Actions
I spent some time sorting out the storyboard and mounting it on foamboard. I also planned the layout of my exhibition.
Thoughts
It is good to have everything ready for the exhibition as it makes me feel like the project is actually almost complete. The blog has been extremely useful throughout the project and I am extremely glad I decided to use it as a means of recording my progress.
As I mentioned previously, it is frustrating that I have been unable to upload any of my animation videos. I discovered earlier today that the problem lies with the way in which Flash and FinalCutPro save the .mov's. The websites are unable to process the files and as such the video is not watchable. Now that I have discovered this, I will try to convert the videos to a different file type after the project is finished and see if I can get them uploaded just so that this blog can be complete, even if it is not in time for the exhibition and marking.
Future Plans
I need to write the final evaluation for this project.
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
Tuesday 1st June
Actions
I recorded the narrative on an mp3 recorder and then imported it in to FinalCut Pro and added it to the animation
Thoughts
I decided not to write an exact script to follow for the narrative as I do not find it as easy to flow when speaking in such a restricted way. Instead I played the animation and worked out a rough script in my head that fit the timings. I then recorded this multiple times and selected the best sections from each of the recordings to use.
Future Plans
I need to plan the exhibition and update the blog.
I recorded the narrative on an mp3 recorder and then imported it in to FinalCut Pro and added it to the animation
Thoughts
I decided not to write an exact script to follow for the narrative as I do not find it as easy to flow when speaking in such a restricted way. Instead I played the animation and worked out a rough script in my head that fit the timings. I then recorded this multiple times and selected the best sections from each of the recordings to use.
Future Plans
I need to plan the exhibition and update the blog.
Monday 31st May
Actions
I updated the blog once more.
Thoughts
The blog has been a very useful aid throughout this project to ensure everything is recorded regularly and analysed as I work.
Future Plans
I need to record the narrative and add it to the animation
I updated the blog once more.
Thoughts
The blog has been a very useful aid throughout this project to ensure everything is recorded regularly and analysed as I work.
Future Plans
I need to record the narrative and add it to the animation
Monday, 31 May 2010
Friday 28th May
Actions
I combined all the animations on FinalCut Pro and then had to extend the length of all the animation sequences on Flash so that I could insert transitions properly. In the afternoon I printed A3 copies of the storyboard for the exhibition.
Thoughts
The first attempt at combining all the animations was frustrating as I could not work out how to use the transitions. After a discussion with Oli for guidance we established that my animations needed a second or so with no movement that could be used for the transitions. This solved the problem and allowed a 5 frame transition between each sequence to soften the change. Before they were added the changes were too sudden and it was a bit confusing to work out what was actually happening.
Future Plans
I need to record the narrative for the animation and add it on FinalCut Pro.
I combined all the animations on FinalCut Pro and then had to extend the length of all the animation sequences on Flash so that I could insert transitions properly. In the afternoon I printed A3 copies of the storyboard for the exhibition.
Thoughts
The first attempt at combining all the animations was frustrating as I could not work out how to use the transitions. After a discussion with Oli for guidance we established that my animations needed a second or so with no movement that could be used for the transitions. This solved the problem and allowed a 5 frame transition between each sequence to soften the change. Before they were added the changes were too sudden and it was a bit confusing to work out what was actually happening.
Future Plans
I need to record the narrative for the animation and add it on FinalCut Pro.
Thursday 27th May
Actions
I finished the catalogue page on InDesign during digital. I then finished rotoskoping the swan flapping its wings and added the backgrounds to it. With that done, I added a mouse to the pounce scene and then added backgrounds to the couple of animations that did not have any yet. I then created an InDesign document of my storyboard for the exhibition and finally, I updated my blog.
Thoughts
The catalogue page is a nice way to combine a short summary of what the project is about with an image of what was the final outcome.
I am very pleased with the result of the swan rotoskope. I feel that it is the strongest piece of animation that I have done throughout the project. This is most likely because the video used was a very clear image and the swan was a very distinct and different colour to the water behind it, making it easy to distinguish where the outline should be drawn.
I feel that the digital storyboard will be far more appropriate for the exhibition than the watercolour storyboard for a variety of reasons. Firstly, it is far neater than the watercolour storyboard as the paper is not warped by water and so can be far more easily mounted on foamboard. Also, it shows the style of the animation more accurately as it is screenshots. Finally, it is laid out more apppropriately for the size of the boards.
The blog has still been very useful for analysis and evaluation throughout the entire project.
Future Plans
I need to combine the animations on FinalCut Pro and print off the storyboard. Finally, I need to record a narrative and add that to the animation.
I finished the catalogue page on InDesign during digital. I then finished rotoskoping the swan flapping its wings and added the backgrounds to it. With that done, I added a mouse to the pounce scene and then added backgrounds to the couple of animations that did not have any yet. I then created an InDesign document of my storyboard for the exhibition and finally, I updated my blog.
Thoughts
The catalogue page is a nice way to combine a short summary of what the project is about with an image of what was the final outcome.
I am very pleased with the result of the swan rotoskope. I feel that it is the strongest piece of animation that I have done throughout the project. This is most likely because the video used was a very clear image and the swan was a very distinct and different colour to the water behind it, making it easy to distinguish where the outline should be drawn.
I feel that the digital storyboard will be far more appropriate for the exhibition than the watercolour storyboard for a variety of reasons. Firstly, it is far neater than the watercolour storyboard as the paper is not warped by water and so can be far more easily mounted on foamboard. Also, it shows the style of the animation more accurately as it is screenshots. Finally, it is laid out more apppropriately for the size of the boards.
