Part of building in public means breaking down the process of what might be familiar to creators and helping them feel more accessible to the audience. The first part of our build-in public series defines what early-stage development means in terms of production and how the pieces fit together to build a foundation.

The look development process in animation is an essential part of creating a compelling visual style and tone for a project. It involves ideating and defining the appearance of the characters, environments, and objects within the story. These are key aspects that allow the audience to build an emotional connection with the characters and help bring the words of the script to life.

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Once a direction is decided, the team begins to obsess over the details; ideas spill into group chats and calls, the character development begins! But what does that mean? Creative Director HKJay recently shared some thoughts about the process of bringing the 2D essence of a character into a 3D world. To listen in detail, click the image below.

Character Development often begins with character design calls and sessions to help determine the look, feel, and tone the narrative is looking to establish. Things like body proportions and details often go through testing to determine what feels right during this stage. Many conversations surround the style that the narrative is trying to achieve. It could be something heavily cartoonish (think Hotel Transylvania), or something more Disneyesque that is centered around stylized realism.

Being able to see the characters in many forms provides a strong foundation that will carry throughout the rest of the film. This early-stage exploration allows us to converge on something that will feel coherent and appropriate for the larger production. By doing some animation screen tests, we can experiment with different looks in order to find the right one. How does that help Nouns? Part of the benefit of us being able to share look development with the public is not only to gauge sentiment but also to bring new looks that could inspire other Nouns content. We look forward to sharing some early look tests in the future that help us to land on something that feels distinctly Nounish.

The look development process in animation is an essential part of creating a compelling visual style for a project. It involves defining the appearance of the characters, environments, and objects within the story. This process typically starts with concept art, which serves as a guide for the production team. Artists will create sketches and paintings that explore different design possibilities, taking into account the project's theme, tone, and target audience. Once a concept is approved, the team will move on to creating 3D models of the characters, environments, and objects. Adding color, texture, and lighting to bring them to life.

Camera angles, timing, and cinematography are also essential elements that help create the tone and feel of cinematic content. Camera angles can frame shots and capture action from different perspectives. Each angle can convey a different emotion or mood and help the audience better understand the story. Timing is also crucial, as it determines the pacing of the animation and how long each shot or sequence should be.

Finally, cinematography is used to create a visual language for the animation, which includes lighting, color, composition, and more. These details help create a more immersive experience for the viewer, and all of these must be carefully considered and planned during pre-production to create a visually stunning piece of animated content.

To hear more about the process behind ‘Nouns: A Movie’ set your reminders and listen to some of the creators discuss their inspirations for the project by clicking the image below.

If you are excited by what is to come, give @nounsmovie a follow. We’re gearing up to make an impact, and if you haven’t seen the animated short that started it all make sure to check out “Welcome to Nountown” below as well.

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