Background Design

Firstly for my background designs I needed to look up some inspiration by exploring some post-explosion buildings in Syria;

The backgrounds I needed were;

1 -Wall that Aya is infront of

2 -Miran's water tap

3 - Floor for the water jug falling

4 -Scene of Syrian city with explosion scene

5 - Moving pan of Uri running

6 -  Still of when Uri and Liliane meet the orb

7 - Ammars dark wreckage of a building

8 - Ammars brick wall which caves away

1. Aya's wall

First I tested a more white, traditional style brick wall

Then when put with Aya it looked far too clashing with the lines.

So I tested a plan wall with a few bricks to distinguish its a wall and not just a flat blank plane. I also included some cracks to make it look slightly shabby.

2 - Mirans water tap.

For this background I went simple, with the water tap recognisable in the middle. I also added a smokey background to enhance the feel of devastation, along with some rubble that as the audience we assume was from a building of some sort. The trees also look charred and burnt, from which we can assume an explosion.

6. Still of when Uri and Liliane meet the orb.

For this background I originally went for an abandoned building scene inspired by the photos I looked at. But felt it was too black and didn't fit with the whole aesthetic of my animation.

So instead like Mirans background I went for a rubble scene with a smokey background.

7. Ammars dark wreckage

Considering that Ammars wall has bricks that cave in, his background needed to consist of this too. Also this background needed to look like the insides of a wreckage. I also need to keep in mind how this background will pan on screen from the right, and therefore needs a black right edge so it looks as if the camera is panning inside some wreckage from an explosion. Considering it is a wreckage the background will need to be really dark and possibly textured in appearance.

From this, this is the background I created;

I was instantly very happy with it. The wall is present, there is a lot of texture too and I love the light sheen to the left, it adds that dimension of depth. 

3 + 4 Scene of water jug and explosion.

Both these scenes need the same background, with the houses transitioning with the explosion.

So I went for a plain design;

Using blur brushes to create this cloud feel.

Then this was the city ontop;

 

Created by observation inspiration of Syrian architecture. I feel this scene is instantly recognisable as Syrian , middle-eastern architecture.

8. Ammars bricks that fall away.

For Ammars bricks background, I elaborated on the bricks that are originally in his other background. I rubbed out with an opacity rubber the creases, to make the bricks that fall down, in focus.

And I rubbed out a pattern in the wall that will be what is exposed after the bricks fall inwards. Considering Ammar will be positioned on the left hand side of the screen, therefore the gap is placed on the right.