The blog has still been very useful for analysis and evaluation throughout the entire project.
Future Plans
I need to combine the animations on FinalCut Pro and print off the storyboard. Finally, I need to record a narrative and add that to the animation.
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Wednesday 26th May
Actions
I combined all the sections of the completed animation on FinalCut Pro. I then began rotoskoping the swan flapping its wings as well as creating two short scenes of the cat and the man for the introduction.
Thoughts
Since I still have a few days left before I need the animation to be finished, I have decided to rotoskope the swan flapping its wings as I feel this would add a bit of movement to the swan's character, as currently it is a static image.
The two short introductory sequences use static images of the characters, but set the scene very nicely for the rest of the animation.
Future Plans
I need to finish animating/rotoskoping so that everything can be combined properly in to the final animation. I also need to finish adding backgrounds and middle/foregrounds to the new rotoskopes. Finally, I need to finish the catalogue page and design the storyboard for the exhibition.
I combined all the sections of the completed animation on FinalCut Pro. I then began rotoskoping the swan flapping its wings as well as creating two short scenes of the cat and the man for the introduction.
Thoughts
Since I still have a few days left before I need the animation to be finished, I have decided to rotoskope the swan flapping its wings as I feel this would add a bit of movement to the swan's character, as currently it is a static image.
The two short introductory sequences use static images of the characters, but set the scene very nicely for the rest of the animation.
Future Plans
I need to finish animating/rotoskoping so that everything can be combined properly in to the final animation. I also need to finish adding backgrounds and middle/foregrounds to the new rotoskopes. Finally, I need to finish the catalogue page and design the storyboard for the exhibition.
Tuesday 25th May
Actions
I completed adding the backgrounds to all of the rotoskopes I have done so far. I also created the middle/foreground layer on photoshop and added that to the animations. I then used shape tweens in the two rotoskopes where the cat changes into a woman and vice versa.
Thoughts
It is very satisfying to see all the animations I have done so far with backgrounds on them. It makes them look far more complete and rounded off. The style of the watercolour backgrounds blends far better with the silhouettes once I changed the colours slightly. When animating to begin with I chose bright colours that were very different from each other so that I could tell the difference between the silhouettes. However, those colours clashed when placed on top of the backgrounds. I chose darker, less bright, tones and these sat far more naturally on the paler watercolours.
The shape tweening had a few issues to get around before I could get the shape morph to work properly. I had to draw several in between steps before Flash was able to create tweens that looked as I wanted them to. However, now they are complete I am very pleased with the final result. It is much faster than trying to draw each frame of the change by hand and looks far smoother than anything I could have created in the same amount of time.
Future Plans
I need to finish animating so that everything can be combined in to a single animation. I also need to design the storyboard for my exhibition and finish the catalogue page.
I completed adding the backgrounds to all of the rotoskopes I have done so far. I also created the middle/foreground layer on photoshop and added that to the animations. I then used shape tweens in the two rotoskopes where the cat changes into a woman and vice versa.
Thoughts
It is very satisfying to see all the animations I have done so far with backgrounds on them. It makes them look far more complete and rounded off. The style of the watercolour backgrounds blends far better with the silhouettes once I changed the colours slightly. When animating to begin with I chose bright colours that were very different from each other so that I could tell the difference between the silhouettes. However, those colours clashed when placed on top of the backgrounds. I chose darker, less bright, tones and these sat far more naturally on the paler watercolours.
The shape tweening had a few issues to get around before I could get the shape morph to work properly. I had to draw several in between steps before Flash was able to create tweens that looked as I wanted them to. However, now they are complete I am very pleased with the final result. It is much faster than trying to draw each frame of the change by hand and looks far smoother than anything I could have created in the same amount of time.
Future Plans
I need to finish animating so that everything can be combined in to a single animation. I also need to design the storyboard for my exhibition and finish the catalogue page.
Monday 24th May
Actions
I updated the blog to get it caught up with my note diary.
Thoughts
The blog is proving to be far more useful now that I am animating as I can watch the videos in front of me and then post an analysis straight away. It is a far easier platform than my sketchbook where I can only really look at screenshots.
Future Plans
I need to add backgrounds to all the animations created so far as well as create the middle/foreground layer for all the animations. I also need to finish any in between animation sections and then combine them all into a final animation. Finally, I need to design a storyboard for the exhibition and finish my catalogue page.
I updated the blog to get it caught up with my note diary.
Thoughts
The blog is proving to be far more useful now that I am animating as I can watch the videos in front of me and then post an analysis straight away. It is a far easier platform than my sketchbook where I can only really look at screenshots.
Future Plans
I need to add backgrounds to all the animations created so far as well as create the middle/foreground layer for all the animations. I also need to finish any in between animation sections and then combine them all into a final animation. Finally, I need to design a storyboard for the exhibition and finish my catalogue page.
Monday, 24 May 2010
Friday 21st May
Actions
Today I finished rotoskoping the cat. I then scanned in the backgrounds, combined them on Photoshop and began adding them to the animations.
Thoughts
I am pleased to have completed the large majority of the rotoskoping required for this project. This allows me to focus on getting the final animation to come together as I want it to. Scanning in the backgrounds required scanning them in parts and then recombining them on Photoshop. I then saved them as .jpgs and to add them in to Flash.
