Officially the best Friday, 21 August 2009
Posted by Watson in News.Tags: characters, Poll, twitter
add a comment
Watson reporting.
I am, officially, your favourite member of The Lost Book team! I beat Kyle (grrrr) into second place, and my Aileen was third. (I can’t believe you lot rate Kyle above Aileen. You’ve got some explaining to do!)
I’ve added this as the last fact in my list of facts. I like to keep lists and this one records all the decisions taken by vote during our Lost Book adventure. There are 52. That’s a lot of decision-making!
I need a new list! Maybe Invisible Inc. has one I can keep?
Disembodied Wednesday, 12 August 2009
Posted by Helen in Making of....Tags: animation, characters
2 comments
Did you wonder how we got this shot? With live-action, the actor would have had to be somewhat contorted to enable the camera to be positioned where her head should be.
It’s easier when your character is a computer model – you can simply cut off her hands!
Mwahahaha…
Flat pack Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Posted by Helen in Making of....Tags: characters, models, textures
3 comments
Thought this might interest you. You know that we’ve been economising on our character models – to create a new character we re-use an existing body so that we only need to create a new head (see Demi Remi). You also know that our characters are coloured using “texture maps” – 2D image files that are wrapped around the 3D computer models (see Aileen unwrapped).
So, you’ve probably figured out that we didn’t create an entirely new character model when we needed to show Aileen’s Mum in episode 6. The two characters have a very strong family resemblance…
…because the computer models are identical. All the differences are in the texture maps:
Aileen’s Mum looks very good for her age! We would have given her wrinkles, but she’s only seen from behind or with her face in shade so there was no point.
Colours Wednesday, 29 July 2009
Posted by Helen in Making of....Tags: animation, characters, colour script, lighting, still frame
1 comment so far
Do you notice the colours when you’re watching a film?
You might not, but someone’s thought carefully about them. Not just the colour of costumes, props and sets, but the colour of the light and the overall colour balance of each shot.
Colours are used to give an atmosphere and to reflect mood. They can relate to characters. The overall colour will change throughout – there may be a colour arc that relates to the story arc or to a character’s arc. Pixar create “colour scripts” for each film – Lou Romano has posted a lot of his art for Up (warning, spoilers – be careful if you haven’t yet seen the film) including first pass colour scripts for Act I and a full colour script.
Now, in The Lost Book we had a different challenge. We didn’t know what the story would be, or who the characters would be, or what their stories would be. It meant we couldn’t plan colours or sketch a colour script. But, we still wanted to use colour as best we could.
In the first episode we set up some simple contrasts of colour and light. Dark colours and red were used when the book was stolen. Light colours, especially yellow, and bright light were used when Aileen was in a safe place. Tiny elements of purple/lilac were used to relate to the crime – the tag left on the lectern was purple and the bus set in the final shot, when Aileen discovers that all online copies of the book have also been stolen, features lilac as well as yellow.
We could build on this in episode 2. When Aileen’s talking to Kyle, she’s in a good place (yellows/light) but we’re not sure about Kyle (black). In the bookshop, someone bad has got at the books, so we’re using dark colours, reds and oranges.
By episode 3 we had a baddie – Otto Dafé. His name, with the reference to burning, fitted beautifully with the colour scheme we’d chosen for bad things, so we dressed him in black and made sure oranges and reds surrounded him. Even in episode 4, when he’s in the airport (a space we’ve made light and bright and full of greens – Kyle’s colour and another indication of a safe place) we darken the Otto shots by half-filling the screen with a black mobile phone, and adding orange/red tones in Otto’s books and in the seating in the background.
By episode 4 we also knew that Grazp Pharmaceuticals was responsible for the theft… so it turned out that their corporate colour was purple/lilac. This colour scheme segued into episode 5 where purples and blacks were used throughout – it wasn’t just the darkness that made this the darkest episode, everything about the tones used showed that the characters were in a tight spot.
But, we had a problem. Otto was no longer a bad guy, so his signature colours of red and orange couldn’t be used, and the link between him and those colours previously suddenly didn’t work so well. There wasn’t anything we could do about this, apart from reconceptualise orange/red as the colour range that meant books were in trouble.
