#Jar Full Of Cosmos Script

[here-be-dragons-and-whatnot]

An attempt at a color script

I was kind of dreading this at first, but after gathering references it didn't feel so bad. It's interesting how different the results feel than what I had imagined. I'll have to think about if I want to change the lighting to make this a bit... lighter? Anyway, I tried to capture important moments in the short where the lighting and color might be unique. I should be able to use this as a map/guide to lighting my scenes. Onto modeling!

And of course, here are my reference images. I think they look pretty :]

[musicmapglobal]

The 5 most mind-altering performances at CTM Festival

Immerse me in turmoil!

Berlin’s CTM festival is a gamble if you’re going for the music. One moment, laser beams shoot around you in a multidimensional performance while otherworldly music guides you to unknown pleasures. The next, a guy on acid strums a single guitar cord for 30 minutes and makes mind altering substances sound like a really bad idea. And that’s exactly what CTM festival’s 2018 theme of “Turmoil” was all about – unnerving you to the point of near-madness, getting you in a state of confusion and feeling that occasional bliss.

Thus, the artists at CTM transform, dismember, recreate and transcend the normal. “Turmoil” aims to express our world’s state of unrest and anxiety, of technical progress and futuristic dreams.

So what is the sound of turmoil then and how does it feel? I was there to find out.

Here are CTM festival’s 5 most immersive performances – from slight uneasiness to total fucking oblivion. A countdown:

5. Transcend the Turmoil – NOQTURNL – Florence To & John Connell

Did you ever practice lucid dreaming in a room full of strangers to access your inner consciousness? For CTM festival, artists Florence To & John Connell invited 70 strangers to experience the collaborative “hyper­lucid” in the middle of a 4DSOUND system. In short: Falling asleep to soft sounds for seven hours. Suffice to say, my memories of the night aren’t very tangible. I recall lying there, listening to the noises coming from the speakers left, right and above of me while hazy blue and red lights flash up here and there. No escape from the sound, anxious for something to happen. Until I only hear laughing children and falling raindrops. Their laughter turns into images of children playing in the soft summer rain.

I am pushed into an in-between – a space between waking and sleeping – drifting off only to be pulled back again by some obscure noise. The sense of comfort is constantly jarred. My mind no longer knows whether it is awake or asleep. Then – suddenly – it is day outside. Confused, tired, cranky. Something had been missing. When I regain consciousness, everything is still the same.

4. SKALAR Live – Christopher Bauder & Kangding Ray

It is almost pitch-black. Quiet music starts to play and a night sky reveals itself. As the music grows louder, a row of round objects descends. Glowing, their mirror-surface reflects back bright red, yellow, blue and green beams of light. Stars and planets are circling over our heads, light and darkness interchange. Simultaneously, psychedelic sounds announce an arrival. Everybody stands entranced in a joint consciousness – one focused entity.

Suddenly the room spins around as lights hit the darkness from all sides. Loud techno music plays and disorientation settles in. Then, lights and music come to an abrupt halt. And to the electronic composition of hope, the sun comes up with beaming golden rays.

For CTM Festival, light artist Christoph Bauder had teamed up with electro experimentalist Kanding Ray to explore the tension between natural and artificial, body and mind. Here, in the massive empty space of Berlin’s “Kraftwerk”, we meet our eternal cosmos, our mystic solar system.

3. Transcend the Turmoil – Pan Daijing

Pan Daijing stands next to a 4DSOUND speaker. Photo by Becca Crawford.

A strange twilight – only every now and then, weak lights in the dim room. Soft sounds close in from all sides, above and below in 4DSOUND. “And now, start walking”, a friendly female voice orders. We are sent on a path. Slowly, we obey. Memories of Brave New World. A journey into the unconsciousness has begun, deeper and deeper we go. Resistance impossible.

