CHARACTER GRAPHIC DESIGN

The pre-production begins with character and graphic design development, based on some of those early drafts we shared here. Once the two main characters (Father and Son) appear in the film with different ages and clothes, we figured it would be necessary to find unique and well defined physical features for each one, that would allow us an evident and fast visual recognition, at any moment in the narrative.

MÁRIO

ADULT
first drafts

This character is designed from the actor Hugo Sovelas' physical features, who appears at the end of the film, in a sequence in live action. The first studies are still too attached to the actor's photographic image.

From here on, Mário's design acquires a geometric simplification and becomes autonomous from the actor's photographic reference. We can now achieve a "turn around".

final studies

CHILD

Mário's graphic research took more time than expected. To find a good proportional ratio between the body / head and to keep a geometric design close to grown up Mário, all of this without loosing the physical features of a 6 year old child, were the main challenges.

Since this character would only appear in 5 different shots in the movie, we decided to move on with the graphic development of the character straight on top of the scenarios, with the planned framings.

The own and projected shadows play a significant role when integrating a character in a scenery, but above all in the own character characterization and in the set up of an intense emotional moment.

FATHER

Young

The father's face design is based on a cobblestone, with well-defined features, from which emerges a peculiar nose that will guide the viewer amongst all the other five soldiers, even in times when the shade of the trees reduce them to silhouettes.

Old

The graphic development of the aged father was based on the previous studies. Once again, the own shadow helps to define the head's volumetry and contributes to the portrait of the character.

Mário and Father's "turn around" animations were crucial to understand the volume, the light's course and the graphic representation of the scenes, and became essential working tools to all the project's crew on the following stages.

Soldiers

The soldiers' graphic research was aimed at creating a coherent graphic line with the main characters, that would still allow silhouette reading. Small heads that relate with powerful and agile bodys.

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The animation and painting of all the camouflages led the team to the limit:
6 soldiers + 6 own shadows + 6 x nº camouflages' spots
drawn, animated, intercalated and painted.
pheeeeeewwwww!!

Supporters

Although secondary, supporters have an important role at the beginning of the film, and that required a detailed work of their faces.

Front car driver

When this graphic development stage was concluded, conducted mostly by Alexandre Pinto and Samuel Alves, we were able to proceed to the next stage: the layout.