'Cavepunk' is a term that refers to stories set in, or referencing, an idealised version of the 'Stone Age'; whether it be the actual prehistoric past, a post-apocalyptic future, an alternate universe; or, in the case of this sketchbook collection, a B-grade motion picture production - Caveman Chaos! I thought I'd accompany my previous portfolio () with a 'behind the scenes' look at how it came about; since the story actually starts with a comic book story I did for a Yoobee assignment earlier on in the course. The story, Caveman No.3, charts a conversation between Steve (an put-upon actor grudgingly playing a caveman) and his friend Greta, a props-and-costume girl; in between takes of Steve's movie. It was a nice change from a literal 'caveman in the Stone age' story - which I had done who knows how many times previously - and allowed me to stick in all sorts of random gags about low-budget film-making, actors and acting, classic science fiction and old dinosaur movies.
When the game design assignment came along, we were basically told "Remember that story you wrote for that other assignment you did a few months ago? Well, you're turning it into a game!" And so I did, and Caveman Chaos was born....
1) My original character sketches for Steve the Caveman and Greta the props girl - note how different Steve looks at this stage, compared to the more streamlined look he gets in later sketches. The pair are very much the definition of an 'odd couple': Steve is cynical, frustrated at his job, and inclined to grumble and mope (but not such a bad guy when you get to know him), while Greta is perky, happy-go-lucky and having the time of her life in the movie biz. It is entirely possible that Steve relies on Greta - his only ally on most days - to stop himself from going insane during his long days of filming, re-shoots, ungodly numbers of takes and the general irritation of working for Phineas J. Butterworth....
2) 'Caveman No. 3' in all its hand-lettered glory, along with the page of rough layout sketches
I did to get the story pacing and panel designs worked out.
3) Designs for the Caveman Chaos logo, and other random character doodles - it was quite an interesting process
coming up with a logo that looked suitably '80's and caveman-ish, without being too much like everything else
that was out there (like, say, the Flintstones).
4) My final concept sketch for the logo, with notes (for anyone who was interested on
exactly how it would work colour- and design-wise).
5) The final character sketches used in the creation of the vector artwork for the Caveman Chaos game advert / flyer
and game cabinet; plus an example of how one of the game levels might work.
6) Concept designs for the artwork associated with the game cabinet, based on classic 1980's arcade machines -
the side panels (tall vertical), the large logo above the screen (wide vertical) and the screen surround itself (square).
7) Concept designs for the Caveman Chaos flyer....
8) And the final concept sketches of the front and the back of the finished flyer; as well as concepts for the logo of the
game company (first spread, right) and the loading screen on the game cabinet (second spread, right).
