THE HOBBIT!!

                                                   MY FAVOURITE FILM OF 2013!!


I have literally just got back from seeing the hobbit 2 for the second time! and once again I am astonished by the film.

everything even the story are fantastic, but I wanted to focus of the actual special effects! the compositions are so lengthy and detailed that it would take me a while to decipher the different elements, from camera filters to fog and natural happenings and lighting etc. but also the 3D models I have learnt to be so in depth that when they created the models before they rigged them they inserted every bone and muscle of that creature whether it be a real being or fictional, and you can tell when these muscles are being used so it was all worth it!

after watching the special features I was pleased to see that they included a small section about how they organized and planned their enormous task ahead of them, and i took alot of notes and created a schedule inspired by there organization, I will stick to this very strictly as to not let the same thing happen as in the last module I did where I sort of had to rush everything towards the final hand in which was very stressful but if I stick to the schedule I produced I will be on top of my work and have everything completed for the final crit instead of 1 minute before hand in.

tangled!

      here is a lovely character profile video that someone has created on there own about a character called 'pascal' from the 3D animated film called 'tangled'. i wanted to bring this character to your attention is due to the likeability factor of him and the fun and bubbly appearance of him.

i wanted to see how i could make a character seem as cute and likeable and i came to the conclusion that it would be to follow one of the principles of animation from 'the animators survival kit': straight ahead animation; i could create a very fun looking character with similar bouncy movements, but due to the fact its 3D i am unsure as to how you could use straight ahead animation as the 3D software i have come across uses key frames which is used in 'pose to pose' animation (another different principle) so i will investigate further!

admittedly aimed at a younger audience this character still warms the hearts of any age due to its lively and bouncy motions!

new project!!

black water gospel

this piece of animation had me stumped for a very long time as to how i was produced, and after watching it over a few times and conversing with my tutor we came to the conclusion that they must have created paper-craft models as references then replicating those models on a 3d software where they can add textures and animate them individually.

in terms of the animation though the style is very gritty, initially it looks cell rendered but there is a lot of 2d panels which make it look very original.

the style could relate to those who have a fond appreciation of gothic looking animations, it reminds me of the game borderlands! with it creepy feeling and outlined animation.

Squeeze me!

this is a really quirky animation by a company called pool productions using flip books and real time footage to make a very attractive composition.
 the animation demonstrates a very different approach to the principle 'squash and stretch' but in a more literal meaning not really keeping to the principle.  i also like the way using a flip book in front of an image/piece of video makes the background footage look very static and having no life! leaving the flip book to look more life like and entertaining!

sabastians voodoo

       

          Here is another post much like my flubber post, being the exploration of the principles of animation used in various animations.

          as we saw in the flubber post, the animator (great oaks, which was a short lived entertainment company) managed to bring to life a green blob of goo by using many of the principles of animation.

     similarly here, the subject (a voodoo doll) which is suppose to roughly represent a person without actual features or complex limbs has been portrayed to have emotion and character by using squash and stretch and exaggeration very well.

Flubber

         Here is my favourite scene from the film flubber. it is my favourite due to the fact that the animation is so well planned and executed it makes an otherwise inanimate blob of goo look life like and full of character and emotion, the animator has done this by using various degrees of each principles of animation:

the most predominant being:
Squash and stretch
secondary action
follow through and overlap
anticipation
and exaggeration.

but most importantly is the impact that flubber made on the animation world, this can be proven by its box office statistics, it got 178 million dollars internationally but received a very low 23% approval from rotten tomatoes. this could be because it wasn't the film people wanted to see, it was the ground breaking use of cgi which to my knowledge is one of the first feature length films to use cgi which really changed the history of animation as people realised the things they could do with cgi!

Apply animation

Earth!

     


                 Here is another animation which was created by a small organisation called aniboom, which is a website where someone can present a digital brief and animators can jump in and accept the brief and respond to it.

                 as there are 4 words to choose from in this module 'water, earth, air and fire' the four elements, i wanted to explore each word in search of inspiration to see which word i could respond to more efficiently.

                 this animation fits into earth very well and the narrative is very inspirational, it is a very vague narrative but that doesn't subtract from the effect of the short, it makes the viewer think/maybe decide on what they think really happened!

