story board

story board ideas

i have started to generate ideas that i have loosely storyboarded in my sketch book for what might happen in my animation.

1. may first idea is to have a single clueless police officer stood on his own then having a group of lads that eventual move towards the police officer and it goes black. then it shows the police officers face and then zooms out to show him tied up over a fire with all the lads huddled round shouting at him.

2. my second idea is very similar. the only difference is that the police officer is unaware of the lad until they materialise before him through the darkness.

cell animation workshop

we given the quick brief of sketching up characters that were simple and were told to think about how they would be manipulated to become animated. i really enjoyed this exercise and is a very useful method that i think i will be using in my final work. maybe not hand drawn, i'm not sure yet.

out of all my characters i chose to use fred the frog slug. the movements for him seem rather simple. he only has arms and a slugs around everywhere so theres not much moving parts.

we then had to join up with people from around us and create story-boards for our characters.

here are just a few ideas that i came up with. eating each other was one. we decided to go for the slug exploding all over the other characters by shrinking first.

we then had to draw out the images required 37 times which is very difficult but enjoyable at the same time. 

ILLWORKZ

http://vimeo.com/illworkz
http://www.illworkz.com/index.html

Illworkz is a design/animation company leveraging a hybrid of traditional and futuristic animation arts. Managed by a dream team of award winning talent, we produce original content and offer Design, Animation and Mixed-Media services.

the slum noir animation i stumbled on whilst searching vimeo for noir animation that might help me get a feel for what i going to do with my animation. i watched this peace and was blown away. it's incredible. the colours are mint and the drawings are done so well. i looked through more of their work and it seemed that the possibilities are endless for them. the works amazing and the ideas are really unique.

http://vimeo.com/9150119

have a look for yourselves and see what you think. the animation group has really inspired me to work on this project loads their brilliant.

after effects workshop

when using photoshop for animation go.

file> new> film&video > pal/D1/DVsquare pixels
our films run at 25fps

americans & japanese- use a different format and frame rate to us. this is why we can not play their dvd's players on our dvd players. they work to 30fps and we work to 25fps.

widescreen: 16 by 9
square: 4 by 4

tv's work with rectangle pixels
computers work withe square pixels.

you need to lock layers you don't want changed just like you would in illustrator.

the session was really good and i seem to pick up everything really easy so i will definitely use this software again. it's so helpful in the final stages of editing film and animation and you are able to do so much with the programme.

rayograms

A rayogram is a photographic image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of a photo-sensitive material such as photographic paper and then exposing it to light. The result is a negative shadow image varying in tone, depending on the transparency of the objects used. Areas of the paper that have received no light appear white; those exposed through transparent or semi-transparent objects appear grey.


i really enjoyed this process. i loved the simplicity of it and the interesting outcomes.
i collected leaves that were dead and had holes in them and ones which were different widths and transparent in places. the outcome of using these were ace. i really like the black and white how the contrast each other so well.


i really want incorporate this style into my work. the solid black background with the white so strong against it. i want to use the rayogram i did today and have them as my backgrounds for my animation. i want another one maybe with the leaves cut to city sky lines. 


when i design my characters i want them to look like white silhouette people with black stripes on the feet.(adidas)

NOIR
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasise cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots inGerman Expressionist cinematography. 


i thought of noir films when i was thinking of the black and white animation, it is a style of film i am fond of. i like that there can be so much intensity with such little going on at times.




films
i looked into films from noir to similar films which silhouetted.


scanner darkly- rotoscoped full feature film.

it looks amazing. the entire film is rotoscoped. the film is shot normally then the affect is added afterwards.

it looks so good. i plan on watching this film.


renaissance- this is kind of the thing i am looking at. i want a kind of negative 2D version of the film.

i like the black, bold colours the way the solid black background brings out the solid white lines and draws your eyes in.


frank miller- noir comic sin city is exactly what look i am going for. i want the 2D characters move and carry less detail. a more simpler yet moving version.

