Toolkit 2 - Character Design: Research and Post Tutorial Direction

  

   As promoted by my character design brief, I decided to bite the bullet and do some zombie Research.  Zombies are a fictional character/design that has gain popularity over the last few years, mainly due to series such as "The Walking Dead". Originally, zombies came from Haitian folk lore. There was two types of zombies, a Bokor and the Astral. Bokor is normally possessed by a witch or sorcerer, and has no free will. Astral zombies keep half their soul, and is normally kept in a small bottle for good luck.

  To break away from the normal zombie look, I research some more animated/ cartoon styled versions. However, this still didn't promote any inspiration. 

  So, to solve this I've decided to use the 1930's German Expressionism art style with a extended play on the psychological. The "Zombie" will become more of a psychological state of mind, this can be done though drugs or though a mental deterioration. 

  The scenario can be more modern but placed in a abandoned 1945 German Bunker, exploring darker themes. The colours in the 1930's German expressionism will be seen though the shifting environment of the hallucinations, fed though the need to feed (which can been seen as drugs). Using the cabinet of Dr Caligari as a influence will also help me think about the changing appearance of the bunker. 

  In discussing this with my tutor, knowing my characters back story a small amount will help me understand why they are in they are in the first place. I need to think about their body language and if they are symbolic to anything. Is it a experiment? Was they a soldier? did someone force them or did they go willing? Is the character aware of whats happening to them?

Also, as this is a shifting mental state/environment, how much will we see of them? The environment will also become a character, so this raises some questions about a sidekick. Will we need one as such? or will they be a vision from the psychosis? 

  Its a good idea to get a small understanding of psychosis, and how drugs can bring it on. The drug itself can be made up, but will need real life element to make the side effect believable. 

  At the moment, I have written some research on Psychosis and Drug.