Exercise: Writing the brief

For this exercise I will choose an illustration I like and write a brief, advising the illustrator about the role of the image, it’s context and the main details. I will then describe some of the elements I liked about the illustration and my final thoughts.

 

 

The Idea

The illustration I chose for this exercise is the cover of the fourth installment of the popular game series Far Cry. The reason is simple. It has been one of the rare cases in which I have bought an entertainment product based only on the front cover, meaning that the illustration succeeded in convincing me to buy the game. I couldn’t find information on who made this illustration, so since I cannot give him credit for the work, I will just give a link to the image.

http://bit.ly/2qK8WwB

 

The same illustration has also been used as the final image of the game’s trailer combined with the vocal message “Welcome to Kyrat”. Having played the previous installments, I was very intrigued by this new antagonist character dressed in pink. I am also thrilled in writing a brief about what I consider to be one of the best scripted villain in a game. The cover generated debates over the internet, with some pointing out that the artwork depicts racism.

Writing the brief

Before starting, the illustrator should have some background about what the far cry series is about. He should also have access to the current story’s plot and concept art.

The brief is the following:

• The illustration will be used for the game’s front cover and the trailer. The trailer will  end with this illustration and the vocal message “Welcome to Kyrat”. Kyrat is a fictional land similar to Nepal.
•    The cover has marketing purposes. The cover has to be one of the key elements for purchase.
•     The target audience are adults over 18.
•   The image must include the main antagonist Pagan Min.
•    There will be no text, except for the title at the top center of the image.
•     Characters, objects and environments should be drawn realistically to show the power of the    game’s graphical engine.
•  The players might be new to the series. Include elements that give a clear picture of what the game is about.
•  The viewer’s eye should be focused on the main antagonist, Pagan Min. I suggest drawing him at the center of the picture. Make sure to use vibrant tones for his suit and hair. Refer to the color palette of the concept art.
•  Pagan Min is a king and tyrant of Kyrat. Depict him as such in the illustration. He is not a pure evil character but has instead a mysterious personality.  He is a “gray” character. He also has an extravagant personality and erratic behaviors.
•  Objects and environments should be secondary to the illustration and give clues of where the game takes place and what the game is about.

My analysis of the illustration

“You know, the one and only time I walked in to this place, I walked in a sane man and came out…like this” – Pagan Min

 

Having played the game, I can say that the visuals describe the villain very well. Due to the extensive use of the bright pink colors, my first look is always for him. Other brighter colors include the yellow armband on the kneeling man, the green rocket, the green vegetation of the mountains on the left and the clear blue sky at the top. I feel like my eyes move in circle around the picture, allowing me to see all the key elements. The weapons are positioned in a strategic way, pointing towards the villain. The foreground ground uses a mix of grey and brown colors and do not distract the eye. The way the villain sits on his throne shows that he is the king of the land. His facial expression and his hand over the head of a subdued man add hints to his mad personality . By better examining the image for this exercise, I have noticed that Pagan Min is holding the grenade’s safety ring with his finger. A nice detail.

Final reflections

What went well

This exercise has been very educational. It was not the first time that I have created a brief, but I didn’t know WHY I was creating it. I just used  to write it down a series of keywords knowing that they were useful for the final result. My briefs were also very basic and didn’t include some of the possible requests outlined by this exercise.It’s a process that has always been instinctive for me, and I am glad to see that I was on the right track.

What went wrong

I cannot find anything at the moment that really didn’t work out for this exercise.