mattexellmars

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What would the creature wear?

I think that as a group, with the penguin, I think we were heavily influenced by the penguin from the British Gas Penguin. This is primarily due to the fact that he looks as though he walked all the way from the Antarctic to London. However, we would change the design majorly, with it being inspired by the Antarctic expeditions of Scott and Shackleton. This meant that he could possibly wear a thick coat with woolly hood and have miniature tennis rackets as shoes for gripping to the ice.

The one thing that stands out the most on the penguin is the little compass around his neck and I think that this is a cool addition because it indicates that although he is a native inhabitant of the Antarctic, he could still get lost. The penguin essentially looks as though it has found the ship wreck of the ENDURANCE, just collected all of the shiny objects and started his journey.

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Why did I choose the style of bag that I did?

The primary reason as to why I chose a messenger-style bag is due to the fact that the bag would be easily accessible to get reports and other documents out. At the same time, there will also be lots of both internal and external compartments to hold stationary, specimens and vials. The other primary reason as to why I chose this style of bag was due to the fact that as part of the story is that other scientists will be trying to steal the research, so with this style of bag, it would be a lot more difficult to gain access.

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Synopsis.

Due to the significant increase of foreign substances being brought into Antarctica, the wildlife and the environment has changed dramatically. This has resulted in the loss of habitats and a multitude of food chains resulting in a physical change within the animals. The most notable is that of the Adélie penguin. The penguin’s body has become severely mutated, most notably with the facial features. The face has been disfigured, especially around the eyes, where the right eye has been eroded and has fallen out of the socket. Fortunately, due to the high infection rate, Scientist, Dr Richard Culber has made it his life’s work to find a cure. Upon taking samples, his research had concluded that the key components are scattered across both London and Mt. Kilimanjaro. Alas, he died on the trip back to Vostok; with his final resting place being 25km southwest of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The research has fallen in the hands of other explorers who found his research during their trip. The investigations are ongoing with focus on these events and have resulted in the discovery of other animals with the same disease such as shell based creatures. These creatures do not show any outer signs like the Adélie penguin, making them look perfectly normal but their behaviour became drastically different as they try to attach themselves to other creatures. The penguins appear to be attacking others from their colony and animals, this seems to be related to the infection. There have also been cases of them attacking human no matter the factors.   

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Evaluation.

In terms of the overall outcome, I think that it worked. I think that it is due to the fact that instead of making a bag just on its own, I also decided to make the creature that had begun the infection. These two items link together due to the fact that the creature was first found back when people didn't have proper storage for deadly materials, and might have just placed the specimen in a bag. 

However, I know that if had started making the bags at an earlier point, They could have been more detailed and intricate. For example, I could have made an actual backpack with both exterior and interior compartments. In terms of the creature, the one way that I know that I could have improved upon was by making one that similar, but instead being portrayed as a museum piece, having all sorts of notes and information displays around it. Furthermore, this could've meant that we could do the same thing with the penguin, by showing a photo of the penguin before the disease took hold, the deterioration of the penguin. 

One thing that I know that have improved upon is my drawing. I have learnt to not block colour my drawings and try so hard to make them look perfect. However, although I will know not to do this in the future, I have a gut feeling that I may do it during the FMP.  I have also learnt how to make my drawing look more detailed by using a white gel pen to show the highlights on objects.  

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Target audience 2 and game type.

After much deliberation, we have decided that our target audience will be to those playing an 18-rated video game. Again, this is due to the fact that there will be lots of blood, violence and death.

In terms of the type of game that we will go for, I feel as though a survival game would work best, due to the fact that the character would be in the wilderness, and would need to craft resources and survival gear. I also think that the game should have a creative mode to allow you experiment with base layout and position, but also to see where the best resources congregate.

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Target audience.

Although it was undecided, we decided to look at both film and game. For people going to see a film, it would have to be a 15-rated sci-fi horror film. This would be due to the fact that there would be a considerable amount of blood, guts and gore. If it were a game, it would definitely have to be an 18-rated game, again due to the high amounts of blood and death. 

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The outcome (BAG)

In terms of the bag, I think that they both worked really well. Although one of the bags split down the side, I changed the story so that the creature wasn't stored properly and has broken out. At the same time, I feel that if I had started the build process that little bit earlier, my bags could've been more detailed. This will be something to remember for the FMP.

To be honest, I think that the specimen looks as though it has come straight out of a B-list movie. I think that this is due to the fact that the scale of the tentacles are way too big for the shell and there no humane way that they would be able to fit without causing excruciating pain. Although this was not the look that was intended, I think that it fits well with the look of the penguin sculpture, due to the simple fact that the penguin it self looks as though it has out of either an animation and/or a B-list movie.

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The Kraken.

