OUAN503 - Reference Artists:
As part of my research into the animation elements of character design for responsive,
Rebecca Mock
Ofsparrow
Thursday, 26 February 2015
OUAN503 - Responsive - Collaborative Practice: Looking Into Fashion - The Trend Cycle
OUAN503 - Looking Into Fashion - The Trend Cycle:
Laver's Law: (As researched by Anna, my collaborative partner, Laver's Law states that a style of clothing doesn't actually become fashionable util roughly 50 years after it has been released/worn by members of the public.) I don't necessarily see much point in trying to work out a predictable cycle of fashion. Instead, predicting what we as individuals will wear is a more suitable idea as right now the clothing I wear is really anything I feel comfortable in. I don't see myself as conforming to any particular trend wholeheartedly.
Laver's Law: (As researched by Anna, my collaborative partner, Laver's Law states that a style of clothing doesn't actually become fashionable util roughly 50 years after it has been released/worn by members of the public.) I don't necessarily see much point in trying to work out a predictable cycle of fashion. Instead, predicting what we as individuals will wear is a more suitable idea as right now the clothing I wear is really anything I feel comfortable in. I don't see myself as conforming to any particular trend wholeheartedly.
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LAVER'S LAW
10 years before - indecent
Five years before - shameless
One year before - daring
In fashion - smart
One year after - dowdy
10 years after - hideous
20 years after - ridiculous
30 years after - amusing
50 years after - quaint
70 years after - charming
100 years after - romantic
150 years after - beautiful
Source: Fashion-era.com
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Judging by most fashion trend graphs, there seems to be a very obvious cycle in which trends seem to come and go. However, as said earlier, I can't predict any difference in what I wear now to how I will look in a decade's time.
Ten years ago, I wore mainly anything I saw as unusual or weird looking. Anything with hideous patterns that stood out, or smart-looking suits with frilly dresses. My wardrobe really is a mish-mash of all fashions. 80's, new romantic, Victorian, Edwardian, gothic, casual - you name it, I've worn it.
Adam and The Ants were a huge inspiration for my wardrobe. I do think that musical advances will influence fashion greatly as it once did in the 80's etc.
The likes of famous figureheads will always be trendsetters. Super models, celebrities, pop stars and even political figures will constantly be scrutinised and followed in terms of their clothing choices. This will more than likely stay the same in the future.
With the rise of 'fake celebrities' - those who possess no talent and are simply famous for having money or being famous (Kim Kardashian, Katie Price), fashion might take a turn for the worst as it seems like a competition of who 'can dress the sexiest' with as few clothes as possible. At this rate, we may even be naked soon!
Cruella De Ville and such other animated characters often had an impact on what I wore and what I still wear. Bright colours, clashing patterns and anything I could get my hands on that seemed odd by anyone's rights was something I had to have. Now, I still feel the same about fashion. However, with the constant rise in technology it is inevitable that gadgets and new materials will adorn our clothes and make their way into our lives on a very personal level. We need to consider this when creating our character illustrations and animations.
Monday, 23 February 2015
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Pre-Production/Research: Prop Design
OUAN505 - Prop Design:
After working out a rough set plan and having a design in place, we moved onto deciding how we were to make our props. We don't really have that much time nor expertise to be moulding every single prop from scratch, so by using the Royal Bank of Grace we were able to purchase most of what we needed for a successful set of props.
Yesterday evening, I worked on putting together the drum kit of which took a tedious couple of hours. I think it looks fantastic and we will aim to paint the kit and design a band logo for the front very soon.
I bought a set of Iwako erasers from Blott in Leeds Trinity Centre last week as I thought by having a few cakes and unhealthy food props that were the correct sizes for the characters would help illustrate parts of the song better as the characters could hold up foods that correspond with the lyrics.
I managed to get hold of a Playmobil saxophone for Aubrey of which we may repaint or add some plasticine around it to give it a more 'rough and ready' look. The measurements are relatively in proportion to Aubrey's model, so will fit in really nicely. Modelling a miniature saxophone proved too difficult in the end, so purchasing a cheap dolls' version was a better option.
After working out a rough set plan and having a design in place, we moved onto deciding how we were to make our props. We don't really have that much time nor expertise to be moulding every single prop from scratch, so by using the Royal Bank of Grace we were able to purchase most of what we needed for a successful set of props.
Yesterday evening, I worked on putting together the drum kit of which took a tedious couple of hours. I think it looks fantastic and we will aim to paint the kit and design a band logo for the front very soon.
I bought a set of Iwako erasers from Blott in Leeds Trinity Centre last week as I thought by having a few cakes and unhealthy food props that were the correct sizes for the characters would help illustrate parts of the song better as the characters could hold up foods that correspond with the lyrics.
I managed to get hold of a Playmobil saxophone for Aubrey of which we may repaint or add some plasticine around it to give it a more 'rough and ready' look. The measurements are relatively in proportion to Aubrey's model, so will fit in really nicely. Modelling a miniature saxophone proved too difficult in the end, so purchasing a cheap dolls' version was a better option.OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Pre-Production/Research: Set Design
OUAN505 - Set Design:
To get a fairly accurate idea of how much space the characters will need on stage, I did a very rough render on Maya using the measurements I had taken earlier of all the characters. After measuring the characters before armatures and estimating their sizes after their armatures will be attached, I was able to work our how big the set needed to be to give them an adequate amount of room. Below are the sketches and measurements.
To get a fairly accurate idea of how much space the characters will need on stage, I did a very rough render on Maya using the measurements I had taken earlier of all the characters. After measuring the characters before armatures and estimating their sizes after their armatures will be attached, I was able to work our how big the set needed to be to give them an adequate amount of room. Below are the sketches and measurements.
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Pre-Production/Research: Other Potential Song Choices
OUAN505 - Other Potential Song Choices:
Before finally choosing "Wake Me Up Before You GoGo" (Wham!), there were various other song choices we had in mind that would be suitable for our animation and what we were trying to achieve. The aim of using
Before finally choosing "Wake Me Up Before You GoGo" (Wham!), there were various other song choices we had in mind that would be suitable for our animation and what we were trying to achieve. The aim of using
Sunday, 22 February 2015
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Pre-Production/Research: Backing Tracks
OUAN505 - Backing Tracks:
After searching the internet for a backing track to the song 'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go' so that I could loosely piece together the bits I was going to use together (for timing purposes as the entire song is four minutes long so would need some bits cut out!), I then used some rather bad editing software just so that I could create a very quick and simple mock up of the song we would be animating to. I didn't want to, nor would it be possible to use the entire song so with the help of my partner, Nathan (offered to play guitar, do some backing vocals, bass guitar), I wrote some lyrics, making sure it was within two minutes - the limit that the brief stated.
Here is the website of which I found the backing track for mockup purposes. I will have to research into legalities surrounding the use of backing tracks for the final animation. If it is not suitable for me to do so, my partner offered to help create one from scratch, however we will be very pushed for time so a pre-existing backing track edited to the correct timing would be preferred.
http://www.stafaband.info/download/mp3/lagu_wham_wake_me_up_before_you_gogo_instrumental/
After clipping this in Audacity, the final length of our song will be just over two minutes by a few seconds. Obviously this is slightly over the time frame we were given in the brief and the main reason for this is the fade out at the end that finishes the song. In order of song parts we have chosen to use the intro music, first verse, chorus, saxophone solo (instrumental break), chorus (of which fades out after final line is sung).
In terms of timing, cutting each part up and working out how long each section will take gave us a good idea of how to start the storyboarding and thumbnailing process. The into of which is fully instrumental is around 12 seconds long, a decent amount of time to set the scene, show the band and introduce the animation. The first verse will last roughly twenty five seconds with the chorus following with a hefty thirty three seconds. An instrumental saxophone solo will last about twelve seconds - 2D animated facts and figures will pop up on screen. The pre-chorus is a few lines sung after the solo of which will lead into the last chorus (lasts eleven seconds). The very last chorus is slightly shorter than the first as not all of it will be sung. It will fade out slowly of which will take a good five seconds. This will be a nice finish to the song.
After searching the internet for a backing track to the song 'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go' so that I could loosely piece together the bits I was going to use together (for timing purposes as the entire song is four minutes long so would need some bits cut out!), I then used some rather bad editing software just so that I could create a very quick and simple mock up of the song we would be animating to. I didn't want to, nor would it be possible to use the entire song so with the help of my partner, Nathan (offered to play guitar, do some backing vocals, bass guitar), I wrote some lyrics, making sure it was within two minutes - the limit that the brief stated.
Here is the website of which I found the backing track for mockup purposes. I will have to research into legalities surrounding the use of backing tracks for the final animation. If it is not suitable for me to do so, my partner offered to help create one from scratch, however we will be very pushed for time so a pre-existing backing track edited to the correct timing would be preferred.
http://www.stafaband.info/download/mp3/lagu_wham_wake_me_up_before_you_gogo_instrumental/
After clipping this in Audacity, the final length of our song will be just over two minutes by a few seconds. Obviously this is slightly over the time frame we were given in the brief and the main reason for this is the fade out at the end that finishes the song. In order of song parts we have chosen to use the intro music, first verse, chorus, saxophone solo (instrumental break), chorus (of which fades out after final line is sung).