Due to the rotoskoping and the way I moved the camera when I filmed, the background needs to move with the silhouettes. This meant moving the foreground objects in every frame the same amount as the silhouettes move. However, the animations now look slightly odd as the background does not move at all. The solution to this is to create a middle/foreground layer that can also be added and moved with the silhouettes.
Future Plans
I need to add backgrounds to all the animations. I also need to create a middle/foreground. I need to finish animating the rest of the scenes and then combine it all together.
Today I finished rotoskoping the cat. I then scanned in the backgrounds, combined them on Photoshop and began adding them to the animations.
Thoughts
I am pleased to have completed the large majority of the rotoskoping required for this project. This allows me to focus on getting the final animation to come together as I want it to. Scanning in the backgrounds required scanning them in parts and then recombining them on Photoshop. I then saved them as .jpgs and to add them in to Flash.
Due to the rotoskoping and the way I moved the camera when I filmed, the background needs to move with the silhouettes. This meant moving the foreground objects in every frame the same amount as the silhouettes move. However, the animations now look slightly odd as the background does not move at all. The solution to this is to create a middle/foreground layer that can also be added and moved with the silhouettes.
Future Plans
I need to add backgrounds to all the animations. I also need to create a middle/foreground. I need to finish animating the rest of the scenes and then combine it all together.
Thursday 20th May
Actions
I seperated out the sections of Homeward Bound that I wanted to use in FinalCut Pro. With these clips I could then begin rotoskoping once more. We also had a study skills session in which we looked at what was needed in our final evaluation essays. During digital I updated my blog again.
Thoughts
Although the clips from Homeward Bound are not perfect, they are high quality videos which are very clear. This means that even when things are a similar colour, it is much easier to tell them apart.
The study skills session was, again, very useful. Previously I was not entirely sure exactly what is required for the final evaluation but I now have a much clearer idea of what I need to write. I am still finding the blog to be very productive in sorting through my work and analysing what has been done. However, disappointingly I have not been able to get any of my animations to upload alongside my posts as the upload always fails.
Future Plans
I need to continue animating and rotoskoping as well as scan in the watercolour backgrounds .
I seperated out the sections of Homeward Bound that I wanted to use in FinalCut Pro. With these clips I could then begin rotoskoping once more. We also had a study skills session in which we looked at what was needed in our final evaluation essays. During digital I updated my blog again.
Thoughts
Although the clips from Homeward Bound are not perfect, they are high quality videos which are very clear. This means that even when things are a similar colour, it is much easier to tell them apart.
The study skills session was, again, very useful. Previously I was not entirely sure exactly what is required for the final evaluation but I now have a much clearer idea of what I need to write. I am still finding the blog to be very productive in sorting through my work and analysing what has been done. However, disappointingly I have not been able to get any of my animations to upload alongside my posts as the upload always fails.
Future Plans
I need to continue animating and rotoskoping as well as scan in the watercolour backgrounds .
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Wednesday 19th May
Actions
I spent the morning searching for videos online of cats and swans that I could rotoskope. I began rotoskoping a video of a cat trotting. This video turned out to be completely unusable so I had to go back to square one and look for more videos of cats. I watched Homeward Bound and found sections of that for cat movements I wanted.
Thoughts
Today was an extremely frustrating day in terms of getting anything done. I felt as though I took one step forwards and three backwards. The cat video turned out to be almost impossible to rotoskope as the background it was moving on was the same colour as it's legs. This meant that when I zoomed in there was no way to differentiate between the leg and the background. Guessing at the rough area resulted in a video with a cat who's legs changed size in every frame. It was just an unusable animation. This was quite disheartening as I feel as though I have wasted a day that I do not have spare towards the end of the project.
Future Plans
I need to pull out the useful sections from Homeward Bound so that I can rotoskope the cat. I also need to continue animating/rotoskoping and finally, I need to scan in the backgrounds.
I spent the morning searching for videos online of cats and swans that I could rotoskope. I began rotoskoping a video of a cat trotting. This video turned out to be completely unusable so I had to go back to square one and look for more videos of cats. I watched Homeward Bound and found sections of that for cat movements I wanted.
Thoughts
Today was an extremely frustrating day in terms of getting anything done. I felt as though I took one step forwards and three backwards. The cat video turned out to be almost impossible to rotoskope as the background it was moving on was the same colour as it's legs. This meant that when I zoomed in there was no way to differentiate between the leg and the background. Guessing at the rough area resulted in a video with a cat who's legs changed size in every frame. It was just an unusable animation. This was quite disheartening as I feel as though I have wasted a day that I do not have spare towards the end of the project.
Future Plans
I need to pull out the useful sections from Homeward Bound so that I can rotoskope the cat. I also need to continue animating/rotoskoping and finally, I need to scan in the backgrounds.
Tuesday 18th May
Actions
I completed rotoskoping the videos of Matt and Charlotte for the animation.
Thoughts
I am very pleased with the speed at which this part of the project is progressing. I had expected the rotoskoping to take the rest of the week. Finishing it this early offers me more time to complete other sections of the animation and get the final project finished to a higher standard.
Future Plans
I need to find some videos of cats and swans that I can rotoskope and then I need to scan in the backgrounds so that I can add these to the work I have done so far.
I completed rotoskoping the videos of Matt and Charlotte for the animation.
Thoughts
I am very pleased with the speed at which this part of the project is progressing. I had expected the rotoskoping to take the rest of the week. Finishing it this early offers me more time to complete other sections of the animation and get the final project finished to a higher standard.
Future Plans
I need to find some videos of cats and swans that I can rotoskope and then I need to scan in the backgrounds so that I can add these to the work I have done so far.
