Deadline over and Animation complete!
If any wishes to view the finished product, please click the link below.
https://vimeo.com/55492592
Friday 14 December 2012
Wednesday 12 December 2012
Main Project Deadline
It is rolling up to my deadline for my main project. The 14th of December is the day it shall all be in for and I'm quite pleased to say that I believe I shall succeed in handing everything in.
My project was as followers:
The Betty Smithers Design Collection
During your visit to the Betty Smithers Design Collection, you will see a number of objects from which you will be expected to select one or a small group to base your short film on. You will be expected to sketch, photograph and document these objects and to start planning on how you wish to incorporate them into your work.
This and all other supporting development work must be evidenced in a bond 'presentation' file and submitted along with the other assessment criteria.
The Betty Smithers Design Collection
You may choose either drawn, CGI or Stop Motion animation to realise your final piece. The finished work should be of a high standard, suitable for public viewing on the Betty Smithers Collection website and Animation Department show reel.
Structure:
When thinking about your film there needs to be a little bit of a story structure to allow your character(s) to be believable.
There needs to be a beginning, a middle and an end.
The Beginning: It's important to set a clear goal.
The Middle: Establish an obstacle that your character(s) encounter. This is something which hinders or complicates the reaching of the initial goal set-up in 'the beginning'. This may be physical or mental.
The End: Your audience needs to have a satisfying resolution to the film. The obstacle is overcome and the goal is reached or achieved.
Keep it short. Keep it simple. Keep it clear.
I believe I've near enough completed what my project set for me. Upon visiting the collection I viewed one shelf in particular, the shelf with the cameras, typewriters, computers and other such old-to-new devices. Unfortunately the cameras were kept within boxes and I was in no fit state at the time to carefully take them down and examine them, so I set aside a hopeful date to come back and view them another time. However, once I was able, the Collection was missing it's keeper and therefore I looked within my own room to gather what items I wanted.
My original idea came very swiftly when I was in the Collection and it revolved around cameras. I had been on a Photography course prior and so my interest for them was, and still is, quite strong. I knew that I wanted to use cameras and a selection of them, ranging from old to new.
Once I had found and gathered three cameras from my possessions I set about thinking up a suitable and simple story for them. My story was, as the project said, short and simple, and was the only clear idea I could come up with at the time. I explained my idea to my tutor and once he agreed that it was a good plan of action, I set about creating a storyboard for it - which later I would make an animatic with.
My story:
The Beginning: Old film camera is on a shelf at the Collection. It wakes, looks around in surprise and intrigue, and shuffles backwards on the shelf as it does so. The goal here is to find out where it is and with what company it keeps - though the Collection has a whole range of items in store, I am only going to show a small part of it, with just three cameras.
The Middle: The old film camera, not paying attention to where it is going, bumps into another camera, this one a digital compact camera. Upon being jolted it wakes, it's flash going off at the same time, showing it's shock at the intrusion. The two cameras turn to look at each other in since - the encounter is not really an obstacle, but it was one for a short time. It hinders the main goal somewhat by 'distracting' the old film camera from it's first mission of looking around.
The End: As the two stare at each other, a long lens slowly lengthens and comes into view behind one of them (the digital compact). They both turn to see another camera, this one a DSLR with a long lens, which as been awakened or attracted by the noise and movements from the other two. They all stare at one another and then all turn towards the viewer with a banner above them exclaiming that they are in the "Betty Smithers Collection"
My idea and story was fairly basic, but after presenting it to the class and receiving feedback from my tutors, I had full confidence to carry it out.
I chose to do the Animation in Stop Motion for two reasons:
Firstly, I knew that I was going to be looking into 3D animation more than anything and so I thought it prudent to try out Stop Motion for a challenge and change of pace/skills.
Secondly, I thought it would best suit my idea. I had the items to use and knew how I wanted them to move.
I wanted no dialogue with my animation but I still needed and wanted sound. I had seen many animations where there was no words, the story told merely by the animation itself and the soundtrack/sound effects. This is what I wanted to achieve.
As I created my storyboard I was made to look closer into the position of the camera the viewer shall be looking through to perceive my animation. I already imagined, automatically, that the camera would pan across or zoom in and out, sweeping over characters etc but once I drawn out my storyboard, I tried to simplify it as best as I could. I knew that I would not be able to create everything I hoped for, I had neither the time nor skills to do all that I wanted.