In terms of timing, cutting each part up and working out how long each section will take gave us a good idea of how to start the storyboarding and thumbnailing process. The into of which is fully instrumental is around 12 seconds long, a decent amount of time to set the scene, show the band and introduce the animation. The first verse will last roughly twenty five seconds with the chorus following with a hefty thirty three seconds. An instrumental saxophone solo will last about twelve seconds - 2D animated facts and figures will pop up on screen. The pre-chorus is a few lines sung after the solo of which will lead into the last chorus (lasts eleven seconds). The very last chorus is slightly shorter than the first as not all of it will be sung. It will fade out slowly of which will take a good five seconds. This will be a nice finish to the song.
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Pre-Production/Research: Foody Facts
OUAN505 - Foody Facts:
In order to get some accurate information into our song lyrics, we had to do a lot of research into what should be put in and what shouldn't. Nothing too long-winded would be appropriate as short and snappy sticks in the minds of kids, boring doesn't! Having evidence to back up our research and facts was important as if, say, a teacher showing this music video documentary to a class of teens happened to look up the lyrics, we wouldn't want to caught out in any way.
After some thorough research, I found some of these interesting facts that could be made song-appropriated.
1. Fruits and vegetables are nutritious in every form.
‘It’s a wildly popular rumor that frozen veggies and fruits aren’t as nutritious as their frozen counterparts. This simply isn't true. Studies by the FDA have confirmed that any decrease in nutrition from freezing vegetables is negligible at best.'
Fresh isn’t always better than frozen as if frozen within a few hours of being picked, it retains its nutrients and structure better than fresh as it has less chance of losing its quality through being exposed to natural air.
http://www.wildblueberries.com/blog/frozen-fruit-mythsdebunked/
'Frozen fruit is just that: fruit. Unless the label says otherwise, frozen fruits like blueberries contain one ingredient. They have no caloric syrups and additives, and are just pure, unadulterated, nutrient-rich fruit.’
2. Broccoli contains more protein than steak.
‘Broccoli got a bad rap a few years ago when President George W Bush proclaimed that he would never eat it again. Sadly, that was probably a bad move because broccoli is actually quite good for you. Aside from the usual nutrition one garners from eating veggies, broccoli in general has a great deal of protein. Calorie for calorie, there is more protein in broccoli than steak. Since it doesn’t come with all those saturated and trans fats or cholesterol, you can get all the protein you need with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Let’s not forget all of the other awesome nutrition it provides . Pumpkin seeds are also a good choice as they have more protein than a similar amount of ground beef.’
3. Peppers can encourage proper clotting.
'Peppers are great even if most people use them as a spice rather than using them as a food. A little known fact about cayenne peppers is that they can promote the clotting of blood over wounds. According to experts , you can sprinkle some cayenne pepper into a wound where it will act as gauze. This will help stop the bleeding. Eating cayenne pepper can also help equalize blood pressure and promote clotting from the inside. That means it doesn’t matter if you eat it or literally put it on the wound, it will help it heal faster.'
'In addition to stopping the bleeding from exterior wounds, cayenne also works for internal hemorrhages inside the nose, stomach and throat. In these cases, of course, the cayenne must be taken orally. Cayenne also works to improve blood circulation, assist digestion, stimulate perspiration and saliva, and lessen pain from swollen or arthritic joints and limbs.'
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4925036_cayenne-pepper-stop-bleeding.html
4. Apples give you more energy than coffee.
'In no way would we ever try to convince the coffee aficionados in our readership to give up their precious morning coffee. We’re not crazy. However, if you’re finding yourself a little low on energy during the afternoon then consider eating an apple in the morning with your coffee. Thanks to its high carbohydrate, vitamin, and mineral content, apples have the perfect storm of nutrition to help you stay energized all day.'
5. The skin usually has the most nutrition.
'If you peel your fruits and vegetables before you eat them, you may be making a nutritional mistake. On many fruits and veggies such as carrots, apples, and cucumbers, a good percentage of the nutrition is actually stored in the skin. That means when you peel them, you’re actually peeling away nutritious benefit. The skins also contain a lot of fiber and we’ve already talked about all the great things that fiber can do.'
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/20-incredible-facts-about-eating-fruits-and-vegetables-that-you-probably-didnt-know.html
In order to get some accurate information into our song lyrics, we had to do a lot of research into what should be put in and what shouldn't. Nothing too long-winded would be appropriate as short and snappy sticks in the minds of kids, boring doesn't! Having evidence to back up our research and facts was important as if, say, a teacher showing this music video documentary to a class of teens happened to look up the lyrics, we wouldn't want to caught out in any way.
After some thorough research, I found some of these interesting facts that could be made song-appropriated.
Fruit and Veg facts:
‘It’s a wildly popular rumor that frozen veggies and fruits aren’t as nutritious as their frozen counterparts. This simply isn't true. Studies by the FDA have confirmed that any decrease in nutrition from freezing vegetables is negligible at best.'
Fresh isn’t always better than frozen as if frozen within a few hours of being picked, it retains its nutrients and structure better than fresh as it has less chance of losing its quality through being exposed to natural air.
http://www.wildblueberries.com/blog/frozen-fruit-mythsdebunked/
'Frozen fruit is just that: fruit. Unless the label says otherwise, frozen fruits like blueberries contain one ingredient. They have no caloric syrups and additives, and are just pure, unadulterated, nutrient-rich fruit.’
2. Broccoli contains more protein than steak.
‘Broccoli got a bad rap a few years ago when President George W Bush proclaimed that he would never eat it again. Sadly, that was probably a bad move because broccoli is actually quite good for you. Aside from the usual nutrition one garners from eating veggies, broccoli in general has a great deal of protein. Calorie for calorie, there is more protein in broccoli than steak. Since it doesn’t come with all those saturated and trans fats or cholesterol, you can get all the protein you need with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Let’s not forget all of the other awesome nutrition it provides . Pumpkin seeds are also a good choice as they have more protein than a similar amount of ground beef.’
3. Peppers can encourage proper clotting.
'Peppers are great even if most people use them as a spice rather than using them as a food. A little known fact about cayenne peppers is that they can promote the clotting of blood over wounds. According to experts , you can sprinkle some cayenne pepper into a wound where it will act as gauze. This will help stop the bleeding. Eating cayenne pepper can also help equalize blood pressure and promote clotting from the inside. That means it doesn’t matter if you eat it or literally put it on the wound, it will help it heal faster.'
'In addition to stopping the bleeding from exterior wounds, cayenne also works for internal hemorrhages inside the nose, stomach and throat. In these cases, of course, the cayenne must be taken orally. Cayenne also works to improve blood circulation, assist digestion, stimulate perspiration and saliva, and lessen pain from swollen or arthritic joints and limbs.'
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4925036_cayenne-pepper-stop-bleeding.html
4. Apples give you more energy than coffee.
'In no way would we ever try to convince the coffee aficionados in our readership to give up their precious morning coffee. We’re not crazy. However, if you’re finding yourself a little low on energy during the afternoon then consider eating an apple in the morning with your coffee. Thanks to its high carbohydrate, vitamin, and mineral content, apples have the perfect storm of nutrition to help you stay energized all day.'
5. The skin usually has the most nutrition.
'If you peel your fruits and vegetables before you eat them, you may be making a nutritional mistake. On many fruits and veggies such as carrots, apples, and cucumbers, a good percentage of the nutrition is actually stored in the skin. That means when you peel them, you’re actually peeling away nutritious benefit. The skins also contain a lot of fiber and we’ve already talked about all the great things that fiber can do.'
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/20-incredible-facts-about-eating-fruits-and-vegetables-that-you-probably-didnt-know.html
Thursday, 19 February 2015
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Pre-Production/Research: The Final Band
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Pre-Production/Research: Character Designs
OUAN505 - Character Designs:
These are simply my duplicates of some of David's ideas. The final facial designs were all originally drawn and decided by David of which are on his blog. He made a great effort in using a wide variety of styles in his sketches and showed talent for creating suitable expressions for their personalities. In order to have a better understanding and to show that we'd experimented with many other options, I tried out a range of different faces for each character and discussed them with friends and even family in order to get some opinions from a wide age range. They thought, as well as David, that simplicity was best and the final choices were then set in stone as we had to think about what would be easiest to animate with the most effective portrayal of personality and character.
These are simply my duplicates of some of David's ideas. The final facial designs were all originally drawn and decided by David of which are on his blog. He made a great effort in using a wide variety of styles in his sketches and showed talent for creating suitable expressions for their personalities. In order to have a better understanding and to show that we'd experimented with many other options, I tried out a range of different faces for each character and discussed them with friends and even family in order to get some opinions from a wide age range. They thought, as well as David, that simplicity was best and the final choices were then set in stone as we had to think about what would be easiest to animate with the most effective portrayal of personality and character.
Friday, 13 February 2015
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Pre-Production/Research: All About the Band
OUAN505 - All About the Band:
After discussing with David what/how the characters should look like, behave, and what part of the band they should occupy, we came to the conclusion that these would be the most fitting roles for each individual.