Monday 17th May
Actions
I updated the blog to get it caught up with my note diary. I then continued rotoskoping the videos of Matt and Charlotte.
Thoughts
I feel that the blog is likely to become more useful over the next few weeks for analysing and evaluating my animations as the animations can be uploaded alongside the evaluation, unlike my sketch book where only screen shots can be included.
I am quickly beginning to pick up speed with the rotoskoping and am pleased to have completed far more of the rotoskoping than I expected in such a short space of time.
Future Plans
I need to complete the rest of the videos of Matt and Charlotte as well as find some videos to rotoskope of cats and swans. I also need to scan in the watercolour backgrounds.
I updated the blog to get it caught up with my note diary. I then continued rotoskoping the videos of Matt and Charlotte.
Thoughts
I feel that the blog is likely to become more useful over the next few weeks for analysing and evaluating my animations as the animations can be uploaded alongside the evaluation, unlike my sketch book where only screen shots can be included.
I am quickly beginning to pick up speed with the rotoskoping and am pleased to have completed far more of the rotoskoping than I expected in such a short space of time.
Future Plans
I need to complete the rest of the videos of Matt and Charlotte as well as find some videos to rotoskope of cats and swans. I also need to scan in the watercolour backgrounds.
Monday, 17 May 2010
Friday 14th May
Actions
I had to convert all the images from the videos into JPGs as Flash could not open the animation with GIFs. Once this was done I started rotoskoping again.
Thoughts
It was frustrating to find that all the work on the animation I had completed on Thursday was inaccessible due to the format in which I had saved the images. With some time spent testing different formats I was able to establish that I need to save all the frames from videos as JPGs so that the file size is as small as possible. However, I was able to redo what I had lost and continue with the rotoskoping.
Future Plans
I need to continue rotoskoping the videos of Matt and Charlotte as well as find videos to that I can rotoskope of a cat and a swan. I also need to scan in the watercolour backgrounds.
I had to convert all the images from the videos into JPGs as Flash could not open the animation with GIFs. Once this was done I started rotoskoping again.
Thoughts
It was frustrating to find that all the work on the animation I had completed on Thursday was inaccessible due to the format in which I had saved the images. With some time spent testing different formats I was able to establish that I need to save all the frames from videos as JPGs so that the file size is as small as possible. However, I was able to redo what I had lost and continue with the rotoskoping.
Future Plans
I need to continue rotoskoping the videos of Matt and Charlotte as well as find videos to that I can rotoskope of a cat and a swan. I also need to scan in the watercolour backgrounds.
Thursday 13th May
Actions
We had a short study skills session to discuss the dates for the rest of this term. In digital I then began creating my catalogue page and updated my blog. For the rest of the day I converted the videos to 24 frames per second and then divided them into images so that I could begin rotoskoping.
Thoughts
The update on the term dates was very useful as it provides a more accurate deadline of exactly when all my work needs to be finished for this project. The catalogue page was useful as I wrote a short summary of what I have been trying to achieve within the project and it was a clever way of reminding myself what it is I am aiming for. This blog is still proving to be an excellent resource for analysis and evaluation.
I did not realise that my camera recorded at 15 fps so before I could use the video for rotoskoping I needed to convert it to 24 fps. Once it was converted I could use ImageReady to break the video down in to individual images. I only used every other image (12 fps) as the animation does not really need to be better quality than this and double the number of frames would require a lot more time to animate. Once the frames were in Flash, I began rotoskoping.
Future Plans
I need to continue rotoskoping the videos of Matt and Charlotte as well as find some videos to rotoskope for the cat and the swan. I also need to scan in the backgrounds to add to the animation.
We had a short study skills session to discuss the dates for the rest of this term. In digital I then began creating my catalogue page and updated my blog. For the rest of the day I converted the videos to 24 frames per second and then divided them into images so that I could begin rotoskoping.
Thoughts
The update on the term dates was very useful as it provides a more accurate deadline of exactly when all my work needs to be finished for this project. The catalogue page was useful as I wrote a short summary of what I have been trying to achieve within the project and it was a clever way of reminding myself what it is I am aiming for. This blog is still proving to be an excellent resource for analysis and evaluation.
I did not realise that my camera recorded at 15 fps so before I could use the video for rotoskoping I needed to convert it to 24 fps. Once it was converted I could use ImageReady to break the video down in to individual images. I only used every other image (12 fps) as the animation does not really need to be better quality than this and double the number of frames would require a lot more time to animate. Once the frames were in Flash, I began rotoskoping.
Future Plans
I need to continue rotoskoping the videos of Matt and Charlotte as well as find some videos to rotoskope for the cat and the swan. I also need to scan in the backgrounds to add to the animation.
Thursday, 13 May 2010
Wednesday 12th May
Actions
I spent most of the day painting the final backgrounds for the animation. I also filmed Matt and Charlotte so that I can rotoskope them.
Thoughts
I am pleased that I created the storyboard in watercolour first. This has given me a lot more confidence and skill to paint the final backgrounds so that they look as good as possible. I feel that the images I have created here are much closer to what I was trying to create than some of the backgrounds in the storyboard - proof that practice makes perfect. I created multiple trees and flowers so that I can pick the strongest images to actually use in the animation.
I am pleased with how quick and easy it was to film the actions I needed for the animation. I have only recorded them on a small digital camera as I do not feel that they need to be high quality and this is much easier to transfer on to the computer.