AIR

       This stunning animation from a foreign animator Kostya Biryukov. the narrative is about a middle aged man living in a city. the animation shows the stress and frustration many people have living in a big city, and the obstacles they have to over come.
        i found the animation while trying to get inspiration at the start of this module by just searching 'air' into youtube and the animation doesn't really relate to the words that we have to choose from in the module but it could still be perceived as an awareness campaign which could give me a few ideas due to the many issues you can think of when it comes to the earth and the air that we all breathe.

Story board for incy wincy spider

Here is my finished storyboard, as you can see i have added the sticky notes that i used as reference next to each panel, this was a help when creating the board due to the fact you wont drift off your plans and stick with your initial story, unless they are crucial changes that need to be made such as my spider needing to look less frightening but still appealing to an older audience to widen the like-ability factor.

initial storyboard

This is the collection of my sticky notes that i used to create a rough initial story board, it was quick and easy to do but didn't really give an indication of emotion or camera movements so a larger more detailed story board is needed to describe exactly what is happening in the scene.

Character design

Here are my initial character designs for the spider, and as you can see i have annotated my designs due to the fact that the spider looked too menacing and because it was aimed at children i wanted to make the 'incy wincy' spider look more loveable while still keeping the appeal to older audiences.

more examples

Here are more examples of different storyboards by different people, each demonstrating different approaches which makes it easier for me to compare my style to theirs to further decide what my ideal style is. each storyboard is different wether it be lots of writing to none at all and different forms of media.

Storyboarding!

This is an amazing insight and clever video to show how hollywood story boarders create theirs for feature length films, this is a huge help as it shows how others like to work so i can closer find how i like to work.

Story board examples

  Here are a few panels of the storyboard for the children's tv show avatar, it demonstrates the clear showing of camera angles and actions of the characters involved, i wasn't aware of the fact that they don't necessarily have to be of amazing drawing quality.

Straight ahead vs Pose to Pose animation

Straight ahead vs pose to pose


This very short clip demonstrates and briefly explains the differences between straight ahead animation and pose to pose, stating that straight ahead you can lose or gain volume but it can tend to look more fun and entertaining.
while pose to pose is an effective way of keeping volume and making the animation look more serious. each one has their pros and cons and it is to the animator to decide which one he/she prefers.
personally i prefer straight ahead due to the bubbly and fun look and feel that it can create

Pixilation research

   As well as being shown in the studio this piece of pixilation has popped up various times in my life and each time it makes me smile.

the fact that its all kept in the style of everything bedroom related: using socks as fish etc
and the way it is a stationary animation amazes me as they still demonstrate various principles of animation to great effect!

Flip Book Research

     Here is a flip book animation i found that demonstrates every single principle of animation and is very life like.
i like how he has put a FPS metre at the bottom of the frame to give an indication of how many frames are actually being used, but i am a bit upset due to the fact it is not 100% traditional flip book, as i think he has taken photos or scans of each frame due to the sheer scale of it.

Identify

   As i have already stated i am a huge fan of creepy animations, and this is a perfect example.
the style is very rudimentary but gets the message across possibly better than if he did it any other way.
like many of felix Colgrave's animations there are many hidden meanings and that is the joy of animation, you could have a very simple story but with hundreds of hidden messages just waiting to be discovered.

Identify

       This very old stop motion animation was one of my favourite animations i had seen for a very long time ever since i saw it about 8 years ago due to its pure sketchy feel and magical atmosphere. i like the dark kind of creepy style of animation and this almost ticks all the boxes.

and in terms of getting shakespeare's story across it is very effective and easy to follow, so this is purely an example of how animation is a very good way of telling a story, almost the best way due to the limitless possibilities that are in arms reach!

Identify

     This is a short animation that i came across when i was a young teenager, and i have loved it ever since due to its emotional aspects, and maybe because i was just started to get interested in animation, it looks very much like a pixar animation, the character movement and style are very similar but unlike pixar being aimed at a younger audience, this seems to be aimed at the elderly due to its message being told, it could speak to some of the experiences in an older persons life. and its the first animation that has invoked such emotion, before this video i didn't think it was possible to make someone laugh or cry through animation, but boy was i wrong.

Identify

   I love the Wallace and Gromit series due to its simplistic feel, but mainly due to the medium in which is created, i really like stop motion animation, and Wallace and gromit was the first animation i saw which included the stop motion process with miniature sets etc.   The models are made out of a plasticine kind of material which could increase the appeal to youngsters due to many children playing with play-do and that sort of creative material, and so Wallace and gromit could inspire them to create more interesting things.

