Applied Animation

Evaluation

The module for me started off slow, initially I had plans to direct my own animation and to assist my other peers with theirs in the modelling side of things, this started off slowly but neatly, the plans were in place. This slowly deteriorated as we were falling far behind with other modules taking up too much time, so I came to the swift decision that I had to solely work on my own animation and pull out of any prior agreements, this was difficult due to my morals, but it needed to be done if I wanted to get the work done in time for the screening.

            The process began with making a brief storyboard using Maya which I didn’t much like as its not an aspect of pre-production I enjoy doing, plus I managed to scale the shots horrifically wrong, so my peer kindly offered to do A storyboard for me, it turned out amazing! I absolutely loved them; this filled me with confidence as I finally had some good ephemera for the animation.

            But my absolute favourite part of the module, which I got most out of , was the set building. Being an avid model maker I was really in my element here, and I learnt a lot when it comes to building scale sets, from the floor plans that took me a while to grasp, to the way materials interact with each other, using thicker pieces of MDF to avoid warping due to the amount of glue and grout I had been using, and also to accommodate the nails which tended to split the thinner MDF. Also having the contrast of using pneumatic saws compared to hand sawing. I found some methods of getting precise cuts free hand, but nothing will compare to the ease of use and accuracy of the automated saw in the wood workshop. The only thing I would change would be to get the sets done well in advance as they took up quite some time as you can see in my ‘Making Of’ video.

            The animating I was very apprehensive about, I was very rusty to begin with and learnt not to be too adventurous with the camera, sticking to fixed camera angles would guarantee no jerking of the camera due to accidental nudging. It took a test take to get in the zone (which was detrimental to the puppet) but after I was in the swing of things and was very happy with the outcome.

            Post-production was also something I was dreading due to my in-experience in the process, but I think I handled it quite well considering! If I were to change anything it would be to constantly come into uni to test my renders on the Mac’s due to the different gamma settings making my animation look a lot darker than on my own laptop, this would help me accommodate this by increasing certain settings where needed.

            So over all I thoroughly enjoyed this module, the time management could have been handled better, and realising the amount of work I was taking on would also help. But by far the most beneficial part of the module was the set building! I only wish I’d allocated more time to it to further enjoy it!

Applied Animation

Fonts!

In the last minute run up to the screening I was advised to change the font! and I'm so glad I did, the first one looked like it was just half hearted and I just chose the default font, but looking through certain fonts I found a different one, with subtle change the work looks a lot more aesthetically pleasing, I never thought fonts could make such an impact on the over all look of the work!

Applied Animation

The decision

A few weeks down the line there was a decision to make, I know previously me and my class mate were directors of our own animations and the crew of each others ... this couldn't work due to the time period, and I had to make the decision to be selfish and just work on my own project so I could get it all done for the deadline. In hindsight we both agreed that we definitely took too much on for the module and that we probably should have collaborated from the start. There is a problem though, I find it hard to let go of my artistic direction and its a habit I need to kick due to the work loads getting bigger, although I was thrilled with the storyboards made by another one of my class mates!

Applied Animation

The making of!

Here is all the behind the scenes footage linked together with a contrasting soundtrack that is free of royalties and copyrights. 

I understand that there are a lot of things that could be cut out and cut down but it gives an insight into the process from start to finish!

Applied Animation

Aesthetics

There was one big influence for the design of the second set, and this was none other than Wallace and Gromit! on the episode which involved the 'Knit-o-matic' this machine was pretty much a child friendly version of how I wanted my set to look, here is an example

As you can see I gathered a lot of influence from this machine

Mine was created out of a de pressured tank of propane gas from my house mates air soft gun, I initially wanted to cut holes in the sides but after some professional advice I deemed it too dangerous to do so and instead created the two opening externally, which I think looks a lot better than if I had two holes cut in the sides!

But the whole set where the Knit-o-matic resides has things that influenced my over all direction

See this unforgivably over the top representation of a factory machine used to pulverise animals into meat, but I wanted to go that step further and actually show the pulverisation to better cast a mental image in the viewers mind! 

Applied Animation

German Expressionism

Another influence on my animation was that of German expressionism, more so an animation called The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. the movement represents the way you don't have to stick to realistic angles and measurements in animation and film. The cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a prime example of this as you can see here:

not the best example, but you can see what I mean. This gave me great comfort in my own animation as I do prefer to work in a less 'precise' method and not due to apathy but I really like the effect it has! the only downside is that it could effect the construction, where things need to be secured, and if the measurements were too off then they couldn't be constructed!

Applied Animation

Documentary animation

There are lots of things to consider with documentary animation such as what your demographic is, who it could help and how it could have the desired effect. and there are different ways in which the message that the animation is trying to create is presented. An important part of documentary animations is the display or portrayal of the facts supporting the animations. A very common way of displaying these facts is that of graphic design, simple shapes and text that visualises these facts, for example:

This animation is exactly what I am describing, the display of information accompanied by simple animations (in aesthetics and movement) this helps visualise the information to help understand it all if it a difficult subject matter like this animation about the history and future of everything.

