Man alive, what would you like to hear first? Some introspective poetry? Some not-quite-anecdotes about 'RL' as though it were some kind of background inconvenience? Maybe some rants about celebrities who rub me the wrong way? Theories about the points at which various television programs 'jumped the shark'? All these hot topics and many more of similar ilk are, from what I have witnessed, covered extensively in, well, about 45 billion other weblogs. I have to concede that I don't have anything to add in that arena. The main purpose of this one is to keep a production journal for a film I'm working on that has just been given the go-ahead as part of a postgrad animation MA.
Here are some little introductory things about me which I'll make chiefly out of politeness - I don't plan on making this a blog about all the nuances of my life, chiefly as 90% of the entries would be along the lines of 'drank cup-a-soup, drank coffee, reluctantly ate some fruit, wept out of hunger'. Anyway:
My name is Ben Mitchell, I'm an indie musician (hey, it's the internet, we all are) and filmmaker currently trying to get me an MA in animation (studying at UWE in Bristol) and actually start a career a little more rewarding than some previous jobs. Not to say that being a doorman at a shitty club or a switchboard operator for a teen-angst hotline weren't without their rewards - for example, they both ended. As well as documenting the progress of my film 'House Guest', I hope to use this blog to keep a record of my research work through case studies. That sounds bloody interminable written down but they'll mainly be about cartoons, and who doesn't like cartoons? Apart from, y'know, grownups? As it's the internet and I can say whatever the gosh-darn-heck I please, I may even do an additional blog about some indie records I have been helping a lot of incredibly talented musicians produce - and of course my own cackhanded stabs at music-making, there'll be no avoiding that.
So why should you care? Well, to be honest, I'm a little shocked you read this far. Because you all lead highly-charged lives of sexual and sporting prowess (or at the very least like watching porn and football on TV) I'm sure you have better things to do with your time. But when you're taking a break from the nonstop shagging, fresh-air and exercise, feel free to get in touch with feedback about these projects, especially the film. It's early days and the concept is far from flawless so any thoughts are welcome. As this is the internet and you have the option of anonymity, I'm sure all responses will be cogent, articulate and, more than anything, constructive. That's usually the way it goes, right?
Okay that's enough for now. The cup-a-soup is calling...
As I'm still at odds as to how the 'zombification' of the Duck will come about, I have done two separate storyboards for this first sequence. The one above is a far longer scenario in which the Duck's corpse is discovered by the creepy Kid, taken to his house and stitched up, then struck by lightning through an open window. The one below has the Duck simply struck by lightning when he washes up on the shore.
I far prefer the former version of events because I really like the design of the kid, and it also explains the stitched-up, falling apart look of the Duck's design (with the latter, more succinct scene I guess we're to assume he was able to do it himself).
