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For our unit 6 commission project we were approached by Dr. Peter Klappa to produce a 3D animation based on various aspects of the life cycle of a human cell. I chose to go forward with the topic of cell immortality pertaining to the telomere theory of aging. We were also given free artistic freedom to choose our art direction and target audience. I chose to go forward with the topic of cell immortality pertaining to the telomere theory of aging with a style towards cinematic visualisation.

Target Audience
In picking a target audience for my animation I decided to step away from informative like animations and go towards a cinema like experience based on sound, colour and visuals to get the science across while keeping the audience entertained. I looked to artistic medical animations with a strong visual background for influence that didnt use dialogue to explain its actions. The Hybrid studio in particular specialises in medical animations and their artistic style matched closely what I wanted to follow.

Influence Map
I chose 3D artistic medical images posted by newscom for my basis of colour palette and style. The dark backgrounds and contrasting lighting fit my design choice perfectly.

The Corruption of Immortality Act Structure

Act 1: The duplication of chromosomes at the factory followed by the loss of telomeres. Act 2: Telomerase saves the factory and puts production back to normal. Act 3: The factory overloads from production and the process of cancer formation corrupts the cell.

Script
EXT. VEIN BLOOD STREAM Within the red lit blood stream of a vein groups of cells are floating past as they make their way around the circulatory system. One cell floats past really close and its contents can be seen inside. INT. CELL Within the nucleus of the cell lies a busy factory duplicating chromosomes that enter it through one end and spews them out of another. The factory is powered by two glowing mitochondria engines that float nearby, connected by power lines. The duplicated chromosomes that exit the factory are capped with protective red telomeres but as time passes the telomeres start to shorten. As the chromosomes lose their telomeres the engines start changing hue and begin to overheat and the factory starts groaning in stress from the duplication process. EXT. CELL The factories stress starts to have an effect on the overall cell. From the outside just for a split second the cell can be seen rippling and changing colour. Out from the darkness of the blood stream a glowing telomerase descends onto the cell like a holy entity, entering the cell through the top. INT. CELL The telomerase gently lowers down on top of the factory and attaches itself. The engines get supercharged and start glowing radiantly from this new telomerase. The chromosomes regain their original length of red telomeres and start flying out of the factory at a really fast pace in all directions.

Script Continued
The supercharging of the telomerase begins to have a negative effect on the factory. First its the engines to get affected as they turn red like before but this time burning with a massive hot glow. The factory itself then catches the symptoms of the accelerating production. Ripples roll throughout the factories surface and bump start protruding everywhere. Even the chromosomes themselves start duplicating in weird shapes and their colour starts change to a darker, blacker hue. EXT. CELL The cell itself begins to take on these symptoms as it bulges out with lumps. Even its transparency starts becoming solid and gaining a brownish diseased colour. The cell then divides into two but they also take on these new features and even developing more. They grow out tendril appendages and their texture becomes mucus like. The other cells in the blood stream also start mutating and dividing in the background. INT. CELL The interior is now dark and solemn and the sounds of the factory have died down to something more reminiscent of a broken robot. The factory is now laying in a sloppy mess of ruined flesh but still operating and steadily spewing out mutated chromosomes. The engines can be seen still slightly glowing beneath all of the deforming new skin thats grown on top of them. One mutated chromosome slowly floats into view underneath a light shining in from outside. The chromosome suddenly shatters and disperses into nothingness and the light shuts off along with it. END

Final Storyboards Pg.1

Final Storyboards Pg.2

Final Storyboards Pg.3

Final Storyboards Pg.4

Telomerase Design

Mitochondria Design

Concept Art #1

Concept Art #2

Concept Art #3

Wireframe Models

Untextured Models

Textured Models

Scene Render