Jason & the Argonauts
– A Cinematic Reinvention
We are pleased to announce the first CGNZ design challenge in conjunction with the Concept Design Workshop with some great prizes to be won.
Run by senior concept designers from Weta Workshop, the intense 2-day workshop gives students an introduction to the fundamental conceptual and technical skills employed in concept design.
Your challenge for this competition is to design a Character for a cinematic re-invention of Jason and the Argonauts. You have a choice from ONE of the following 3 characters – Prince Jason, Hercules or Talos. You will be judged on how well you answer the brief and communicate your design.
Design Brief
As concept designers your brief is to create a single piece of character design based upon ONE of the following characters: Prince Jason, Hercules or Talos.
These character design piece would be used as part of a pitch package to generate interest in an exciting cinematic reinvention of Jason and the Argonauts. Your reinvention does not need to conform exactly to the original story, but should still reflect or parody the character descriptions and their role in the film. For example Jason is the Hero, Hercules a sidekick and Talos a supernatural adversary.
You are also not tied to the original setting. Your Jason and the Argonauts could be in space; it could be historically accurate, or stylized fantasy like 300. Even the genre of film is open; it could be 2D children’s film or 3D animation, swash-buckling live action, or even a comedy where say Hercules may in fact be a scrawny weakling rather than a buff superman.
Character Descriptions
1 – Jason: Prince of Thessaly
Son of Aristo the murdered king of Thessaly, Jason seeks to reclaim his birthright from the usurper Pelias. In his quest to recover the fabled Golden Fleece Jason proves to be a equally courageous and resourceful hero who in times of need can call upon the Goddess Hera five times for aid. He successfully defeats Talos, captures the Harpies, kills the Hydra and claims the Golden Fleece and the heart of Medea priestess of Hecate.
Like most mortals he is however but a pawn to be manipulated by the whim of the God’s upon Mount Olympus.
2 – Hercules
Son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmena, Hercules is one of greatest of the Greek heroes.
Hercules can be identified by his attributes, the lion skin and the club. While he was a champion and a great warrior renown for his great feats of strength, he was not above cheating and using any unfair trick to his advantage.
He is self-centered, vain, a lover of ladies, and foolhardy as seen in his blatant disregard of Jason’s orders on the Isle of Bronze which lead to the awakening of Talos and Hylas’ death.
3 – Talos: Guardian of the Isle of Bronze
A gigantic bronze statue that Guards the Isle of Bronze. It sits atop a treasure chamber and is awoken when Hercules steals a javelin sized bronze cloak pin.
When Hera instructs Jason to overcome the Talos with his wits and look to its heel, he notices a bronze plug. When he manages to remove it molten bronze bleeds out ensanguining Talos causing him to become brittle and break apart.
Background Information
The Original Film:
Jason and the Argonauts (1963) is a Columbia Pictures fantasy feature film starring Todd Armstrong as the titular mythical Greek hero in a story about his quest for the Golden Fleece. Directed by Don Chaffey, in collaboration with stop motion animation expert Ray Harryhausen, the film is noted for its stop-motion monsters.
In particular, the sequence in which seven skeletons rise from the earth and attack Jason and his comrades is still widely considered to be among the greatest achievements of motion picture special effects.
The Quest:
Inspired by the Greek myth, the story begins when the fearless explorer Jason returns to the kingdom of Thessaly after 20 years exile to take his rightful claim to the throne and fulfil an ancient prophecy. When he unwittingly saves Pelias, the very man that usurped his throne and murdered his father, from drowning the prophecy is set in motion. Pelias recognizes his nemesis and keeps his identity secret. However, he cannot just kill Jason; the prophecy also says that he himself would die.
When he learns that Jason is considering undertaking a dangerous quest to obtain the fabled Golden Fleece to rally the people of Thessaly, Pelias encourages him, hoping that he will be killed in the attempt. Men from all over Greece compete for the honor of joining Jason. Since their ship is named the Argo after the ship’s builder, they are dubbed the Argonauts. Among those chosen are Hercules. They embark on their eventful journey and along the way they encounter a variety of mythic creatures, including the 100-foot bronze colossus Talos, the bat-like Harpies, the seven-headed reptilian Hydra, and an army of skeletons wielding sword and shield.
For more information on the original film go to: Wikipedia
The Prizes
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First Prize:One Free Admission to the 31 July-1st August : 2D Concept Design Workshop in Wellington plus $150 spending money to help with any travel expenses. Winning entry to be judged by Paul Tobin and Warren Mahy. |
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Additional Prizes:All valid entries also go in the draw for: |
Submission Criteria
» A single piece of character design as a high quality digital image.
» Include a concise written paragraph explaining your concept.
» You MUST create a WIP thread in the competitions forum.
- You are welcome and encouraged to design all 3 characters, but can only submit 1 as a final entry.
- The design is to be 2D only and can be either traditional or digital mediums.
- The final piece should be created over the competition period, specifically for this competition. Please don’t submit older pieces.
- No commercial work
Duration
The final submission deadline is: 11:00pm NZT on Wednesday 30 June, 2010
How to enter
You must be registered as a member of CGNZ and start a new WIP topic in the ‘CGNZ Competitions‘ forum. You MUST create a WIP thread in the competitions forum, documenting the steps you have taken to create your design.
» Title your WIP thread as: ” USERNAME : Jason and the Argonauts ”
Simply post your final entry in the final submissions thread, located at the top of the forum. Don’t forget to include your username at the bottom of your final images, on the actual image files.
Good Luck!
The Small print
- All entrants will retain copyright of all their submissions.
- Only people currently living in New Zealand may enter and you must also:
a) Be a resident of New Zealand OR b) Hold a current work or study permit/visa for New Zealand. - First prize winner is responsible for organising their own travel & accommodation to the event. If you are unable to attend the workshop, the full first prize will be given to the second place winner.
- If you are already registered for the upcoming July 10th or August 1st Workshop and win first prize you will receive a refund.
- Prizes not exchangeable or redeemable for cash.
Tags: CGNZ, Challenges, Competitions
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