Research: Human Experimentation during WW2

As VeePees is involved in human experimentation I thought it was important to document how this affects his character and more importantly how this affects the emotional connection between the character and the viewer.

It is stated in The Ethics and Politics of Human Experimentation By Paul Murray McNeill that there were very few who expressed any humanitarian concern for subjects of experiments during WW2. It was considered valid to put research subjects at considerable risk with no possible therapeutic advantage for them. These 'test subjects' were prisoners and mental patients so it was the general consensus that it was acceptable to put these people at risk if it meant that a cure for malaria was found, for example. 
This is precisely the mindset of VeePees, if he can find a cure for physical deformities  his methods are valid. He believes the ends justify the means. This is very similar to the outlook of many popular anti-heros (I have illustrated the advantages of using an anti-hero character in an earlier blog).

 I believe this aspect of VeePees will create a debate within the viewer/s. Whether they agree with his methods or not getting involved in the ethics of human experimentation with form an emotional connection with the character.


Reference:


Murray McNeill P (1993) The Second World War and the attitudes towards human experimentation ‘The Ethics and Politics of Human Experimentation’

Final head outcome

Final 3D hand

 Low poly hand created in 3ds Max

Using Mudbox I added all the detail to make it look like a more organic form.

Another Photoshop render

In this Photoshop render you can see VeePees' mutated hand in action as he pulls on a glove, ready to begin his experiments. I drew this from the victims point of view, looking up from an operating table, the bright circular lights behind VeePee's make the environment seem like an operating theatre. I added some blood splatter to his lab coat and mask to make the scene more frightening.

3D Max model: Head/mask

This is an attempt at VeePees' head and breathing apparatus. Although not as detailed as I would want it has all the key features of his head; his goggle eyes holes,  the indents under his eyes, the lower part of the mask which covers his mouth, the indents on the side of his head which will reveal skin and the cylindrical shape in the center of his mask.
For my final 3D Model I will add more geometry to his head/mask and add textures.

3D Max models- Mechanical ears

This is a 3D model of VeePees' mechanical ears, which allow him to ear on account of having no ears of his own. I was aiming for a rusted metal texture, as I wanted the ears to looks like an old piece of antiquated equipment, but I couldn't quite achieve that. That will be rectified in my final 3D model.
I like this design as it has a distinct side profile and silhouette, which will be visible when looking VeePees in the face.

Final character design

This is a front and back sketch of my character in it's entirty. For the most part VeePees has a typical human shape, but there is a few key features that make him unique; the design of his head and his mutated hand (which makes his lab coat bulge and rip). Instead of having his coat button up with traditional buttons I decided to replace those with metal rivets, like he's bolted into his lab coat, never taking it off. This could highlight his commitment to his work.

His logo/symbol is a broken diamond shape. My thinking behind this shape is that it looks broken and incomplete, just like VeePees. It's a constant reminder to him of what he is and what he's working toward.

Early mood boards

Here are the kinds of images that influenced me early in the design process.

How an audience emotionally connects with an Anithero

I have highlighted some key quotes from this academic paper that supports my decision to make my character an anti-hero, instead of a typical villain. The audience will have a much stronger emotional connection to the character this way.

"Recent exploratory scholarship on antiheroes suggests that character identification and the process of moral disengagement might be important factors in the enjoyment of such fare" 

It is quite possible that an audience would connect with a character with questionable actions if they simply disengage with what he's doing. They don't even have to agree with his actions to be emotionally invested in the character.

"In the past few years, though, entertainment researchers have begun to turn their attention to the appeal and enjoyment of so-called antihero narratives, those featuring protagonists whose conduct is at best morally ambiguous, questionable, and at times unjustifiable (e.g., Raney,Schmid, Niemann, & Ellensohn, 2009; Shafer & Raney, 2009; Tsay & Krakowiak, 2009).Anecdotal evidence suggests that the appearance of such characters across the entertainmentlandscape is increasing, and box office results suggest that viewers love the characters and the narratives featuring them."

The quote above shows that anti-hero characters are quite popular now so the current audience will have a greater chance to connect emotionally with my character.

"a viewer’s emotional reactions toward media characters’ behaviors, motivations, and emotional responses are a function of both affective and moral judgmental processes. The strength of the resulting emotional involvement predicts the heights of enjoyment." 

The more the viewer questions and debates within themselves whether they like a character or not creates an emotional bond with the character. VeePees experiments on unwilling patients which is obviously immoral but he does it for a selfless goal, to rid the world of deformities and find a cure. The viewer must decide themselves whether they agree with his actions or not. Is human experimentation worth the greater good?



