Peer Review - Visual Development

        With a clear idea of what I intended to produce in response to the Save the Children brief, I began to sketch out some ideas in support of my proposal. In the example video provided on the YCN website, the emphasis is very much on the negative impact of a father who neglects to read to his child, and that child's subsequent downward slide into juvenile delinquency. While this is certainly a hard hitting approach, and undoubtedly has shock value, it also comes across as a little extreme and sensationalist. I wonder whether it might not be more effective to contrast the negative with the positive, and place equal weight on the good that could come from reading to a child every day.

        As the my main focus was on evoking an emotional response, I began with some character designs. Bearing in mind my idea to base the style on children's books, I looked at a number of illustrations as inspiration, chief among them Judith Kerr's Mog series, and Celia Berridge's Postman Pat.

Judith Kerr's Mog

Celia Berridge's Postman Pat

Stephen Cartwright's The Hungry Donkey

Helen Craig's This Is The Bear

Mairi Hedderwick's Katie Morag

Shirley Hughes' The Trouble With Jack

         I was looking for a timeless style, something not rooted in a particular era, with the ability to transcend multiple generations. I wanted my storyboard to appeal as much to parents as their children, and evoke memories of their own childhoods. 

        When sketching the characters, I attempted to keep them simple, in order that the attention of the viewer is kept on their faces, and particularly the large, hooded (and hopefully, beguiling) eyes. Of these designs, my favourites are the top left and top centre. Although I cannot articulate why, they have more appeal than the little girls. The top right boy I do not like; his eyes look alien, and too cartoonish.

        As well as providing design inspiration, I felt that well loved children's books could assist with the narrative of my storyboard. Save The Children wish to draw attention the the greater potential and future prospects that face a child who is read to by their parents, and story books often sow the seeds of big dreams and aspirations. A child might read Roald Dahl and dream of owning a chocolate factory, or read a story about animals and decide they want to be a vet, or an explorer to far away lands. Stories encourage big dreams and aspirations, which may provide a useful narrative device in communicating the campaign's message that just ten minutes reading a day can unlock your child's future.

        I had a strong feeling that any parent characters should take a back seat. In fact, I envisaged them appearing in a similar fashion to Mammy Two Shoes from Tom & Jerry, or Jim Dear and Darling in Lady & The Tramp; their faces will rarely or never be seen, only their legs and bodies, as the storyboard will be framed from a small child's eye view of the world. Everything will be seen from their diminutive height, in order to heighten the emotional connection and understanding.

        I also felt that not showing their faces would emphasise an emotional distance between parent and child, a state of affairs which may ring true, and tug on the heart strings, of the busy working parents Save The Children wish to engage. However, this would present the issue of what would happen in scenes where he child was being read to by their parent? Would their entire face be revealed? These are the kinds of questions I can ask my peers, when we are split into small groups of both illustration and animation students, to present our work thus far. It will be interesting to receive feedback from an illustration student, and see what alternative perspective they can offer.