Week 1 & 2: 20 Pictures
Date: 30/09/2021 & 07/10/2021
For one of our first tasks in Introduction to Animation was to take 20 photos of objects that we see when we go out in the world. This exercise was to help us with creating a narrative story out of a selective photos that were taken for next week. For the images I’ve taken was on my local walk around my area as not only it helps complete the task before next week, but due to how long the landscape and the different environments there are, it allows me to think thoughtful of how I would like to capture the variety of objects and imagery I could find.
Later on in the week after, we were formed into breakout groups to decipher each other’s photos and create a short story out of four selected images. Unfortunately, I was having some problems with my laptop at the time so I have to create the story myself. The images that I’ve selected can be seen below this paragraph along with the short story that I’ve come up.
There was a boy and he doesn’t know where to go. So he found this sign, which he followed a path that lead him to a very strange journey as the area he was walking in was out of bounds. There was deep water and rubbish all over the place, making it dangerous for him to traverse through, but he managed to exit the area safety. This story ends with the boy finding a bench for him to sit on and relax after experiencing the unfounded path he took.
From what I’ve been taught in this exercise, it allowed me to improve how I can build an narrative experience using what’s available to me at a limit. What really entices my creativity in this task was the question, “how can I make a story out of this?” and the limitations that is presented before me. Nevertheless, as a starting exercise, it provide me a slight boost of how I should view things from a narrative perspective.
Week 3 & 4: Artist Group Work
Date: 14/10/2021 & 21/10/2021
This exercise was a group project about creating a film presenting our interpretations of how we view an artist’s work. We had to go one of the selected galleries e.g. Tate Modern or Tate Britain, and choose an artist that really inspires us from an artist’s perspective as our basis for the film we would produce. The group I’ve joined up with was Ben, Andrew, Angelo, Caleb and Luke. To take note, I’ve joined this group late as I was originally going to team up with a different group, but there were some issues with planning and organisation which made me feel it was best to switch to this group.
I was given a heads up on which artist we’ll be basing our work on as the group has already been to Tate Modern to choose who’s work has a lasting thought on them. The artist we have based our film on is known as Gerhard Richter, a German artist who specialises in using a variety of paints and tools to produce canvas that are described as abstract and photorealistic. To the average observer, this allows them to think imaginatively about what his work made be saying or presenting. Richter titles these works of him as “Cage Paintings” where each piece would be covered by layers upon layers of different paint that is either smudged or drag across the canvas with the brushes at his disposal or a large wooden plank that he uses to smudge and cover all areas of the canvas in paint whilst it was still fresh.
After doing some research in Richter myself and how he likes to produce his work, I’ve got started on my piece that would go towards our film. As appose to how Richter likes to use paints and tools on a large canvas, I went with a easier route by creating a similar piece of work to his, but using pencils and my hands in my own sketchbook. Taking inspiration from his paintings, I mindlessly draw and scribbled all over the page using different coloured pencils as I’ve created this piece whilst finishing it off with smudging them with my hands.
This final piece would be added to the final film in combination with the other members of my groups’ work.
I feel that with all of our work collected together like this really puts forward the notion that comes with Richter’s art pieces. The aura of mystery and imagination that comes from this provides a sense of amazement and fascination. I am very happy with how our work has formed together into this film and to pay our tributes to the artist. It was really interesting to learn about Richter as an artist and how he views his emotions within his own work.
Week 5 & 6: Drawing Maps and Objects
Date: 28/10/2021 & 04/11/2021
In the fifth week of Introduction to Animation, we’ve been asked to go on a 1 hour long walk around our neighbourhood. Whilst on the walk, we must sketch out a map of the different parts in our walk that we encounter as go such as houses, roads and signs. My local walk average around 40 mins or more, but adding on the fact I have draft up a new part of the map as I go did make it a bit longer than normal. We were advise to make/use a piece of cardboard with a rectangle cut out as a frame so we can sketch out the part from what we can see, however since I was under a time limit, I decided to either form a frame with my thumb and index finger on both hands or squinting my eyes.
On my local walk, I’ve drawn a bus stop, benches, trees, roads, pathways, houses, bridges, fields and memorials. Through this exercise, it allowed me to become familiar and observant of what my surroundings are like and how they can be illustrated in a visual formant whilst telling the narrative of my journey.
For the sixth week, we were told to do two mini exercises. One about drawing an object and the other being descriptive writing. The first exercise was about Descriptive Writing and how we can use it to tell and describe actions in a more impactful way. In 6 lines, we have to write a story about either these topics: grief, love, the kindness of a stranger, sickness or peeling an orange. I went with peeling an orange as from the topic alone, I went with an approach that depicts the character describing the process of peeling an orange like a desperate surgeon, waiting to gain the feeling of the fruitful taste of orange in his mouth. With a side of America Psycho’s Patrick Bateman when he’s describing the appearance and feel of Paul Allen’s business card. This exercise was really enjoyable to do as if anything, I had a lot of fun making up a story out of a simple task that requires very little thinking.
The next mini exercise was to sketch out an object that was in front of you on the table at the time in under 5 minutes. For me, it was a Sky remote as I was in a room where the Sky box is present. Drawing from my perspective, I’ve made sure to draw out its shape first before adding the buttons and tone of lighting coming from the patio doors. As a quick exercise, it provided me some quick thinking of how I draft up an art piece under a limit. In addition, I was asked if there was a line of dialogue that I would give my object, what would it be?
Week 7 & 8: Elephant and Castle Book Project
Date: 11/11/2021 & 18/11/2021
For this project was another group project, where we have to create a book about how Elephant & Castle was created. This project needed no factual research to understand the history behind the place, but only the creation mindset and storytelling among our group’s collaborative teamwork. In this group, I’ve teamed up with Dariga, Zoe, Wendy and Bardia to create the book.