The Kraken is a legendary sea monster of giant size that is said to dwell off the coasts of Norway and Greenland. Over the years, authors have suggested  that the legend originated from sightings of giant squids that may grow to 12–15 meters (40–50 feet) in length. Since the late 18th century, kraken have been depicted in a number of ways, primarily as large octopus-like creatures. The legend of the kraken continues to the present day, with numerous references existing in popular culture, including film, literature, television, video games and other miscellaneous examples (e.g. postage stamps, a rollercoaster ride, and a rum product).

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Creature inspirations.

There were two creatures that served as the main inspirations for my creature. They went from one extreme to another. They were a hermit for the way that it can fit it’s entire body into a tiny shell, and at the same time, an Octopus. The main reason as to why I have chosen a Hermit crab is how it’s legs look as though they are made up of separate segments which fold up to create some sort of armour. 

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The outcome (CREATURE)

So, despite the time frame that I had in which to make this creature, I am actually happy with the final outcome. I think that this is due to the fact that I haven't used super sculpey for almost a year and yet, I have managed to produce a small, yet highly detailed piece. I also think that although it may look rushed, the paint somehow manages to draw your eye away from that fact. 

One mistake that I realised after I had baked the piece was that I had made the tentacles all spinning off from each other, making it more branch-like than tentacle-like. 

Overall, I think that the paintjob has worked really well. It really does help draw your eye away from that almost rushed look. I think the application of colour, Darkest to lightest has worked to bring out more detail. To make this better, I even tried dry-brushing yellows and light greens over the top. I know that one way this could have been made better is by using pinks for the insides of the suckers.

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The bag. (both new and un-fixed)

So in the end I decided to adapt my story to fit the broken bag, in that the bag was being used to transport the specimen, was dropped and left behind, therefore allowing for the specimen to break free and infect others. The way that I achieved this was by attempting to sew the bag back together, but this time, I intentionally had the tension on the machine wrong so that stitches were looser to allow either multiple exit points or an easily breakable side panel.

However in terms of the bag that was made as a replacement, I decided to use it as a look into what the bag would've looked like before it was abandoned and I have decided that I am going use it to hold maps of specific areas.  By a way of weathering the actual bag itself, I feel as though I should use flower as a means of snow but then coffee stains pen marks for the weathering of the inside.

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Review 3.

Luckily, I found some boxes that I had vacuum formed back in High school and thankfully they were still intact. as of yet I am still unsure as to how many specimens I will create due to the very short time frame left. However, If I can get two well detailed creatures made then, I think that it may just be enough. 

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Review 2.

Due to the short amount of time left, I know that it is risky to change my idea at this stage. However, I feel that it is necessary to do so as I feel the bag will not be successful. The idea will hopefully change into a museum piece or a presentation. However, I would prefer to use it as a museum piece showing how the virus was overcome, the key locations and even specimens. This will mean vacuum forming some cases to hold the specimens that I will make in. 

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Chris Ryniak.

Although the style is not what we are going for, I feel that Ryniak‘s is suitable due to the fact that his figures, in some way, shape or from have distorted bodies. For example, due the fact that our penguin is going to suffer with mutations to the mouth, I think that the way in which the teeth on the figure below are beginning to separate from the gums, could possibly mean that this creature will soon be no teeth, just gums. Also, I think that the way in which the eyes are made of marbles could give us a basis in which to model ours with.

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Jordu Schell.

I have chosen to look at Jordu Schell due to the fact that he specialises in the sculpting of monsters. The first phot captures what the eyes of the penguin should look like, in that they have frosted over, or have even rolled back into the skull. Also the withering of the face is another thing that we could possibly use and adapt to our penguin. 

The second image shows what could potentially happen with the beak. Due to the fact the virus is Leprosy and has attacked the nerve endings, the beak could have fallen off due to the low, freezing temperature and high winds. Subsequently, the remnants of the beak have also mutated and have now formed the basis of what look like teeth.

At the same time, the virus carrier, which are barnacles, could, once they have transmitted the virus to the host, just simply fall off and die, however their presence on the skin would be known due to the fact that there would be craters left over from where the barnacles lay.

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Sue Dorrington.

I have chosen to look at Sue Dorrington due to the fact that two pieces of her work were of a whale, but more importantly and closely relating to our project, a penguin. Although the work is aptly titled, Happy Feet, it is in no way related to the film. It is actually the penguin's ‘name’ and was made as part of a fundraiser for the coastlands aquatic centre, New Zealand. Although from afar, it may look as though there is no patterning, in actual fact, up close, you are able to see all of the individual feathers.

The only reason as to why we can’t see them is due to the fact that the light doesn't really catch upon them really well, except for up close or where darker colours have been added.

I think that to help give our model some realism, we should some of the feathers more subtly and maybe consider using large marbles that have been glossed for the eyes that have begun to frost over and deteriorate.  

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The notepad.

For the notepad, all that I have done is purchased a notepad, then tea and coffee-stained it to give an old, misused look. It will also be filled with instructions and annotations, showing that the virus has changed to each set of medication. It will also be filled with drawing of plants and wildlife which could be considered potentially crucial to the cure effort. I also feel that post-it notes should be added to show the modern-day progression into finding a cure.