Frank and Drake: Discovering Inventive Cohesion in Variety

The Problem of Mixing Completely different Worlds

The foundational concept of Frank and Drake was having the ability to symbolize how our distinctive various identities can discover a frequent floor of understanding by means of totally different ranges of communication and empathy. That precept is legitimate for the characters themselves and their relationship with out bodily contact, however it goes past that. Virtually unconsciously, it affected all of the layers of the event, with a peculiar ambiance on account of the usage of combined arts.

Artwork and Animation: a Collage of Types in Concord

The world of Oriole Metropolis is introduced principally through illustrated backgrounds that current an correct – but stylized- structure the place nothing is distorted or out of proportion. Our lead artist Romina Correa outlined together with her type this layer of “actuality” in juxtaposition with the rotoscoped protagonists, that reside within the spectrum of surrealism. However different cases of the sport present totally different strategies, corresponding to tough pencils in black and white (flashbacks), ball pen drawings (journal sketches), stencil and graffiti (partitions of the streets), and even imitations of oil portray (murals in sure areas). Working with not solely totally different however versatile artists allowed us to create this visible melting pot inside the boundaries of the lore.

This multi-disciplinary artistic strategy additionally affected the visuals in movement. The rotoscoped animations stand out for apparent causes (and are essentially the most time consuming, with over 8,000 frames drawn!), however there are many different frame-by-frame animations with out footage as a reference that help the narrative, and even 3D fashions, very handy in advanced rotations or interactions.

Music: the Rhythm of Mild and Darkish

We knew Kai Engel properly from his work within the soundtrack of our earlier recreation keep. The purpose in Frank and Drake was not solely to supply each day and evening a singular setting, but additionally undertaking the way in which each characters expertise their actuality. By opposing the hip hop rhythms of Frank with the jazz vibes from Drake, you get a good looking distinction that helps you navigate between characters and to completely really feel the emotional influence of each tales.

Narrative: Two Voices, One Large Thriller

Crafting a narrative with twin protagonists was a brand new problem for our author and Narrative Designer, Ana Monteiro. Some guidelines wanted to be adopted to make it work: outline distinctive voices with respective personalities and views, in order that they couldn’t react to battle in equal methods. They wanted to have character arcs revealing a change of beliefs and behaviors as proof of private progress, too. And all these inner conflicts needed to conflict towards an exterior conspiracy, one thing that will make their destinies merge in some unspecified time in the future.

In the end, Frank and Drake tells a narrative that embraces the ability of neighborhood: how a wierd (and infrequently weird) place like Oriole Metropolis can turn into the house for a lot of people, normally tagged because the outcast of society, and the place variety of realities coexist respectfully. The place magnificence will be discovered within the sudden, and variations are accepted in a supportive, cooperative method. We tried to maintain that precise essence with the mix of a number of artwork varieties all through the sport. The purpose was to not attempt for perfection individually, however to discover a cohesive nature within the sum of this trustworthy, fragmented identification.

We hope you take pleasure in discovering the story of Frank and Drake.