Monthly Update: July 2021
I am now back from vacation and feeling fresh! The timing for everything worked out quite well, and I finished everything I needed to do for Part V shortly before I set out, so I’ve spent the last two weeks or so away from the project (and my normal job), and have just been taking it easy. After a brief trip to Houston to see my wonderful 91 year old Grandmother, me and my wife decided to take some time to hang out in our own state and relax on the coast for a bit. So last week we saw some dolphins, I got a weird sandal sunburn pattern on my feet, we ate some pasta, and did all the regular vacation type stuff you’d expect. But by the last day I was itching to come home and get started on Part VI, and so here I am. While animation for the next episode hasn’t properly started, I’ve been busy planning, and will jump into it headfirst this weekend.
Most of what I’ve been up to since June, aside from finished the sound for Part V, has been maintenance in a few areas. The first thing I did is I renamed the Forlorn pilot to Forlorn - Prototype. The reason there is the designation of pilot could imply that it’s part of the story, when in reality it’s more of a proof of concept than anything. And so, I didn’t want people to view that entry unless they were curious of the release history. Part I is definitely the preferred starting place, so I figured changing the name would push anyone wanting to check out the series towards that video first.
Speaking of updating videos, I also went back into Part IV and made some fairly sweeping adjustments. In Forlorn Part V I made two fairly significant updates that required going back into Part IV and rerendering them to match the continuity. The first was due to a slight art style adjustment, the fur on Asier’s cape went from being blocky and stylized to more realistic. The second was a discovery I made in lighting Part V. In Part IV, the lighting has a somewhat greenish hue to it. The original intent was to lend the environment a somewhat old and decayed feeling, but this became counter productive in Part V. In the most recent episode we finally get a good look at Kaelis’s face, but with the lighting having this green hue, it made her look sickly and unwell. So, my solution was to kill the green and let the blue of the moonlight ring through the scene unimpeded. Both of these aspects created a fairly noticeable continuity break between segments, and while initially I was going to let it slide, I decided it was better in the long run to fix it up now. So, I went back in, kicked out a batch of new simulations for the new fur, and rerendered every shot in Part IV with the correct light color. This version has now replaced the old one on Vimeo. But worry not, it’s almost entirely the same. If you look at the header image, you can see the extent of the update, which is fairly marginal. The only changed aside from what I mentioned is I added a single spotlight to the background of one shot to better tie into later shots.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, the plan after all seven parts are out is to go back and remaster the entire film as one unbroken piece, as originally envisioned. I’m currently amassing a list of changes I’d like to make, which mostly center on the first episode. Since I’ll be revisiting that environment, I’m in the midst of making some adjustments to that as well. One thing I’ve learned is for environments texture detail can get you far, but having more sophisticated geometry will only make it look better. So, for the bridge from Part I, I’m currently upgrading the geometry to pack even more detail into it. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m hoping it really packs a punch when I get to revisiting the set.
It’s hard to believe it’s been over a year since I started this blog and released the first episode. It’s even harder to believe that this month marks the 3rd anniversary of me working on this project. With Part V in the hands of the composer and its release imminent, it’s fun to look back at everything I’ve done in the last year and beyond. It’s been an incredible experience, and hopefully by this time next year I’ll be completely finished. But there’s still so much to be done. If you’ve been with me since the beginning, I give you my most heartfelt thank you for joining me on this adventure. And if you’re just reading this in the distant future, thank you so much for watching my work. Even a single view means the world to me.
Well, I had better get started on Part VI. This thing won’t finish itself! Until next time.
Alex