References:

http://www.academia.edu

Janicke, S. H., & Raney, A., A. (2011).Exploring How We Enjoy Antihero Narratives: A Comparison of Fans and Nonfans of 24

Research: The effects of child abandonment

The effects of child abandonment can range from mild to severe and drastically change who a person will become. It can affect the individual psychologically and it can affect their behaviour (which is very much the case with VeePees).
According to the Wikipedia page on 'Abandoned child syndrome' "Abandonment may be physical (the parent is not present in the child's life) or emotional (the parent withholds affection, nurturing, or stimulation)." 

VeePees was treated like an outsider and emotionally neglected by his parents because they could not deal or accept his deformity. A situation were the parents blame the child can be present in these situations according to Claudia Black M.S.W., Ph.D in her paper 'The many faces of addiction'.

• Children cannot live up to the expectations of their parents. These expectations are often unrealistic and not age-appropriate.
• Children are held responsible for other people's behavior. They may be consistently blamed for the actions and feelings of their parents.
• Disapproval toward children is aimed at their entire beings or identity rather than a particular behaviour. 

This evidence would show that VeePees parents are to blame for his psychological disorder, and why he became the bitter, twisted and angry individual. 

Another excerpt from 'The many faces of addiction' shows how this abuse as a child would still be very much felt in VeePees adult life, controlling his behaviour.  

"Still, the wounds are struck deep in their young hearts and minds, and the very real pain can still be felt today. The causes of emotional injury need to be understood and accepted so they can heal. Until that occurs, the pain will stay with them, becoming a driving force in their adult lives."

According to the Wikipedia page on 'Abandoned child syndrome

Symptoms may be physical or mental, and may extend into adulthood and perhaps throughout a person's life.

• Alienation from the environment - withdrawal from social activities, resistance towards others.
• Guilt - the child believes that he/she did something wrong that caused the abandonment (often associated with depression)
• Fear and uncertainty - insecurities 
• Sleep and eating disorders - malnutrition, starvation, disturbed sleep, nightmares
• Physical ailments - fatigue, depression, lack of energy and creativity, anger, grief 

Most of these symptoms are very relevant to the character of VeePees. He is an isolated character, removed from society. Nightmares torment him leading to further psychosis and he has very little control over his anger.  

Claudia Black M.S.W., Ph.D also states that "When children are raised with chronic loss, without the psychological or physical protection they need and certainly deserve, it is most natural for them to internalize incredible fear." 

What I have learned and how this effects the emotional domain of the character:

• Because VeePees is not responsible for his condition the audience will naturally feel a certain sympathy for the character, even if his actions are morally questionable.
• Fear is a big factor that rules a persons life who have been affect by child abandonment, so I will try to bring this across in my character sketches and 3D models. Concentrating on how I draw the eyes (eyes can communicate a range of emotions) and the overall demeanour of the character.
• I had the early idea that VeePees would be a typical evil villain, but this means the audience will have trouble connecting to the character emotionally and find very little to relate to him. So VeePees will be more of an 'anti-hero'. His actions are still morally questionable or even unjustifiable but his goal is a selfless one. He wants to rid the world of deformities so no one has to experience what he had to go through. But to achieve this goal he has reverted to human experimentation for the 'greater good'. He uses his unwilling patients to search for cure.
• It seems the anti-hero character is very popular in contemporary entertainment so if VeePees was this type of character the audience would feel a stronger emotional connection to him. I will do more research on the role of the anti-hero in a narrative. 

References:

The journey to healing and recovery by Claudia Black, M.S.W., Ph.D. (Published on June 4, 2010 by Claudia Black, M.S.W., Ph.D. in The Many Faces of Addiction)

Home>search Claudia Black>The Many Faces of Addiction>Understanding the pain of abandonment

www.psychologytoday.com/

Wikipedia page:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abandoned_child_syndrome

Super Sculpey: Creating the mechanical ear

I wanted to make VeePees' mechanical ear in clay so I could understand the geometry and shape of the object better. Working from this reference will now help me in further sketch work and 3D modelling.
The cone shape didn't come up as smooth as I would want it and the cone is also too thick, so I will learn from this and continue on.

1. Tin foil inner structure

2. Final clay layer

Super Sculpey: Creating a mutated hand

I felt creating this mutated hand in clay was very useful to my design process. VeePees' mutated hand is a very important feature of the character and central to who he is and how the audience would relate to him. When designing making this hand I kept in mind the research I had read on deformed hands, like how the bones are also affected so I tried to show the bones of the hand pushing up through the skin.

I now have a very good reference when I want to create this in 3d Max. My mutated hand sketches are still useful but I can now view this object from any angle and gain a better understanding of it's geometry.

1. Tin foil and copper wire inner structure

2. First layer of clay

3. Final layer of clay and detail

Mutated hand sketches

One of VeePees most important features is his mutated hand. It's his motivation for what he does and it also draws an emotional response from the audience, whether it be disgust or sympathy. So I thought it was important to sketch out a variety of hand designs. I didn't want the design to be too over the top and grotesque but something that would some-what resemble a normal hand, so a viewer could still relate to the character. 