My inspirations into this were as follows:
PIN - an animated short that a friend sent in my direction. It can be found on Vimeo by Elise Fachon
https://vimeo.com/35321187
This was very inspiring because of how much character and life that had been put into the pins, creating the illusion of life. There was also no real dialogue in this animation either, only sounds and noises made up by the pins, their own language. I hope I can put enough time and depth into my characters.
Knick Knack - an animated short by Pixar
This was a favourite short of mine and when it was brought up by a tutor, I obviously sort it out again with pleasure. If I had taken the 3D route, this would be what I would want my animation to be like. Quirky, sweet and simple. Again, this had no dialogue, only music/sound effects, expressions and movements.
Teclopolis - an animated short that was shown to me by my tutor. It can be found on Youtube by Javier Mrad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4YPDh8_Myw
When this was shown to me in class I fell in love with it straight away. The idea is surreal with an almost never-ending depth to it. You could take this animation several different ways, connect it to many opinions by many people and connect with it. Some may see it as a show of how much technology has come and how fast, destroying things as it goes, while others may just see it as an interesting animation that plays on perception, metaphors, and artistic talent. Once again, this has no dialogue, leaving the viewer to make up his or her mind on what can be said about and during the animation. It's fantastic.
As I, myself, began work on my Stop Motion scenes (first testing shots, seeing how many frames and why, and what I actually need to do to achieve certain things) I noticed that my story would have to change. I did not have the time nor the resources to do exactly what I had first dreamt up and therefore I had to do away with a few things. Nothing major, though I was saddened to cut my imagination and idea short. Not knowing the best way to use a Stop Motion rig and have a sweeping, panning or zooming view of things, I settled for jump cuts. These still did the same job, though not as fluidly as I would have wanted.
I also changed a few scenes, choosing instead to start the animation off with the old film camera being placed down onto the shelf, to show that it was new to the area. I used my own arm, and though it was a struggle to get it down alone, I succeeded and was pleased with both the test shot and the actual shot.
(See my test shots here: https://vimeo.com/55362499 )
Another thing that I changed was when the film camera bumps into the digital camera, before, I had the digital camera wake up as soon as it is hit, but after doing a test shot where I had the film camera circle the digital camera suspiciously, I liked that better and altered it to such.
Slowly but surely, with the help of a close friend and classmate (whom made me a shelf in which to use as my set) I got through my animation in one day, able to quickly have something rather than nothing in which to look at and edit.
The editing process was a long one, with many technical difficulties along the way. Now though, I can happily say that I believe I have finished my animation. Tonight, before writing this, I spent a few hours collecting, creating and editing sound effects onto my animation.
The only thing I have left to do now is make sure all my work is neatly presentable in a folder, ready to hand in on Friday.
Wish me luck!
My project was as followers:
The Betty Smithers Design Collection
During your visit to the Betty Smithers Design Collection, you will see a number of objects from which you will be expected to select one or a small group to base your short film on. You will be expected to sketch, photograph and document these objects and to start planning on how you wish to incorporate them into your work.
This and all other supporting development work must be evidenced in a bond 'presentation' file and submitted along with the other assessment criteria.
The Betty Smithers Design Collection
You may choose either drawn, CGI or Stop Motion animation to realise your final piece. The finished work should be of a high standard, suitable for public viewing on the Betty Smithers Collection website and Animation Department show reel.
Structure:
When thinking about your film there needs to be a little bit of a story structure to allow your character(s) to be believable.
There needs to be a beginning, a middle and an end.
The Beginning: It's important to set a clear goal.
The Middle: Establish an obstacle that your character(s) encounter. This is something which hinders or complicates the reaching of the initial goal set-up in 'the beginning'. This may be physical or mental.
The End: Your audience needs to have a satisfying resolution to the film. The obstacle is overcome and the goal is reached or achieved.
Keep it short. Keep it simple. Keep it clear.
I believe I've near enough completed what my project set for me. Upon visiting the collection I viewed one shelf in particular, the shelf with the cameras, typewriters, computers and other such old-to-new devices. Unfortunately the cameras were kept within boxes and I was in no fit state at the time to carefully take them down and examine them, so I set aside a hopeful date to come back and view them another time. However, once I was able, the Collection was missing it's keeper and therefore I looked within my own room to gather what items I wanted.