Strawberry - Lead Singer/Lead Guitar:
We decided on a female lead as her confident, cheerful yet slightly aggressive attitude allowed her to be a dominant band member. Seeing as she is the only female, we wanted her to have a big personality and be noticed by our audience easily. Also, it's empowering females as lead singers! Her appearance was thought to be cute yet quirky with a slightly 'punk-esque' look. There's not much you can decide on appearance-wise with these particular models as faces and possible hair/facial hair are the only options we have as we want to keep it simple when it comes to animating. However, this doesn't mean we can't give them outstanding personalities!
We decided on the name 'Symphony' as this in fact a subspecies of strawberry.
http://strawberryplants.org/2010/05/strawberry-varieties/
Symphony will also be donning a rather messy-looking green plume of straggly hair (leaves) to mimic that of a punk-rocker. We will experiment with facial features later on.
Aubergine - Saxophone:
This one of our favourite characters to think about and research into as aubergines are so easily neglected when thinking about vegetables. We came up with the name Aubrey as it has a sense of class and a 'smooth' jazz feeling to it, which fits well with his personality and assigned instrument. He was a particularly tough character to develop as we didn't want to offend anyone by means of stereotyping - we chose for Aubrey to have Afro-Caribbean origins. The reason for such a decision was that after watching Wham!'s "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" music video several dozen times, we were easily drawn to the myriad of black saxophonists and trumpet players. They had this fantastic onstage presence. David came up with a brilliant character design idea of which we have yet to develop.
Chili Pepper - Drums:
Our first impression was that most drummers don't get the recognition they deserve and are quite often overlooked in a band. We wanted to change this by giving our chili a 'fiery' attitude to go with his flavour. Our hot-headed chili was eventually assigned the name 'Pepe' - Spanish origins, chilis are predominant in Mexican and Spanish dishes so this worked. David decided that Pepe should be rather angry-looking.
Lemon - Keyboard:
Larry, our lemon, will be occupying the keyboard. A keyboard is present in the song we have chosen and will be a good feature to animate as not much movement will be required which allows us to focus more on his facial movement and possible interaction with other members. David had the fantastic idea of using a lemon leaf as his moustache. Larry's face would be present on the 'bump' of the lemon at the top, however his standing position would be horizontal so that the top of the lemon actually faces the audience. I thought this would be successful as it would be easier to model with the armatures and weight of the plasticine as it would allow us to keep Larry upright and in the correct position rather than him toppling over if he were stood vertically. Here is an image to illustrate how we want him to stand. Notice the lump sticking out. This will act as a sort of nose on which his moustache could hang.
After discussing with David what/how the characters should look like, behave, and what part of the band they should occupy, we came to the conclusion that these would be the most fitting roles for each individual.
Strawberry - Lead Singer/Lead Guitar:
We decided on a female lead as her confident, cheerful yet slightly aggressive attitude allowed her to be a dominant band member. Seeing as she is the only female, we wanted her to have a big personality and be noticed by our audience easily. Also, it's empowering females as lead singers! Her appearance was thought to be cute yet quirky with a slightly 'punk-esque' look. There's not much you can decide on appearance-wise with these particular models as faces and possible hair/facial hair are the only options we have as we want to keep it simple when it comes to animating. However, this doesn't mean we can't give them outstanding personalities!
We decided on the name 'Symphony' as this in fact a subspecies of strawberry.
http://strawberryplants.org/2010/05/strawberry-varieties/
Symphony will also be donning a rather messy-looking green plume of straggly hair (leaves) to mimic that of a punk-rocker. We will experiment with facial features later on.
Aubergine - Saxophone:
This one of our favourite characters to think about and research into as aubergines are so easily neglected when thinking about vegetables. We came up with the name Aubrey as it has a sense of class and a 'smooth' jazz feeling to it, which fits well with his personality and assigned instrument. He was a particularly tough character to develop as we didn't want to offend anyone by means of stereotyping - we chose for Aubrey to have Afro-Caribbean origins. The reason for such a decision was that after watching Wham!'s "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" music video several dozen times, we were easily drawn to the myriad of black saxophonists and trumpet players. They had this fantastic onstage presence. David came up with a brilliant character design idea of which we have yet to develop.
Chili Pepper - Drums:
Our first impression was that most drummers don't get the recognition they deserve and are quite often overlooked in a band. We wanted to change this by giving our chili a 'fiery' attitude to go with his flavour. Our hot-headed chili was eventually assigned the name 'Pepe' - Spanish origins, chilis are predominant in Mexican and Spanish dishes so this worked. David decided that Pepe should be rather angry-looking.
Lemon - Keyboard:
Larry, our lemon, will be occupying the keyboard. A keyboard is present in the song we have chosen and will be a good feature to animate as not much movement will be required which allows us to focus more on his facial movement and possible interaction with other members. David had the fantastic idea of using a lemon leaf as his moustache. Larry's face would be present on the 'bump' of the lemon at the top, however his standing position would be horizontal so that the top of the lemon actually faces the audience. I thought this would be successful as it would be easier to model with the armatures and weight of the plasticine as it would allow us to keep Larry upright and in the correct position rather than him toppling over if he were stood vertically. Here is an image to illustrate how we want him to stand. Notice the lump sticking out. This will act as a sort of nose on which his moustache could hang.
Orange - Backup Singer/Bassist:
Lastly, our bass guitarist, 'Manny'. Alex, another fellow animator helped us in researching the names for our characters as we wanted them to match their personalities. She gave some good input into what she thought would be memorable for our target audience (12-18 year olds). Manny seemed like a very innocent and cheerful name, not to mention its use in the popular 'Ice Age' franchise of which is linked with Manny the wooly mammoth of whom is incredibly soft and gentle. Being an orange, or a mandarin as we then decided (alliteration and assonance are a great way of choosing names!) made us feel that he was a little bit dopey and didn't quite know what he was doing. The bassist in a band is sadly very neglected and to make use of the stereotype of him 'not really being noticed' in the band, we gave him a personality that forced you to notice him - he's silly, clumsy, and rolls about a lot!
Lastly, our bass guitarist, 'Manny'. Alex, another fellow animator helped us in researching the names for our characters as we wanted them to match their personalities. She gave some good input into what she thought would be memorable for our target audience (12-18 year olds). Manny seemed like a very innocent and cheerful name, not to mention its use in the popular 'Ice Age' franchise of which is linked with Manny the wooly mammoth of whom is incredibly soft and gentle. Being an orange, or a mandarin as we then decided (alliteration and assonance are a great way of choosing names!) made us feel that he was a little bit dopey and didn't quite know what he was doing. The bassist in a band is sadly very neglected and to make use of the stereotype of him 'not really being noticed' in the band, we gave him a personality that forced you to notice him - he's silly, clumsy, and rolls about a lot!
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Pre-Production/Research: Skhizein - Jeremy Clapin
OUAN505 - Looking into Documentary Animation:
The second animation I found was a little bit more sinister. It didn't have the multitude of colours that the previous one did, and instead was completely in sepia, featuring very bland colours to depict a very hard set of circumstances. The protagonist, a middle-aged man, happens to be suffering from a form of depersonalisation and detachment from his surroundings. Skhizein, a French animated short documentary featuring a gentleman dealing with his mental illness (what happens to feel like Schizophrenia, hence the title?), shows how he is exactly 91cm from his body.
Skhizein (short film) from Jeremy Clapin on Vimeo.
Since this condition is so misunderstood by so many, I feel it is very important to correct any negative or judgemental thoughts about such a difficult thing to live with. The character shown is obviously very confused and is shown managing his life by working out everything 91cm from where it should be. He is very proactive and tries ever so hard to get things back to "normal" but is obviously struggling to come to terms with how a 150 tonne meteorite has managed to affect his life in such a monumental way.
The techniques and methods used to make this seem to be hybrid, using possibly 3D and some 2D elements (along with even some stop motion for the meteorite?). The realistic sound effects bring you into the animation and allow you to feel part of his life, an obviously very intimate place. I think it is important for documentary animation to feel realistic despite using animation as the media of choice. You need to really focus on bringing the audience to the subject's level when trying to portray an incident or event as you want to conjure up emotion and empathy to create a reaction which in turn will make it successful.
The second animation I found was a little bit more sinister. It didn't have the multitude of colours that the previous one did, and instead was completely in sepia, featuring very bland colours to depict a very hard set of circumstances. The protagonist, a middle-aged man, happens to be suffering from a form of depersonalisation and detachment from his surroundings. Skhizein, a French animated short documentary featuring a gentleman dealing with his mental illness (what happens to feel like Schizophrenia, hence the title?), shows how he is exactly 91cm from his body.
Skhizein (short film) from Jeremy Clapin on Vimeo.
Since this condition is so misunderstood by so many, I feel it is very important to correct any negative or judgemental thoughts about such a difficult thing to live with. The character shown is obviously very confused and is shown managing his life by working out everything 91cm from where it should be. He is very proactive and tries ever so hard to get things back to "normal" but is obviously struggling to come to terms with how a 150 tonne meteorite has managed to affect his life in such a monumental way.
The techniques and methods used to make this seem to be hybrid, using possibly 3D and some 2D elements (along with even some stop motion for the meteorite?). The realistic sound effects bring you into the animation and allow you to feel part of his life, an obviously very intimate place. I think it is important for documentary animation to feel realistic despite using animation as the media of choice. You need to really focus on bringing the audience to the subject's level when trying to portray an incident or event as you want to conjure up emotion and empathy to create a reaction which in turn will make it successful.