©Becca Crawford

There is meaning in the flow of sounds and words. They provide a script for a story into otherworld that isn’t our own. I fall further and further, completely weightless, into darkness. Yet I am not afraid. On the contrary, I feel free from this burdening world. Falling, falling, further and further. Until, abruptly, the voice calls fiendishly, “how foolish you are. I told you to bargain.” But it isn’t addressing me; I AM the voice, a devilish creature laughing at the world and its feeble humans. The music ends, the story is over, the voice says “goodbye”. The images of the places I have been are starting to fade, and yet remain. My self is still one with an endlessly powerful force.

2. Tipping Point – Medusa’s Bed

©David Visnjic

“Society is not a disease, it’s a fucking disaster”, screams singer Lydia Lunch into the microphone. Her words are underlined with psycho-ambient sounds. Like in Alan Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’, Lunch leads into the dystopian nightmare that is our reality.

Mia Zahlbeka’s violin screeches while Lydia Lunch goes on: “No easy way out. No escape. From yourself. You had to LEARN to DEAL with the cards you were dealt.”

This multilayered performance is the result of female power trio, no-wave icon Lydia Lunch, experimental violinist Mia Zalbeka and sound artist Zahra Mani. Images on a screen reveal the ruins of civilisation, full of debris – a dirty mattress in the corner of an abandoned building, a broken mirror on the wall, distorted faces of children.

And yet, there is beauty in the grotesque. In Lunch’s words, we hear Sartre and Baudelaire, Alan Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs – every dystopian book ever written, hell as we created it. And Mani and Zalbeka provide the haunting soundtrack, a discordant melody of Lunch’s “godforsaken terrain where lost souls find even less mercy”, inhabited by the “fucking beast”, which is always the self.

1. Caustic – Boys Noize

Berghain, sometime around 5am. But in that exact moment, I have already lost all track of time and space. I am completely immersed in the vibrating beats and swirling lights around me – in the music of Alexander Ridha, aka Boys Noize. Swift changes and a strange mix of breakbeat, hip-hop, dubstep, techno and something undefinable have smothered my thoughts to pieces. No longer able to form sentences. Peace in my mind. All feelings replaced by music.

An invisible string pulls me rhythmically through the room, makes me raise my arms and shake my head. Lights speed over our heads and through our bodies. It is like a collective ritual, a state of trance. The stroboscopic light recreate an LSD experience, all spatial awareness gone, a state of utter confusion, of bliss, of otherness. Sucked into the void, we are dancing, dancing, dancing to the primal dumph dumph dumph of techno-drums into the non-existence of excess.

Words and pictures: Manon Steiner (except Pan Daijing and Boys Noize press shots)

[inhumansforever]

Black Bolt #5 Review

spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers

Guest illustrator, Fazer Irving, joins Saladin Ahmed and Christian Ward for this fifth issue of Black Bolt; an issue that offers a very new take on oft-repeated tale of a boy and his dog.   Full recap and review following the jump.

When it comes to long time fans of the Inhumans said fans can sometimes be roughly split into two groups: those that believe Lockjaw is a dog turned by way of the Terrigen Mists into an Inhuman and those who believe he is an Inhuman changed by way of the Terrigen Mists into a dog.  It would appear that Black Bolt author, Saladin Ahmed, has himself some feelings on the matter and, while the matter isn’t given an absolute and unchangeable resolution, a good deal of credence is offered to the former of the two options: that Lockjaw is a dog bestowed Inhuman powers and not the other way around.  

I’ll take this moment to bask in self-satisfaction.

