Beyond Darkness Shot 1

Beyond Darkness Shot 2

Beyond Darkness Shot 3

Beyond Darkness Shot 4

Beyond Darkness Shot 5

Beyond Darkness Shot 6

Beyond Darkness Shot 7

Beyond Darkness Shot 8

Beyond Darkness Shot 9

Beyond Darkness Shot 10

Beyond Darkness Shot 11

Completed on: 11/17/2004

Medium: Pencil and pen sketches on regular paper, coloring completed in Photoshop

Info: The first in a series of shots I did for the second movie storyboard in the Beyond Darkness series while in my scene design class. Basically I left off where the first storyboard ended. The scene features the hero facing off with his nemesis who is intent on stopping his advance. Lighting was the key once again in this shot (as it was throughout all three storyboards). I had a little trouble with the pews at first, but everything seemed to fall into place when I softened the contours and blurred them to give the impression that they were really close to the camera.

Completed on: 11/17/2004

Medium: Pencil and pen sketches on regular paper, coloring completed in Photoshop

Info: The second in a series of shots I did for the second movie storyboard in the Beyond Darkness series while in my scene design class. This shot wasn't too difficult to envision in my head. The challenge came when I had to translate it into the design. The antagonist shows a spark of his power in the hopes that his rival will run away in terror. Overall I'm pretty happy with the end result. Some of the details might be a bit too hazy, but that's the look I was striving for.

Completed on: 11/17/2004

Medium: Pencil and pen sketches on regular paper, coloring completed in Photoshop

Info: The third in a series of shots I did for the second movie storyboard in the Beyond Darkness series while in my scene design class. This extreme close up was a pivotal shot for my storyboard. If they're not cropped right then extreme close ups can come off as looking awkward and unnatural. Here I tried to showcase the confidence the villain puts in his own abilities; a confidence that will cost his him his life in the end. There was an alternate shot I did before this one, but I feel it wasn't as poignant and subtle as my final choice.

Completed on: 11/18/2004

Medium: Pencil and pen sketches on regular paper, coloring completed in Photoshop

Info: The fourth in a series of shots I did for the second movie storyboard in the Beyond Darkness series while in my scene design class. Definitely one of my favorite shots if not the favorite in the whole storyboard. Just to get the initial poses to look correct was a challenge as I took reference shots with my camera. From then on the sketches came easily as did the composition. The lighting was something which I was surprised by because it came out exactly as I envisioned it right off the bat. Even the little details like the hair and lightning sparks came out all right which was important in this face off shot.

Completed on: 11/18/2004

Medium: Pencil and pen sketches on regular paper, coloring completed in Photoshop

Info: The fifth in a series of shots I did for the second movie storyboard in the Beyond Darkness series while in my scene design class. Yet another shot which ended up coming out much better than I had ever hoped. I had wanted to do the fight scene way back when I did the very first storyboard for this little movie. Time constraints proved to be too much, and I ended the story just as the dramatic duel was beginning. Two things I really like about this piece are the movement of the figures and the spark effect from the two swords clashing. I was pretty familiar with how to convey movement, but the sparks were something I hadn't ever tried before. I looked at quite a few animated fights to see just how the pros do it, and I believe I was successful. Definitely a keeper.

Completed on: 11/19/2004

Medium: Pencil and pen sketches on regular paper, coloring completed in Photoshop

Info: The sixth in a series of shots I did for the second movie storyboard in the Beyond Darkness series while in my scene design class. Another close up shot but this time of the hero as he fights off his attacker. Two big things here which made the panel work turned out to be the lightning energy and the protagonist's eyes. I ended up having problems deciding on how much light to leave in the shot. On one everything looked too dark while in others it seemed as if the sword was way too phosphorescent. I tried to find that happy medium and came up with the shot you see here. Overall not a bad piece.

Completed on: 11/19/2004

Medium: Pencil and pen sketches on regular paper, coloring completed in Photoshop

Info: The seventh in a series of shots I did for the second movie storyboard in the Beyond Darkness series while in my scene design class. With this shot I tried to capture the animosity and rage the villain felt within his being as he fought his nemesis. The original was all right in and of itself, but it lacked that certain something emotionally speaking. That's why I decided to add that little bit of a zoom blur effect in order to hopefully make the viewer feel the villain's anger and resentment.

Completed on: 11/22/2004

Medium: Pencil and pen sketches on regular paper, coloring completed in Photoshop

Info: The eighth in a series of shots I did for the second movie storyboard in the Beyond Darkness series while in my scene design class. Yet another shot which I had to do a lot of planning and scheming for. In any illustrated fight sequence it becomes important to include only the most visually powerful shots (especially in a storyboard which is limited in the number of shots it contains). Here I knew I had to get both the follow through of Gilon's swing as well as a glimpse of the damage it incurred. I used some more reference shots to give me an idea of the two fighter's positions once again. The blood was also another detail I hadn't done previously so I'm very pleased with the way it came out and the way it stands out in the duotone colored painting.

Completed on: 11/22/2004

Medium: Pencil and pen sketches on regular paper, coloring completed in Photoshop

Info: The ninth in a series of shots I did for the second movie storyboard in the Beyond Darkness series while in my scene design class. Surprisingly this shot took me no time at all to paint but came out even better than expected in the end. The original came out fairly well with the blood dripping down the blade and the sharp engraved lettering being fairly visible. To add a bit of intensity to the scene I added a tinge of a reddish aura to match the mood, and I think it gave it that extra push that it needed.

Completed on: 11/23/2004

Medium: Pencil and pen sketches on regular paper, coloring completed in Photoshop

Info: The tenth in a series of shots I did for the second movie storyboard in the Beyond Darkness series while in my scene design class. Yet another shot where I have one character in a medium close shot and the other far in the distance. Here the positions are switched and the villain is the one the viewer concentrates on. This role reversal was done on purpose in order to show Zorlan's changing mentality. There is an alterante colored version which I liked better but left out becasue it didn't fit with the rest of the storyboard.

Completed on: 11/23/2004

Medium: Pencil and pen sketches on regular paper, coloring completed in Photoshop

Info: The eleventh in a series of shots I did for the second movie storyboard in the Beyond Darkness series while in my scene design class. The final shot which shows Zorlan's last moments as Gilon walks away silently toward his final destination. Some things that I wanted to do originally I accomplished while other details had to be omitted due to a lack of time. I was happy with the angle of the shot as well as the details on the rug and the shadow of the protagonist. I had also wanted to illustrate the light from the stained glass windows hitting the ground (in detail) but wasn't able to. It's something I think would have made this shot even better.