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Research/Pre-Production: Sensory Overload (Interacting with Autism Project) - Miguel Jiron
OUAN505 - Looking into Documentary Animation:
To gain more knowledge and an insight into what kinds of documentary animation is out there and how it tackles difficult subjects, I decided to have a nosey into documentary animation that focuses on mental illness as I have rarely come across any animation that deals with these events. I think awareness is an important thing that animation can bring about subtly. With live action, I can imagine the case of finding subjects willing to open up in front of a camera could be difficult to find, whereas animation can tell someone's story whilst keeping them free from stigma (which sadly still exists).
I had a look on Vimeo for some good examples, and found a good couple that I thought were really touching and gave a good insight into in the day in the life of a someone who suffers with such issues. I also thought I'd check out Samsara whilst I was wearing my "learning hat". It was incredibly moving and did in fact bring me to tears at points (which isn't something I admit lightly)! Albeit a live action film and not an animation, Samsara is a really beautiful piece of art. It shows the lives of people from all over the world over a span of five years in twenty five different countries. Along with the breathtaking shots, dances, events, and costumes, there are very heartbreaking moments of reality thrown in, which shows that in all the world's glory, there is still sadness and horror that we need to change.
So, back to the couple of animations I found relating to mental illness. The first I found was a wonderful look at a boy who went by his usual day living with autism. The style is beautiful, using what looks like a combination of rotoscoping, traditional wet inks, and digital. It featured a young boy going about his day reacting to sounds and events around him. He seemed to be suffering from hypersensitivity to sound as nearer the end, with more and more sounds, everything becomes to full on and he lashes out and collapses on the floor in frustration. The sounds are manifested as synesthesia-like drawings in the animation - squiggles, lines, circles, explosions. It is quite distressing to watch as you can see how difficult it is for him. The animator, Miguel Jiron, has done a fantastic job in portraying such a broad condition and helping us understand just how difficult it can be for some.
The techniques used are fantastic and really help you visualise what is going on in someone's head which would otherwise be difficult to show to the world in an understandable and even possibly a relatable manner.
Sensory Overload (Interacting with Autism Project) from Miguel Jiron on Vimeo.
To gain more knowledge and an insight into what kinds of documentary animation is out there and how it tackles difficult subjects, I decided to have a nosey into documentary animation that focuses on mental illness as I have rarely come across any animation that deals with these events. I think awareness is an important thing that animation can bring about subtly. With live action, I can imagine the case of finding subjects willing to open up in front of a camera could be difficult to find, whereas animation can tell someone's story whilst keeping them free from stigma (which sadly still exists).
I had a look on Vimeo for some good examples, and found a good couple that I thought were really touching and gave a good insight into in the day in the life of a someone who suffers with such issues. I also thought I'd check out Samsara whilst I was wearing my "learning hat". It was incredibly moving and did in fact bring me to tears at points (which isn't something I admit lightly)! Albeit a live action film and not an animation, Samsara is a really beautiful piece of art. It shows the lives of people from all over the world over a span of five years in twenty five different countries. Along with the breathtaking shots, dances, events, and costumes, there are very heartbreaking moments of reality thrown in, which shows that in all the world's glory, there is still sadness and horror that we need to change.
So, back to the couple of animations I found relating to mental illness. The first I found was a wonderful look at a boy who went by his usual day living with autism. The style is beautiful, using what looks like a combination of rotoscoping, traditional wet inks, and digital. It featured a young boy going about his day reacting to sounds and events around him. He seemed to be suffering from hypersensitivity to sound as nearer the end, with more and more sounds, everything becomes to full on and he lashes out and collapses on the floor in frustration. The sounds are manifested as synesthesia-like drawings in the animation - squiggles, lines, circles, explosions. It is quite distressing to watch as you can see how difficult it is for him. The animator, Miguel Jiron, has done a fantastic job in portraying such a broad condition and helping us understand just how difficult it can be for some.
The techniques used are fantastic and really help you visualise what is going on in someone's head which would otherwise be difficult to show to the world in an understandable and even possibly a relatable manner.
Sensory Overload (Interacting with Autism Project) from Miguel Jiron on Vimeo.
Wednesday, 11 February 2015
OUAN503 - Responsive - Collaborative Practice: Collaborative Agreement Form
OUAN503 - Agreement Form:
OUAN503 - Responsive - Collaborative Practice: A Little Bit of Research
OUAN503 - A Little Bit of Research:
Seeing as Anna and I had a rough idea of what we were going to create for our collaborative brief, we thought it was only appropriate to a get a little bit of research in there before the next session of which we would be signing our "contract of collaboration" together. As we had the idea of creating a future character of ourselves, we had to go out and research what the world could possibly look like in a decade's time.
It's alright imagining what new technologies are out there, but if you start guessing and turning it into some kind of fairytale, it's not going to a be a very accurate brief. The brief didn't actually state whether or not it had to be accurate, but we didn't want to insinuate that there'd be promises of hoverboards and floating shoes (yes, Back To The Future, it's 2015 now and there's still no show of the gadgets you predicted!).
From my own knowledge and interest in current technologies and scientific advancements, I already have an idea of what is going on in the present. Self-fastening shoes (just like the ones in BTTF - they did get one prediction right I guess), waterproof spray technology, 3D writing using thermal-plastic-melting pens, and even flexible phones (that ARE intentional, unlike the shoddy excuse of a phone that is the iPhone 6) are all recent inventions. However, seeing as we have pushed the boundaries of what we thought could be achieved, what more can we expect in the next decade?
Our main focus would be clothing, new materials, gadgets and accessories as these would all have an opportunity to be featured on our characters or have some way of interacting with them. Some rumours on the internet (sites such as New Scientist, Forbes, and Zdnet are my main sources of these) have suggested in the next decade 3D meals may be available in our own homes using 3D printers. This could maybe allow for 3D printed fabrics and man-made material innovations for clothing and fashion? Could we be heading to a more stereotypical idea of futuristic fashion with space-age style suits and outfits?
Brain Machine Interfaces, or BMIs for short, may allow us to have implants just under our skin to communicate what we're thinking by connecting to computers that pick up our electromagnetic brain waves ro sense our feelings. This is particularly invasive and is similar to the likes of TV show Black Mirror of which touches on subjects like this. It could be fairly detrimental for our society.
The rise of robots seems an inevitable occurrence with gadgets already in the making and becoming successful in countries such as Japan and China. However, given another decade robots might be a part of our everyday lives and serve a purpose more closer to home such as cooking and cleaning, or even walking the dog!
With the fairly new creation of 4G internet, who's to say there won't be a 5G in 2020/25? There'll always be constant competition in the way consumerists want the latest gadgets. Companies will always find new ways to make more money out of us...
Whatever the possibilities, I feel that we're currently already suffocated by technology and although there is no doubt it had improved our lives and ease of living, too much of a good thing can be more harm than good. Think of how many people struggle to go out without having their mobile phones on them? In a decade, that could be said for the next new gadget such as robots, a development in Google Glass, or some new form of clothing or accessory.
Seeing as Anna and I had a rough idea of what we were going to create for our collaborative brief, we thought it was only appropriate to a get a little bit of research in there before the next session of which we would be signing our "contract of collaboration" together. As we had the idea of creating a future character of ourselves, we had to go out and research what the world could possibly look like in a decade's time.
It's alright imagining what new technologies are out there, but if you start guessing and turning it into some kind of fairytale, it's not going to a be a very accurate brief. The brief didn't actually state whether or not it had to be accurate, but we didn't want to insinuate that there'd be promises of hoverboards and floating shoes (yes, Back To The Future, it's 2015 now and there's still no show of the gadgets you predicted!).
From my own knowledge and interest in current technologies and scientific advancements, I already have an idea of what is going on in the present. Self-fastening shoes (just like the ones in BTTF - they did get one prediction right I guess), waterproof spray technology, 3D writing using thermal-plastic-melting pens, and even flexible phones (that ARE intentional, unlike the shoddy excuse of a phone that is the iPhone 6) are all recent inventions. However, seeing as we have pushed the boundaries of what we thought could be achieved, what more can we expect in the next decade?
Our main focus would be clothing, new materials, gadgets and accessories as these would all have an opportunity to be featured on our characters or have some way of interacting with them. Some rumours on the internet (sites such as New Scientist, Forbes, and Zdnet are my main sources of these) have suggested in the next decade 3D meals may be available in our own homes using 3D printers. This could maybe allow for 3D printed fabrics and man-made material innovations for clothing and fashion? Could we be heading to a more stereotypical idea of futuristic fashion with space-age style suits and outfits?
Brain Machine Interfaces, or BMIs for short, may allow us to have implants just under our skin to communicate what we're thinking by connecting to computers that pick up our electromagnetic brain waves ro sense our feelings. This is particularly invasive and is similar to the likes of TV show Black Mirror of which touches on subjects like this. It could be fairly detrimental for our society.
The rise of robots seems an inevitable occurrence with gadgets already in the making and becoming successful in countries such as Japan and China. However, given another decade robots might be a part of our everyday lives and serve a purpose more closer to home such as cooking and cleaning, or even walking the dog!
 |
| "Asimo", a robot invented in Japan with a rather humanoid appearance. |
With the fairly new creation of 4G internet, who's to say there won't be a 5G in 2020/25? There'll always be constant competition in the way consumerists want the latest gadgets. Companies will always find new ways to make more money out of us...