The fifth issue of Black Bolt begins with a brief prologue looking into Lockjaw’s origins.  Frazer Irving provides the illustration for the prologue.  Herein we see a puppy-aged Lockjaw.  Dialogue bubbles from outside the panel offer comment.  It’s unclear what exactly has transpired, but these voices marvel that their experiments has been a success.  These unseen Inhuman scientists have done something to dog and now she has given birth to a live pup who possesses powers.  The puppy, whom they’ve named ‘Lockjaw’ has grown over the years.  His mother has become aged, but Lockjaw seems to age slower.  His mom passes away and Lockjaw has become independent and a worthy servant of Attilan.  He is then introduced to the King and Queen’s newborn son, Blackgarr.  The giant dog gently sniffs at the infant and he begins to cry.  The cry grows louder as the baby’s devastating sonic powers are unleashed.  The nursery is destroyed, but Lockjaw appears unaffected, as though he is immune to the sonic power; and he stands dutifully by the infant’s side, protecting him.  

The years continue to pass by.  The nature of young Black Bolt’s powers require him to be kept confined to a sound proof isolation chamber until he can master compete control.  Throughout it all, Lockjaw remains at Black Bolt’s side.  Black Bolt is finally released from his confinement and he and Lockjaw enjoy their freedom together.  Then together they meet their cousins, the rest oft he Royal Family.  Black Bolt becomes king and still Lockjaw remains at his side.  Then comes the day where the treachery of Maximus leads Black Bolt to be incarcerated off in the cosmos.  Lockjaw is able to see through Maximus’ trickery and he goes in search of his friend.  There is a connection between the two that allows Lockjaw to track his scent even over the vastness of space.  Ultimately leading to the scene from the end of the last issue wherein Lockjaw arrived at the last second to save Black Bolt’s life.  

The narrative switches to the present and Ward reassumes the illustration.  Black Bolt and Lockjaw stand on the grounds outside of the prison.  Freed from its confines, Black Bolt’s tremendous Inhuman powers returns from him.  He is faced with a decision.  He knows that his family and loved ones remain at risk of the further bedevilment of his brother and feels compelled to g to them.  Yet there is also his fellow prisoners whom he had befriended.  Leaving them seems to strike him as unacceptable.  For so long Black Bolt has cared only for his people.  No sacrifice was too great if it was in the benefit of subjects of his kingdom.  

The old Black Bolt would have departed and not spared those left behind not a second thought.  Yet something has changed in him.  He is no longer king and his former wife, Medusa, has proven herself a worthy queen.  He is confident that Medusa can handle whatever mischief Maximus has in store.  And for once in his life Black Bolt will take action top serve those who are not fellow Inhumans.  He returns to the prison to rescue his friends.  

Time appears to flow differently within the prison.  Black Bolt has only been gone for a few moments, yet days have seemed to pass on the inside.  Crusher Creel had perished, but was once more resurrected so that the Jailer might continue to torture him.  Black Bolt finds Creel chained to the floor.  Having escaped the prison had restored Black Bolt’s powers and he uses his abilities for molecular manipulation to turn off the dampeners and Creel is re-powered as well.  

The two then rescue the others, Blinky, The Metal Master and Raava The Skrull Pirate Queen, as well as subdue the jailer’s lackey, The Spyder.  Still, merely freeing his friends from this terrible prison is not all that Black Bolt is aiming toward... he intends to bring down the prison itself and do away with its sadistic warden, The Jailer.  

The prison’s defenses come to life to fend off the escaped inmates.  Laser-Firming eyeball on metal wings attack.  In the ensuing battle, The Spyder attempts to flee, blasting Lockjaw with his ray-gun.  Lockjaw’s injury provokes Black Bolt’s full wraith and he kills The Spyder with blast of crackling molecular energy.  

Lockjaw is wounded, but it is not a fatal injury.  Creel convinces Black Bolt that Lockjaw must be left to recover on his own as they press forward.  Reluctantly, Black Bolt leaves Lockjaw’s side and they travel deeper into the prison.  Therein they find a control room and the circuits come to life with Black Bolt’s presence.  This whole prison is of ancient Inhuman design; its machinery seems to sense Black Bolt’s lineage and activates automatically.  The monitors switch on and Black Bolt and the others are shown footage recorded ages ago of an event where the old wardens accepted a new prisoner.  Watching this footage, they recognize a face we’re not shown.  