The final episode showed a marked change in atmosphere. The scenes at the Sheep Heid Inn that frame the episode use bright light, yellows and greens. Both Aileen and Kyle are there, they’re safe and happy, no books are in danger. We used reds and purples in the early flashbacks, but gradually worked back through to yellows and greens as the mood lightened and the crime was solved.
Looking at all the stills, there’s quite a pleasing colour arc and the colours worked well to reflect the mood. But, Otto’s transition from baddie to goodie was very hard to handle!
(Oh, and on the subject of colours, this might amuse you as an insight into how obsessive we are about this sort of thing!)
A jug of Pimms (or two) Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Posted by Helen in Making of..., Story teamwork.Tags: actors, bookcrossing, characters, cora bissett, Poll, sean biggerstaff, soundtrack
2 comments
Fun times! The last recording session with our voice actors Cora Bissett and Sean Biggerstaff was on Sunday. For once, Cora didn’t have to do a million mad voices – she was simply (and beautifully) Aileen Adler.
Sean, on the other paw, had the challenge of putting a voice to the thoughts of Watson. “Urbane gentleman spy” was an option for a while… and led inevitably to “Bond, Sean Bond” and much hilarity. The final voice is neither of those, but is a glorious big voice for a small but important dog. You’ll have to wait until Friday to hear it.
L-R: Helen Jackson, Adam Brewster, Cora Bissett, Sean Biggerstaff and Stephen Gilmour
At lunch afterwards it emerged that Sean is a great fan of Pimms, so we celebrated with a jug or two of Pimms and lemonade. It’s appropriate, then, that the popular vote has decided that Pimms is the drink of choice for Aileen and Kyle (thanks Kiwi for the suggestion, and thanks DJ for letting us know the Sheep Heid Inn can “rustle up a fantastic classic Pimms No 1″.)
We also have a decision for a book to feature in the last episode – it will then be BookCrossed in the Sheep Heid, so if you’re in Duddingston this coming weekend you might want to pop in and see if you can pick it up. The winning suggestion is another one of Kiwi‘s, seconded by Treehugger – The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle. Watson’s grabbed it already; it’s one of his favourites.
The good, but slightly sad, news is that you’ve now made all the decisions needed for us to finish the final episode of The Lost Book. Instead of a story poll, I’ve resurrected our character popularity survey. Who’s your favourite character? Vote now in the sidebar poll to the right.
Microstory: the end Monday, 20 July 2009
Posted by Helen in Microstory competition.Tags: animation, characters, story, writing
add a comment
Congratulations Peanut for writing the final installment of Sally Challenger’s journal. Peanut’s 100 words brings the expedition to an end, leaving the journal itself in safe (if bemused) hands.
Well done and thank you to everyone who has helped to write Sally Challenger’s journal:
Jasper Fforde, Matthias, Bookaddictus, Norvaljoe, Rocketboy (twice!), Mary, QueenofSheeba, Bananagirl, pondweed, Professor Moriaty, IndiaJones (twice!), curlyshirley, ScoutingForBoys, Martha K., Caroline (twice!), LuLu, Andrew J. Wilson, Dinobot, Wearealldoomed, Gondolagirl and Peanut.
Thanks also to everyone who submitted a story that wasn’t chosen – the competition was as fierce as an Abelisaurus! And, special thanks to guest writers Jasper Fforde and Andrew J. Wilson.
This experiment in collaborative writing has been brilliant. The stories are exciting – it’s amazing how much can be done with 100 words. We’ve also enjoyed how the gradual unveiling of events has fed into the animated story of The Lost Book (Sally Challenger’s journal was the “lost book” – the book stolen in the animation).
When we started we had no idea what secrets the journal might hold! It’s been fun to find out, and reveal a motive for its theft. We’ve also enjoyed the way a character from the journal, Professor Remi, has crossed over into the animation.
Read the full journal to find out all about Sally Challenger’s expedition.
“The most interesting collaborative book-writing experiment of the decade” – Jasper Fforde
Details, details Wednesday, 15 July 2009
Posted by Helen in Story teamwork.Tags: characters, Poll, story
8 comments
We need your help in finalising a few details for episode 6. You can still vote for which library Otto will be working in – the poll’s in the sidebar to the right. Also in the sidebar is another poll, so vote now to decide on Professor Catherine Remi’s new job/adventure from the following suggestions:
1. Teaching scuba diving (ta Kiwi)
2. An expedition to the central Rift Valley (good collaboration between TheLetterB and Lulu, with a bit of input from Tom)
3. Research into higher levels of conciousness (thanks Wearealldoomed)
You can also still help us with a book recommendation if you know the password from The Lost World.