Future Plans
I need to begin rotoskoping the video I recorded and I also need to scan in the backgrounds I painted so that they can be added to the animations.
I spent most of the day painting the final backgrounds for the animation. I also filmed Matt and Charlotte so that I can rotoskope them.
Thoughts
I am pleased that I created the storyboard in watercolour first. This has given me a lot more confidence and skill to paint the final backgrounds so that they look as good as possible. I feel that the images I have created here are much closer to what I was trying to create than some of the backgrounds in the storyboard - proof that practice makes perfect. I created multiple trees and flowers so that I can pick the strongest images to actually use in the animation.
I am pleased with how quick and easy it was to film the actions I needed for the animation. I have only recorded them on a small digital camera as I do not feel that they need to be high quality and this is much easier to transfer on to the computer.
Future Plans
I need to begin rotoskoping the video I recorded and I also need to scan in the backgrounds I painted so that they can be added to the animations.
Tuesday 11th May
Actions
Today focused mainly on the mid-project review. This involved presenting work to one another and gaining feedback and comments on what we had achieved so far.
Thoughts
The mid-project review was extremely useful to gain others thoughts and opinions on the work I have done so far. Everyone also noted down their thoughts on post-it notes to provide extra feedback for our projects. These were ideal to add to my board around the newly finished storyboard so that I could easily see what I had achieved.
Future Plans
I need to film people for the rotoskoping and begin animating.
Today focused mainly on the mid-project review. This involved presenting work to one another and gaining feedback and comments on what we had achieved so far.
Thoughts
The mid-project review was extremely useful to gain others thoughts and opinions on the work I have done so far. Everyone also noted down their thoughts on post-it notes to provide extra feedback for our projects. These were ideal to add to my board around the newly finished storyboard so that I could easily see what I had achieved.
Future Plans
I need to film people for the rotoskoping and begin animating.
Monday 10th May
Actions
I spent some time getting my blog caught up with my note diary
Thoughts
The blog is still proving very useful for analysis and evaluation of my work. It ensures I look back over my work so that I do not forget to use what I have learnt and developed. It would be very easy to keep moving forwards with my work but never link anything back to earlier development and research.
Future Plans
I need to film some people for the rotoskoping and then begin animating.
I spent some time getting my blog caught up with my note diary
Thoughts
The blog is still proving very useful for analysis and evaluation of my work. It ensures I look back over my work so that I do not forget to use what I have learnt and developed. It would be very easy to keep moving forwards with my work but never link anything back to earlier development and research.
Future Plans
I need to film some people for the rotoskoping and then begin animating.
Monday, 10 May 2010
Friday 7th May
Actions
I spent a long time completing the various elements of the storyboard and sticking them all together.
Thoughts
Although there are a variety of issues with the silhouettes, I am still extremely pleased with the final result of the storyboard. If I had more time I would redo parts of it so that the silhouettes were more realistic and accurate. Despite this, the final outcome for the storyboard is still a clear plan of exactly what this animation will be. I feel that the watercolours are so successful and relatively simple that it would be interesting to use them for the final animation as well. This would nicely combine Flash animation (a media in which I am relatively confident) with watercolour (a media in which I have little experience and not much confidence). Branching out into areas where I am not comfortable is essential to develop myself as an artist as well as making the project more interesting for others to see.
Future Plans
Now that the storyboard is complete I need to film people for the rotoskoping and start animation the final piece.
Thursday 6th May
Actions
I spent the day painting with watercolours. I created all of the single colour backgrounds in the panels and began painting and cutting out the foreground objects.
Thoughts
This section of the project is working well and I am pleased with how everything is coming together for this storyboard. With each step I am aware that my confidence within the media is increasing as well as my skill. The final backgrounds are much neater than the early ones and this is a strong case of practice makes perfect.
Future Plans
I need to finish this storyboard and then begin filming people for the rotoskoping and finally start the animation.
Wednesday 5th May
Actions
I evaluated my test videos of the stop motion cat and concluded that stop motion is not a viable option for the project. I created an updated storyboard with silhouettes rather than stick figures so that I could begin work on a display storyboard. I then spoke with Jules about watercolours and spent some time experimenting with the information he gave me.
Thoughts
Stop motion is just not going to be an option for this project, mainly due to time constraints. For the puppets to have reasonably natural movements they need to have a lot of joints. Each joint adds to the complication for animating and so how long the animation takes to create. It just is not possible to create a complete animation of this narrative with stop motion puppets in the time frame available.
Updating the storyboard allowed me to create a better idea of exactly what I need to create for the final display storyboard.
Experimenting with watercolour was a very interesting experience. It was a large step outside of my comfort zone and proved that I am able to work with media I am not used to. I am pleased with the possibilities the experiments suggest and feel it will be an ideal way to create an interesting and slightly different storyboard.
Future Plans
I now need to create a large display storyboard for this narrative using all the research and planning I have done so far.
Tuesday 4th May
Actions
Today I spent some time reviewing the work I have achieved so far. This involved looking back through my sketch book and re-reading my statement of intent to ensure I have not forgotten anything important or allowed myself to be diverted from my original goals.
I sat down with Oli to discuss a variety of rotoskoping methods on the computer.
Thoughts
Reviewing my direction and current work allowed me to produce a clearer idea of what I still needed to create before the end of this project. It reminded me of the direction I should be taking within the project and confirmed that I was not missing any important sections of work that I had previously outlined.
Rotoskoping will be an extremely useful method for me during this animation as it will help me with my human drawing weaknesses. Rather than spending time trying to correct drawings, I can spend time tracing real human movements and create a final animation that looks far smoother with natural movements and actions.