The being they have come to known as The Jailer had once been a prisoner sentenced to this prison.  He was an ancient Inhuman who possessed terrible telepathic powers which he used to feed off of the emotions of others like a psychic vampire.  Somehow, this being must have seized control of the prison and has used it for countless years as a means to feed his insatiable hunger for the agony of others.  Advanced age or some other reason led the Jailer to have himself dissected, placed into various jars and containers held together by his psychic powers; and then project an image of himself in the guise of the former wardens.  

His ghoulish secrets revealed, The Jailer levels his final attack against Black Bolt and the others.  He uses his psychic powers to manifests ghosts of the various loved ones they had lost.  Creel sees his mother who had passed away when he was a child; Raava sees her two sons who had died in battle; Metal Master sees his former husband whom he was forced to execute because he had defied his rule.  It remains unclear who it is that Blinky sees, but the ghosts Black Bolt sees are unmistakable.  He sees the visage of his parents, the mother and father who conducted cruel experiments on him to bestow him with such power… a power that ultimate led to their deaths and a lifetime of guilt and remorse.   They all seem to realize that these not ghosts but simply psychic manifestations drawn from the memories, yet it doesn’t seem to matter.  The Jailer has thrown at them the one enemy they can never hope to defeat.  And it is here that the issue ends with the promise of continuation with the next installment.  

Five issues in and Ahmed and Ward (and now Irving) are continuing to fire on all cylinders, making Black Bolt just a remarkable and thoroughly satisfying read with each installment.  Ward and Irving’s art pairs well together. ��The difference in their respective styles offers a neat change of pace for the flashback scenes of Lockjaw and Black Bolt growing up together.   Ward’s artwork is especially vibrant in this issue.  There’s a taut sense of anxiety in the art.  We learn from the letters’ page that this excited anxiety was likely all about the arrival of Mr. Ward’s first child, but it loans itself quite well to energy of the issue.

The character of Black Bolt makes a very significant development in the issue.  And Mr. Ahmed’s script handles it deftly, showing rather than telling.  His decision not to return home, to instead go back to the prison to rescue his new friends is something entirely new for him.  The ordeal Black Bolt has endured in this prison has humbled him, but also facilitated an emotional growth, to see things outside of the narrow confines of his duty toward his own people.  This sense of duty made Black Bolt a good king, but a poor father and an unreliable husband.  It cost him everything and, having lost it all, he is rebuilding himself… a new version with a greater sense of mutuality that endows him with a greater strength.  

And we learn from this issue that this greater strength was actually something gleaned throughout his childhood and young adulthood by way of the unwavering loyalty of Lockjaw.   It would seem that Black Bolt and Lockjaw have much more in common than may have been expected.  They were both the products of bizarre, inhuman experiments, both bestowed with incredible powers.  Yet while Black Bolt has always led with his head, remaining constrained, withheld and pragmatic, Lockjaw has led with his heart.  Lockjaw would never leave a friend behind; and proves so by traveling galaxies to rescue his best pal.  In turn, Black Bolt follows suit, repressing the habitual urge to return home and instead goes with his gut, returning to prison to rescue Blinky and the others.  

Once again, highest possible recommendation… can’t say enough good things about this book.  Five out of five Lockjaws.  

[doctorwhonews]

