Character design for video games and film class introduction | Students will be given a story prompt and develop a character bio | Discuss the differences between creating characters for games and film | Best practices for gathering reference | Create a reference/mood board

Explore rough ideas based on character bio from week 1 | Focus on exploring form, value and pose to sell the idea | Using character archetypes to tell a story | Importance of creating distinct ideas vs noise

Narrowing focus and choosing 2-3 ideas to refine | Importance of moving forward | Identifying technical challenges in film and video game character design.

Choosing a single direction to refine | Explore different rendering techniques based on project

Further refinement of design | Using photos, 3D assets, and 2D textures to support the concept

Parts of a concept often require more detailed information to hand off to a modeler or animator | The instructor will identify these items and students will provide support drawings or studies | Some examples of these can include detailed drawings of weapons or gadgets, construction of gear, or range of motion studies.

Branding is a huge part of creating an identity for your character | This can include decals, insignia, tattoos, color palettes and even materials | Students will provide detailed drawings or callouts to support these items based on instructor feedback.

Students will put together their final presentation package for the client in form of callouts, notes and reference materials.