Future Plans
I need to formerly evaluate the stop motion cat within my sketch book so that the stop motion media can be properly removed from the list of viable ways of animating the project. I also need to create an updated storyboard with the silhouettes.
Monday 3rd May
Actions
I spent some time designing basic silhouettes of the other characters in the story. I have also made some posts on the blog to bring it up to date once more.
Thoughts
The silhouettes that I have created are not ideal as the human figures are not particularly accurate. Nonetheless, they are enough to provide a strong impression of what I wish to see within the final animation. Updating the blog is still extremely useful. I have also been able to upload my first piece of work, which is the test animation of my stop motion cat. Including work within my posts will help me to keep more records of what I have done as well as offering others the opportunity to comment on my work if they choose to read my blog.
Future Plans
Now that my I have basic character designs I can update my storyboard and create a large display version. I also need to formerly evaluate the test stop motion cat videos within my sketch book.
Monday, 3 May 2010
Stop Motion Cat Test
These two videos are my tests of the cat silhouette running, based on the work by Eadweard Muybridge.
(I am not sure why the backgrounds have uploaded as red - they are meant to be black)
Friday 30th April
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Today I put together a jointed puppet of the cat using cardboard and blu-tack. I then created a short run cycle for the cat using some of Muybridge's panels as guidance.
Thoughts
At first glance the cat's legs seem a little shorter than they should be for the body, but when I arrange them in the same position as other drawings, they are actually an identical length. The animation was not nearly as successful as I had hoped due to a variety of reasons. Firstly, the body was a single piece of cardboard and so could not change shape. However, as a cat runs, its spine bends and straightens again, so this meant that already the run cycle did not look right as the puppet's body was rigid.
The next problem stemmed from the fact that the reference images I was using from Muybridge used an irregular gallop cycle. At the second step the cat keeps its right paw in the air rather than placing it on the ground. This caused my cycle to appear as though it had a limp. To combat this I removed some of the last frames and made a shorter cycle involving only the first step. This shorter cycle was more effective but suffered from the problem that the body gradually moved forwards during each frame. This means that as the video loops, the cat appears to jump back slightly every time.
Future Plans
I need to create designs of the silhouettes of the other characters in the story before I can move forwards any further.
Thursday 29th April
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I spent a bit of time updating this blog to once again get it caught up with my note diary. I also further researched Lotte Reiniger and some other information on silhouettes.
Thoughts
This blog is still proving to be extremely useful for evaluating my project and all the work achieved so far. As mentioned previously, I find it helpful to look back at the work I have done a few days later as it is much easier to be more objective.
Lotte Reiniger is such a wonderful source of inspiration for silhouette work that it is hard to stop researching her work. I could sit and watch film after film that she has created and spend my whole time admiring the meticulous and detailed figures she creates. It was also useful to look into a basic history of silhouettes as this provided me with a more accurate idea of why they became popular for the Victorians. I had a short look at the work of John Miers, one of the most famous silhouette artists of that era. Like Lotte Reiniger, his work contains impressive levels of detail and the hair and clothes are shaded slightly in places to provide a better impression of how the individual looked.
Future Plans
I now need to create my own cat silhouette puppet as well as design silhouettes for the rest of the characters within the story.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Simon's Cat
I found a set of interesting videos of an animated cat online earlier. Since I am now working with silhouettes these videos are not quite so relevant as the outline of the cat is actually quite basic. None the less it is interesting to watch an animated cat in a very different style to the more famous cartoons like "The Aristocats" and "Top Cat".
Wednesday 28th April
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I spent some time modeling with plastecine to create a figure of the cat. I also continued looking at others who have worked with silhouettes and started looking at some of Lotte Reiniger's work on a DVD called "The Fairy Tale Films"
Thoughts
The plastecine cat has simply further confirmed my feelings that working with silhouettes is going to be the best way for me to animate this narrative. It is a very basic model which took me a long time to create and has no capabilities for moving. To create a model that moves I would need to make a wire frame and build the model up around that which from this short experiment with plastecine I do not have the skill to do.
Lotte Reiniger's work is incredibly complex. Although some of the animation is quite basic, the skill required to create it is immense and the end result is very enjoyable to watch. Her puppets are intricately detailed and carefully jointed to give them the right range of movement. I think that studying her method of creating puppets will be very useful in my own work for this project.
Future Plans
I need to make a silhouette puppet of the cat as well as design silhouettes for the rest of the characters. I will also need to choose how I want to animate the silhouettes for the project and create a new storyboard based on the final character designs.
Tuesday 27th April
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I spent some more time sketching ideas for the character of the cat. I had a look at other animations that involve cat characters so that I could identify the most important characteristics that differentiate between male and female. I also created a few silhouettes of cats so that I could focus on the outline rather than the inner details. This was prompted by some work by Kara Walker. I had a look at an article in Modern Painter (April 2010) called "The Eyes of the Storm".
Thoughts
I feel that although I have a better idea of how to make the facial features of a cat look feminine, I am concerned at the level of detail required. I am aware that my drawing is not yet strong enough to support an animation involving so much detail in such a short space of time. For this reason I found the silhouettes even more satisfying. Without any facial features, I still think that the shape of the cat looks feminine rather than masculine. These images combined with what I have seen of Kara Walker's work leaves me with a strong sense that this is likely to be the best path to follow.
Future Plans
I need to complete my character designs and choose my animation medium.