Finally, we need some new suggestions from you! Kyle’s getting in the drinks at the Sheep Heid Inn – but what’s his poison? Tell us what you think Kyle and Aileen’s favourite drinks would be by leaving us a comment (by the way, stereotyped suggestions involving a pint for Kyle and “a glass of white wine for the lady” are not going to win!).
Library choice Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Posted by Helen in Story teamwork.Tags: animation, characters, Poll
add a comment
I’m in the middle of animating Otto’s library scene for episode 6. There have been two suggestions for which library he works in – Anna suggests the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne (aparently they have a great rare books collection and curator Des might give Otto a job), and ResQgeek suggests the Folger Shakespeare Library.
Which library do you prefer? Vote now in the sidebar poll to the right.
(Oh, and also in this scene we have incorporated Kiwi‘s punning suggestion of invisible ink, modified by Bibliomane‘s security ink idea, into the storyboards.)
If you’d like to make a story suggestion, Professor Catherine Remi needs a new challenge – she’ll feature on a magazine cover! Also, if you know the password from The Lost World you can help us with a book recommendation.
Professor Remi Thursday, 9 July 2009
Posted by Helen in Story teamwork.Tags: characters, story, writing
6 comments
So far, Professor Catherine Remi doesn’t get a mention in episode 6.
She’s the only member of Sally Challenger’s expedition team we’ve met. She was rejuvenated during the expedition and now looks much younger than her seventy-eight years. She was captured by Grazp and set free by Lyn and Otto.
So, what’s she going to do next? Both Kiwi and Tom have pointed out that she’ll be hounded if the rejuvenation is made public. So, she can’t exactly go back to work.
I’m thinking that she’ll probably create herself a new identity as her own daughter. Then, she could do anything she liked. What do you reckon her perfect second career would be? Would she go back into science or would she do something completely different? Leave us a comment with your ideas.
We’re still taking votes on where Aileen and Kyle’s first date should be (read about the options or simply vote in the sidebar poll to the right). We’re also looking for ideas about Otto’s new job. Oh, and if you know the password from The Lost World you can help us with a book recommendation!
Dating advice for Kyle Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Posted by The Lost Book in Story teamwork.Tags: characters, Poll, story
add a comment
We have some great suggestions for Kyle and Aileen’s first date – thanks, all – so it’s time to vote for the best. The options are:
1. An adventure in Madagascar – where Wearealldoomed has heard rumors of other Ikhata-like happenings.
2. Cinema followed by cupcakes – Caroline’s “baby steps of perfection” suggestion.
3. The Natural History Museum in London – Kiwi‘s idea, because of the dinosaur skeleton, seconded by Wearealldoomed.
4. A perfect picnic on Salisbury Crags – another idea from Kiwi, seconded by Watson and Bibliomane.
5. The Sheep Heid Inn in Duddingston – perhaps for a game of skittles? – Bibliomane‘s plan for the evening after the picnic.
Vote now in the sidebar poll for your top choice!
Otto’s new job Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Posted by The Lost Book in Story teamwork.Tags: characters, Poll, story
7 comments
Here are the final rankings from the big story selection poll. Thanks, everyone, for the great ideas and congratulations to those of you who’ve gained plenty of votes:
1. Kyle asks Aileen out (Meg)
2. Aileen’s article about these events is published (Meg and Kiwi)
3. Watson finds Beryl’s business plan/sales brochure revealing her intentions (IndiaJones)
4. Beryl Potts arrested (Bookaddictus)
5. Aileen joins Invisible Inc. (Tom)
6. Aileen’s Mum is released without charge (Headlong)
7. Otto working in a library – stamping books (IndiaJones)
8. Watson sniffs out Grazp’s laboratory working on the rejuvenation water (Lulu)
9. Watson attacking Kyle (by Kiwi)
10. The Lost Book returned to the National Library of Scotland (LibraryFan)
11. Prof Remi and the Ikhata in Venezuela (Brian)
12. Otto stealing the book from the National Library of Scotland .
13. Kyle gets his job back (Kiwi)
14. Prof Remi enabled to age naturally and die if she wants (Bibliomane)
We’re working on a script at the moment that starts at the top and includes as many stories as we can get in!
