Mash Up

Really liked doing this project, it is amazing what can be done with different a sound track to visuals. It is good to know a bit more about Premiere as well.

After viewing all the clips and deciding which ones to choose (Bladerunner for the visuals and Singing in the Rain for the sound track), I started by listening to the sound track first a few times and watching the visuals as well, this gave me some idea of what clips might go with which sound.

I decided to just take out a few pieces in the sound track, there is some dialogue which I wanted to include but it was a bit too long so I edited some out in Audition. Also there is a section of 'tap' dancing which would have sounded a bit odd so that was edited out. I left the sound track in the same order for the rest of the trailor because as it is a musical there are a lot of cuts and changes in tempo already, so I didn't feel the need to re-cut the different songs and music. I decided that it would be best to time sections of music to compatible images. I used 'speed/duration' to lenghten and shorten clips to fit in with the length and tempo of the music, this seems to work.

In doing this project I realise that having a sound track to work visuals to makes a lot of sense, a lot like doing 'lip synch', the timing is already done and this almost works out the timing of the visuals for you!

So on 'Talking Dog' I am going to put together a sound track (it may not be that good, because sound doesn't seem to be my thing!), but this will give me a starting point for timing and length of the animtion.

Reflection

ARTWORK

Struggles with colour work, getting to know what works and what doesn't . . . this illustration is pastel and coloured pencil all smudged together, in more detail than the storyboard. I know this detail is not necessary for animation production artwork, this is just attempting some concept artwork.

I like using watercolour paint because it gives quite a smooth finish to colour, but I get too involved in detail as I lean too close to the work and don't stand back enough.

I spend too long painting objects in detail, as in the Character Animation Lip Sync project . . . I intended the background to be simple and it ended up being too busy. And I spent too much time painting and judging by the grade, not enough time animating.

The Storyboard artwork worked better, using mixed media to achieve the look I wanted and viewing lots of storyboards on various websites trying to get the right amount of shots to tell the viewer what is going on. Using pastel and coloured pencils for all the girl and fish drawings, scanning in and using Photoshop to create all the water on multiple layers. Fusing the two together by making sure the outlines of the scanned images were blended into the backgrounds.

Storyboard Project

A few shots from the storyboard project.

Well . . . I feel like I have been on quite an emotional journey with this project. At the beginning I thought this sounds like an interesting idea for a storyboard, but as time went on and an idea just didn't arrive in my head I had second thoughts and decided it was a horrible project.

I think it was the time scale of the other lip sync project that disturbed the flow of ideas in my brain. I got into the lip sync project (which I didn't think I would enjoy doing) and after I had finished that I found it difficult to transfer my thinking over to a different project.

I had hoped to have about 8-10 days to work on the storyboard but the days just started to pass by and nothing happened . . . I tried sketching and doodling, thumbnails and writing but just couldn't settle on an idea in my head. When eventually late on Sunday evening I just tried to draw up a few scenes that had been visualised in my head, and that was fortunately enough to kick start the whole story idea in my head. So Monday morning I was able to get on with forming key scenes and very quickly it then started to come together. . . much to my relief!

Now I think that it is my favourite project to date for the result I achieved. This is probably the first piece of colour work I have produced since starting my degree which I approve of. It is a lot nearer to the kind of imagery I have been trying to get to. Although it took a lot out of me, having little time to produce the finished piece actually meant I couldn't sit and think too hard about the drawings, and the individual scenes flowed as I did them without a break, so there is consistency. Some of the drawings could have been done better and I can only hope that it does read well as a storyboard.

Character Lip Sync Update

Just finished the animation for the lip sync in Flash, wasn't looking forward to doing the lip sync bit but after doing the dope sheet using Audition to count the frames and trying to work out the frenetic speech sounds, it actually came together quite easily. It was a lot better doing the lip sync using the dope sheets where you have already timed it and all you need to do is transfer the frames onto the animation frames.

My timing on action and acting still leave a lot to be desired, but i am quite pleased with the result of the idea, as it does tie into the dialogue well.

Showed Andy the piece up to a certain stage and with some suggestions from him I have spent today re-doing a scene which didn't read well and using Premiere to edit and add a transition. The ammendments worked I think and the result is much better.

Noodles backgrounds

The animators studio workstation.

Character candidates

Noodles sketches

The animator tries to act out the scene which he is trying to draw up, inbetween pulling his hair out with frustration.

The frustrated animator sits at his desk drawing away getting more and more annoyed at his lack of ability with animation timing, throwing screwed up sketches over his shoulder.

With a big sigh he says "maybe I should just go back to making noodles"