Feeling that computer generated realism was no longer accepted with a knee jerk reaction of approval, I opted for more stylised cartoony characters, which seem to be absent within the 3d world. Given the fact that a lot of Pixar’s characters begin to look the same, and other production companies follow its inspiration, everything begins to look somewhat similar. I exaggerated my characters to have enormous heads comparative to their bodies, giving them an infantile appearance. I think it worked well, allowing for the big expressive faces to convey what they were feeling to the audience, as well as equipping them with an innocence in a world that was quite dangerous, adding to the character vulnerabilities.
To compliment the visuals of the characters, I designed the world to be somewhat abstract in ways, wherein the Shepherd’s shack tits atop what looks like a giant gum ball world. Fences line the horizon in jaggard chaotic formations, and debris litter the ground. I didn’t want to design something that looked polished, and tidy, which is sadly what the industry seems to want, but rather I created a world that was ruggard, and believable, and at the same time; out of this world.
Drawing influence from Shane Acker’s 9; and the stitch punk genre I incorporated a nice textured heshen sack look to the Shepherd, both because it gave the character a peasant, poor man feel, and also as a tiny tribute to the short film.
As far as the story went, I always found it difficult to squeeze in some interesting plot points, as well as gags within such a tiny time frame, and with limited resources. But none the less, I feel I created a nice well rounded story.
In a way, I tried to incorporate some religious undertones in the piece, to give it a more complex back-story and to add a little bit of intrigue into the gaps, or parts of the story that aren’t told; such as “how did the monster lose his eyes?”
I tried to craft my characters out of opposing forces. The Sheppard must be both tender and strong. He must utilize traits central to the female, as well as the male. Character’s like reluctant prophets, cowardly fighters, sympathetic monsters, all of these creatures with opposing personality traits fascinated me. They build tension all on their own, because tension and contradiction are inherent within them, breeding obstacles both within the mind and the characters’ world, as well as any other who would dare cross their path.
Using a blind monster gave me interesting tension building opportunities, as the Monster can be allowed to creep incredibly close to the characters, but still there is a chance he might not have cottoned on to them. He was fearsome, and creepy, but I wanted the audience to feel sorry for him, to relate to the fact that he has no choice but to try and find food aimlessly. I used a talented voice actor to portray the monster, who used a bizarre mix of laughing and crying to accurately reveal the two sides to the monster, sympathetic and by making him a sympathetic villain, I gave some room for the audience to hate on the Shepherd a bit more, who would obnoxiously abuse his sheep in comical ways. The hook “He who fights monsters, should look to himself that he does not become a monster” was a hint towards who the real monster of the story is, throwing a nice twist into a generic “hero fights monster” story arc.
I got worried at certain stages that these little hints of character weren’t strong enough, but in hindsight I feel it’s good giving an audience the ability to be intrigued by little details, however hidden they are, to subconsciously soak up information and interpret the story as they see fit.
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