My original idea came very swiftly when I was in the Collection and it revolved around cameras. I had been on a Photography course prior and so my interest for them was, and still is, quite strong. I knew that I wanted to use cameras and a selection of them, ranging from old to new.
Once I had found and gathered three cameras from my possessions I set about thinking up a suitable and simple story for them. My story was, as the project said, short and simple, and was the only clear idea I could come up with at the time. I explained my idea to my tutor and once he agreed that it was a good plan of action, I set about creating a storyboard for it - which later I would make an animatic with.
My story:
The Beginning: Old film camera is on a shelf at the Collection. It wakes, looks around in surprise and intrigue, and shuffles backwards on the shelf as it does so. The goal here is to find out where it is and with what company it keeps - though the Collection has a whole range of items in store, I am only going to show a small part of it, with just three cameras.
The Middle: The old film camera, not paying attention to where it is going, bumps into another camera, this one a digital compact camera. Upon being jolted it wakes, it's flash going off at the same time, showing it's shock at the intrusion. The two cameras turn to look at each other in since - the encounter is not really an obstacle, but it was one for a short time. It hinders the main goal somewhat by 'distracting' the old film camera from it's first mission of looking around.
The End: As the two stare at each other, a long lens slowly lengthens and comes into view behind one of them (the digital compact). They both turn to see another camera, this one a DSLR with a long lens, which as been awakened or attracted by the noise and movements from the other two. They all stare at one another and then all turn towards the viewer with a banner above them exclaiming that they are in the "Betty Smithers Collection"
My idea and story was fairly basic, but after presenting it to the class and receiving feedback from my tutors, I had full confidence to carry it out.
I chose to do the Animation in Stop Motion for two reasons:
Firstly, I knew that I was going to be looking into 3D animation more than anything and so I thought it prudent to try out Stop Motion for a challenge and change of pace/skills.
Secondly, I thought it would best suit my idea. I had the items to use and knew how I wanted them to move.
I wanted no dialogue with my animation but I still needed and wanted sound. I had seen many animations where there was no words, the story told merely by the animation itself and the soundtrack/sound effects. This is what I wanted to achieve.
As I created my storyboard I was made to look closer into the position of the camera the viewer shall be looking through to perceive my animation. I already imagined, automatically, that the camera would pan across or zoom in and out, sweeping over characters etc but once I drawn out my storyboard, I tried to simplify it as best as I could. I knew that I would not be able to create everything I hoped for, I had neither the time nor skills to do all that I wanted.
My inspirations into this were as follows:
PIN - an animated short that a friend sent in my direction. It can be found on Vimeo by Elise Fachon
https://vimeo.com/35321187
This was very inspiring because of how much character and life that had been put into the pins, creating the illusion of life. There was also no real dialogue in this animation either, only sounds and noises made up by the pins, their own language. I hope I can put enough time and depth into my characters.
Knick Knack - an animated short by Pixar
This was a favourite short of mine and when it was brought up by a tutor, I obviously sort it out again with pleasure. If I had taken the 3D route, this would be what I would want my animation to be like. Quirky, sweet and simple. Again, this had no dialogue, only music/sound effects, expressions and movements.
Teclopolis - an animated short that was shown to me by my tutor. It can be found on Youtube by Javier Mrad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4YPDh8_Myw
When this was shown to me in class I fell in love with it straight away. The idea is surreal with an almost never-ending depth to it. You could take this animation several different ways, connect it to many opinions by many people and connect with it. Some may see it as a show of how much technology has come and how fast, destroying things as it goes, while others may just see it as an interesting animation that plays on perception, metaphors, and artistic talent. Once again, this has no dialogue, leaving the viewer to make up his or her mind on what can be said about and during the animation. It's fantastic.
As I, myself, began work on my Stop Motion scenes (first testing shots, seeing how many frames and why, and what I actually need to do to achieve certain things) I noticed that my story would have to change. I did not have the time nor the resources to do exactly what I had first dreamt up and therefore I had to do away with a few things. Nothing major, though I was saddened to cut my imagination and idea short. Not knowing the best way to use a Stop Motion rig and have a sweeping, panning or zooming view of things, I settled for jump cuts. These still did the same job, though not as fluidly as I would have wanted.