The Highest Science - Big Finish AudioDrama

Latest Review: Written By: Gareth Roberts, Adapted By: Jacqueline Rayner Directed By: Scott Handcock Starring: Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor),  Lisa Bowerman (BerniceSummerfield),  Sinead Keenan (Rosheen),  Daniel Brocklebank (Sheldukher), Sarah Ovens   (The Cell), Rehanna McDonald (Hazel),  James Baxter (Rodomonte), Tom Bell (Fakrid/Jinka) Producer/ Script-Editor: Cavan Scott, Executive Producers: Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs Released December 2014 by Big Finish Productions The planet Sakkrat is widely known across the cosmos for once being home to an ancient empire, which created the legendary technology known as 'The Highest Science'. But eventually this monumental asset ushered in doom, and the civilisation fell into oblivion. The Seventh Doctor and his keenly intelligent assistant - Professor Bernice Summerfield - are in transit abroad the TARDIS. They are alerted to a remarkable fluctuation in time, which originates from Sakkrat. The Doctor announces to Bernice that this is a 'Fortean Flicker'. The Time Lord's curiosity demands that they both investigate proceedings on Sakkrat immediately. Other parties are also drawn to the large green planet. The despicable and galaxy-wide infamous Sheldukher, is absolutely determined to obtain the aeons old technology, and will stop at killing no-one. He prepares his mission with the  help of several associates, one of those being the telepathic brain-entity, known as the 'Cell'. Similarly lethal, if perhaps less malicious and instead more imperialistic and military are the Chelonians - a race of anthropomorphised turtles/tortoises. They are focused on conquest and the eradication of all human 'parasites' that get in their way. And a group of time-displaced humans from 20th century Earth are the latest such irritant. Many lives will be endangered, and the safety of the wider cosmos could also be in peril. The Doctor's resourcefulness and wisdom will have to employed to full effect, if events are not to spiral out of control completely. ---   This particular adventure for the diminutive, chess master incarnation of the Doctor was one of the earlier ones to be published by Virgin back in the early 1990s. It is most notable for seeing the debut of Gareth Roberts in contributing an original, official story to the Doctor Who canon. In later years Roberts would complete other novels for both the New Adventures and Missing Adventures lines, and then be a semi-regular writer for the reborn TV series itself. Roberts is a lively and witty creative force, whose works under both main showrunners (Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies), helped add some contrast from more po-faced or worthy efforts. He also was vital to the success of the excellent Sarah Jane Adventures spinoff. There is a lot of Douglas Adams-style humour in this tale, and many of the best one-liners are given to Big Finish stalwart Lisa Bowerman to deliver. It should be noted that Jacqueline Rayner is very familiar with writing for Bernice, and this adds to the rhythm of the adaptation. Much like Love And War and Nightshade, this reworking has made an effort to reduce the number of players, as well as significantly simplifying one of the major subplots concerning humans that belong to a different time and place altogether. This is effective to an extent in giving the production some vital pace, but there is still the drawback of the plot meandering a little. The opening episodes have some interesting character moments, but also a rather stately set up. Benny's particular storyline - which is the staple one where the Doctor's assistant is separated from him - does fall somewhat flat. The cliffhanger to Episode Two concerning her safety is poor, as it heavily involves a secondary character that is alternately bland and irritating. However, the concluding pair of episodes have plenty of incident and surprise. There is a two pronged ending, with one adversary comprehensively defeated, but the other crisis needing the Doctor's genius is merely granted a temporary 'solution', and is best described as a Pyrrhic Victory. McCoy is reasonable enough here, but a little weaker than in Nightshade and some of his better original Big Finish stories. He is at his best facing down either the Chelonians or Sheldukher, and showing a range of outrage, playful disdain and intellectual smarts. His interplay with Bowerman is enjoyable, but clearly a touch less authentic and affecting than the much stronger bond with Sophie Aldred, which many a general Who fan may be more used to. Some of the one-off characters do engage the heart and/or mind, such as a pair of small time criminals who somewhat deserve justice, but still are angels compared to Sheldukher. The more wholly innocent human characters that have suffered time displacement also are identifiable, if perhaps lacking sufficient audio time to truly be memorable. And the Cell arguably steals the show, with a wonderfully lively portrayal by Sarah Ovens. However I am not too convinced that Sheldukher needs to say with such arch relish the play's title, and with such frequency. It is somewhat jarring and makes him seem just a bit more unbalanced than is credible. Otherwise, Daniel Brocklebank is serviceable enough in the key adversary role. The Chelonians have become a staple of the wider Who universe, if surprisingly not yet realised on mainstream TV. They can be fooled on occasion but are still notable opponents. Even if they are as unrelenting in sweeping aside those unlike them, in a manner similar to Daleks or Cybermen, there is a sense of nobility and honour that prevents them being purely 'evil'.   The music is quite strong, for the most part, and does help with adding a sense of wonder, dread or urgency as when needed. The audio effects result in the Chelonian creatures having a distinctive voice. It is also commendable how Tom Bell portrays the different creatures so distinctly. Later on during the days of Virgin Publishing, Roberts would contribute a loose trilogy:  'The Romance Of Crime'/ 'The English Way Of Death'/ 'The Well Mannered War'. All have been adapted by Big Finish, and were critiqued by a fellow reviewer on this site previously. Overall, this initial story from the pen of Roberts (originally out in book form in 1993) stands up both in past and present as an artefact of what was to come. The author has left his mark in a number of very enjoyable television episodes (particularly The Unicorn And The Wasp and The Shakespeare Code). It is far from flawless, but is still a good read, and now thanks to Rayner's commendable attempts at adaptation, also a worthwhile listen.  http://reviews.doctorwhonews.net/2016/12/the_highest_science_big_finish_audiodrama.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[here-be-dragons-and-whatnot]

