Studio Practice Proposal
Marzookie, 2017
Drew Grigsby
Dimensions: 43” x 24” – projection on wall
Media: Animation created with Maya, After Effects, and Premiere.
Description:
This project is a reimagining of a childhood story done as an animated video. It will be a cartoon style adventure about three main characters trying to escape from a creature that chased them into the woods. There is something else in the woods that nobody in our adventure is prepared to see. This goes back to a story my grandpa would tell my brother and I and how we would actually play it out by going to the local park and imagining it happening all around us. I visually imagine this as being semi realistic in the sense of proper lighting, shading, and texturing but with cartoon styled character design and assets. This project will be made primarily in Maya and then touched up and edited with Adobe Suite. I envision it being on a large television screen or being projected on a wall.
My grandfather has been in the hospital for over a month now and while visiting with him we talked about how I could visually bring to life this story he used to share with us. The title character is one that he thought of years ago to help bring joy to children around him. As an elementary school substitute teacher, he would always ask the classes if they could see Marzookie and interact with him. He is a character that is supposed to bring fun and joy to young children while also protecting them from danger. The three characters in my adventure film will be an old adventurer based off my grandpa and two young kids based off of my brother and I. My goal is to make the animation between 3 and 5 minutes long. This story is still being worked on by my grandfather and me but right now the meaning is going to be for kids and children to stand up against evil, aggression, or anything bad. The spirit of Marzookie is supposed to help give them the confidence they need.
Artist’s Statement:
My work has been mostly experimental up to this point. I haven’t really considered myself an artist until recently. I switched over into art without a lot of background knowledge and felt a little lost. All I knew was that I loved works of art that were created with technology such as animation. Once I started learning all of these different programs, my projects have been more so what can I make myself do and not what can I make this piece say. I am now finally starting to feel comfortable about making projects that ask questions to the audience and I want to continue practicing my skills.
Budget:
General Material: Autodesk Maya (Student Version) $ 0
Technology: TV Screen for showcasing $ 150
Adobe Creative Suite Student $ 0
Rode Recording Mic $ 99
Travel: Gas to Toledo for recordings $ 80
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Final Expenses $ 329
Drew Grigsby 