I also changed a few scenes, choosing instead to start the animation off with the old film camera being placed down onto the shelf, to show that it was new to the area. I used my own arm, and though it was a struggle to get it down alone, I succeeded and was pleased with both the test shot and the actual shot.
(See my test shots here: https://vimeo.com/55362499 )
Another thing that I changed was when the film camera bumps into the digital camera, before, I had the digital camera wake up as soon as it is hit, but after doing a test shot where I had the film camera circle the digital camera suspiciously, I liked that better and altered it to such.
Slowly but surely, with the help of a close friend and classmate (whom made me a shelf in which to use as my set) I got through my animation in one day, able to quickly have something rather than nothing in which to look at and edit.
The editing process was a long one, with many technical difficulties along the way. Now though, I can happily say that I believe I have finished my animation. Tonight, before writing this, I spent a few hours collecting, creating and editing sound effects onto my animation.
The only thing I have left to do now is make sure all my work is neatly presentable in a folder, ready to hand in on Friday.
Wish me luck!
Sunday 2 December 2012
Life Drawing
Life Drawing is one of my passions and something I hope to continue during my time at University.
If you are interested in seeing my progression and what types of tasks I was set in the lessons, please follow this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gemmabirks/
If you are interested in seeing my progression and what types of tasks I was set in the lessons, please follow this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gemmabirks/
Tuesday 27 November 2012
My Presentation
Last Wednesday, the 12st November, was the day of my presentation. A presentation that explained my essay in as great a detail as I could manage.
I knew about said presentation but ignorantly I did not realise that it was so soon, having dealt with health problems and other such projects beforehand, it had slipped my mind. Hardly an excuse, just an observation.
I knew about said presentation but ignorantly I did not realise that it was so soon, having dealt with health problems and other such projects beforehand, it had slipped my mind. Hardly an excuse, just an observation.
I was therefore, not really prepared though had enough to talk about to keep it up for at least ten minutes. I had also drawn something in my sketchbook to express and show what it was I was trying to explain.
I can only hope I succeeded in getting my point across and explaining it properly.
What I have learnt from the other presentation is a good amount. How others presented themselves and their questions and explantations were very informative.
I also noticed that there are a few that mention the same film(s) as I have in my essay/presentation and that gives me a second opinion and viewpoint, something I can easily add into my essay if I wished.
Many of their research and references would help me also. Looking further into Animation and the whys and the what ifs behind certain films, is something I should look into. As well as looking into what emotions/memories they prompt in the audience and why.
Many of their research and references would help me also. Looking further into Animation and the whys and the what ifs behind certain films, is something I should look into. As well as looking into what emotions/memories they prompt in the audience and why.
Thursday 1 November 2012
Essay Draft and resources
The question that shall be examined and then answered within this essay is as follows, why are objects that are durable in real life softened and unrealistically flexible in Animation? There are several other questions and paths that can be followed connected with this and each one will be pressed upon and explained in as much detail as possible.
Primarily, does the elasticity of normally hard objects make said object in animation friendlier for the audience? Well, yes, to take an object like a toaster, for example, like the one fromThe Brave Little Toaster and soften it to the point of exaggeration where it can be given a face, expressions and movement, makes it more likeable and applicable to the audience then just having a standard toaster without features, move across the stage. Giving an object often referred to as ‘lifeless’ and commonly thought purely as an item without a soul and merely there to aid people in their day-to-day lives a personality, a life and a history makes it more human and relatable. Allowing the audience to feel, connect and hope for the object.
The same applies in the short Make Mine Music -Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnett where the film follows two hats whom battle for the chance to be back together again. A love story about hats, not the most common relatable film to watch one would think, but because of the way it is approached, the way the hats are shown and moved in certain ways, expressing their personality and wants, make it watchable and significant. The expressions are managed in a different way to the toaster also, they don’t necessary have mouths but because of how the objects are bent and morphed with their movement give the impression of different emotions. The stands, in the screenshot of the scene provided, additionally aid with their actions, reactions and personality. Of course, the obvious image of eyes upon them likewise makes the objects more anthropological.
