For this project we were asked to design two characters, a Protagonist and an Antagonist. The brief required us to make a 3-D Maquette of each character, as well as vectorized poses for each of the characters in Adobe Illustrator.
We were given a list of topics to choose from, to use as a starting point. I chose Clandestine, meaning secretive.
The first connection I made between this topic and a character was that of a superhero and their secret identity.There is a certain requirement to suspend belief to truly enjoy a superhero story, especially in the age of constant leaps and bounds in the field of facial recognition software. Added to that, the very minimal attempts of some of these fictional characters to disguise themselves (Superman/Clark Kent separated by only a pair of square rimmed specs, or He-Man, with the most notable distinction between him and his alter-ego being a slightly darker tone of skin) and these secret identities become more difficult to tolerate.
We were given a list of topics to choose from, to use as a starting point. I chose Clandestine, meaning secretive.
The first connection I made between this topic and a character was that of a superhero and their secret identity.There is a certain requirement to suspend belief to truly enjoy a superhero story, especially in the age of constant leaps and bounds in the field of facial recognition software. Added to that, the very minimal attempts of some of these fictional characters to disguise themselves (Superman/Clark Kent separated by only a pair of square rimmed specs, or He-Man, with the most notable distinction between him and his alter-ego being a slightly darker tone of skin) and these secret identities become more difficult to tolerate.
I wanted to explore this flaw further, by creating a protagonist who discovers the (blatantly obvious) secret identity of a superhero, but is left frustrated and defeated by his inability to convey this discovery to the oblivious masses.
Dudley Bland has worked for over 20 years as a Client data and Management Information Coordinator for a company that produces aglets, the plastic sleeves at the end of shoelaces. He has watched all his peers get promoted above him, while he is continually left behind. No-one at work seems to remember his name, regularly calling him names such as Dilbert, Duncan, Dewey, and Nigel.
A lack of social skills has also left Dudley without much of a social life outside of work either. His frustration at his own situation turns to annoyance at the level of interest given by the community to their own superhero, Captain Spectacular. He's all anyone seems to be able to talk about.
Dudley's deep rooted dissatisfaction at his failure in life eventually leads him to the conclusion that the only solution is to take his own life. Soon Dudley discovers that the only moment he is truly happy are the moments leading up to his possible demise. The problem? Captain Spectacular.
Each and every time Dudley gets close to succeeding in his new found passion, the Captain swoops in and saves him at the last second. To make matters worse, the Captain appears to be completely oblivious to Dudley's intentions. Or to even recognize him. Each time the superhero saves the data coordinator, he simply tells him to 'BE MORE CAREFUL IN THE FUTURE, CITIZEN!' and all without a hint of recognition. This only succeeds in angering Dudley more.
One day Dudley goes for a cup of coffee in a local coffee house. While browsing their selection of muffins and cookies, he hears a familiar voice announce from behind the counter, 'ENJOY YOUR COFFEE, AND HAVE A NICE DAY, CITIZEN!'
Dudley looks up in disbelief, to see Captain Spectacular, standing blatantly obvious in his 6'7” frame, working as a server in the coffee house.
When Dudley tries to 'out' Captain Spectacular, he is greeted with ridicule from the other customers. This angers him more, and he decides to devote his life to finding evidence to reveal the true identity of the superhero.
Guy Miller