Research: Hand deformities

"Congenital anomalies are deformities that are present at birth. Any type of deformity in a newborn infant can become a challenge for the child as he or she grows."

VeePee's would have had a very difficult childhood as he had to deal with his deformed left hand. His case is very severe and through my research  I discovered that "surgical treatment of this condition is complex and the outcomes may be less than desirable."   Although surgery and treatment was possible his rich parent's were ashamed of him and did not bear to make his case public, so he received no treatment.

He learned to deal with his deformity and managed to gain some functionality from it, allowing him to operate his lab and conduct his experiments in later life. This quote from emedicine.com supports this:

"Surprisingly, many upper extremity malformations cause little functional deficit. Children develop prehension with hands as they are, and they usually are not self-conscious of difference until they become socialized in school."

 There are many different kinds of hand deformities but it is clear that VeePee's suffers from overgrowth or 'Macrodactyly'. This would be described as gigantism of the upper limbs.

What I have learned and how this effects my design:

• I have learned that it is possible to have some functionality with a deformed hand so I could have VeePee's operate some kind of lab equipment with his deformed hand.
• It's possible to have a serious hand deformity while the rest of the arm remains completely 'normal'. So I will design Veepee's in this fashion. This would result in a club-like shape for his arm. 
• Hand deformities can affect the bones as well as just the soft tissue. I earlier had the idea that his deformed hand could be used as a blunt weapon so if his club hand is mostly bone this could be very likely. An aggressive hitting weapon would be an interesting contrast to the rest of the character.

References:

Congenital Hand Deformities (2012) Author: Donald R Laub Jr, MD, MS, FACS; Chief Editor: Joseph A Molnar, MD, PhD, FACS

- Home>Health library>Diseases and Conditions>Congenital hand deformities                           http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

- Article on hand deformities                  http://emedicine.medscape.com

Line work and early Photoshop render

From my initial sketches I created this line art that shows all my characters main features; breathing mask, mechanical ears, deformed hand, crazy hair and lab coat. I also placed the character in his lab and drew the scene at a low angle to make the character more imposing. 

I then scanned the line art and colouring using Photoshop using a variety of blending modes. I went with a blue/green colour scheme to give a eerie feeling to the scene.

Back story (continued)
VeePee's was born with a number of rare deformities including his hand and face. He was shunned by his rich parents and cast aside to die. He survived and lived a life of suffering and craved acceptance from his parents. He is highly intelligent and devoted his life to finding a cure to his deformities. He will stop at nothing and use any means to 'cure' himself, this includes experimenting on unsuspecting victims in his laboratory.
I will continue to flesh out VeePee's back story throughout this project.

Topics to research:

• Hand deformities and how that affects the individual.
• The psychological effect of being abandoned by his parents at a young age.
• Human experimentation. 

Initial sketches

I wanted my VeePee character to have a unique identifiable characteristic and I thought this would be mask/breathing apparatus. On the child's sketch it looks like the character has a pig-like nose but I perceived this to be some kind of breathing filter, and his big eyes to be the eye holes on his mask. 

In the child's sketch the ear are drawn quite big but I wanted my character to have more of a realistic design and huge ears would contradict that. So to solve this problem I decided that my character would have large mechanical ears that would tie into his breathing mask and overall design. 

 These sketches show some iterations on VeePee's logo which would identity him has a super villain. I also experimented with the placement of the logo on the character's lab coat.  While brainstorming with class mates there was an idea that this design on VeePee's chest was not a simple logo but a glass case that showed his exposed heart or some kind of power source, similar to Iron Man. I would like to explore this idea further. 

Because my character is a mad scientist I thought he must have a lab coat, so I sketched a few variants in coat design. I like the design on the right of the page, the coat is quite neat and formal which gives a nice contrast to his head and mutated hand. 

 Here is a rough sketch that shows VeePee in his lab, with antiquated electrical equipment and large test tubes. I thought adding some props would give the character some more context. Similar to Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory.
In this sketch we also see VeePee's mutated hand (a result of failed experiments) which is basically a deformed lump of flesh, that could be used has a weapon.

Choosing a character

After reviewing each child sketch I decided I would work on the VeePee character. I immediately got a 'mad scientist' vibe off the character with his big goggles and wild hair. I will continue to to develop the character and any themes that I can associate with him.


Physical characteristics:

• Wild hair
• Big goggles
• Deformed/ mutated hand
• Holding syringe
• Super villain with a logo
• Big mechanical ears
• Breathing apparatus on face.
• Head lamp
• Large head

Interpreted back story (so far):

A highly intelligent super villain who is a mad scientist. He resides in a laboratory.  As a consequence of all his evil schemes and experiments his face and left hand has become deformed, leading to a bitter and isolated character.