But there are also a few other ways in which different animations approach the visualisation of the facts involved, this is that of comedy! it is an easy way to keep the audience interested whilst still relaying the facts. as the main problem with certain documentary animation is that its easy to fall into the trap of 'boring' the audience by displaying too much information without visualising it in an engaging way. but comedy is a way of lightening the subject matter but in turn evoking the sympathy of the audience, here is an example:

This very old animation is a prime example of this, the references to the film The Matrix makes everyone who has seen it instantly relate to the comedic relation to the facts, but then it makes the audience come to a natural conclusion of the underlying message which can impact the audience more so due to the natural realisation rather than being force fed information, which creates a barrier in the mind that makes it harder for the information to settle.

But my favourite method of portraying factual information is the incorporation of narrative. this may seem contradictory or trivial but I think that the effect is even stronger than the comedic one. one can get attached to characters, feel feelings towards them and perceive the animation in a strong emotional way! let me avert your attention to this incredible animation:

a short narrative but effective! due to the situations and hurdles the characters face creates a strong connection the audience has to the characters. this destroys that barrier that helps information settle into the minds of the audience. the only risk in this method is that there could be too much effort involved in the narrative that the information or underlying message could be lost in the thick coating of the narrative.

This method is how I apprached the module, and making it quite a dark animation I thought that it would stick in the audiences mind and make more of an impact compared to something quite 'PG' and I think it paid off due to the subtle idea that I have planted into the audiences mind.

Applied Animation

Finished Animation!

Here is the finished animation!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ7G5RGTtyE

The audio I had great fun creating, using different metals to create different sounds, and creating the cow's moans was even more fun! the only part I didn't enjoy as much was the editing, but purely because I'm not very good at it, but I definitely need to practice and this was very good practice. another thing I learnt from the editing process is the selection of the right program, I began using after effects. which was good for adding effects, but the RAM previews were painfully slow and the audio was very awkward, so then I finished it using premier, which I wish I'd have discovered earlier as it was so much faster and easier to process my animation. but my favourite aspect by far was creating the sets. It is something that I love doing as you can see in my tumblr blog 

www.elliotgascoigne.tumblr.com

It is something I am very passionate about, the only downside is the price for materials, which is why I try and salvage a lot of materials when I can!

If I were to re-do the animation, I would definitely use premier from the start and maybe elongate my clips a little longer as I fear they are a bit too quick to see what is going on. but overall I am very happy with the outcome, despite the time management that made my process quite rushed towards the end. so for Applied Animation 3 I will definitely get any pre production work done well in advance!

Applied Animation

Metal!

As stated before the way I would collect materials for the second set would be to collect random bits of metal from various places, skips, garages and other things. I also asked my friends if they ever see small bits of metal to collect them for me, and my pile suddenly started increasing! 

This was the pile after I'd finished the set! the only difficulty that I encountered was that some of the metal was too heavy to super glue down so I used a mix of screws and wood glue to get a good stick!

Applied Animation

Wobbly Wheel!

Another problem I faced was that the mechanism I created for the wheel to be able to turn properly was very loose, which became a real problem whilst animating due to the fact the wheel kept popping off and I would put it back but it wouldn't be on exactly as it was before, which made the wheel look like its got a life of its own

This of course could be avoided with the dragon frame onion skinning setting, so after encountering a few issues that can be easily avoided using dragon frame, I think that its about time I started using it! 

Applied Animation

Conveyor belts

One of the issues I had was the conveyor belts, I wasn't sure how to go about including them, either I just have a stationary model of it and just animate the meat going along or have a functional conveyor belt. I decided to try and create a functional one. the issue I encountered was that they drooped down and also the paint made the material very rough and the meat didn't weight it down so they kept popping off. but after a few frames I discovered I could tighten the material by pulling it down from underneath. this kept the material flat and stopped the meat from accidentally moving off place. I would definitely choose a different material if I ever create one again, maybe a thin leather, one I wouldn't have to paint which in turn stiffens the material.

Applied Animation

Camera angles

Here is the time lapse of the rest of scene 2, and you can see that I have been using some very strong camera angles, after a crit with my peers they said I should keep the strong camera angles from the first scene, and that it reminded them of Stanley Kubrick. I did some research into his camera angles and I do see a resemblance

The only difference in my angles is the way I like to keep the main focal point in one of the thirds, and to not keep anything central, I think its a lot more aesthetically pleasing. and because my sets aren't symmetrical it makes more sense.

