Assignment 2 - Synopses

Fox and Hedgehog

Concept:
The concept is based on the relationship that builds between a friendly, playful fox and a grumpy, antisocial hedgehog because of a misperception.  While the hedgehog reacts instinctively to the predator by hissing, balling up, and hiding, the fox misinterprets the hedgie's actions and reacts playfully.

Story/Action:
The story begins with a fox trying to pounce and play with a butterfly, however his eye is drawn by a hedgie foraging in some leaves a few feet away.  The fox sneaks up on the hedgie and tries to sniff it, but the hedgie jumps into the fox's nose with his spines.  The fox is undeterred, however, pouncing at the hedgie playfully.  In reaction the hedgie rolls into a ball and is knocked through the air.  The hedgie rolls over and down a slope.  The fox chases afterwards, thinking this is a fun game of chase.  At the bottom, the hedgie unrolls and slips under a log.  After the fox tries unsuccessfully to dig the hedgie out, he lays on the floor waiting for the hedgie to come out.  He is sad that his new friend doesn't want to play.  After a moment, the butterfly passes overhead, and the fox bounds after it, hedgehog forgotten.

This plot focuses on the interactions between the playful fox and the antisocial hedgehog.  In every scene the hedgehog is either avoiding or ignoring the fox while the fox is in contrast always reacting to things curiously or playfully.

Mood/Tone:
The mood is playful and carefree for the majority of the piece as we are viewing this world through the fox's eyes.

Setting:
The story will be set during a bright day in the Black Forest during early autumn.  From the forest floor with the light filtering through the leaves, everything is sort of golden.  When the hedgehog rolls down deeper into the forest, the atmosphere becomes darker from the denser trees, yet in the last shot when the fox runs after the butterfly, he will be running back into a golden spot of the forest.  The forest is littered with fallen leaves, stumps, mossy boulders, rotting logs, fallen branches, and mushrooms.

Characters:
There will be three characters, the fox, the hedgehog, and the butterfly:
- The Fox: will be bright red, black, and white.  He is playful, curious, and carefree.
- The Hedgehog: will be brown and black.  He is more like a typical hedgehog: a little grumpy, a little antisocial, a little fearful, and definitely unwilling to be friends.
- The Butterfly: is more like a prop than a true character.  He is a small tortoiseshell butterfly that is white, black, yellow and orange.  For some reason it likes to play with the fox, but that could simply be because the butterfly happens to fly in the same place the fox likes to play.

Color palette and style:
The predominant colors will be "autumn" colors: reds, rust, brown, dark greens, golds, yellows.  I plan on developing a unique style that is cartoon-ish yet not traditional.  For example the fur of the fox will be suggested by the model and textures, but will not be a realistic simulation.


Lady and Elephant

Concept:
A determined but uncoordinated elephant's attempts to get something out of reach is helped by a kind observer who solves the elephant's problem.  There is a playful contrast between the serenity and gracefulness of the lady and the environment versus the clumsy and unskilled baby elephant.

Story/Action:
A baby elephant is longingly looking at a green peach longingly.  She tries to stand up and reach it with her trunk, but she knocks herself off-balance and rolls into the mote.  Pulling off water plants, she tries to run and jump, but she doesn't reach very high.  Her next attempt is being watched by a serene lady passing by on a bridge.  The elephant runs towards the tree trunk to shake the peach from the tree.  She collides with it and only manages to be swamped in peach blossoms.  She looks up at the peach, defeated.  The woman approaches from behind and reaches up with her parasol, gently knocking the peach from the limb and into her hand.  She hands the peach to the elephant, who eats it thankfully.

The repetitively failed attempts of the baby elephant show her desire and awkward personality and form.  The scenes with the lady show her as refined and serene, and when the two finally are in the same shot, their contrasting characters are played off each other.

Mood/Tone:
The mood is goofy and also beautiful.  The elephant is within this wonderful environment and is a playful contrast to the serenity of the garden and the woman.  The elephant is becoming more and more frustrated with each failed attempt.

Setting:
The setting is during the day in the middle of a Japanese garden in spring.  A red and mahogany lacquered Japanese bridge transverses a spring, and a large, twisted peach tree is heavy with blooming pink blossoms and a solitary, green peach.  The ground is vibrant green, with large green plants that lead into the water and decorative stone lanterns.  Across the mote surrounding the garden is a faint view of the city and more blooming peach and cherry trees.

Characters:
There are two characters, the lady and the baby elephant.
- The Elephant: will be a very young, wobbly, Asian elephant.  She is determined to get the first peach of the year, yet her own coordination is her downfall.  She is pale blue-grey except for her tiny tusks which are capped in gold and pearls.
- The Lady: is a serene Japanese woman, dressed in an elegant kimono who moves gracefully.  She carries a parasol, and it and her kimono are beautifully decorated.  The color palette of her clothing and parasol will be pale blue and pale orange.

Color palette and style:
The predominant colors will be reds, pinks, and vibrant greens to contrast against the soft blue-gray of the elephant. The style of the animation is cartoonish and vibrant, but not traditional.  I will work to develop a unique style for the piece.