WithinThe Animator's Survival Kit one is shown the twelve core principles of animation and how it helps animation along and one such principle is squash and stretch, this seems to have been used in many animations to give objects character. The purpose of squash and stretch is to give an object a sense of weight and springiness, perhaps to such an extent that it makes a lifeless object lively. In animation, it is argued that anything is possible, and so most is and can be taken to the extreme, the stretch and squash of something exaggerated to such a large degree.
Does cuteness aid the choice of softening objects? It may be believed so as according to a video on Youtube called Why Are Things Cute?, it was said that things many might label as ‘cute’ activate the Nucleus Accumbens, a pleasure center that therefore allows us to be more receptive and captivated by an object that shows this cuteness appeal. This appeal being a softening and roundness of an object. Touched upon in the video is an additional information about the softening of the famous Disney character Mickey Mouse, wherefore, as well as his personality moderating they softened Mickey’s overall look, making more amiable and childlike, triggering adorability.
..............................................................................................................................................................
I, of course, found some things to note but some of them are not books and are something I found online. They are not random, they actually explain/show quite a lot and connects easily with my question and the point/path I wish to make.
Below is one piece of research that is not a book and was not really about Animation, however it does discuss certain aspects that can be linked to Animation referring to animals or objects soften. If you watch it, you will notice that they talk about how some cartoons/animations have been soften over time and what reason there might be for this.
Vsauce (14th October, 2012). Youtube. 1 of 242 videos. [Online]. Available from - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0zConOPZ8Y. [Accessed: 14th October 2012]
Williams, R. (8th December, 2009). The Animator's Survival Kit. Expanded Edition. London: Faber and Faber Limited = Everyone should use this as research and reference! This not only explains the 12 principles of animation but nearly everything there is to know about animation.
Rees, J. (10th July, 1987). The Brave Little Toaster. [DVD]. US: Walt Disney Pictures. = I shall be referencing and using this film as an example, so it only prudent to have it within my research.
Disch. M. T. (2nd April, 1986). The Brave Little Toaster. A bedtime story for small appliances. UK : Doubleday = I might as well show the differences between the book and the film and my opinions on why that is, as well as finding others opinions.
Kinney, J. Geronimi, C. Luske, H. Meador, J. Cormack, R. (15th August, 1946). Make Mine Music - Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnett. [DVD]. US: Walt Disney Productions. = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoX4YjC47oY This was another film that caught my eye when I had thought about my question.
Wednesday 17 October 2012
Toon Boom & Maya
Two different programs. So far, so obvious.
Maya
Some may say Maya is quite complicated and when I was first shown it, I was instantly confused and panicked at the amount of tools and buttons there are on the interface. I should not have stressed so.
Many of Maya's tools are sort of duplicates of the same tool in some cases and to cut back on confusion I am able the freedom to make my own tool selection so I do not have to take time searching for what I want to use.
I only have one negative thing to say and it's not so much about the program but the keyboards provided. As predicted, the Macs at Uni are used quite regularly and therefore some of the keys stick or the shortcuts do not work and you have to go the long way around to do something. Also, the program is Maya 2013 and, being an updated 'new' version, it has its upsets sometimes and will do the complete opposite to what you want or just not work at all. Of course, this can easily happen with any program.
Toon Boom
Toon Boom I found to be very simplistic. As soon as I had opened it I knew almost instantly what the tools were and what they did and how to work it. I made a ball bounce animation in the first few moments of being introduced to Toon Boom. It's that simple. As time goes on, I have no doubt that I will learn more about it and find things I didn't know where on there.
Maya
Some may say Maya is quite complicated and when I was first shown it, I was instantly confused and panicked at the amount of tools and buttons there are on the interface. I should not have stressed so.
Many of Maya's tools are sort of duplicates of the same tool in some cases and to cut back on confusion I am able the freedom to make my own tool selection so I do not have to take time searching for what I want to use.
I only have one negative thing to say and it's not so much about the program but the keyboards provided. As predicted, the Macs at Uni are used quite regularly and therefore some of the keys stick or the shortcuts do not work and you have to go the long way around to do something. Also, the program is Maya 2013 and, being an updated 'new' version, it has its upsets sometimes and will do the complete opposite to what you want or just not work at all. Of course, this can easily happen with any program.
