SUMMARY

While attending graduate school at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, for my thesis, I created a project I named "The Tale of Captain Red Beard."   

 

Synopsis: Legend has it, as King Boggart McCray reigned over Scottland around 1600 A.D. he enforced a strict diet of haggis, turkey legs, and tatties, which he himself favored. To eat anything other than what was on the royal menu was considered a treasonous act which came with swift penalties, like peeling the town's tatties for a month or worse. Sedgewick Rose, known as the King's right-hand man, would make sure offenders would face their sentences.

 

Townsfolk had no other choice than to eat the King's favorites which drove some people to near insanity. 

 

Luckily, one Scottish hero made history. Captain "Buck" Red Beard MacDeath, known on the high seas for his rebellious deeds and piracy, was the Robin Hood of his time. Red Beard ransacked the King's vessels and brought back fairness and food diversity by delivering much-needed ingredients and recipes to serve the common folk and outlasts the disaster.

 

Thesis Work: The graduate program outlined distinct tasks and deliverables to each student. Simply put, we were to take on enough work we could handle, to push our limits, but not take on more than what we were able to deliver. Most students, including myself, were to create one through three characters, as well as, one environment or hard surface element. 

 

We were also tasked to develop a Gantt chart with our personal production timeline and do our best to follow the projected schedule. The schedule had to outline all aspects of the production pipeline and label the time it would take for me to finish each part.

 

Everything, from the narrative and character names to designs, 3D modeling, textures and much more, was created by myself.

 

I delivered my thesis book in the fall of 2018 and received a Master of Fine Arts with honors. 

 

Also worth mentioning, The Tale of Captain Red Beard, was selected to be one of the few projects featured at the Academy of Art's annual Spring Show. It was an honor to be selected and participate.

 

Finally, I'd like to give a special thanks to Academy of Art University professor and associate director, Dennis Blakey, for his ideas, guidance and genuine interest in my project.