Whatever the possibilities, I feel that we're currently already suffocated by technology and although there is no doubt it had improved our lives and ease of living, too much of a good thing can be more harm than good. Think of how many people struggle to go out without having their mobile phones on them? In a decade, that could be said for the next new gadget such as robots, a development in Google Glass, or some new form of clothing or accessory.
Monday, 9 February 2015
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Research/Pre-Production: Model Making
OUAN505 - Model Making:
After a long trek around Leeds for appropriate materials, I managed to gather everything I needed in order to create and start testing my models for the animation. I spoke to my partner's father regarding useful hints and tips when creating stop motion characters (as he runs an art store in my hometown, Harrogate, and also participates in modelling and animation professionally). Wayne, Nathan's father, spoke to me about how it would be best to try and keep the weight of my models down so that they would be easier to work with and would be more manoeuvrable when it came to animating.
I had a brilliant idea of using those plastic toy fruit and vegetables I used to play with when I was younger. I'm sure they would be cheap and easy to get hold of. After contacting a few mothers who might possibly have a few spares they could lend me, I had no luck. However one of the mothers did suggest looking in Home Bargains as they sold a huge pack of them for as little as £4! I grabbed a pack of these and began searching for modelling clay/plasticine. Wilkos' own brand was great quality and had a nice scent so wasn't difficult to work with. I picked up a few packs of these and was ready to start with the modelling.
In the design department, David was on his way to creating a few character designs for us to look through and choose. After deciding on finalised characters, we could then start properly modelling.
Once I got back home, I tested a sample of the modelling clay on one of my plastic fruits to see how heavy it was, the texture of it, and how well it stuck and moulded to the base fruit. Here are some photographs of my progress.
After a long trek around Leeds for appropriate materials, I managed to gather everything I needed in order to create and start testing my models for the animation. I spoke to my partner's father regarding useful hints and tips when creating stop motion characters (as he runs an art store in my hometown, Harrogate, and also participates in modelling and animation professionally). Wayne, Nathan's father, spoke to me about how it would be best to try and keep the weight of my models down so that they would be easier to work with and would be more manoeuvrable when it came to animating.
I had a brilliant idea of using those plastic toy fruit and vegetables I used to play with when I was younger. I'm sure they would be cheap and easy to get hold of. After contacting a few mothers who might possibly have a few spares they could lend me, I had no luck. However one of the mothers did suggest looking in Home Bargains as they sold a huge pack of them for as little as £4! I grabbed a pack of these and began searching for modelling clay/plasticine. Wilkos' own brand was great quality and had a nice scent so wasn't difficult to work with. I picked up a few packs of these and was ready to start with the modelling.
In the design department, David was on his way to creating a few character designs for us to look through and choose. After deciding on finalised characters, we could then start properly modelling.
Once I got back home, I tested a sample of the modelling clay on one of my plastic fruits to see how heavy it was, the texture of it, and how well it stuck and moulded to the base fruit. Here are some photographs of my progress.
Saturday, 7 February 2015
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Research/Pre-Production: Roles & Responsibilities
OUAN505 - Roles & Responsibilities:
To make this work, I needed a plan of action. Who would be doing what and how can we save time and possibly wasted effort? I came up with a rough plan of how things would work out so that this project wouldn't be too much work with too little time.
I would do my best to create the set, with advice and feedback from anyone who wished to give their opinions. This would take a couple of weeks at the most, but lots of effort would need to be put in in order to make sure the set looked realistic enough. At the same time, model making would need to be done. I planned to do this on my own mostly, but would ask any possible modellers if they wished to help with the modelling and armatures of my fruits and veggies. Also, instruments would need to be made to fir the size of the characters, so this would need to be worked out. I had my hopes on making the drum kit as that could feature the logo of the band (of which I will blog about later).
When it comes to animating, I am not much of an animator but am willing to give it my best shot. Seeing as there will be a good number of characters to animate (I aim for five, as I will talk about later), input from any animators would be fantastically helpful and I would be very grateful for the input as it would allow them to show something for their portfolio. David kindly offered (though I need to make sure he's still up for it) to direct and man the camera and lighting for this project, as well as do the whopping huge task of 2D animation lip syncing and facial expression. This is a huge weight off my shoulders having help from others and I am incredibly thrilled that we'll have others working on this.
Myself and my partner, Nathan, will be working on the music production. That means choosing a suitable song, changing the lyrics to fit the purpose and audience. After this stage of which may take a week or so, I will ask for any volunteers in the singing department. If there are none, then it will just be me with Nathan possibly working on backing vocals, harmonies, and adding in some extra guitar chords over the top in an attempt to make the music "thicker". I will research copyright issues with using pre-recorded karaoke backing tracks first and if this is an issue then Nathan kindly offered to play the whole song from scratch, working on each part then layering the sounds up to create a full song.
For post-production, I will be working on this with any other volunteers. Input would be gladly received as other opinions on things like sound volume and so forth would be needed.
To make this work, I needed a plan of action. Who would be doing what and how can we save time and possibly wasted effort? I came up with a rough plan of how things would work out so that this project wouldn't be too much work with too little time.
I would do my best to create the set, with advice and feedback from anyone who wished to give their opinions. This would take a couple of weeks at the most, but lots of effort would need to be put in in order to make sure the set looked realistic enough. At the same time, model making would need to be done. I planned to do this on my own mostly, but would ask any possible modellers if they wished to help with the modelling and armatures of my fruits and veggies. Also, instruments would need to be made to fir the size of the characters, so this would need to be worked out. I had my hopes on making the drum kit as that could feature the logo of the band (of which I will blog about later).
When it comes to animating, I am not much of an animator but am willing to give it my best shot. Seeing as there will be a good number of characters to animate (I aim for five, as I will talk about later), input from any animators would be fantastically helpful and I would be very grateful for the input as it would allow them to show something for their portfolio. David kindly offered (though I need to make sure he's still up for it) to direct and man the camera and lighting for this project, as well as do the whopping huge task of 2D animation lip syncing and facial expression. This is a huge weight off my shoulders having help from others and I am incredibly thrilled that we'll have others working on this.
Myself and my partner, Nathan, will be working on the music production. That means choosing a suitable song, changing the lyrics to fit the purpose and audience. After this stage of which may take a week or so, I will ask for any volunteers in the singing department. If there are none, then it will just be me with Nathan possibly working on backing vocals, harmonies, and adding in some extra guitar chords over the top in an attempt to make the music "thicker". I will research copyright issues with using pre-recorded karaoke backing tracks first and if this is an issue then Nathan kindly offered to play the whole song from scratch, working on each part then layering the sounds up to create a full song.
For post-production, I will be working on this with any other volunteers. Input would be gladly received as other opinions on things like sound volume and so forth would be needed.
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Research/Pre-Production: Set Design & Lighting (Part Two)
OUAN505 - Set Design & Lighting:
For the lighting department, whilst in our woodwork induction that I mentioned in the previous post, our tutor at the time (Roger Berry) was telling us about how he worked in electronics a while back and how it would be more cost-efficient of us to create our own customised lighting for our sets. He mentioned that by buying short strips of LEDs and soldering them to battery packs, it would be a better way of tailoring the lighting to our needs.
So, with this in mind I sought out to buy a metre's worth of white LEDs for the set I was so keen to make. Just under £2.00 was a brilliant bargain and at 12 volts input, I sought out some batteries for my lighting. I first wanted to consult Roger to see how exactly this work and what would be the best way forward. I didn't want to go into this blindly as although I had done plenty of this sort of thing at high school, I was no expert and thought it wise to have a chat with him first.
For the lighting department, whilst in our woodwork induction that I mentioned in the previous post, our tutor at the time (Roger Berry) was telling us about how he worked in electronics a while back and how it would be more cost-efficient of us to create our own customised lighting for our sets. He mentioned that by buying short strips of LEDs and soldering them to battery packs, it would be a better way of tailoring the lighting to our needs.
So, with this in mind I sought out to buy a metre's worth of white LEDs for the set I was so keen to make. Just under £2.00 was a brilliant bargain and at 12 volts input, I sought out some batteries for my lighting. I first wanted to consult Roger to see how exactly this work and what would be the best way forward. I didn't want to go into this blindly as although I had done plenty of this sort of thing at high school, I was no expert and thought it wise to have a chat with him first.
As lovely and theatre-like the white lights were, I was intent on saving up for a strip of the colour-changing LEDs so that I could stick to the "disco" vibe I had in mind. With alternating colours and even a possible mini disco ball featured in the animation, I could achieve a very authentic looking set.
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The coloured lights look much better, however price-wise they weren't that pocket friendly for the budget I had set... In order to add a little more funk and realism, I bought a small disco ball bauble to hang from the top of the set so that it would give some light reflection. After ringing my godparents in a flustered panic about the price of colour-changing LEDs (they have their entire kitchen decked out in them!), they suggested going for a short strip (1M) of them using a 12v DC current so that they could run on batteries (better for set maneuverability) and would a little bit more cost-friendly. I will look into this and ask Roger for some advice.
