Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Creating originality and function can be simpler than that. It can be as simple as designing
a character who wants to sew on a button but has extremely fat fi ngers, or a character who
needs to scratch an itch but has very short arms.
Finally, there may be times when it is necessary for the design to contrast with the personal-
ity traits or functions of the character. In Meng Vue's
The Dancing Thief
, the police woman
is defi ned by her overbearing size and her badge. These are cues that signal how seriously
she takes her job and the threat that she poses to the thief. We are surprised and delighted
when we discover that she is graceful, loves to dance, and is capable of love.
The Dancing Thief
,
Meng Vue, Ringling College of Art and Design
Remember that the short fi lm needs to deliver more in a smaller time frame. Carefully con-
structing your character design to immediately convey strong personality traits or character
functions will communicate the essence of your character to your audience faster.
Actions, Gestures, and Additional Attributes
The fi nal step to designing your character is to test it against the actions and gestures it will
need to perform in the story. If you have designed your character with a big head and short
arms, but the story requires him to cross the monkey bars in a playground, you might be in
trouble. If you need his mouth to drop to the fl oor and his tongue to roll out across the room,
make sure he is designed in a way that will allow him to do so.
Look at the extremes of the emotional expressions your character needs. The face and the
hands are the most expressive parts of the body. How far do they stretch? What kinds of
exaggerations are necessary? This becomes a bigger consideration when you begin to
model, but at the design stage, you want to make sure that the expressions are readable.
Also think about how detailed the character is and how the design will affect the time it will
take to animate it. Things like fl owing hair, loose clothing, big bellies, and large feet all
