Frank and Drake: Finding Creative Cohesion in Diversity

The Challenge of Blending Different Worlds

The foundational thought of Frank and Drake was with the ability to symbolize how our distinctive numerous identities can discover a frequent floor of understanding via completely 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. Almost unconsciously, it affected all of the layers of the event, with a peculiar environment because of the usage of combined arts.

Art and Animation: a Collage of Styles in Harmony

The world of Oriole City is offered principally by way of 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 fashion this layer of “reality” in juxtaposition with the rotoscoped protagonists, that stay in the spectrum of surrealism. But different cases of the sport present completely different methods, akin 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 completely different however versatile artists allowed us to create this visible melting pot throughout the boundaries of the lore.

This multi-disciplinary inventive method additionally affected the visuals in movement. The rotoscoped animations stand out for apparent causes (and are probably 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 Light and Dark

We knew Kai Engel effectively from his work in 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 in addition challenge the best way each characters expertise their actuality. By opposing the hip hop rhythms of Frank with the jazz vibes from Drake, you get a ravishing distinction that helps you navigate between characters and to totally really feel the emotional affect of each tales.

Narrative: Two Voices, One Big Mystery

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, so 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 sooner or later.

Ultimately, Frank and Drake tells a narrative that embraces the ability of group: how a wierd (and typically weird) place like Oriole City can turn into the house for a lot of people, often tagged because the outcast of society, and the place variety of realities coexist respectfully. Where magnificence might be discovered in the sudden, and variations are accepted in a supportive, cooperative method. We tried to maintain that precise essence with the mixture 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 in the sum of this sincere, fragmented identification.

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