From what I learned from the lighting induction last week, it would be wise to follow the three point lighting setup to achieve the best possible results. However, considering the fact that I will be using strips of LEDs running around the top of the set (slightly higher than my models' head height), I think it will only be necessary to have a fill light and possible a key light (I will experiment with lighting once my set has been created and tested).
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Research/Pre-Production: Set Design & Lighting (Part One)
OUAN505 - Set Design & Lighting:
After our woodwork induction a few weeks ago, which was rather interesting and gave me the confidence I didn't have in high school to create models and working pieces out of MDF board, I was heavily inspired to create a set for an upcoming module. Well, this is going to be that module! After much consideration and thought about the methods I would use for my animation, I chose stop motion as it is one area I haven't fully explored yet. I have only merely dipped my toe in the deep pond that is stop motion and I wish to get to know it better.
As I blogged about this earlier, the idea I had was to create a song and dance type animation to promote healthy eating and the many benefits that fruit and vegetables have in comparison to processed and fast foods. In order to reach my target audience of young teens/young adults I will use a band of fruits and veggies to sing along and promote this cause. Not only would it be entertaining, but it would speak to my audience on a more personal level as by using a notorious song (of which will be discussed later) and a band to play this out, teenagers will be more familiar with it. It won't just be some "lame" video that the science teacher drags up on screen one morning. It will hopefully stick and be remembered!
So, I know clearly what my aims are and how I will go about this. What I needed to research was set design and lighting in order to give my band a stage to stand and perform on. I want this to look believable and put a lot of effort into it. To do this I had to look at examples and methods of creating sets. Whilst browsing the web, I found a model of the top of a castle tower. I was really drawn to the open and inviting shape of it as the sides were stuck together at a 45 degree (roughly) angle. If I went down to the woodwork department and asked for some scrap MDF, it would be possible to recreate this design but as a stage and not a castle. The image below is the example I found of which I would like to base the shape of my set around.
After our woodwork induction a few weeks ago, which was rather interesting and gave me the confidence I didn't have in high school to create models and working pieces out of MDF board, I was heavily inspired to create a set for an upcoming module. Well, this is going to be that module! After much consideration and thought about the methods I would use for my animation, I chose stop motion as it is one area I haven't fully explored yet. I have only merely dipped my toe in the deep pond that is stop motion and I wish to get to know it better.
As I blogged about this earlier, the idea I had was to create a song and dance type animation to promote healthy eating and the many benefits that fruit and vegetables have in comparison to processed and fast foods. In order to reach my target audience of young teens/young adults I will use a band of fruits and veggies to sing along and promote this cause. Not only would it be entertaining, but it would speak to my audience on a more personal level as by using a notorious song (of which will be discussed later) and a band to play this out, teenagers will be more familiar with it. It won't just be some "lame" video that the science teacher drags up on screen one morning. It will hopefully stick and be remembered!
So, I know clearly what my aims are and how I will go about this. What I needed to research was set design and lighting in order to give my band a stage to stand and perform on. I want this to look believable and put a lot of effort into it. To do this I had to look at examples and methods of creating sets. Whilst browsing the web, I found a model of the top of a castle tower. I was really drawn to the open and inviting shape of it as the sides were stuck together at a 45 degree (roughly) angle. If I went down to the woodwork department and asked for some scrap MDF, it would be possible to recreate this design but as a stage and not a castle. The image below is the example I found of which I would like to base the shape of my set around.
The company/group who created this is called Big Picture Creations and focus solely on set and theatre design. Their blog is incredibly handy for looking up tips on how to build wonderful yet simple sets, different types of knots for hanging objects from scenery ropes above the set, and various other things to make your stop motion project easier. Big Picture Creations
There are four things we need to consider when making a set. These are all vital in determining whether or not certain aspects will work when shooting the footage/frames:
1) Dimension - Will the set have dimension and space?
2) Light - How will the light cast on the set, how will it reflect and work with the shape? (This is another reason I thought a more open set would be more appropriate - it would look dingy if the sides were at a 90 degree angle in comparison to 45 where the light has more room fill)
3) Movement - Can your models move effectively through the space given?
4) Authenticity - How authentic can you make it look? Is it easy to tell what it is?
With all this mind, I will draw up a few examples of the set I have in mind. I will consider all of the four pointers above and make sure it is believable to an audience. I will ask peers what they think of the set and when I have the all clear I will begin testing its creation.
Friday, 6 February 2015
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Research/Pre-Production: Thoughts About Style
OUAN505 - Thoughts About Style:
My overall ideas about style and what I would like the overall animation to look like - I am currently talking about the song animation that I would like to create with possible help from others - is that I wish to aim for some stop-motion animation using little plasticine vegetables and creatures. I would also like to incorporate some Photoshop and possible After Effects into this to get some lip syncing involved and some effects.
Here are some initial reference images of the style I would like to aim for. I also wish to create a small but simple set for my vegetables to sing and dance on. A more hands on approach might really appeal to me and seeing as it is fairly new to me, I feel like it might be that experimentation that I need to find something that I'm good at finally. I have struggled with all other forms of animation so far so this one might come as a pleasant surprise. I hope it is more successful than my Cbeebies ident from last year.
Here are some lovely little creation from Andrea Manzati.
I wish to create some models like the ones above, using techniques that I learned from last year where I create milliput eyeballs with little holes in them so I can rotate the eyes to create expressions. If this fails and I find it doesn't work so well, I may even use Photoshop to create the facial expressions. I did have a thought of using plastic vegetables but it wouldn't really work too well as I wanted to give them arms and legs and little personalities without being too perfect and manufactured.
My goals for this week is to create some small test models and sketches of what I wish for them to look like. I will also research some songs and change the lyrics whilst looking up facts and information relating to the subject. I may try and create some armatures if I can and focus on getting these eyeballs created to initially see if they work. A storyboard is also on the agenda.
OUAN503 - Responsive - Collaborative Practice: Narrowing it Down
OUAN503 - Narrowing it Down:
After our meeting in Responsive, we eventually decided on a brief out of the six we had both brought to the table. The brief we had in common was Pantone which was interesting. However, we did not agree on this one as it was based around product and print which was not something we were both knowledgable of. We talked it out and weighed up the pros and cons of each brief we brought along and eventually decided on WeTransfer as this allowed us to work completely collaboratively.
The brief (shown below) states that we were required to create a piece of work, be it illustration, animation or product, that depicts how we imagine ourselves to be in ten years. WeTransfer was definitely a new company name on our radar as we'd never heard of it before. After a little research, we discovered that their company sold a product that allowed customers to upload and share files across the web efficiently and easily.
Our initial thoughts were to create a collaborative illustration of both of us. Half the drawing being myself, the other half Anna. Another idea was to simply create two different illustrations of us both. I was thinking of drawing how I imagined Anna in ten years, and therefore she could illustrate me. However, there were many different problems with this as the brief asked for only one illustration despite there being two of us. The idea of both of us mixed together was an idea that stuck.
Being from an Animation background, we thought it would be nice to have some animation involved in our work. With the dislike for full-blown animation, I thought subtlety would work as I didn't want to detract attention from the illustration. Anna suggested an animator named Rebecca Mock (see work below) who focused on adding subtle hints of animation to her beautiful illustrations.
Anna and I had a similar idea as we thought it would work really well and look just right. It would also help draw the viewer's eye to certain elements of the work rather than be detached from all of it.
Another idea was to create a flipbook product where you could flip and change the faces of the character, costumes, body parts and accessories as not everyone has the same plans for what they want to be in ten years' time. We wanted to get across the message that there is a multitude of opportunities.
http://www.rebeccamock.com/
above is an example of the kind of flipbook we would create http://www.multiplydelicious.com/thekids/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/flipinivations.jpg
After our meeting in Responsive, we eventually decided on a brief out of the six we had both brought to the table. The brief we had in common was Pantone which was interesting. However, we did not agree on this one as it was based around product and print which was not something we were both knowledgable of. We talked it out and weighed up the pros and cons of each brief we brought along and eventually decided on WeTransfer as this allowed us to work completely collaboratively.
The brief (shown below) states that we were required to create a piece of work, be it illustration, animation or product, that depicts how we imagine ourselves to be in ten years. WeTransfer was definitely a new company name on our radar as we'd never heard of it before. After a little research, we discovered that their company sold a product that allowed customers to upload and share files across the web efficiently and easily.
Our initial thoughts were to create a collaborative illustration of both of us. Half the drawing being myself, the other half Anna. Another idea was to simply create two different illustrations of us both. I was thinking of drawing how I imagined Anna in ten years, and therefore she could illustrate me. However, there were many different problems with this as the brief asked for only one illustration despite there being two of us. The idea of both of us mixed together was an idea that stuck.
Being from an Animation background, we thought it would be nice to have some animation involved in our work. With the dislike for full-blown animation, I thought subtlety would work as I didn't want to detract attention from the illustration. Anna suggested an animator named Rebecca Mock (see work below) who focused on adding subtle hints of animation to her beautiful illustrations.
Anna and I had a similar idea as we thought it would work really well and look just right. It would also help draw the viewer's eye to certain elements of the work rather than be detached from all of it.