Since this blog has become my unofficial documentation for Jar Full of Cosmos, I should probably include the first step of development which was the script. I looked at a couple dialog-free scripts to get an idea of how to do it. I'm sure there are lots of mistakes in terms of formatting and content, but it was enough to get me some storyboards and the animatic!

It's long so not sure if folks want to read it, but it's below the cut for the brave/bored:

JAR FULL OF COSMOS

INT. PEARL’S HOUSE, KITCHEN - NIGHT

We are in a warmly lit, retro-styled kitchen of PEARL. The cabinets are mint with wooden countertops. Jars, plants, utensils, and various kitchen items cover every possible surface and a pendant casts a conical beam of light over the center island where Pearl and her cat WIPPLES are working. The atmosphere is cluttered but cozy and warm.

Pearl is enraptured by a project in front of her, adding pinches of ingredients to a large wooden bowl and mixing with a wooden spoon. The countertop around her is covered in small jars of various ingredients. On the other end of the island, Wipples snoozes and purrs, his body rising and falling gently. Pearl hums absent-mindedly and her bowl bubbles.

Pearl carefully uncorks a bottle and sniffs the contents. She tentatively pours a single drop into the wooden bowl.

A billow of purple and pink sparkling smoke poofs up from the bowl, casting bright, colorful light on the environment for a moment. It reflects brightly on Pearl’s glasses. Wipples leaps from his perch with a yowl and raised fur while Pearl stands stunned with her spoon in the blast.

We are looking up from inside the bowl. The witch and cat’s faces slowly look over the brim and are lit by a colorful glow from the contents. Wipples' eyes dilate widely and Pearl cracks a smile.

We are now looking in the bowl where a gently undulating fluid contains stars and soft galaxy colors. Angelic music plays.

Pearl claps with glee, delighted at her success of creating a bowl full of cosmos. Wipples, whose eyes are still wide, reaches a paw towards the fluid but Pearl shoos it away. 

to Pearl pops a cupboard open and selects a large glass jar from a collection of various bottles and jars.

Pearl carefully tips her mixing bowl over the jar, pouring the viscous space liquid into it. As the jar fills, the angelic music gets louder.

Finally, Pearl shelves her brew. We see a few jars of other environments such as a tropical beach, desert sands, and mushroom forest. The music changes accordingly with each pass. Finally, we arrive at a blank space where Pearl places her jar of cosmos, rotating it slightly to get the position correct. 

Pearl stands for a moment with her hands on her hips, savoring her success while looking at her shelf of jars. Wipples sits on the counter gazing longingly with wide eyes at the jars. He trills, and Pearl turns and wags a finger in warning.

