Final Project (with a few corrections)

My Final Project

I would have liked to insert close ups so that some of the Effects would have been shown off a little better, and I would have like to add a fade to the end of the clip... but time depleted

WATER

I would like to have the character in my final to trigger a fountain to start flowing. I have three ovular basins set up, and as the character activates the fountain, I would like the water to over flow from the top basin downward. As the water reaches the bottom basin, I don't want the water to overflow anymore.
I also want to control the water to some degree: I don't want it to splash from the basins, and I want it to be somewhat heavy so that it flows directly to the next level of the fountain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6sYX8Dmwnw

This is a link to Pixar's One Man Band short on YouTube. In this short film, there is a tall fountain that is in the center of the set. I like how the flow of the fountain is calm and steady. Also, this fountain is similar to the one that I would like to include, because the water flows from a high bowl to a lower bowl without much splash.

The Element of AIR

I've had a difficult time deciding what will demonstrate the power of AIR (because air is invisible). I've considered a small scale tornado, or some vapor emitting from a point. I needed something that fit into a 3ft x 3ft scale approximately.
Then I thought about a cloud. I felt that clouds demonstrate air flow and also could fit into the scene nicely.
So then I needed to consider how this cloud would act. It could be light and fluffy, like a cloud in the sky, or it could be more interactive like dry-ice.
I felt that dry-ice has more potential to show the movement of air; however, I don't want the element of AIR taking on the feel of water, so I have to be careful.
I like the weight and movement of Dry ice, but perhaps it would be effective if I have the substance die off, or dissolve into "thin air". This would separate the substance from feeling like water.

some references that I'm keeping in mind for this substance are: Dry Ice, cigarette smoke (for how the smoke dilutes and dies off), and the color of real and natural clouds. Also, the film How To Train Your Dragon is useful when studying animated smoke. The scene that comes to mind is when the main character (Hiccup) is battling the two headed dragon and one of the two heads spews a green gas. The green gas has a similar weight and consistency as to what I'm looking for.

Dirt and Grass

For the element of Earth, I've been working on making a chunk of dirt with Grass growing out of it. As the character "activates" the power of earth, I want the grass to grow from the dirt, and the dirt to shake. As the dirt shakes, I want the grass to be interactive and shake as a secondary motion.
To make this believable, I'll need to texture the dirt correctly and give the grass just the right amount of bounciness.

I've observed different photographs of dirt and realized that it's moisture really depicts it's consistency. Dry dirt looks more dull and crumbly, while moist dirt has more saturated colors and looks like it would hold together better.
For my project, I'd like more saturated colors, so that means moist dirt would work better for the scene.
I've created a texture for the dirt that has the 2D "mountain" texture as it's color attribute, and a 2D "noise" texture as the bump map. The mountain texture has two colors that you can modify, and so I chose a redish brown, and a yellowish-brown that seem to work.

For the grass I've noticed it's age depicts its springiness. Young grass tends to be more thin and bouncy, while older grass grows thick and more sturdy. Also young grass tends to be a lighter green color, while older grass tends to darken. The dirt that grass grows in also alters its appearance. Because my dirt is well saturated (and rich), I want the grass to appear strong and healthy.
I've decided that most country clubs maintain their grass the best, and so I would like my grass to take on the feel of that which grows on a country club golf course.

Movement

For my final project I want a character to summon the four elements, and so I need to consider how he will move. I would like him to be levitating, so I need to consider how he moves through the air.
The last Airbender also tackles a similar challenge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7XyGs8xmhs

This is a link to the trailer on YouTube. In the last Airbender, the characters "bend" the elements through martial arts. What I liked about this film was that their motions reflected the element that they were "bending".
Keeping that in mind (their motions reflect the element they are bending), I would like to do something similar.
Inspirations that I can draw from are: martial arts, swimming, gymnastics, and ballet.

I want fire to be direct and sudden like it's being fired from a gun. With the water, I want the character's motion to look like he's moving through water (similar to when you push off a rock under water). With Earth, I want the motion to be sudden and strong. I want the Air to be summoned with much more graceful and elegance. I feel these motions will reflect the consistency of the elements.

Final Project Inspirations

For quite some time, I have been fascinated by the concept of elemental powers such as FIRE, WATER, EARTH, and AIR.

I used to watch Captain Planet. This show was about Mother Nature gifting five individuals with Elemental rings, that, when combined would create a Super Hero. Each individual had only one power, but when the Super Hero Captain Planet was summoned, all of their abilities would be contained within him.

As I went through grade school I became obsessed with Poke'mon. Poke'mon is an abbreviation for Pocket Monsters. The world of Poke'mon contains monsters with Elemental abilities, and humans who train them. Bad Trainers often abuse their poke'mons' abilities, which provided the plot structure for the series. Several Poke'mon battles occur in which case the Poke'mon are instructed by their trainers to use various fight moves based on their elemental abilities.

Growing up, I enjoyed watching these four elements. For my final project in special effects I would like to create a small scene where a character summons these four powers.