Another idea was to create a flipbook product where you could flip and change the faces of the character, costumes, body parts and accessories as not everyone has the same plans for what they want to be in ten years' time. We wanted to get across the message that there is a multitude of opportunities.http://www.rebeccamock.com/
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Research/Pre-Production: My Initial Ideas
OUAN505 - My Initial Ideas:
Despite coming together as part of group, I still had high hopes on creating a song based around the idea of eating healthily, a vegan diet, myths about food, the scary truths about food and so forth. I wanted to audience to be around 12-18 years as catchy food-related songs were always shown at our high school and were very popular. They always stuck in our heads simply because of the song aspect and the animation side.
I think the "truth about our foods" would be a very interesting approach as it would allow me to open peoples' minds up to the truths without having the harsher side of live action. Cruelty to animals through use of live action has such a harsh impact on people and especially school-age children. Not only are certain videos too extreme and graphic to be shown in schools, but they aren't going to stick in your mind for reasons other than shock factor. Animation would be a more subtle yet entertaining way of getting their attention and would be acceptable to be shown in schools to that age range.
However, I didn't want to aim form something sinister and "conspiracy-theory-esque". My aim is to create an entertaining animation, quite possibly stop motion (See Meet The Raisins below), paired up with a catchy ballad or rap of some description. I would probably find a piece of music/song that has already been created by an artist, one of which is common knowledge and popular. I would then focus on changing the lyrics, adding in facts and figures to subliminally help the message stick in peoples' minds, then recreate the song in a style suitable for the animation (i.e rock/pop/electronic). A popular song would help in making the animation more relatable and recognisable.
Despite coming together as part of group, I still had high hopes on creating a song based around the idea of eating healthily, a vegan diet, myths about food, the scary truths about food and so forth. I wanted to audience to be around 12-18 years as catchy food-related songs were always shown at our high school and were very popular. They always stuck in our heads simply because of the song aspect and the animation side.
I think the "truth about our foods" would be a very interesting approach as it would allow me to open peoples' minds up to the truths without having the harsher side of live action. Cruelty to animals through use of live action has such a harsh impact on people and especially school-age children. Not only are certain videos too extreme and graphic to be shown in schools, but they aren't going to stick in your mind for reasons other than shock factor. Animation would be a more subtle yet entertaining way of getting their attention and would be acceptable to be shown in schools to that age range.
However, I didn't want to aim form something sinister and "conspiracy-theory-esque". My aim is to create an entertaining animation, quite possibly stop motion (See Meet The Raisins below), paired up with a catchy ballad or rap of some description. I would probably find a piece of music/song that has already been created by an artist, one of which is common knowledge and popular. I would then focus on changing the lyrics, adding in facts and figures to subliminally help the message stick in peoples' minds, then recreate the song in a style suitable for the animation (i.e rock/pop/electronic). A popular song would help in making the animation more relatable and recognisable.
Meet the raisins has a very distinct style of stop-motion. I like the aesthetics of this piece. This is directed by Will Vinton and Barry Bruce.
OUAN505 - Applied Animation - Research/Pre-Production: Coming Together
OUAN505 - Coming Together:
To begin the brief we had to arrange ourselves into logical groups depending on what subject matter and project style we were aiming to achieve. I came to the brief with the idea of creating a parody music video as I have a keen interest in music and lyrics. However, after much debate with the group of three I had somehow fallen into, it was then decided to work on a "Mockumentary" of which we would actively poke fun at the health-conscious using a variety of techniques.
What sparked this idea was a short video we watched called the "Butterfield Diet" in which a rather large man, Brian Butterfield, went about his "healthy" week by creating a spoof diet based on eating a single lettuce leaf and a single bean for each meal and so forth. I found this really humorous and thought it would apply well to our project as we could get away with having a terrible green-screen effect animation whilst incorporating live-action and some animated characters. Not only would this receive input from all of us as the variety of techniques we aim to use would require all of our varied skills, it would allow us to use multiple programs and methods in one animation - something I personally have never done before.
I may set out to create a "healthy eating" rap/ballad/song as part of a personal project whilst having stop motion animation to accompany it as I had high hopes for creating a song with my partner working on the backing track whilst I and a few possible others sang.
Below is the source of our initial inspiration for this project. An animated version of something similar to this would allow for some interesting results and a comical style.
In the end we decided that a more cooperative and a less collaborative approach would be better where we can all chip into each other's work without having the commitment of seeing it through until the end.
To begin the brief we had to arrange ourselves into logical groups depending on what subject matter and project style we were aiming to achieve. I came to the brief with the idea of creating a parody music video as I have a keen interest in music and lyrics. However, after much debate with the group of three I had somehow fallen into, it was then decided to work on a "Mockumentary" of which we would actively poke fun at the health-conscious using a variety of techniques.
What sparked this idea was a short video we watched called the "Butterfield Diet" in which a rather large man, Brian Butterfield, went about his "healthy" week by creating a spoof diet based on eating a single lettuce leaf and a single bean for each meal and so forth. I found this really humorous and thought it would apply well to our project as we could get away with having a terrible green-screen effect animation whilst incorporating live-action and some animated characters. Not only would this receive input from all of us as the variety of techniques we aim to use would require all of our varied skills, it would allow us to use multiple programs and methods in one animation - something I personally have never done before.
I may set out to create a "healthy eating" rap/ballad/song as part of a personal project whilst having stop motion animation to accompany it as I had high hopes for creating a song with my partner working on the backing track whilst I and a few possible others sang.
Below is the source of our initial inspiration for this project. An animated version of something similar to this would allow for some interesting results and a comical style.
In the end we decided that a more cooperative and a less collaborative approach would be better where we can all chip into each other's work without having the commitment of seeing it through until the end.
Monday, 2 February 2015
OUAN503 - Responsive - Collaborative Practice: Choosing Three Briefs
OUAN503 - Three Briefs:
As part of our collaborative practice, a new brief set in Responsive of which we were to pair up with someone of our choosing regarding that their skillset and personalities were appropriate for the projects ahead, we were to each choose three briefs from either DANDAD or YCN to bring to the next session to discuss and then finally decide on one together.
In the briefing, I was surprised to have multiple offers from several people of whom wanted to work with me. Although this heartwarming, I was rather stressed and had to weigh up the pros and cons of each individual offer and choose the most suitable person. One offer I had was originally an offer I had was one of which I had thought deeply about prior to briefing due to great animation skills (something of which I do not quite possess yet), yet I thought that due to both our fiery and assertive personalities we wouldn't be a good match as arguments may arise.
Finally I chose to work with someone of whom possessed lovely illustration skills and had a compatible personality. They are dedicated to their work and are good at giving feedback and coming to conclusions about work and decisions easily. I then had that out of the way so was able to decide on three briefs of which interest myself and which I would find applicable to both our varying skills. These are my three choices and a short explanation of why.
Moo:
Visually celebrate MOO’s belief that ‘Design Works Wonders’
Background
MOO is an online print and design company with a vision to help all businesses, big and small, look their best. We believe that design works wonders and really matters in business. This is why we make it simple for our customers to create beautiful, expertly crafted business stationery and promotional materials that start conversations and open doors.
We’re on a mission to help people build a brilliantly designed professional world they’re really proud of – and have a little fun along the way. It’s not just print that we love: MOO is heading towards providing a digital and physical range of beautifully designed products that all work together, giving customers a complimentary and consistent offering for all their needs.
The MOO brand is…
Playful
We like to be playful, tell funny stories, plan cheeky surprises and make people smile.
Open
We’re the kind of brand that likes to be open when things go wrong, as well as when they’re right – it’s all part of being trusted and relied upon.
Encouraging
Being encouraging is a big part of the MOO spirit. Business can be tough, and who doesn’t need a little extra support along the way?
Social
MOO is a sociable brand, we’re chatty and work hard to keep our customers feeling at ease and informed.
Helpful
Being helpful is something we’re ace at – understanding our customers and making sure they’ve got what they need.
Target audience
Our customers are a passionate bunch, from all sizes of businesses and all industries, ranging from fashion and creative, to food and drink, to health and fitness. One thing unites them all: an appreciation for what quality products and great design can achieve. We want to connect with our customers through the world of design, showing them its potential to help them succeed, but also encouraging them to be creative at the same time.
The Creative Challenge
We’ve updated our brand with a new tagline – Design Works Wonders – but our tagline is so much more than just words: Design Works Wonders is our philosophy. It’s what drives us to keep innovating and producing beautifully designed products that both we, and our customers, can be truly proud of.
In order to raise awareness of our philosophy, we’d like you to create a visual representation of Design Works Wonders, bringing it to life through any format you’d like – from graphic design and illustration to animation or photography.
We’re looking for something visually striking, something that will directly appeal and speak to our design-loving customers, whilst building intrigue about MOO.
Specifically, we’re looking for an idea that:
• Promotes awareness that Design Works Wonders in business
• Looks striking and visually engaging
• Gets our customers excited about MOO
• Makes people smile
• Encourages people to visit moo.com
Mediums to use
• For photographic and illustrative entries, please submit a high resolution JPEG or TIFF file
• For animations and moving graphics, please submit an MP4 file
• For graphic design entries, please submit an InDesign or Illustrator file
Mandatories
The design must:
Include MOO’s logo (available in the accompanying Project Pack) and a URL to moo.com
Adhere to our brand colours and style guidelines
Deliverables & Additional Information
The winning designs have the potential to be displayed across a number of platforms, to MOO fans based in both Europe and the US.