Pearl starts leaving the kitchen, pausing to give Wipples a scratch on the head. 

Pearl slowly lowers herself into her easy chair in the livingroom. She raises a remote and points at an old TV set which clicks to life with the press of a button. As she settles back in her chair, we return our focus to Wipples. He was watching Pearl sit, but now turns his head and looks towards the jar. His pupils dilate once again and fill with sparkles.

Wipples leaps gracefully onto the shelf, causing the jars to clink. He steps haphazardly over and around other jars until he reaches the one containing cosmos.

We see a view of Wipples’ face through the jar. His eyes are wide with fascination and reflect the stars within.

He starts bapping the jar with his paw. With each clink of claw on glass, the jar edges closer to the edge of the shelf before tipping over and crashing on the counter below. Wipples leaps and his fur poofs momentarily.

In the livingroom, Pearl leans forward in her chair and looks towards the kitchen with a concerned “eh?”

Wipples peers over the shelf to see the counter which is now covered in a puddle of cosmos. 

He tentatively dips a paw inside which makes small ripples in the reflective surface. He then steps the front half of his body through. The puddle acts as a portal and Wipples is transported into a soft, bright galaxy full of twinkling sparkles and pale yellow, cartoony stars. He meows and leaps all the way in.

EXT. COSMOS - NIGHT

Wipples swats at a few yellow stars with claws extended before focusing his eyes on one nearby. He snags it with both paws and regards it with wonder. Rearing his head back, Wipples opens his mouth wide, revealing a pink interior a white teeth. As his mouth chomps on the star, a cane appears from the portal off-screen and snags his collar. Wipples yowls as he is suddenly yanked backwards, leaving the star spinning with a bite taken out.

INT. PEARL’S HOUSE, KITCHEN - NIGHT

Pearl stands holding a rag in a hand on her hip and the cane aloft with Wipples dangling by his collar. He hangs with paws tucked in, looking guilty, but with cheeks puffed out. He smiles sheepishly around his full mouth, attempting to look contrite.

Pearl turns her attention to the mess on the counter and begins wiping it with the rag. On the counter behind her, Wipples visibly swallows. 

INT. PEARL’S HOUSE, BEDROOM - NIGHT

Pearl lays in her bed asleep in a nightgown and nightcap. She is propped up on pillows, laying on her back, and snoring softly.  A paned window backlights the scene with sheer curtains casting soft shadows. The bedroom is quaintly decorated, although not much detail is visible in the low lighting. 

Wipples lays curled into a ball on Pearl’s belly which softly rises and falls with her breath. The scene is peaceful and quiet.  Suddenly, Wipples opens his eyes wide and raises his head. His eyes are now the color of the cosmos, complete with sparkling stars, and cast a pink and purple glow around him. Angelic music fills the room once again. 

[here-be-dragons-and-whatnot]

Pearl's House

And here we have a very rough block out for the environments in Jar Full of Cosmos. I used Sketchup because I find CAD style modeling in Blender to be incredibly tedious, and I wanted to quickly model things to real world scale. Additionally, Sketchup has a huge library of objects I can drag and drop which makes tasks like filling up the livingroom much easier. The colors are not accurate since I have a limited palette in free Sketchup. Next up will be a color script to figure out materials and mood. I wish color wasn't such a struggle for me :']

Although it's not terribly apparent looking at these screengrabs, I was inspired by the trend of cozy, isometric rooms that I have been seeing on Youtube and other places where 3D artists tend to congregate.

[here-be-dragons-and-whatnot]

Things to Work On

This is going to be my running list, updated regularly, of areas that need practice as revealed by Jar Full of Cosmos. So far we have:

Sourcing SFX (ideally for free)

Making SFX

Character expressions

Color in character design

Color in environmental design

Color Scripting

Process/workflow to go from idea to animated short

Topology for proper deformation