The story we went with was there was a king and queen who wanted to build a castle of their own which lead them to be greeted by an wish granting elephant. The king and queen asked the elephant for their help in granting them their wish. The elephant answered them and a castle appears on top of its back. Over time this castle would grow in size, this would later become Elephant and Castle. To this today, the place as it now is, the elephant might still be here, underneath Elephant and Castle.
The five of us were given a paper each, provided by Bardia, so we can create a scene each that represents a part of the story in our own creative style. I was given the scene with the castle appearing on top of the elephant’s back.
When creating this scene, I’ve stuck with my traditional style of pencil drawing. The depiction of the elephant in this scene holds reference to the Elephant and Castle statue that can be associated with the place. This was my first time drawing an elephant so I wanted to be sure if it looks correct in what’s being presented and I’m very happy with how it turned out. As for the castle, even if I’ve based it off the castle from the statue, I wish I told so more time to work on the detailing of the bricks, to corollate with the realistic looking elephant I’ve drawn. With that aside, it was really fun to draw this piece for our book.
What really makes me happy with the outcome of this project was how me and my group depicted the story differently in our own creative style. Especially with the way we presented the story in not just a book, but a scroll like narrative with how it’s all connected with string. I feel that everyone has done an amazing job when it comes to how this book came to be due to how visually and narratively compelling it is.
Week 9 & 10: POV Project
Date: 25/11/2021 & 02/12/2021
As it was announced last Thursday, we have been presented with the final project of the unit, that being the POV Project. For this project, we allowed to go out on presenting something that makes us feel inside. It needs to be around the 30 seconds long film with addition to a title card at the start, no extended credits. Our films would also be presented in person via a screening. This point right here encourages me to go forth with the idea I had planned as soon as we were giving the project.
Based on past experience when making an animated short film, I’ve taught myself to understand not only how to manage the time that goes into animating and concept art, but also how achievable it can be within the given time frame so to practice on this issue with this project was my own task to accomplish outside the given aspects that my lecturers provided such as film length and inclusions.
When I’ve got started on this project, I wrote down some ideas on what I would like to do and present in my film. Capturing the overwhelming impact of social media and how it can affect someone’s deception of the world as a whole.
The notes I’ve written down ended up being the basis of how my animation would flow which is a good thing as I didn’t want to overload this idea too much that it would go over the recommended 30 second film length. Using the notes that were written down, I’ve got to work on the storyboard for my animation.
The storyboard consisted of 6 different scenes, as it was easier to break down the timing around the 30 second film length. 5 seconds per scene excluding the title card. This is the only piece of concept art I’ve done for this animation which was probably the best choice as I didn’t think there was anything I wanted to conceptualise further. I wanted to go with a simplistic art direction as I found it to not only be easier to animate, but also fun to experiment with as I thought if the animation needs to have the hard punch that being the person expressing his inner feeling of pulling his eyes out from the posts he is seeing, then it’s enough for me to expand upon the simplistic direction to achieve the shock I need from the viewer in order to get the message across at the end of the animation.
The development of the animation was split into using two different software, Adobe Photoshop and After Effects. Primarily, the animation was mostly done in Photoshop as I’ve used the timeline feature in the View tab multiple times in my previous works. After Effects was used for the first two opening scenes of my animation as they were intended to be jointed, drawing the viewer’s attention from the negative posts to the character. One of my favourite things when creating this animation during the point of the animation where the character pulls his eyes out. Taken in the advice I got from Traditional Animation in the Production Principles unit, I’ve broken down each key frame of the scene to make sure the character’s staging and arc from him looking from the posts to his hands with then flows into the eye pulling moment. In my history of animating, this aspect is something that I’m very proud of achieving. Especially when I play the animation back to make sure the amount of frames is either lengthen or shorten to create the pacing correctly.
Unfortunately, I don’t have the version of the film that I showed off at the screening on 2nd of December where it was in work in progress. At the time, the animation didn’t have any sound or a title card so I didn’t achieve the reaction I wanted, however the feedback I’ve gotten was enough for me to add and improve my animation from. As a start, the text of the posts at the beginning for some people were hard to read due to my handwriting (which is similar to the message at the end of the animation) and the pacing that they popped up. The following day, I’ve changed the writing to be more text based and readable as well as making the posts look like they are more like a social post. The pacing of each post as they popped up has been lengthen.
The big addition to my animation has to be the sound. I’ve recorded some of it myself like post popping up sound and yes, even my own screams. Originally, I’ve recorded myself doing them outside, however I’ve recorded a much better scream when I’ve recorded myself in Adobe Audition. This scream was then improved upon when I’ve played around with the echo feature. I had to check the volume of the scream to make sure if it’s at the right volume when the speaker is turned up to 50%. This was another favourite moment of mine from this project too. The bird chirping sound was taken from freesound.org as if I were to record sound from my neighbourhood, it wouldn’t be the sound I wanted for my animation as I live next to a busy motorway and I would prefer the moment where the birds are chirping to signal the peaceful and calm moment of the animation.
Overall, this project was fun to explore and expand upon my creativity in both my narrative and visual mindset that I’ve developed over time in this unit. If there were something that I would like to change about this film, I feel it would be great to expanded the length more as this is an idea that given the more of a time length would of have a bigger impact on the message it gives, but I have to follow by the limits that were handed to me. Regardless, I am still happy and proud of how this animation came out to be. This project as well as the other work that I’ve done independently or collaborated with other people have been helping me develop myself as an artist/animator within the work I’ve produced.