       

Identify

      This 1969 advert is a very early attempt at advertising using animation, the 2d style contains many of the principles of animation, mainly squash and stretch. the animation doesn't really relate to what the product is in terms of making the product look better due to the style of animation used etc.

It reminds me very much of the style of the older red bull adverts, the character design, the shading and the over all feel.

Identify

This brilliant feat of three dimensional animation shows the power of advertising through animation, the looks are breathtaking but the actual animation itself can demonstrate the pros of a certain product being advertised! although there is one thing that i am a bit confused by, when the car breaks up to form other animals, it looks very brittle which isn't giving the car a good look in terms of strength.

Identify

      This 5 minute animation is a very political piece that makes one think about the message trying to be portrayed by this short. at first it just seems naively racist but after watching the whole animation you realise the deeper message that is coming across.

so animation isn't just about making things move, it can be a huge array of things all the way to a covert political animation of awareness.

Identify

         Here is a video showing a wide range of walk cycles using a range of different media including 3D animation and 2D drawn animation, each walk cycle demonstrates huge emotion and a lot of the walk cycles are exaggerated to an extent, but that is following the fundamental principles of animation.

identify

this is the animation talked about in the previous post, its a mixture of pixillation and stop motion animation, mainly pixillation. it relates to my previous post due to its underlying message of we all help each other survive/ everyone is crucial to each others survival. due to the darkness of this animation it is aimed at a mature audience as it would otherwise confuse or disturb minors. especially the stop motion elements of the short, they would definitely disturb the younger generation.

identify

The Maker is a stop motion animation using a miniature set with models to portray a story, with a few computer added visual effects to do things otherwise almost impossible to do using real world objects, there is no dialogue in the animation but it really doesn't need it, which is why i think that the animation is aimed at 17 and over, due to its thought provoking nature and the way it can speak to some people in terms of experiences they have been through. it reminds me of jan swankmajor who animated the short 'breakfast' which has a similar principle to this animation, the thought of making/using the thing that is going to progress you.

2006 feature film 'a scanner darkly' is a 15 month long project (after principle photography) using a technique called interpolated rotoscope, which is essentially cel animating a video clip frame by frame but in this case it was a feature length film. the animation style looks very quirky, everything is constantly shifting and bubbling in a way which relates to the message that the film portrays; it is a drug awareness film to sway people (teenagers more) away from using drugs, with the unique animation style it relates to the message as in a way it is simulating what it would be like to take the drug in the film. and the story line is the big shocker as it shows the destruction of the brain.

in a way it is a covert deterrent of drug use to teenagers, as the animation used can appeal to teenagers as it is colourful and engaging to the eye, followed by the messages in the film.

the brothers quay released 'the street of crocodiles' in 1986 which was supposed to be a short animation but turned out to be a 30 minute long film about a man closing a lecture hall and releasing a puppet from his bonds to roam free a strange environment where mysterious and creepy things move and seem alive.

the underlying message could be something to do with the change in education; the freeing of the puppet from his strings could be a representation of different theories of teaching methods coming into place or the 'free thinking' attitude that was just arising. represented by the cutting of the puppet strings could relate to the fact that no longer are women expected to be secretaries and men builders etc. but instead a free feeling of having an ambition of what to be.

the stop motion i am very fond of as it incorporates different objects normally found in a pile of junk and re animating them into something much more sinister/ thought provoking.

so what i am trying to get at is the fact that animation doesn't always mean making things move, it can harbour a much deeper, emotional or political message in which the technique in which the animation is filmed and the style, this being stop motion it includes very old objects which could also relate to the old methods of teaching etc.

Here is a 'straight ahead' animation using thousands of sticky notes to tell a story.

The animator; Jeff Chiba Stearns, created this animation after toiling for years trying to make a career in animation he realised two things: he missed out on everything that was going on in the world and that he was over run with yellow sticky notes containing hundreds of to do lists! so it was a self reflective piece.

this can relate to many animators around the world and even very busy people so already it has a very precise but vast range of audience.

and in terms of the animation itself its very 'doodly' but in an interview Jeff said thats what his career is based around, and if this is the animation he likes doing then there is nothing wrong with that, i can relate to him very much as i prefer working in a similar way!

and the technique i am also fond of, the straight ahead animation, it relates to the kind of uncertainty or craziness/ sketchiness of the world.