Applied Animation

Animating scene 2 

Here is the time lapse of me filming the second scene, after all the practice of the first scene I thought I would have another crack at a panning, this you can see in the video, and I think the result is acceptable! a little askew at some parts but I'm not too ashamed of it!

Applied Animation

Animating!!

Now it was time to animate! the moment I'd been eagerly awaiting due to my apprehension, I had been very rusty in the art of stop motion so now it was time to try it out! here is a time lapse on me animating the first scene

The results were less than satisfactory ... The panning was all wobbly and dis jointed and the angle wasn't taking advantage of the thirds, (refer to test) I also kept knocking the tripod by accident which caused major tearing in the image sequence. this can be avoided by using dragon frame but I wasn't set up with access to it. I think it was down to me being rusty, so I gave it another shot, although my Marquette was beginning to tear due to constant movement i decided to shoot the first scene again. this time it went a lot better, I chose to stick to fixed camera angles to avoid the horrible panning and to focus more on the camera angles! I am very happy that I decided to shoot it again. so in future I will appreciate the importance of testing!

Applied Animation

Set 2

After my crit discussing the design of my second set, we decided that it wouldn't be very realistic if the walls were boarded walls.

 being as though its a slaughter room, and it would cost me a lot of lollipop sticks! so instead I decided to have the walls the same as the floor, a concrete finish created using grout that I would spread around and sand it down to a smooth ish finish ready to undercoat black.

It was a kept secret the grout method, but I thought I wouldn't be selfish and share the method with everyone! it is a fantastic material, it is prone to cracking on sharp angles and I used a lot of it for this project! but I would definitely use it again!

Applied Animation

Set 2 construction

I decided to cut my pieces of wood down myself due to the lack of time I had with uni being closed, and I discovered a lot during this process. the large saw wobbles quite a bit so it tends to go way off track if I saw on an angle, but if I saw parallel to the board I can pretty much get an exact measurement cut.

I also drilled some holes along the bottom of the left wall and into the floor do place some small dowlings in to create a detachable wall. (towards the end of the video) this was my first time trying it but it turned out fantastic!! it was very sturdy and practical at the same time! I will definitely use this method again as it gave me a greater range of camera angles to use.

Applied Animation

Painting!

Now it was time to paint! I used to create some models for my favourite childhood memory of countless Sundays in the games workshop, and I learnt some amazing techniques that create a very realistic effect. This effect is dry brushing, it has been my favourite technique for years. and I do it in every single job. starting off with a black undercoat then gradually getting lighter and lighter with increasingly dryer brushes. this helps bring out those little highlights without making them blow out too much!

If I were to re-visit this process I would try and not get clumps of more highlighted areas, but this actually adds to the ambience of the grungy room so I'm not too upset that they are there!

Applied Animation

The fireplace!

The fireplace was quite tricky to sort out due to the way I was figuring out how to create the fire. here is the construction using wood and grout to create the finish.

 I created an  enclosure to house a light source, but after trying it out the effect was very ugly to look at and I wouldn't be able to create a convincing fire with it, so I took a page out of Lieka's book after seeing Mark Shapiro in BAF, in one of their scenes there is a huge mechanical beast that houses a fire in the centre

The way they accomplished this was to place an Ipad mini in the casing and displayed an app that displayed a fire that they could control frame by frame, as well as some post effects. so I tried to do the same but couldn't find a frame by frame app, I then just got a video on my phone of a fire and placed it behind the fire place, it looked fantastic! but obviously without the controls of the frames it wouldn't look right, so then I had a brain wave, I could just use a green screen and place the video using a keylight! the result was great!

Here is the green screen:

And here is the final result after post

It was quite a process of trial and error as I wasnt familiar to the post production side of things, so in retrospect I should have looked further into the techniques used in major films and got a better way of getting the effect I was looking for, but I did still learn from it.

Applied Animation

Set creation!

My signature method that feature in a lot of my sets and creations are lollipop sticks! the way I would involve them would be to clip off the rounded edges and then file each individual stick to get a unique design for each one, this has its down side due to the amount of time this takes up, I get through about 400 sticks per set depending on the design, here is a time lapse of me crafting the sticks into wall panels and then glueing them onto the wall.

I was asked isn't there an easier and quicker method of achieving the same look to which I replied yes ... but this is my method! I can achieve very unique aesthetics, I could have certain boards peeling back creating an old looking, warn, wall and I will stick to this method for the rest of my career.

This is from the finished set but you can see the individuality of each panel

Applied Animation

Test

I initially wanted to test various things in one go, I wanted to check that the materials I planned to use would work aesthetically and I had to see whether the animation would look all right using plasticine. Here is the test:

As you can see there are many things that occured in this test which gave me valuable information into how I should conduct my final animation. the horrible shifting of the set was down to the grout and glue warping the foam board which meant it would swivle around at the slightest touch, this made me realise I needed a stronger substitute for the walls, I should use wood instead to stop the warping.