If we like your idea, we’ll promote it via our social media channels, exposing your work to 400,000 design-loving customers. If we really like your idea we’ll promote it via the website and through printed materials too. If your idea truly wows us, we’ll do all of the above, plus we’ll display it in public.
Why Moo?
Pantone:
Reimagine your hometown through the language of colour.
The Creative Challenge
Reimagine your hometown through a new colour scheme. Think about everything that this identity could include, physical and digital: logo, transport, wayfinding, etc.
‘Hometown’ could mean where you’re from, where you are now, or just a place that you feel you belong – even if you’ve never lived there.
Want to see the rest of this brief? Scroll down and download the brief pack below for the full brief and all the information you need.
Relevant Disciplines
· Graphic Design
· Experiential
· Wayfinding & Environmental Graphics
· Branding
· Crafts for Design
· Integrated Graphics
As part of our collaborative practice, a new brief set in Responsive of which we were to pair up with someone of our choosing regarding that their skillset and personalities were appropriate for the projects ahead, we were to each choose three briefs from either DANDAD or YCN to bring to the next session to discuss and then finally decide on one together.
In the briefing, I was surprised to have multiple offers from several people of whom wanted to work with me. Although this heartwarming, I was rather stressed and had to weigh up the pros and cons of each individual offer and choose the most suitable person. One offer I had was originally an offer I had was one of which I had thought deeply about prior to briefing due to great animation skills (something of which I do not quite possess yet), yet I thought that due to both our fiery and assertive personalities we wouldn't be a good match as arguments may arise.
Finally I chose to work with someone of whom possessed lovely illustration skills and had a compatible personality. They are dedicated to their work and are good at giving feedback and coming to conclusions about work and decisions easily. I then had that out of the way so was able to decide on three briefs of which interest myself and which I would find applicable to both our varying skills. These are my three choices and a short explanation of why.
Moo:
Visually celebrate MOO’s belief that ‘Design Works Wonders’
Background
MOO is an online print and design company with a vision to help all businesses, big and small, look their best. We believe that design works wonders and really matters in business. This is why we make it simple for our customers to create beautiful, expertly crafted business stationery and promotional materials that start conversations and open doors.
We’re on a mission to help people build a brilliantly designed professional world they’re really proud of – and have a little fun along the way. It’s not just print that we love: MOO is heading towards providing a digital and physical range of beautifully designed products that all work together, giving customers a complimentary and consistent offering for all their needs.
The MOO brand is…
Playful
We like to be playful, tell funny stories, plan cheeky surprises and make people smile.
Open
We’re the kind of brand that likes to be open when things go wrong, as well as when they’re right – it’s all part of being trusted and relied upon.
Encouraging
Being encouraging is a big part of the MOO spirit. Business can be tough, and who doesn’t need a little extra support along the way?
Social
MOO is a sociable brand, we’re chatty and work hard to keep our customers feeling at ease and informed.
Helpful
Being helpful is something we’re ace at – understanding our customers and making sure they’ve got what they need.
Target audience
Our customers are a passionate bunch, from all sizes of businesses and all industries, ranging from fashion and creative, to food and drink, to health and fitness. One thing unites them all: an appreciation for what quality products and great design can achieve. We want to connect with our customers through the world of design, showing them its potential to help them succeed, but also encouraging them to be creative at the same time.
The Creative Challenge
We’ve updated our brand with a new tagline – Design Works Wonders – but our tagline is so much more than just words: Design Works Wonders is our philosophy. It’s what drives us to keep innovating and producing beautifully designed products that both we, and our customers, can be truly proud of.
In order to raise awareness of our philosophy, we’d like you to create a visual representation of Design Works Wonders, bringing it to life through any format you’d like – from graphic design and illustration to animation or photography.
We’re looking for something visually striking, something that will directly appeal and speak to our design-loving customers, whilst building intrigue about MOO.
Specifically, we’re looking for an idea that:
• Promotes awareness that Design Works Wonders in business
• Looks striking and visually engaging
• Gets our customers excited about MOO
• Makes people smile
• Encourages people to visit moo.com
Mediums to use
• For photographic and illustrative entries, please submit a high resolution JPEG or TIFF file
• For animations and moving graphics, please submit an MP4 file
• For graphic design entries, please submit an InDesign or Illustrator file
Mandatories
The design must:
Include MOO’s logo (available in the accompanying Project Pack) and a URL to moo.com
Adhere to our brand colours and style guidelines
Deliverables & Additional Information
The winning designs have the potential to be displayed across a number of platforms, to MOO fans based in both Europe and the US.
If we like your idea, we’ll promote it via our social media channels, exposing your work to 400,000 design-loving customers. If we really like your idea we’ll promote it via the website and through printed materials too. If your idea truly wows us, we’ll do all of the above, plus we’ll display it in public.
Why Moo?
I can see the potential of a fun and quirky ident-type animation making use of bright colours, focusing on the theme of print and ink. My initial thoughts were incorporating a graphic design cow whilst portraying its udders as a printer. The udders could squirt ink onto the page as this would be humorous and relate to the company. It would definitely catch attention and would be seen by many if distributed online, on television, and could even be produced as posters/leaflets.
Pantone:
Reimagine your hometown through the language of colour.
The Creative Challenge
Reimagine your hometown through a new colour scheme. Think about everything that this identity could include, physical and digital: logo, transport, wayfinding, etc.
‘Hometown’ could mean where you’re from, where you are now, or just a place that you feel you belong – even if you’ve never lived there.
Want to see the rest of this brief? Scroll down and download the brief pack below for the full brief and all the information you need.
Relevant Disciplines
· Graphic Design
· Experiential
· Wayfinding & Environmental Graphics
· Branding
· Crafts for Design
· Integrated Graphics
Why Pantone?
Again, the possibility of a graphic design piece would test both our creative abilities and allow for learning new techniques and styles. Pantone are obviously reliant on colour as that's what their product essentially is. By using different colour schemes we would be able to create an emotive piece of animation or even an animated GIF to portray why Pantone colour is so effective. Reimagining a hometown would allow for potential landmarks to be displayed in colour. Short 5-10 second animations of landmarks in the chosen town could be interesting.
Vice:
Capture the spirit of VICE UK’s ‘Rule Britannia’ in an ident.
The Creative Challenge
Rule Britannia is VICE UK’s online den of nefarious activities, investigative journalism and enlightening documentaries. VICE UK are looking for an iconic ident that celebrates the editorial spirit of their award-winning flagship series.
Create a 10-15 second interpretation of the spirit of VICE’s Rule Britannia series in the form of a motion graphics ident.
Want to see the rest of this brief? Scroll down and download the brief pack below for the full brief and all the information you need.
Relevant Disciplines
· Crafts for Advertising
· Moving Image
· Animation
· Brand Expression
Vice:
Capture the spirit of VICE UK’s ‘Rule Britannia’ in an ident.
The Creative Challenge
Rule Britannia is VICE UK’s online den of nefarious activities, investigative journalism and enlightening documentaries. VICE UK are looking for an iconic ident that celebrates the editorial spirit of their award-winning flagship series.
Create a 10-15 second interpretation of the spirit of VICE’s Rule Britannia series in the form of a motion graphics ident.
Want to see the rest of this brief? Scroll down and download the brief pack below for the full brief and all the information you need.
Relevant Disciplines
· Crafts for Advertising
· Moving Image
· Animation
· Brand Expression
Why Vice?
The theme of Rule Britannia could have a variety of outcomes. British landmarks are a potential idea, however this is the sort of thing Pantone are after. British themes such as afternoon tea, cakes, picnics by the river, and more very traditional ideas could be displayed in a form of motion graphics. I feel that this project needs to be identifiable by all cultures and backgrounds, so something fairly stereotypical of Britain would be appropriate for a larger audience. Stereotypes also allow for some humour, fun, and a collective knowledge of what you are trying to describe.
OUAN503 - Responsive - Individual Practice: Qwertee
OUAN503 - Qwertee:
As part of my individual practice and in order to take part in five substantial briefs, be it competition or professionally set, I decided to give Qwertee's T-shirt design competition a go. My opinion on the term "substantial" would be ten or more shirt designs as illustrations are incredibly easy to churn out with about one a day being an acceptable number. Due to other briefs and being restricted time-wise, I chose to reuse some older illustrations from my portfolio. This saved a great deal of time and allowed me to receive valuable feedback on both old and new artwork from other Qwertee users.
Here are my submitted designs so far up for voting:
As part of my individual practice and in order to take part in five substantial briefs, be it competition or professionally set, I decided to give Qwertee's T-shirt design competition a go. My opinion on the term "substantial" would be ten or more shirt designs as illustrations are incredibly easy to churn out with about one a day being an acceptable number. Due to other briefs and being restricted time-wise, I chose to reuse some older illustrations from my portfolio. This saved a great deal of time and allowed me to receive valuable feedback on both old and new artwork from other Qwertee users.
Here are my submitted designs so far up for voting:
One of my designs did receive comments suggesting I should resubmit one of my designs on a different coloured shirt as black seemed a little bit too harsh. I tried uploading the design in question again on a white shirt and although it didn't achieve as many votes, I still think it was a positive decision as it gave voters a choice.
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