Monday 26th April
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I spent some time sketching out some ideas for the character of the cat. I focussed on the face and how to make the cat look as feminine as possible. I also updated this blog to get it caught up with my note diary.
Thoughts
I am finding that a lot of my sketches are looking quite masculine which is a serious problem for this character. A small nose seems to be essential with my style of drawing. However, as this is a relatively short project for animation I do not really have time for complicated characters that take a long time to draw.
I am still finding the blog very useful to re-evaluate my thoughts on work I have completed so far. It is a good way to remind myself of what I have achieved and what I need to focus on over the next few days and weeks.
Future Plans
I need to create some final character designs and alongside that choose the medium with which I will animate the story.
Monday, 26 April 2010
Friday 23rd April
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Today I completed sketching out a variety of ideas for my storyboard. Completing this allowed me to create a basic first draft of the actual storyboard.
Thoughts
Laying out ideas for the storyboard has helped me create a clearer image of how I want to portray the narrative for this animation. Tying it together in a single storyboard was very satisfying and provides a much clearer direction for the rest of the project. Although the sketches are very simple and basic, they still provide the most important information of how things happen and how the story progresses. A more detailed storyboard can be produced once I have created my characters.
Future Plans
The next step is to create the characters for the story. Now that I know what they will be doing during the animation, this should be much easier. I also need to choose a medium for the animation. This will likely coincide with designing the characters as they both affect each other.
Today I completed sketching out a variety of ideas for my storyboard. Completing this allowed me to create a basic first draft of the actual storyboard.
Thoughts
Laying out ideas for the storyboard has helped me create a clearer image of how I want to portray the narrative for this animation. Tying it together in a single storyboard was very satisfying and provides a much clearer direction for the rest of the project. Although the sketches are very simple and basic, they still provide the most important information of how things happen and how the story progresses. A more detailed storyboard can be produced once I have created my characters.
Future Plans
The next step is to create the characters for the story. Now that I know what they will be doing during the animation, this should be much easier. I also need to choose a medium for the animation. This will likely coincide with designing the characters as they both affect each other.
Thursday 22nd April
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I spent most of today getting my blog caught up with my note diary. This involved turning the short notes of what I had done each day into blog posts outlining my actions, my thoughts on what I had achieved and my plans for what needs to be done next.
During the digital class I also made a short time plan describing possible activities I can do during digital lessons.
Finally, during study skills I had a look at the criteria for the final major project and what is required to achieve a Pass/Merit/Distinction.
Thoughts
I am extremely pleased with the first stage of the blog. It is very helpful to go back through what I have done and evaluate it more carefully slightly after I did the work. Doing it while it is still fresh in my mind (ie within a few days) but it has been long enough that I am not biased by having just completed that step helps me to be more critical with what I have achieved so far.
The digital time plan should be extremely useful to prevent me wasting my time within the digital classes. It is very easy to arrive to a class without knowing what can be done within that environment. This leads to large amounts of wasted time while trying to find something productive to do. Hopefully the digital time plan should help to prevent this.
Reading through and discussing the criteria for the final major project was very useful as it has provided me with a much clearer idea of what areas I need to focus on to ensure I cover every area as thoroughly as possible.
Future Plans
I need to finish sketching out ideas for the storyboard and begin designing my characters. I also still need to choose a medium for the animation.
I spent most of today getting my blog caught up with my note diary. This involved turning the short notes of what I had done each day into blog posts outlining my actions, my thoughts on what I had achieved and my plans for what needs to be done next.
During the digital class I also made a short time plan describing possible activities I can do during digital lessons.
Finally, during study skills I had a look at the criteria for the final major project and what is required to achieve a Pass/Merit/Distinction.
Thoughts
I am extremely pleased with the first stage of the blog. It is very helpful to go back through what I have done and evaluate it more carefully slightly after I did the work. Doing it while it is still fresh in my mind (ie within a few days) but it has been long enough that I am not biased by having just completed that step helps me to be more critical with what I have achieved so far.
The digital time plan should be extremely useful to prevent me wasting my time within the digital classes. It is very easy to arrive to a class without knowing what can be done within that environment. This leads to large amounts of wasted time while trying to find something productive to do. Hopefully the digital time plan should help to prevent this.
Reading through and discussing the criteria for the final major project was very useful as it has provided me with a much clearer idea of what areas I need to focus on to ensure I cover every area as thoroughly as possible.
Future Plans
I need to finish sketching out ideas for the storyboard and begin designing my characters. I also still need to choose a medium for the animation.
Thursday, 22 April 2010
Wednesday 21st April
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I spent some more time sketching out ideas for the storyboard. I also had an interview at Glamorgan for both Animation and Computer Animation.
Thoughts
Laying out ideas for each section of the storyboard allows me to investigate lots of possibilities without drawing infinite combinations of storyboards. This should speed up the final process and ensure that my final storyboard uses the strongest imagery.
Glamorgan is an impressive university with some excellent facilities available to students. The interview seemed to go well.
Future Plans
I still need to finish sketching ideas for the storyboard and start creating the final storyboard. I also need to begin designing characters and I need to choose a medium for the animation.
The Cat's True Nature
A cat fell in love with a handsome man, and begged Aphrodite to change her into a human being. The goddess felt sorry for the cat and agreed, provided the cat would give up her feline ways. Eagerly the cat promised she would, and so Aphrodite transformed her into an enchanting girl. The man was so struck by her beauty that he married her there and then.
