Sam's Blog

I spent some time in the last 2 days colouring in and adding music to the animation that I did for Animation Club theme “oil”. The music is from Rammstein.

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The following is my response to Storytelling Exercise 3.

1. The Profile

• Who is the character?
  • a failed (never really tried that hard) artist
  • walks with crutches although he doesn’t need them
  • constantly lying to make himself look good
• What does he feel?
  • frustrated
  • inferior
  • jealous
• What does he think?
  • “I am so clever, I’m going to trick this person…”
  • “One day I will take over the world!”
  • Everyone is there for my benefit
• What does he want?
  • power
  • other people to worship him

• History
  • Lochlan wanted to be an artist when he was a kid but his father wanted him to be a politician and refused to buy him any brushes or paints. It all started in kindergarten where Sarah would do these beautiful drawings making Lochlan very jealous, one day he became so jealous that he stole one of Sarah’s drawings, crossed her name out and put his own name on it.

2. The location

INT CLOSED GALLERY. NIGHT
A great hall of a gallery at night with master paintings on the walls. The lights are low and the silence echos in the ears. The beam of a flash light momentarily cuts through the darkness.

3. The Observable characteristics/behaviours

1. Skinny
2. Big head
3. Sneaky eyes
4. A huge sharp, bent nose making look like a vulture
5. Lean/haunted angular face
6. Stooped posture
7. Skinny useless legs
8. Weak little arms
9. Little bit of short curly hair on top of his head
10. Carrying a torch
11. Wearing a burglar’s mask
12. Only uses crutches in the presence of other people
13. Chain smoking
14. Carrying an artists kit with him
15. He is putting his name on the paintings

4. The Back story
Lochlan has broken into the gallery at night and is sneaking around with his torch light and his painting kit. It is not the first time he has done this, he waits for the guard to go downstairs then he starts on the paintings. He covers up the original artist’s name and then writes his own name on top. This all started in kindergarten when he took Sarah’s drawing and showed it to the teacher as his own. It has been one gallery after another since then, if only his father had allowed him to be a little kid and play as other kids do, things may be different now.

Here are some doodles of the character:

Here are are some character sketches I did for the weekly Animation Club theme, this week it was oil. No prizes for guessing where this is going… will post some animation in the next couple of days.

Animation
In today’s class with David Atkinson, we started by looking at Still life with aeroplanes by Lloyd, a trippy and marvelous film sitting somewhere inbetween the analogue and digital world.

Tips:

• Find out what is important and leave out the rest
• Different parts of the body have different weights and travel at different rates

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Eyes in Animation
We looked at the use of eyes in Lady and the Tramp to express emotions. Eyes can be used to bring a character alive and the blink is the cheapest animation you can have. If you have a character which doesnt move at all and just make it blink every now and then it will seem to be alive.

Eyese are important for story telling because it lets you get into the mind of the character, the eyes are the windows to the soul. Eyes can be used to illustrate thought. Thought -> Eyes -> Physical action. The first physical expression of a thought is shown in the eyes. Often the eyes can betray a character and reveal their true beliefs. Ask yoursekf how the eyes can heklp you in your animation?
Asymetrical eyse can create more interesting characters, in toy story we see very asymetrical blinking in Buzz’z eyes creating an even more bewildered look.

Eyes go with eyebrows and the two can be used to express so much, just look at Gromit for example, he doesn’t talk at all and expresses so much by his eyes and eyebrows.

When a character is thinking they start to look up or somewhere other than the person they are talking to as if disengaging and going in search of the bit of information that they are looking for.

Two frames are often sufficient for blinks. Blinks can be used for when the character is about to change the direction of their gaze or a head turn.

The eye line of the character can be used to anticipate the cut to the POV od the character, getting inside the character’s head. Or it can be an other the shoulder of the character shot.

Here is a little formula:

1. Setup POV
2. Show character’s POV
3. Show reaction of character

Our guest for the Hunters and Gathers lunch was our own John Powers, who showed us a messmerising array of films which can not be so easily understood yet they leave you with a definite feeling.

The rest of the class was taken by Yeap who showed us some funky ways to grow plants inside after effects, very useful now with all the water restrictions.

Finally I went to the Animation Club weakly meeting with my half finished film. I was the only entrant from my year which made me feel a bit of an outsider. The quality of the works was really amazing, I felt a little bit sheepish with my little half finished film but it was good to have a go. I will post some of my development drawings soon.

Digital Imaging
Matt Riley was taking us today and showing us that animation does not necessarily have to conform to narrative, t can be form driven, sound driven, mood driven etc. There are other ways of communicating than using character and plot. The computer has helped open up the media and now there are many different ways to go:

• Installations
• Webwork
• VJing
• Performance
• Machina, 3D virtual worlds
• procedural/generated animation

We looked the work of the illustrator/animator Adrian Rose (http://www.jettisoncargo.com/) , whose initial design athough great as illustrations they did not translate well and were not practical for animation. In the end he went with animating a the silhouettes of some of his characters to a great music track with excellent results.

