels great to control.
This is the initial animation set I have developed based on the type of movement and actions I want to achieve with the character. This list may change once development starts (animations added/reviewed), however, this is a good starting point.
- Idle (Loop)
- No weapon
- With Weapon
- Alternative versions
- Walk (Loop)
- Start (to walk)
- Forward
- 45 degree forward right
- 90 degree right
- 45 degree back right
- 180 degree back
- 45 degree forward left
- 90 degree Left
- 45 degree back left
- Stop (From walk)
- Forward
- 45 degree forward right
- 90 degree right
- 45 degree back right
- 180 degree back
- 45 degree forward left
- 90 degree Left
- 45 degree back left
- Run (Loop)
- Start (to run)
- Forward
- 45 degree forward right
- 90 degree right
- 45 degree back right
- 180 degree back
- 45 degree forward left
- 90 degree Left
- 45 degree back left
- Stop (From run)
- Forward
- 45 degree forward right
- 90 degree right
- 45 degree back right
- 180 degree back
- 45 degree forward left
- 90 degree Left
- 45 degree back left
- Dodge
- Forward
- 45 degree forward right
- 90 degree right
- 45 degree back right
- 180 degree back
- 45 degree forward left
- 90 degree Left
- 45 degree back left
- Jump
- Take off
- Loop
- Landing
- Double Jump
- Double Jump Loop
- Into glide
- Glide loop
- Exit glide
- Sheaf weapon
- Unsheathe weapon
- Melee Attacks
- Standard attack
- Double attack combo
- Third attack combo ender
- Charge attack
- Intro
- Loop
- Release
- Aerial but bash
- Ranged attacks
- To aim
- To idle
- Standard attack
- Charge build up
- Charge Loop
- Release
- Reload
- Take damage
- Light left
- Light right
- Light Forward
- Light Back
- Heavy left
- Heavy right
- Heavy Forward
- Heavy Back
- Death
- Seed/Build
Rigging Technical Research
23/04/25
This section gathers the technical research I will need to rig my character professionally and integrate them into the game engine. I want to explore these skills because technical animation is typically a sought after skill in industry and even if I didn't pursue this as a core job role the skills I learn would make me a more employable animator overall. Sometimes smaller studios will not have dedicated technical animators and require their animators to create the character rigs, therefore, this will enable me to expand my skillset, ultimately making me more employable.
The Technical Animation in Video Games (Lake, 2024) book pictured below takes a deep look into advanced rigging concepts including programming in Python and Maya's MEL scripts in order to create more capable rigs. It also looks at the Maya to Unreal Engine integration process, which will be useful for this project. I have a good understanding of core rigging concepts, however, I've never used programming to make more complex rigs, therefore this will give me the opportunity to advance my skills.
Next Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right (Osipa, 2003) takes a deeper look into facial modelling and animation, which the Technical Animation in Video Games (Lake, 2024) book doesn't explore. I plan to minimise the need for facial animation in my character design, however, faces allow animators to breathe a lot of life into characters. This is something I will need to consider and it will help me develop a facial animation system that works for this project.
Unmasking the Face: A Guide to Recognizing Emotions from Facial Expressions (Ekman and Friesen, (2003) looks at the range of human expressions and how the face deforms to achieve nuanced emotion. This will be used when developing the facial animation system to ground it in reality and enable me to review the depth of complexity need in the facial rig.
Build on the core theory from the previous sources in this rigging section I wanted to explore some video tutorials that would support me. I focussed on facial animation because the Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right (Osipa, 2003) is somewhat outdated and there are potentially new approaches to achieve results. Therefore these sources will be used to support me.
The video above by SARKAMARI (2020) is a Maya rigging tutorial playlist that explores similar concepts to Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right (Osipa, 2003), however, is more modern. It features a stylised character that will align to my stylised goals and enable me to see how I can rig a stylised face. IT covers bone placement, blend shapes and other concepts that will be useful.
This next video above by KINOMENTOR (2021), shown above, features some advanced facial rig set up and control systems to deform the face well. This video provides an overview of an addon called Advance Skeleton, which can support the rigging process.
The video above by Animator Artist Life (2020) shows a deeper look into the Advanced Skeleton Addon which can be downloaded here : Home - AnimationStudios . This is something to consider in the rigging pipeline and potentially could be used for specific elements like the face rather than the full body.
Lots of the previous processes rely on blend shapes in order to create facial animation. This can sometimes be tricky to integrate into a game engine so I found the video above by Larsson (2018), which covers the export of blend shapes from Maya to Unreal Engine.
Lastly, bone-based rigs integrate easily into game engines and is typically used for motion capture facial animation. So I found the video above by antCGi (2019) explores rigging a face with bones rather than blend shapes which may be a better setup and might align closer to the concepts explored by Lake (2024).
Technical Research: Unreal Engine 5Animating in Engine and Character Controllers (Blueprints Coding)
This section explores technical research linked to animating characters, setting up character controllers and creating cutscenes in Unreal Engine 5. I've previously worked with Unreal Engine 3 whilst working for Eutechnyx, however, I haven't actually touched this modern version of the engine so I wanted to gather a range of videos that would support me in this project. Previously animations were crafted in Maya and imported to the game engine, however, now Unreal Engine has some built in animation tools. Whilst I'm not confident that these are better than Maya they are something I'm keen to explore.