Toon Boom
Toon Boom I found to be very simplistic. As soon as I had opened it I knew almost instantly what the tools were and what they did and how to work it. I made a ball bounce animation in the first few moments of being introduced to Toon Boom. It's that simple. As time goes on, I have no doubt that I will learn more about it and find things I didn't know where on there.
Tuesday 9 October 2012
Brainstorm/Random Notes!
Objects in Animation:
* Why are certain objects used more than others? - More familiar/used daily in audience's life
* Do certain objects shown in Animation help with the overall feel/viewing of the scene/film?
* Colour of objects in scene/film?
* Why are hard objects in Animation softened? - Make them friendlier/desirable/loveable/relatable
* What different types of ways are objects in Animation used (for)?
* How and why an object morphs from an lifeless object to being full of life, and what ways are used to show transformation?
* How emotion is shown on/with objects in Animation?
Films/Animations:
Brave Little Toaster
Beauty and The Beast (though I know my lecturer would dislike the mention of this)
When I mention 'softened' I don't just mean just when objects look soft and spongy, but also when they are morphed and bent into positions the object wouldn't normally be able to go into in real life. One must show emotion and movement in an object some way and many Animators/Animations may 'soften' or change the density of an object to make it easier to animate.
This is the question I have chosen for now. I need more time and I don't believe I can explain correctly what I mean by the question. I realise I don't have many examples of films or animations that I can reference either, or not as many as I would have liked.
My question may change.
I'm not happy with my choice of question.
Below is a postcard I had to create to better explain/illustrate my question.
* Why are certain objects used more than others? - More familiar/used daily in audience's life
* Do certain objects shown in Animation help with the overall feel/viewing of the scene/film?
* Colour of objects in scene/film?
* Why are hard objects in Animation softened? - Make them friendlier/desirable/loveable/relatable
* What different types of ways are objects in Animation used (for)?
* How and why an object morphs from an lifeless object to being full of life, and what ways are used to show transformation?
* How emotion is shown on/with objects in Animation?
Films/Animations:
Brave Little Toaster
Beauty and The Beast (though I know my lecturer would dislike the mention of this)
When I mention 'softened' I don't just mean just when objects look soft and spongy, but also when they are morphed and bent into positions the object wouldn't normally be able to go into in real life. One must show emotion and movement in an object some way and many Animators/Animations may 'soften' or change the density of an object to make it easier to animate.
This is the question I have chosen for now. I need more time and I don't believe I can explain correctly what I mean by the question. I realise I don't have many examples of films or animations that I can reference either, or not as many as I would have liked.
My question may change.
I'm not happy with my choice of question.
Below is a postcard I had to create to better explain/illustrate my question.
Sunday 7 October 2012
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism
When one gives an object that in reality is 'dead' a soul and a conscious we, the viewer, automatically bond and connect with it. If an animal is given a personality, we view that animal with a different perspective than we normally would because we see something in them that is 'human' and something we can easily relate to.
As children I believe many already gave inanimate objects humanity and feelings, bringing the toy to life with our fingertips and imagination.
This can
also be named Personification in some cases and it's meaning is simply this; it
is about human attributions given to a lifeless object, animals, concepts,
extra. Many people give animals, plants and even forces of nature human
qualities.
This has been used in films, cartoons, animations, stories and descriptions for years and we often do it without knowing.
As children I believe many already gave inanimate objects humanity and feelings, bringing the toy to life with our fingertips and imagination.
Tuesday 2 October 2012
12 Core Principles of Animation
Here I shall list what I've come to know as the 12 core principles of animation. Most of them I knew prior to the course (and many would also know or have seen them) but I didn't know they had a specific names and therefore was surprised to find out. Most of it is basic common sense when one is thinking about animation of any kind, be it 3D or 2D.
Squash and Stretch
Apparently this is the most important or at least the most used. The purpose of this to give a sense of weight, movement and flexibility to drawn/created objects. It can be applied to many things ranging from lifeless and simple objects such as a bouncing ball, or to something more complex and alive like a human face/body or an animal. More often than not it is taken to the extreme to better portray what the artist is trying to show the audience or just for the comic value, this is mostly shown in cartoonish animations, be them 3D or 2D. However, in more realistic animation the most important aspect of this principle is to show that an object's volume does not change when squashed or stretched.