Here are some other artist’s works that we looked at:

• Michael Buckley, gestural animation
• Patricia Piccinni
• http://www.2minds.de/
• http://www.pleix.net/films.html
• John Powers, time-based collage. Colour, space, shape instead of characters.
• http://www.lycettebros.com/ leading desginers. Visuals must say something else other than the sound, otherwise it’s just illustrated radio.
• Unreal tournament
• Clive Patterson, hand-animated and procedurally multiplied
• Here is another clip:

Nova (audio by Helios) on Vimeo

Storytelling

This week’s course notes: http://aim.adc.rmit.edu.au/kcawley/scr_sboard.html

Storyboards

• used to visualize/refine ideas
• to stream line production process and communicate with others
• provide description of physical environment of a sequence( set design/background)
• provide information about mood, lighting, editing
• may provide brief notation on dialogue/sfx within a shot or the transition between shots
• don’t show motion, actions within the frame or mocement of the camera

Movement
Camera to Subject relationships:

1. Still subject, Still Camera

In the Japanese Animation “Remembering yesterday” a still camera and a still subject is used to emphasise the little girls experience of eating a pineapple for the first time. Fasts cuts or a moving camera would make us miss the subtle reactions in her face as she bits down on piece of pineapple.

2. Moving Subject, Still Camera

Another example of Japanese animation given where a group of teenage boys are watching one girl in particular play tennis. We see the girl moving a lot but the camera doesn’t move, helping establish that we are seeing things from the pov of the boys, always concentrating on the one girl and not the other player.

3. Still Subject, Moving Camera

In Beauty and the Beast the opening scene sets the stage by moving a camera through the landscape, showing us where we are and then showing us the castle and so forth. The Subjects are still while the camera moves around andgive the audience clues and details which will be important in the story.

4. Moving Subject, Moving Camera

A very good example of a moving camera and moving subject is the chase scene in The Wrong Trousers. This type of relationship between the camera and the subject causes the audience the be put right in the middle of the action.

Camera movement dictates the revelation of information through time. The camera dictates the audiences POV.
Always ask yourself:

• Why am I viewing this actions from this POV?
• How am I being asked to feel about what I am viewing?

Because shot choice is never random (ok maybe in some student films!).
Where do you want to place the audience?

• in the midst of the action?
• in a position of privilege?
• passive observers?
• subjective participants?

Another example was East is East where the shyness of the character is emphasised by including a shot from the restricted view from inside the hood of the character’s parker jacket. In The Player the opening shot is 9 mins long with no cuts; the camera wonders around a big hollywood studio meeting different characters here and there and generally giving a voyeuristic feel to the audience while expressing the hectic pace of the studio and introducing us to the characters and preparing us for what’s about to happen.

Movement in Narrative
Movement also relates to how we move through/experience a narrative. The type of narrative dictates the type of movement.

• Time loose, jumping back and forth
• Real time, eg Tape, Russian Arc
• Serial telling
• Different perspective, eg Shortcuts, Crash, Rashamon, Melinda Melinda
• Branching narrative, repeating a choice, eg Groundhug Day
• Thematice non linear
• Interconnected stories through events or characters

Guest Speaker: Juan Serrano
2006 Graduate of the RMIT AIM course Juan Serrano talked to us about the making of his film. His was a very enjoyable and down to earth talk. Here are some of the advice that he gave us:

• Refine your script after you have got feedback from the staff and students, keep improving it. Just because the first pitch wen well doesn’t mean you should jump into animation straight away.
• Script is 50% of the piece, the animation is 25% and the sound is 25%. Treat them accordingly.
• Use your Minor project as a testing ground for your Major. In the Minor, try different techniques and software that you think you will use for your Major.
• The other people in the group are very important as it is their energy which will help you finish your project successfully

The following are the sounds heard in the scene which I have chosen for Exercise 2:

Bird sounds all around. Insects buzzing. Wind gently blowing through tall trees.
Creaking of a bicycle chain. The rhythmic breathing of the bicycle rider.
A truck heard in the distance, silence, then truck sound heard again.
Truck sound now closer. Truck changing gears.
Truck engine very loud (almost deafening) now as it passes. Truck horn a friendly “Boop Boop”.
Truck sound becoming more distant.
Truck engine not straining any more and almost disappears.
Rhythmic breathing can be heard again, now heavier than before. Chain creaking. Repeated for a minute.
Relieved breathing. Creaking chain not heard any more.
Sound of tires zipping on asphalt building up. Sound of wind rushing past.
Brakes squealing.
Sound of wind rushing past and tire-zipping sound even louder now.
Suddenly a thud and a buzzing sound from a confined space.
More frantic buzzing. Paniced slaps on a hollow object.
Angry buzzing. Scream: “ARGHHHH! #$@&!!!”
Screeching sound of bicycle tire on asphalt. Metal hitting and scrapping along asphalt.
Gravel being scrapped and scattered.
Heavy, fast moving object crashing through bushes.
Loud bone crushing thud of a body hitting solid wood.
Silence for a moment with only the sound of a bicycle wheel spinning freely.
The sound of the insects and birds returns. Sound of a wasp buzzing away.