The video above (Threepeat Games, 2024) shows an in-depth look into the animation creation pipelines and tools from within Unreal engine. Whilst I might not use this method I want to experiment with it, particularly because Maya has a large licence fee so if you can achieve high quality outcomes directly in engine then this may be a more viable business option.
This above video by Proj Prod (2024) demonstrates rigging tools, in addition to animation tools, directly in Unreal Engine. It also looks at further animation setup and modification of a character controller to trigger animations based on controller in put. It also explores Unreal Engine's retargeting solutions that allow sharing across multiple character rigs. This will be useful to get the character moving and responding as well as set up processes. It provides more of an overview of systems and capabilities rather than an in depth, step-by-step tutorial. Therefore, this will support me in establishing my workflow, however, I may need to look at other tutorials to support deeper understanding.
This above video by Naj0r1 (2024) takes a more detailed look at the creation of the character controller and replacing default 3d character models and animations with custom animations. This will be good to support the set up of the animation tree but also will allow me to create my custom character and animations to make them feel alive. It will also allow me to have easy input from the controller so that I can easily get the character working in game rather than producing animations in isolation. This means I can really develop and test animation systems so that the character can feel really alive!
This above video (Gorka Games, 2022a) builds on the previous by providing a more in depth analysis of the animation tree system in Unreal Engine. This will support with editing and controlling how control input affects the character's animations.
This above video (Aspland, 2023) takes another look into the animation tree system but combines this with analysis of the character controller. This demonstrates how you can get the character to change animation states between common states like idling, walking and running. Therefore, across the videos I've explored and the MATTHEW LAKE book I should have all the tools I need to create rigs and animations; integrate them into the engine and edit the character controller to develop a character controller filled with stylised animations.
Cutscene Animation and Setup in Unreal Engine
23/04/25
This section looks at how to create cutscenes in Unreal Engine. I previously did this in Unreal Engine 3, however, it is likely to have changed since then and I'd like to explore the difference. Cutscenes would allow me to create some story driven, performance animation on this module too. However, I need to be careful not to pile too much work onto this project since in needs to be achievable in the time I have.
This above video (Gorka Games, 2022b) provides a quick look into how to create a cutscene, focussing on cameras and editing multiple cuts together. These are core functions to create the framework that cutscenes take place in but it doesn't explore triggering the cutscene or the character's animations inside it.
This above video (Fcb Dev, 2024) shows how to use blueprint coding system to trigger a cutscene sequence. This will be useful because I will need to run the project and have the cutscene execute the way it would in any game.
The video above (Gorka Games, 2022c) combines the knowledge from the previous 2 videos but explores how you can use the cutscene system for an opening cutscene. This will be useful because it may be slightly different from the triggering cutscene systems and the cutscene I'm likely to create will occur before the gameplay takes place.
The last video, shown above, (Unreal University, 2021) includes the missing piece of the puzzle which is integrating and using character animation for the cutscene. I will need to create a custom animation for the character as a vessel to convey the story and create a performance that is engaging. This will then be integrated to the engine and the cutscene will be set up using the knowledge explored in this section.
Project Management
05/05/25
This section shows my initial project management and planning for the next module (Graduate Portfolio). The challenge here is that since the next module isn't released I am unsure of the exact deadlines and time scales so I'm not sure whether I've planned too much. I know that there will also be the academic assignment which is likely to be a dissertations, therefore I will readjust my project planning when I know more. This first image shows the production schedule that maps out the key main stages of this project to provide some initial structure and goals. I've assigned the most time to rigging and animation because these are the areas I'm most interested in developing my skills.
This next section shows the expanded Trello cards for each section of the production schedule:
Overall, this is a solid plan with lots of tasks to get my teeth into. The plan is to readjust these materials to respond to the requirements of the next module or tasks overrunning. I want to make sure I'm exploring rigging in depth so I may need to assign additional time there. However, there is a lot of time blocked out for the gameplay animations and the cutscene animation which means I'll be able to adjust my priorities depending on the time I have available. Initially it does look good and there looks like there is a lot of time available over the course of this double module so I'm happy with this initial structure and the flexibility inside it, therefore, I'm confident I'll be able to review this once the module starts!
Conclusion
In conclusion, this blog post explores a highly detailed plan for the next module that will develop professional skills needed as part of my career plan. This creates a solid creative and technical foundation to provide clear direction for the work I plan to carry out. I'm excited to delve deeper into a more recent version of Unreal Engine as well as developing confident technical animation skills, including programming, that will be highly sought after in industry. I'm confident that the research I've conducted will push the boundaries of my skills and update my experience with integrating 3D animation into game engines. The concept art will provide a solid base for the development of the 3D character model. The storyboards I'm very proud of because they are professional in terms of quality and communicate the flow of the story clearly. I'm excited to get my teeth into this module and produce a high quality project that demonstrates an array of games industry relevant skills!
Reference List
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- Animator Artist Life (2020) Character Rigging in Maya with Advanced Skeleton (FOR ANIMATORS) - Part 01. June 24. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0W7cT2DUDY (Accessed: 25/04/25).
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