4D Design

Concept: I want to develop a story about a cowboy recalling a bizarre event in his past life. To be more specific, his encounter with zombies and/or aliens.

Treatment: (Narrative) *title screen* [Ol’ Western Epoch] *cut to first frame* The character walks in mumbling about. Eventually, he turns around and introduces himself to the audience (us viewing). He rambles about this amazing story of when he was a young outlaw in the midwest and encountered one of the most fearsome creatures he’s ever faced. The audience can see he is visibly shaken by the memory of the encounter.

The camera zooms into the background. The background shall change and morph into nighttime. The cowboy is at his camp, relaxing after a days toil and hears rustling in the bushes. Alarmed, he awakens to a decaying man slowly waltzing to him with his arms stretched out towards him. The gunslinger draws his pistol and takes a shot at the beast but the beast is unfazed. He begins to fire rapidly yet still no affect...until he he hits his head. The zombie falls and the gunslinger holsters his pistol. He then becomes surrounded by them. Outnumbered, he calls his horse Bucky and makes a run for it. As he’s riding, he starts taking out some of the numbers of the horde. We slowly zoom back to the original desert setting. The cowboy says to the audience “and thats how I got the nickname Reaper. The camera pans to moonshine thats next to the cowboy and we slowly fade out. 

(Treatment) For the most part, I want to paint some still scenes in Photoshop to use as environments in after effects. I’d most likely create things as separate pieces within the environment as a way to manipulate them in a 3D space. Additionally, my character and setting designs will most likely be drawn first as a baseline and guideline for the painting or other digital work that will be done.

I wanted this project to be more realistic and relatable than that of my peers. What I mean by this is that I wanted them to relate to the every day tasks that we all share in our current lives. The mouse clicking was used as a form of representing the work we do on a day to day basis. However exciting or mundane it can be, the clicking is always constant as we make our selections on our computers. 

The screeching of the train is something most of us encounter everyday considering the commute we make from our homes to school and back. Personally, it adds a sort of ambience as the engine humming inside the tunnel creates a sense of scale for the object that is making such a noise. Living in New York City, this is a essential of our mornings.

Not only does the sound of the screeching create some form of familiarity buts so does the notorious voice of the train announcer on the MTA Subway. Those iconic words of “the next stop is...” and “stand clear of the door please” will fill any New Yorker with nostalgia. Additionally, hearing the fans of the train blow out steam as those words begin to be said is as relatable as it gets. Its a pattern that we get used to and the sounds create their own rigid rhythm.

The wind blowing rapidly is meant to represent my individual travel through the streets of Queens. I chose not to incorporate footsteps as you wouldn’t hear any sort of sound made by your shoes unless you’re wearing a heel of some kind. Besides that, I wanted this sequence to be more about listening to the sometimes subtle and other times blaring sounds that surround me. It was a symphony of wind, car horns and engine’s revving.

“Piece for a listener”

Dots: Chopping of a utensil on a flat iron pan

Z- Shape: Brakes on a cad squealing

Long Wave line (smooth): Sound of engine/car as it moves away from being close

L-Checks: Door hing squealing

Long Wave line (jagged): click of shoes on mat

Rugged line: Drill sound