About this Project I decided to research the 1950's and write a noir-style story using the information I found to help make the story immersive, and more historically related. I also decided to draw two of my characters from the story in a style like the one in the 1950s.
I decided to do this mainly because I wanted to write a story, and design characters both written and visually. The reason why I wanted to do the 1950s was because I had seen gameplay of the video game L.A Noire, and I liked the visuals. The Process I actually started by drafting the characters first, and then I just started writing with a very unclear direction, and as I wrote I was able to develop my characters more, along with the story's plot line itself. During the process I had multiple ideas that I either continued the story with, or ideas that just completely rewrote a certain section of the story. I was alternating between writing, and drawing out my characters. Originally I was going to draw Carmen, Neil, and Lloyd, but I instead went with Carmen (who I drew one time, and then completely restarted) and the doggy, Scout.
Art: I drew two of my characters from the story, and I used a few techniques to try and make it look somewhat like the art style used in the 1950s, however I never got around to finishing either piece. English: I wrote a historical fiction story that took place in 1950s Chicago along with being kind of in the style of film noir, however story isn't finished. I may work on it at a later date. Social Studies: I studied the culture of the 1950s, and incorporated information that I found into the story. |
Journey of a Hero I would have all of my main characters overcome some problem of their own (hopefully not in a cliché way) by the time the case was resolved. Now, their efforts most likely won't be publicized outside of Illinois, but they were going to be the ones who were able to close the case.
Perspective In the 1950s, a normal family consisted of a housewife, husband, and children. All of my main characters don’t particularly fit that, but there was no development that explained why, and there was no interaction thus far that would point that out, mostly because I didn’t have time to finish the story, and also because I didn’t want to write them as fitting the “norm” of the time period. I focused less on that aspect of the 1950s, and more upon the physical items like clothing types, how the streets were laid out, along with the types of cars that were driven and how diners and other kinds of shops looked and operated. I also focused on how people spoke with each other during the 1950s.
I didn’t want the “norm” of the 1950s to carry over to my characters because I didn’t like that part, and I think it would make for more interesting characters. Because the story isn’t fully written, I haven’t completely covered my characters’ backgrounds and views on things, and it most likely would have been elaborated upon further into the story, but for now I’m just going to talk about the perspectives behind two of the main characters, Lloyd and Neil. Lloyd: Lloyd is a 22 year old who works as a detective in the CPD. He was born and raised within Chicago and has an older brother who works at a local shop. Ever since he was little, he always liked solving simple brain teasers, and later moved onto to more complex ones. He grew up with very critical parents which lead to him lacking self-confidence, and being indecisive later on. Although Lloyd received good grades in school, and had friends who cared about him, he still retained poor self-esteem. Sometime in high school, a policeman of the CPD, and good friend of Lloyd’s father was visiting, and he was talking about past cases. Because the man knew Lloyd liked solving problems, he retrieved some public files for Lloyd, so that he could solve the case for fun, A few days after, Lloyd reached out to him with a deep analysis, and an answer to who the murderer was which slightly surprised the man because it took the group that worked on the case prior, an entire week to solve it. He offered Lloyd a place at the police department because he believed that Lloyd would both enjoy it, and that his skills would be very useful for that specific work. Lloyd accepted, and a little bit after he applied, he was accepted for training. Once he was in the department, he advanced rather quickly, and since he has skills which better suit that of a detective, he was partnered up with Neil, who at the time, was looking for a partner to help with cases. During the story, Lloyd still hasn’t fixed his self-esteem problems or indecisiveness, and still puts high demands upon himself. He doesn’t really know where he wants to go with his life, and doesn’t know whether or not he wants to marry. Lloyd’s relationship with Neil is also very good because at the time of the story, they’ve been working on a lot of cases together. Lloyd wasn’t impacted mentally or physically by the war because the war ended before there was a slight chance for him to be drafted, but he was able to hear some of Neil’s insights about it. Neil: Neil is a 32 year old who works as a detective in the CPD alongside Lloyd. Unlike Lloyd, however, he is an only child, but was born and raised elsewhere in Illinois. During his childhood, many of his friends moved away early on, so Neil decided not to bother with sustaining friendships anymore, and spent most of his time reading stories from the family library, with a particular interest in stories written by Agatha Christie. His mother died during the Great Depression leaving Neil with his father who was a World War I vet, but who never spoke about it. This is where Neil picked up most of his cynicism, and held a rather pessimistic and nihilistic view on life. During his high school years, many of his peers avoided him because of how unapproachable he seemed, and how cynical he is. This was when his depression became a lot more visible. Because of being ostracized, he worked a lot on becoming more welcoming and open for small talk. In his college years, when Neil was 19, he was drafted to fight in World War II, and did in fact serve as a combat soldier in the Pacific theatre, fighting upon multiple islands. He did not develop shell shock afterwards, but his depression did worsen, and he self-medicated with alcohol, and read in his spare time. Hearing that his father has pneumonia, Neil moved back to Chicago after the war to care for him, and decided to take a job in the police department out of interest and boredom. His depression and alcoholism lessened as he was kept busy with work, but he still drank and read when he could. Once his father passed away, his depression worsened and he turned to alcohol more. When he met with Lloyd as new assigned partners, over time, the two became best buddies, and his alcoholism went down a little more. At the time of the story, Neil is still suffering from depression, and he still drinks a lot, but definitely not as much as before. As he speaks with people, he upholds a friendly disposition, and is good about not making (too man) cynical remarks. He holds a high respect for fellow veterans, and he still hasn’t come down from the intensity of the war. He also doesn’t want to get married because of being disinterested in such things, as well as feeling like he doesn’t have time for it. He also cares a lot about money and supplies, due to growing up during the Great Depression, and learning about the importance of such materials. |