Hello, and welcome to my SCAD x Harbor blog!
My name is Dee; I'm a graduate student currently pursuing my MA degree in Motion Media Design at Savannah College of Art and Design. Prior to this, I completed my BFA in Visual Effects at SCAD in Atlanta. I'm a motion designer with a multidisciplinary background in 2D animation, illustration, design, and visual effects (look development). This blog is dedicated to my elective class, SANM 560 - Collaborative Experiences in the School of Animation and Motion. In this class, we receive mentorship from professionals at Harbor Picture Company and use their feedback to improve our projects. We have weekly check-ins with our mentors to ensure that we stay on track.
I'm part of a three-member team named Team SYD, which includes:
Sai Shashank : Matchmove/ Compositor
Yanni He : FX Artist
Dee Divakaran : Art Director/ CG Generalist
This week, we took time to get to know each other, identify our strengths, and work collaboratively to brainstorm ideas.
Brainstorming Sessions & Staying Organized
My teammates and I have been meeting over Zoom to brainstorm and discuss important decision-making details. To keep us organized and document our progress in an orderly manner, I created a system that we have been using for the past week. We have been using this system to keep track of and share all the references we have gathered. I also created a Miro board to collaboratively live-edit and discuss storyboarding over Zoom, which has helped us work in a more efficient manner. For all other communication, we have been using our Slack channel.
Brand Research
Although I am familiar with this particular brand, having been a customer of theirs in the past, I wanted to gain a deeper insight into their brand story, values, mission, and marketing style. After conducting some research, I discovered that the brand is led by a female entrepreneur named Katrina Markoff. Additionally, they have a subsidiary company called Wild Ophelia that focuses on supporting other women entrepreneurs. I also came across some interesting talks given by the founder, which allowed me to learn more about the brand's story and Katrina's vision. Vosges' main objective is to introduce unique and unexpected flavor combinations that explore ingredients from a global level. They focus on introducing non-traditional flavors and shining a light on other countries and cultures through chocolate. Gaining a more profound understanding of the brand and its values helped us during our concept development phase.
Inspiration & Reference
Our team referred to these videos as a reference for shot design and FX.
Concept Development
After Zoom meetings with the team, I developed the concept, copy, storyboard, and animatic for our commercial. Shashank created some concept art using Midjourney, and I painted over it in Photoshop to create a style frame for the first shot. Additionally, I developed a mood board using our reference library to determine the project's overall look and feel.
Concept Copy:
"Blossom Bunnies": Vosges limited-edition chocolate celebrates Easter and the freshness of spring. Each bunny-shaped delight captures the enchanting beauty of the season with marbled pastel-colored coatings and a delicate floral-infused ganache featuring lavender, marigold, and rose.
For a delightful surprise, each bunny hides a compote filling, blending cardamom warmth, apricot sweetness, and pistachio richness. This unexpected twist embodies the diverse flavors of spring, symbolizing the joyous abundance that defines the Easter season.
With stunning presentation, aromatic floral notes, and unexpected flavor combinations, our "Blossom Bunnies" invite you to savor the beauty of spring in every delightful bite.
Audio Choice
During our team meeting, we had a conversation about the audio selection to enhance the visuals and take our idea to the next level. My teammate, Yanni, conducted some research and shared some options with us. Based on her findings, I started looking for temporary audio that we can use as a placeholder until we find a sound designer who can help us in the upcoming weeks.
Reference Library
I have collected the references listed below to assist me with look development next week.
Color and Lighting Test
I captured multiple photos of the product packaging I own, using different backgrounds to test lighting and color.
Model Sourcing: Chocolate Bunny
I'm planning on creating a model of the product package. For the chocolate bunnies, I intend to use models I found online. I have come across a few options; after discussing with the team, we decided to choose the one that resembles a chocolate bunny that was created using a mold. I also feel this model will showcase the marbled textures better.
Live Action Plate Planning
We had a discussion about the various requirements for the live-action plate shoot. After considering our options, we decided that we needed some fake egg props, so I ordered them. A friend of mine had some fabric swatches that she uses for product shoots, which fit our concept, so she kindly lent them to us for testing purposes. We are planning on exploring more ideas for the set design and are actively looking for people who can assist us in setting up and filming a clean, high-quality plate for our project. Shashank, my teammate, has also researched the equipment that we need to borrow for the shoot. We discussed other details to ensure that we can better prepare for the shoot planning next week.