If you’ve got any suggestions for where Kyle might take Aileen on their first date, please join the conversation. Please vote for where Kyle will take Aileen – there’s a poll up in the sidebar to the right.
And, here’s a double question for you. First, which library should Otto get a job in? (Perhaps one with a particularly valuable book that he could keep an eye on while he’s there?) Second, does anyone have any suggestions for particularly pertinent books that he could stamp?! (Real or fictional.) Leave us a comment with your ideas…
First date?! Monday, 6 July 2009
Posted by The Lost Book in Story teamwork.Tags: characters, Poll, story
11 comments
We’re going to leave the big story selection poll up a little longer – so, get your votes in quickly to help decide what will be in episode 6.
At the moment, the story with the most votes is Meg‘s suggestion that Kyle asks Aileen out. You’re clearly a bunch of romantics! We know that Aileen has a secret soft spot for Kyle so there’s a reasonable chance she might say yes.
So – where would Kyle take Aileen on their first date? Give us your suggestion by leaving a comment, please!
Choose the narrator Friday, 19 June 2009
Posted by The Lost Book in Story teamwork.Tags: actors, characters, cora bissett, Poll, sean biggerstaff, story
add a comment
It’s been decided that episode 6 will use a voiceover narration to tell the story of what happens next (we held a vote and 67% voted for this).
We need to decide which characters will be the narrators. For more information about the characters, look at the Cast and Story page. Rather than sticking to a single narrator, let’s have one female and one male character – it’d be a shame if one of our brilliant voice actors had nothing to do!
So, we’ve put two polls in the sidebar on the right. We’ve included everyone – even baddie Beryl Potts (her viewpoint might be interesting!), Watson the dog (an internal monologue as he can’t speak), and Voiceover Man (he’s been showing flashes of personality).
Who would you like to narrate the final episode of The Lost Book? Vote now!
Ikhata tracked down Monday, 8 June 2009
Posted by Watson in Microstory competition.Tags: arthur conan doyle, characters, dinosaur, writing
6 comments
Watson here! Finally, a trail to follow for the Ikhata. The latest instalment of Sally Challenger’s journal (unencrypted by me, with a little help from Andrew J. Wilson) says Professor Challenger donated the Ikhata to the Société Belge, which is where Professor Remi came across it.
I’ve checked the facts, and Challenger was a “Foreign Member” of the Société Belge (among many other organisations – “about two inches of small type”, as old McArdle put it).
So, I did a bit of sniffing around… and uncovered the Société Belge’s catalogue. Item# 2666 can only be the Ikhata – part of the Challenger bequest, found in 1897 in the Gran Sabana, currently in the possession of Professor Remi. There’s even a photo!
Take a look at the full catalogue entry:
(Click on the pics for bigger versions.)
Isn’t Aileen going to be pleased with me when she escapes? I definitely deserve doggy choc-drops, don’t you think? And tummy-tickles.
Ninjas and manuscripts Monday, 8 June 2009
Posted by The Lost Book in Story teamwork.Tags: characters, Poll, story
add a comment
Time for something new to vote on.
You’ve decided that Lyn and Otto will wear ninja disguises for their night-time rescue of Aileen (62%).
There also seems to be a consensus that it was Otto who stole the original manuscript from the National Library of Scotland at the beginning of episode 1 (thanks, Lulu, Kiwi and Tom).
The new question is: did Otto deliver the original manuscript to Beryl Potts? Or, did he hide the original and give her an amended copy? Vote now in the sidebar poll to the right, and join the discussion.
Demi Remi Sunday, 7 June 2009
Posted by Adam in Making of....Tags: animation, characters, models, story, writing
add a comment
When we started out on this journey we didn’t know if we’d have enough time to make new characters in between episodes – perhaps we should have mentioned this. But everyone has been so imaginative and the story wouldn’t have gone far without the characters you’ve dreamt up. Fortunately, we had a cunning plan! Making completely new character models would have taken too long, so we’ve gone green and done some recycling. If you’ve been watching closely, you’ll have noticed that our female characters are the same from the neck down. Same goes for Otto and Kyle. We simply replaced their heads with new designs, avoiding the need to make complex new body meshes and rigging them up to move correctly – very time consuming. Simply changing the colours and texture of the clothes – a relatively easy process – helps to give the impression we’ve created a completely new character.