As the newly wed couple sat together at their fireside, the goddess sent a mouse to run between the girl's feet. The excited girl pounced on the mouse - and then remembered her promise. But it was too late. Before she could apologise, Aphrodite had changed her back into a cat.
Moral
Changing your looks will not turn you into a different person
Tuesday 20th April
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I spent a bit of time evaluating the research completed over the holidays. This involved looking at what research I did, what research I had intended to do and what research I feel would be appropriate for the future.
Once this was complete I began sketching some ideas for possible ways each part of the story could occur so that I can start developing a storyboard.
Thoughts
I found the evaluation of research very useful to work out what I was doing well and what things I had forgotten to include. Planning in advance prevents me from drifting and spending time wondering where to go next and so laying out ideas for future research is a good way to prevent this from happening.
Although the sketches themselves are quite basic, I am really enjoying laying out possible ideas. For each stage of the story I have picked out which I feel are the strongest possibilities for the storyboard.
Future Plans
I need to continue laying out ideas for the storyboard so that I can move on and begin creating the actual storyboard. I also need to begin designing the characters and choose a medium to work in for the animation.
Monday 19th April
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I spent some time looking more carefully at some of Safaya's illustrations in my copy of Aesop's Fables. I also researched Paula Rego's Nursery Rhymes series of prints. Finally, I settled on The Cat's True Nature as the narrative for my animation.
Thoughts
Safaya Salter's illustrations are influenced by some Persian miniatures from her childhood. This shows in the beautiful detail of her work and the wonderful borders and patterns she uses within the images. The animals themselves are quite simple in shape but the variety of colours used and patterns created make a far more detailed final image. I find the line art very interesting as I feel it is a simple style that would look good in 2D animation.
Paula Rego's Nursery Rhymes are a very different illustration of children's narratives and as such are a very interesting counterpoint to the other work I have been looking at recently. The images are much darker and slightly creepy. The style is also very different due to the etching method with which she created the prints.
I feel that the Cat's True Nature is the most appropriate fable for this animation as it is an ideal length, contains only three characters (all of which are very different) and has a moral that is very easy to understand, especially when provided with the narrative.
Future Plans
Now that I have chosen a narrative, I need to start creating a storyboard. Alongside this I also need to begin designing the characters and finally, choose what type of animation I actually want to use.
Sunday 18th April
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I spent some time researching Warner Brothers cartoons, specifically Looney Tunes. I watched a variety of episodes featuring various characters.
Thoughts
The Looney Tunes involves a large variety of anthropomorphic characters. As they are all different animals, they have very different body shapes and this provides an interesting variety of two-legged walk cycles. Unlike Disney's Mickey Mouse and Goofy, it is far more obvious what animal they are supposed to be. The animal features are far more distinctive, they are just placed on an upright figure that walks on two legs.
Future Plans
I still need to look at Safaya Salter's illustrations and choose a fable for the project.
Friday 16th April
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Today I spent some time watching parts of a variety of Disney animations and films. These included:
Steamboat Willie
The Lion King
Robin Hood
The Little Mermaid
Aladdin
Thoughts
Disney is one of the original sources of animation and as such there is a huge variety of work to explore. There is an enormous range of styles from the anthropomorphic Mickey Mouse to the far more realistic animals of the Lion King. Although the animation is far more complex than a short project like this would allow, the basic information for walk cycles remains the same. It is also interesting to watch videos aimed at a similar age range to my own project.
Future Plans
I need to continue my research into artists. I want to investigate Warner Brothers and look more closely at the illustrations by Safaya Salter. I also need to settle on which fable I wish to use.
Thursday 15th April
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I spent a bit of time reading through Aesop's Fables once more to try and find the best and most appropriate narrative for this project. Although I was unable to settle on a single favourite, I was able to narrow the choice down to a few that I felt were the most appropriate:
The Cat's True Nature
The Lion and the Elephant
The Foolish Crow
The Lioness and the Vixen
The Ant and the Dove
The Clever Dog
I also spent some time researching Quentin Blake.
Thoughts
Some of these fables are longer than others and part of my decision will need to be based on what is actually achievable within the time frame of this project. The number of characters and the complexity of their actions will also affect how long it will take to animate. It also needs to be a moral that is simple and easy to understand for younger children. Hopefully these criteria should make it easier to pick out one narrative above the others.
My research into Quentin Blake was enjoyable and reminded me how much I always enjoyed looking at his work when I was younger. He has such a distinctive, slightly childlike style that makes it thoroughly enchanting and very easy to look at.
Future Plans
I need to continue with my research into artists. Possible areas to investigate include Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel), Disney and Warner Brothers. Aesop's Fables illustrated by Safaya Salter contains some beautiful illustrations as well as the stories and so is an ideal version to use for the rest of this project. I also need to pick which fable I wish to use.
Tuesday 13th April
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I spent the day reading a large variety of children's books. These included:
Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson's
Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm
Aesop's Fables
The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl
They Can't Catch Brer Rabbit by Enid Blyton
The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson
Thoughts
These books were an interesting read and show just how much variety there can be even within basic narratives aimed at young children. However, most of these are not very appropriate for my project as there is no clear moral within the story. The only exception to this is Aesop's Fables almost all of which have an obvious, defined moral. This makes them the ideal candidate to use for this project.
Future Plans
I need to re-read Aesop's fables and choose which one of the stories I want to use for this project. I also need to begin researching artists and relevant work.
Final Major Project
During this project I will be creating an animation, aimed at 5-8 year olds, of a narrative with a clear moral. This blog will be used to document my day to day progress throughout the project.
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