The Ancient Mockup Series Three – The World of Hollywood
In Series Three of Ancient Mockups, let us shift our lens to the glitz and glam of Hollywood and how it has used design mockups. Over the years, the movie industry has seen constant growth and with the improvements in technology, the cinematography has been increasingly spectacular. Would it really surprise you then if we were to tell you that even Hollywood uses design mockups?
Since the inception of the first feature film in Hollywood, design mockups have been used in one way or another. Whether it’s for assessing visual elements or sketching down an idea for a stunt scene. Hollywood mockups have always been used in terms of refining an idea and putting it into action. In fact, the transformation of an idea into reality requires a mockup. Hollywood does that best!
Here are some ways design mockups are used in Hollywood:
Ideas for characters especially when it comes to action superhero movies often undergo the process of sketching. One of the characters that Robert Downey Jr. plays is of Iron Man. Iron Man started as a sketch for comic books but later on was adapted for movies. His character’s attributes changed over the years and have been modified to appeal to modern audiences. Here is an original sketch of Iron Man:
The sketch eventually is made for the current Iron Man movies as well and modifications are added accordingly. Iron Man now looks like this:
Enter Autodesk Maya, a tool that is used for adding visual effects. AutoDesk Maya can be used to create mockups. When it comes to adding exceptional 3D movements and displaying and rendering effects, the tool is widely popular among artists. Of course, a common use of this software includes sketching out the idea of an effect. For example, visual artists in the movie, Transformers, sketched out their desired effects and later used AutoDesk Maya to bring it to life onscreen.
No surprises here, right? Animated movies literally undergo the same process that mockups do. It normally takes a year to complete an animated movie and the process for each frame starts with a sketch. The process of sketching is similar to how wireframing is used to create an overall look for a software product. Once the sketching of each frame of a movie is completed, it is taken to the next level where colors and various other elements are added. This is the exact stage where your software’s mockups are designed. Once the mockups are ready, the animation software is deployed.
All animated movies undergo the same process including ones that are 2D. Both Japanese anime and American cartoons are also sketched first for each frame and then digitized for the screen.
In a Nutshell
The influence of mockups is not limited to just software or web design. It goes to every industry imaginable. Design mockups have been utilized for a long time because of the major benefits that they bring. You will definitely notice these benefits for your next project!