Identify

Here is another 3D animation of a foreign children's TV series about two larva who get into all kinds of situations, i chose this animation as part of my identify study task due to its distinct target audience.

the way i can tell that this short animation is for children between the ages of 6 to 11 is due to the comical values that fill the animation. a big give away is the fact that the two protagonists act themselves like a 8 year old, the way they make tunes with whatever makes a noise and despite the fact everyone is getting taken by the spider they carry on which can also demonstrate the naivety of children and their ignorance to what is going on in the world.

but despite being aimed at young children there is also parts that adults can find enjoyable, being as though they will probably have to sit with the child/children that are watching it.

also everything is all very exaggerated which can make things easier for children to understand.

the process is a very simple textured world done digitally using something like maya or 3DS MAX.

Identify

I wanted to start the identify study task with one of my favourite animations, its the film '9' by tim burton, a story about a small number of sack dolls brought to life by their creator.
the film is visually gripping due to the small world the little creations live in and the certain enemies they face.
it is animated digitally using a 3d software, i presume that there was no cgi used due to its cartoon feel and exaggeration techniques including squash and stretch on the characters, which i also think that adds to my theory that is more aimed at young teenagers due to its bouncy feel and characters that you feel emotionally attached to. but on another note its quite a dark animation (which i love) which leads me to believe that its maybe aimed at an older audience.

in terms of a message it is maybe trying to portray, there is alot of reference to death, and the little characters  are told to be the living parts of the deceased creator so the hidden meaning could be something like 'those who are dead, are still here with us in our minds and in our hearts'

this also makes me agree with my previous opinion of the intended audience, as younger teenagers might not handle death as well as an older person.

pose to pose pendulum

Here is my pose to pose animation of a pendulum. pose to pose differs to straight ahead animation in the way that you draw the key frames of the animation first and then slowly fill in the inbetweens to finalise the animation, then you scan all the images in and create an image sequence through quick time 7. there are a few issues with my animation, one being how the ease in and out is very abrupt so i need to create more overlapping frames to make the motion look smoother.

but i really enjoyed using this method, it is easier to create spacing and timing and using a light box made the animation look more professional due to the consistency of the pendulums shape and motion.

pendulum!!

This is my latest attempt at the pendulum task, to use timing and spacing to create the illusion of weight and momentum of the grandfather clock pendulum.

i really enjoyed creating this one due to the fact you can draw the animated parts first then when you have animated it you can draw the background. the only issue with this though is the animated bits could potentially look detached from the background, especially in more complicated scenes. but for the sake of just one moving part it was a pretty effective way of animating it.

I have noticed that the pendulum disappears at the end of the animation, which is due to the technique i used to create it, the background layer you cant animate on so at the start the pendulum is not there but i will be learning other techniques which could over come this.

also the pendulum looks transparent which i noticed after exporting it, its because the brush i used to paint it was at half transparency, which is my own silly fault.

speed throw animation

This is my latest attempt at the spacing and timing task, as you can see there is a lot of stretch as i was trying to emphasise speed of the ball being thrown across the scene, i am pleased with the outcome but there is still a slight feeling that it looks alive. so i will work on fixing this as i develop my abilities in photoshop frame animation.

This is the second instalment of the digital frame animations, this is stretch and squash including spacing and timing, i am not happy with this one as it looks like the ball is alive and is making its own movements due to this i am going to create a new one taking more time checking each frame and taking more time to construct the ball.

This is the first task of animating a ball bouncing up and down to demonstrate squash and stretch.
its a crude animation just to demonstrate my understanding of the techniques involved, as i animate different motions and techniques i will add more colour, better designed objects after getting to grips with the techniques.

but i am also demonstrating my understanding of the graphs, if i ever need someone to finish off an animation i can identify the main key frames and pinpoint the fillers as points on the graph to show speed and motion.

photoshop shorts

After a few photoshop inductions we were tasked with producing a few short starter animations involving balls bouncing and pendulums swinging, all using photoshop frame animation!

I was a bit unsure about using photoshop for frame animation but after a few examples i really enjoyed it! its very efficient and the technology helps to create smooth animations but also a wide range of styles.

as seen here i have created a simple backdrop in my drawing style and putting the pendulum animation over the top. the only issue with this short is the fact its sped up due to the frame rate that i used to render the clip, but when i dropped the frame rate it appeared clunky and only showed 3 or 4 frames.

this is something i need to investigate to remedy.