Here is a description of the scene:

Jack leans forward on his bike as he starts to climb the hill. The songs of the birds and the hum of the insects is only broken by the rhythmic sound of the pedals turning and his breathing becoming heavier. In the distance a truck can be heard intermittently as it winds around the twists and turns of the hilly road. The sound of the trucks engine becomes a roar as it gets closer to jack. Great puffs of diesel stench engulf Jack as the trucks roar becomes deafening and the driver not realizing the impact of his vehicle gives a friendly “Boop Boop” on the horn of the truck as he passes.

Struggling to breath, Jack slows down to increase the distance between him and the truck. In the distance the truck’s engine stops to strain as it reaches the top of the hill and it’s peaceful again.

It seems to Jack that getting off and walking may be faster and less strenuous but in this condition any change seems to be too hard work so he slugs through for another few minutes before reaching the top of the hill and claiming the downhill as his reward.

As he picks up speed the wind makes his eyes full of tears and blurs his vision. He carefully brakes and turns the chicane before picking up speed again. Suddenly a wasp slams in to his helmet and goes through one of the ventilation holes in Jack’s helmet. Jack can feel something crawling around his hair. Frantically he slaps at his helmet trying to free the wasp but the buzzing becomes angry. Jack screams as he is stung by the wasp and he grabs the brakes in reaction which makes the bike slide from under him causing him to lose control and crashing into a tree on the side of the road.

The Digital Image – Visual Style
Today we were given our first class by Mathew Riley ( http://matthewriley.net/aim/ ). He began by showing us some of the work that he had done and moving on to the works outstanding past RMIT students such as Jonathan Nix ( http://www.studionix.com/ ). We looked at Jonathan’s “Hello” which was done for his major project at RMIT AIM, going through some of his travel sketches, and developmental shots. Here is some advice on Visual Style that Jonathan gave to the student some years back:

RMIT
AIM Centre for Animation and Interactive Media

The Digital Image
Visual Style

Advice by AIM graduate Jonathan Nix regarding Visual Style

In the context of the AIM course, or any project for that matter,
I would recommend a few things.

1. Spend some time developing your characters prior to production.
( If you are going to have any)
Get a book or piece of paper and draw them in 10 or more different
emotional states. Exagarate them.
Through this process you will refine your designs and come to understand
your characters better.

2. Think about the integration of character and background.
A great example of really clever design is the Studio Ghibli film
My Neighbours the Yamadas. Essential elements only are included,
and yet there is a lovely use of 3D as well.
If the idea / story is good, you can do it B+W with stick figures.

3. Tailor the design to the timeline and support you have available.
You can’t make ‘Spirited Away’ on you own in three months.
Keep it simple and focus on quality of narrative and animation.
Don’t let the computer drive you, drive it.

4. Think beyond the side on mid-shot.
If your animating it, the camera could be up a nostril or
inside a pancreas.

5. Mock up a few images that show the final look you are after.
Take note of the process involved in creating this image.
Ask around to see if there is a more efficient way to achieve it.
If you ask John Power, write down your question first so
you can remember what it was.

6. Be careful drinking those modern energy drinks like ‘V’.

7. Matt may seem kind and cuddly, but he has disguised his
acidic tongue and derision for fools very well.

In regards to using 3D environments with 2D characters we looked at Andy Buchanan (RMIT AIM 2005) “Looking for Joe” and we were adviced by Matt to figure out how much time we have and to find what you can fit in that amount of time; do still images of how you want the film to look, how long did it take to do? From this estimate how long the whole piece will take to do.

Using digital collages is another approach which was shown in the piece “Skyfall”, based around the theme of cyclic nature of things. This was a collaborative work containing no character animation, using flat art work and transitions to communicate with the audience. Another example of digital collage was Shy Limanon’s (RMIT AIM 2004) work which is anti-realist with no perspective or spatial depth and all visual are flat and compressed. This piece was done in flash.

Other works we looked at were:

• Matt Owens ( http://volumeone.com/ ) interactive narratives, turning art work into linear narratives.
• Future Farmers ( http://futurefarmers.com/ ) Manga influences, with soft gentle colour palettes with garden metaphors and ideas around nature since the founders were originally farmers.

In the afternoon we werew introduced to Yeap a past student from 2005 who started off making videos and directing music videos and now working as an animator in Flash. Yeap will be teaching us Photoshop and Aftereffects in the coming weeks. His advice to us was to realize that the whole process is based on problem solving. It is important that you plan out what you are going to do before you start and then work on solving each problem as it arises. Understand your limitations and plan your scenes accordingly.

Here is a little test animation of The Sneak character that I did while testing out my new setup with the Samtiq (there are some problems but I might be able to find some work arounds, hopefully).

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We have been busy at school doing walk cycles and all, I thought I would take a break from full animation and do some limited bull.
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