So here’s Prof. Remi in a state of semi-completion. She started off as a Lyn, had her specs, earings and…er…head removed and a Remi head spliced on. Remi isn’t quite finished yet. She’s good enough to animate though, so you’ll see her later this week in the rough animation.
Where is the Lost Book? Thursday, 4 June 2009
Posted by The Lost Book in Story teamwork.Tags: characters, story, storyboard
18 comments
We’ve been thinking a lot about the story for episode 5 this week (by the way, storyboards are available if you want to take a look).
The revelation that Otto Dafé is actually a good guy has made us realise we need to think again about what happened in earlier episodes. Otto had been working for book assassins KBE, hired by Beryl Potts to steal Sally Challenger’s journal – but it turns out that he was actually a member of Invisible Inc. (a secret society of bibliophiles) working undercover.
So, was it Otto, rather than another KBE agent, that stole the manuscript of the journal from the National Library of Scotland? And, if so, did he deliver that manuscript to Beryl Potts? Or, did he give her a copy (perhaps with a few crucial changes?) and keep the original safe? What do you think? Where is the lost book now?
Leave a comment with your thoughts. You can also still vote on Otto and Lyn’s ninja disguises – the poll’s in the sidebar to the right.
Ninja disguises Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Posted by Helen in Story teamwork.Tags: characters, story, textures
1 comment so far
A quick question for you. Lyn/Lynx and Otto will be swinging into action in episode 5 as Invisible Inc secret agents. I’d like to get them into suitable costumes. What do you think to black outfits with masks rather than their usual kit?
Let us have your opinion by voting in the sidebar poll to the right.
Professor Remi – character design Thursday, 28 May 2009
Posted by Helen in Making of..., Story teamwork.Tags: characters, Poll, story
add a comment
Adam’s been working on the design of Professor Catherine Remi this afternoon. Remi is a noted Belgian scientist in her seventies. She was a key member of the 2004 Challenger expedition to Southern Venezuela (it’s the journal of this expedition that has been stolen by Grazp Pharmaceuticals). She’s now being held captive by Grazp, alongside Aileen.
The design is complicated, though. Remi is a septuagenarian, but while she was on the expedition she was affected by the rejuvenative properties of the water. (She was the only person affected, and Bibliomane and Kiwi have worked out the seriously inspired idea that this is because of the Ikhata – a mysterious artefact Remi possessed, which unlocked the power of the water).
Anyway, the question is… how old does Prof. Remi look now? Has she reverted to her true age? Does she appear to be a much younger woman? Or, is she a little girl?
You tell us! There’s a poll in the sidebar to the right. And, if you’ve got any thoughts you want to share, leave us a message.
Favourite character? Tuesday, 12 May 2009
Posted by The Lost Book in Story teamwork.Tags: characters, Poll, story, writing
add a comment
Latest news: our Christchurch cab company will be called “All Black Cabs” – a winning suggestion from Koowarla that took 36% of the vote.
Who’s your favourite character so far? Is it intrepid journalist Aileen? Her clever canine companion Watson (aka @followyournose)? Boy next door Kyle? Bookseller and secret society member Lyn? Or, book assassin and all-round baddie Otto? Vote now in the poll to the right.
(You can find out more about all the characters on the Cast and Story page.)
And, don’t forget, we’re still looking for your help in writing the stolen book – Sally Challenger’s expedition journal. Watson’s efforts at unencrypting it will help Aileen solve the crime, but Watson depends on you to re-create the book for him.
To help out, continue the journal by writing a diary entry that is exactly 100 words long, and send it to us using the comment form on the microstory pages.
To get you started quickly, we’ve:
• Summarised the journal so far (or you can read the full journal).
• Summarised Jasper Fforde’s newspaper articles about the expedition.
• Listed the expedition characters.
Good luck!
UPDATE: we’re putting the “favourite character” poll on hold while we make some decisions about what happens after the end of episode 4 – we’ll come back to it soon.
The Lost Book is an animated web series where you wrote the plot.