Anticipation
This principle is used to get the audience ready for action and in some cases make the action appear more realistic. For example, if a character/animal were to pounce\jump, they would bend their legs first (squash) before leaping (stretch) propelling themselves forward. It may also be used for less physical things like a character glancing off-screen to showcase another character's arrival or just focusing their attention on something they wish to move to or pick up. The action, like many others, can be over the top/unrealistic
Staging
Squash and Stretch
Apparently this is the most important or at least the most used. The purpose of this to give a sense of weight, movement and flexibility to drawn/created objects. It can be applied to many things ranging from lifeless and simple objects such as a bouncing ball, or to something more complex and alive like a human face/body or an animal. More often than not it is taken to the extreme to better portray what the artist is trying to show the audience or just for the comic value, this is mostly shown in cartoonish animations, be them 3D or 2D. However, in more realistic animation the most important aspect of this principle is to show that an object's volume does not change when squashed or stretched.
Anticipation
This principle is used to get the audience ready for action and in some cases make the action appear more realistic. For example, if a character/animal were to pounce\jump, they would bend their legs first (squash) before leaping (stretch) propelling themselves forward. It may also be used for less physical things like a character glancing off-screen to showcase another character's arrival or just focusing their attention on something they wish to move to or pick up. The action, like many others, can be over the top/unrealistic
Staging
This is
basically similar to what is known in film and theatre, the purpose of this is
to direct the audience’s attention to a certain thing, making it clear to them
what is the greatest importance in the scene; this can be with an action,
expression, atmosphere of the scene, background or personality of a character
or scene which can be done in a numerous of ways.
Monday 1 October 2012
2D/3D Animation & Life Drawing
I'm going to go more into what tasks and things I've learnt last week in this post as well as upcoming tasks if needs be.
After Induction week, one of the tasks that my classmates and I were given (on the 24th September) was to create a post-it note flip animation.
My animation can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/50534473 -- You have to be following me to view it
This was very challenging for me only because we had to use 100 notes and were not meant to think too much about it nor spend too long on it, something which is hard for me as I'm a perfectionist and must have things the way I want them or imagine them, and I like to take my time with something but there was, of course, a due date. During the task I was frustrated and had to take regular breaks when doing it as I got distracted and found it rather tedious, I also seemed to struggle to come up with different and unique ideas.
Life Drawing (on the 25th September) was very enjoyable, even if I got immensely irate at the types of things were we set to do. Firstly, we had to draw poses in a series of lines (and were shown a very interesting video on how one person in particular went about this) and only had a set time to do it in, ten to thirty seconds tops. I have done something similar when I had done Life Drawing before but I didn't enjoy it then and my feelings don't seemed to have changed since. I cannot say I disliked the lesson and even though I was annoyed (mainly at myself) I continued on with the lesson and actually loved every moment of it. I haven't been able to draw for a few years now and doing it again, even doing things I wasn't in favour of, was a tremendous joy. The second thing we had to do was rotate around the room and draw/continue other persons drawings.
After the lesson was an optional one and I happily applied for it. I loved every moment of that optional lesson as I was allowed to draw for longer (30 mins near the end of the lesson). I look forward to the following Life Drawing sessions eagerly!
Stop Motion was something we were taught next (on the 27th September), the equipment used and the program. With this, I didn't play as big a part as I should have, mainly put off by the fact that a lot of the equipment/computers/programs didn't work. Once I was in a small group and had found some equipment that was in working order, I allowed one member of the group to do most of the work and merely regarded the process silently and closely beside him.
That animation can be viewed here: Coming soon
3D animation done on Maya was the last lesson I had (on the 28th September) where I created a Pendulum swing animation. It was quite interesting as I've not used Maya before but I have had experience in 3D programs therefore most of the tools that were available were known to me, which was good. Maya has many buttons and tools, though most of them do the same thing and so it's very confusing, but I believe I did well.
The animation can be viewed here: Coming soon
After Induction week, one of the tasks that my classmates and I were given (on the 24th September) was to create a post-it note flip animation.
My animation can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/50534473 -- You have to be following me to view it
This was very challenging for me only because we had to use 100 notes and were not meant to think too much about it nor spend too long on it, something which is hard for me as I'm a perfectionist and must have things the way I want them or imagine them, and I like to take my time with something but there was, of course, a due date. During the task I was frustrated and had to take regular breaks when doing it as I got distracted and found it rather tedious, I also seemed to struggle to come up with different and unique ideas.
