ENTER THE GRID

+ Creative Process + Sketchbook Retro Videogame + The Levels of my Creative Process

2.10.13 | B. PHILHOWER

TREATMENT: FORM + CONTENT

OVERVIEW
This piece is going to be called Enter The Grid it will be the story of my creative process, my journey to an idea, graphically and abstractly animated like an 8-bit videogame unfolding in a world created in my sketchbook. I always like to sketch in a gridded notebook; It helps me vision the piece that I want to create. I want to treat my creative process like a vintage 8-Bit video game I will design a pixel character that will travel through the piece, there will be levels, which resemble my creative process, and these levels will all exist and unfold in my sketchbook. Lets Talk about the levels: As I said the levels will resemble my creative process, So our pixel hero, captain creativity, will be traveling through the different levels that all take part in this large world created out of grid paper. level one, kill all procrastinators, this part in the sketchbook could resemble space invaders, different forms of things that stop me from doing work could be animating down a part of the page, while the character throws pencils at them until they are destroyed. Level two make it through the sketches, could be a level that resembles Super Mario, our character needs to make it through the level without falling off the sketches. All together I want there to be 5 fast levels until my character beats the final level and gets what he has desperately been looking for an idea. The big idea here is to portray how I create in a playful manner, using only squares and gridded paper and my character, I need to create a seamless journey through the levels of my creative process. Very important parts of this piece are the limits that I am setting for it. I want to create this piece using only layers of gridded paper, hand sketched squares drawn on the paper, and 8 bit video game sound effects. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
This piece will be made entirely out of gridded paper and square pixels, the pixels will have a hand drawn look to them, and each pixel will fit in to the gridded paper. I would like the hand drawn pixels to have a dancing look to them, as if they are changing so I would draw about ten different versions of them then create a stop looping stop motion sequence for the entire piece. The piece would start as a wide angle shot of my closed sketchbook, then the book would open and the journey would unfold inside of my sketchbook. Each quick level that the pixel character embarks on will somewhat resembles a familiar vintage videogame (in sketchbook form).

WHAT DOES IT MOVE LIKE?

In terms of movement, this piece will be a seamless world of grid paper; more detailed elements will be made out of square pixels. Once the viewer enters into the sketchbook the camera will be continuously be moving around the grid paper following the pixel character through the different levels. At the end of the sequence you will end up looking at the outside of the sketchbook again symbolizing that the creative process is complete.

WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE?

Sound design in this piece will be limited only to sounds from an 8-bit videogame. Each level will have its own sound design, and each move that the pixel character makes will have a sound attached to it.

REFERENCE: STYLE

BREAKDOWN: CONCEPT

KEYWORDS

Grid Levels Pixels Vintage Sketchbook 8-bit Process Paper

Journey Book Character Pixel Art Layers Contrast Movement World

Fun Playful Panning Depth Travel Sequence Retro Low Tech

THEME

LEVELS OF PROCESS
A playful sketchbook journey, through multiple layers of process, created in a world of grid paper and pixel art. w

THESIS