Life Drawing (on the 25th September) was very enjoyable, even if I got immensely irate at the types of things were we set to do. Firstly, we had to draw poses in a series of lines (and were shown a very interesting video on how one person in particular went about this) and only had a set time to do it in, ten to thirty seconds tops. I have done something similar when I had done Life Drawing before but I didn't enjoy it then and my feelings don't seemed to have changed since. I cannot say I disliked the lesson and even though I was annoyed (mainly at myself) I continued on with the lesson and actually loved every moment of it. I haven't been able to draw for a few years now and doing it again, even doing things I wasn't in favour of, was a tremendous joy. The second thing we had to do was rotate around the room and draw/continue other persons drawings.
After the lesson was an optional one and I happily applied for it. I loved every moment of that optional lesson as I was allowed to draw for longer (30 mins near the end of the lesson). I look forward to the following Life Drawing sessions eagerly!
Stop Motion was something we were taught next (on the 27th September), the equipment used and the program. With this, I didn't play as big a part as I should have, mainly put off by the fact that a lot of the equipment/computers/programs didn't work. Once I was in a small group and had found some equipment that was in working order, I allowed one member of the group to do most of the work and merely regarded the process silently and closely beside him.
That animation can be viewed here: Coming soon
The animation can be viewed here: Coming soon
Saturday 29 September 2012
First Two Weeks
This blog shall hopefully contain all information, thoughts, ideas and plans that I shall have during my time on my Animation Course of three years.
First let me start of by talking about Induction week and the following week.
Induction week is pretty much self explanatory, it was a week where I was allowed onto the course and introduced to my tutors, the classrooms and my classmates.
It was very exciting and I quickly got to meet and talk to most of my group (all of whom were extremely pleasant and interesting). I was shown to some of the classrooms and went to a few lectures to better understand the University system and what it can provide for me and help me with.
The week following that (the week just gone in fact) was somewhat educational, I learnt how to use some Stop Motion equipment and had a grand time doing Life Drawing -- where my classmates and I drew and experimented with the 12 core Principles of Animation and quick, rough, sketches of the human body using only a few lines. Maya was one of the programs that I played around with and something that I need to learn how to use (even more so for me as 3D animation is something I want to pursue more than 2D animation and Stop Motion animation), it was very confusing and, with the amount of tools and buttons and options, there was a lot to take in, no doubt I shall be buying or lending several books on the program to try and better understand it.
I have also been given small tasks to do (most of them I did recently where, along with this blog, I've made my own Flickr and Vimeo, and I will be using and linking them throughout my time on the course) and one of them is to learn more about Anthropomorphism, or at least look into films, animations, cartoons etc that deal with it.
Don't know what Anthropomorphism is? Well, you shall do at some point as I'm sure, no, I guarantee that I will be doing a post about it at some point.
First let me start of by talking about Induction week and the following week.
Induction week is pretty much self explanatory, it was a week where I was allowed onto the course and introduced to my tutors, the classrooms and my classmates.
It was very exciting and I quickly got to meet and talk to most of my group (all of whom were extremely pleasant and interesting). I was shown to some of the classrooms and went to a few lectures to better understand the University system and what it can provide for me and help me with.
The week following that (the week just gone in fact) was somewhat educational, I learnt how to use some Stop Motion equipment and had a grand time doing Life Drawing -- where my classmates and I drew and experimented with the 12 core Principles of Animation and quick, rough, sketches of the human body using only a few lines. Maya was one of the programs that I played around with and something that I need to learn how to use (even more so for me as 3D animation is something I want to pursue more than 2D animation and Stop Motion animation), it was very confusing and, with the amount of tools and buttons and options, there was a lot to take in, no doubt I shall be buying or lending several books on the program to try and better understand it.
I have also been given small tasks to do (most of them I did recently where, along with this blog, I've made my own Flickr and Vimeo, and I will be using and linking them throughout my time on the course) and one of them is to learn more about Anthropomorphism, or at least look into films, animations, cartoons etc that deal with it.
Don't know what Anthropomorphism is? Well, you shall do at some point as I'm sure, no, I guarantee that I will be doing a post about it at some point.
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