stop motion i like

PES are a really good stop motion group that only use found objects. they're incredibly inventive and have come up with some fantastic animation. just go on their youtube page for loads more, they're really good.

wallace and gromit on the other hand are characters that have been made especially for animation. they are just as good and the characters are able to take on much more emotion than a found object probably would do.

the instantly recognised inbetweeners intro is stop-motion.

stop motion

in a stop motion workshop i had today we use 'i can animation' a software that you can link up to a camera and create a stop-motion animation with the click of a button. it was very fun and extremely useful.
we had to make a stop-motion in the workshop using the software and manipulate characters or toys that we were given.
we had a few difficulties when doing the animation but it was fun. we had problems with the camera adding its own effect during the shooting and the toys falling over.
when an image is reeled into an animation you need the minimum of 12fps to create an illusion in the eye which is picked up and read as a moving image. tv runs at 24fps and film at 25fps
the higher the frame rate the more fluid the movements and more believable the animation will be.

even though i really enjoyed the process and will be using it again in the future i hope. i think that stop-motion is not going to work with my ideas and concepts. the objects required for my characters are too hard to get hold of, if there are any.

characters

casuals- these are a few images that i got from the internet of casuals. i wanted some images to display and observe them to discover what my designs need to look like.

adidas original trainers. a must have casual item. the three stripes of the adidas original practically act like a badge when wearing the right gear. they definitely must be featured in my design.

branded trench coats and hooded jackets are very popular, especially up in the north of england.

often the face will be covered with hats, scarfs or hoods.

again with the jackets, the adidas originals. the quality jumpers. being based on the eighties this film we can see the wedge hair cut.

labels are a statement of the football casual. to not have them is a sin, you could spend up to a whole months wages on as much as a scarf. also the label is worn as a symbol of greatness, who can get their hands on the newest and best stuff.

in every image you can see their footwear they have adidas originals trainer displaying the three diagonal stripes. i will feature this in my designs.

things i need to consider when designing.

1. the three diagonal line on the footwear

2. face covered by wearing a hooded jacket or hat

3. to include labels on the clothing.

police officer- things i have noticed on their uniform from pictures on the internet.

hats: big tall stereotypical hats. tall and black with the shield in the centre front. the shape is instantly recognisable.

checked stripes: the checked stripes on the fluorescent jackets, the blue and grey is recognisable to the uniform. they would be good to use in my character design.

name tag: the blue rectangle with the white police text written on it. this featured large on the back and small on the front. if you didn't know who they were before you do now.

all these things need to go into my design.

the music in the time line

what happens during the song such as peaks in the song and so on.
this way i know what to have happening during the film.

i am using the last 30 seconds of the song/ starts at 1min 59seconds into the song

i have mapped out whats happening in the music in second intervals.

1-5: one person chanting wind flutes or something in the background.
6-8: people join in chanting
9-11: it goes back to one person chanting
12-13: people join in again
14: just one person for the last time
15-16: starts to shout really load and it all gets exciting
17-22: what i can only describe as chaos, just loads of shouting and not much else.
23-25: the tempo of the chants pick up for a bit
26-27 the shouting suddenly stops
27: just one person murmuring quietly
28-30: silence.


to sum it up:
1 starts off quite mellow. people are chanting but every things calm.
2 it builds up then settles back down again relatively fast.
3 it repeats this again, teasing.
4 it all erupts and theres so much excitement, shouting the works.
5 it drops down to a murmur and stops.
6 silence.

6 points that i need to consider when storyboarding my ideas.
quick idea:
1 police officer
2 group of lads
3 police officer pointing at the group
4 group move towards the police officer
5 the sudden shot of the police officer tied up over a fire with the lads huddled round yelling
6 goes black

ideas

i have thought about what cultures and themes should go into my animation and the themes and cultures i like which stand out above the rest are the casual culture and the police force.

idea:
its set in the terrace, grim estate of england( doesn't matter where) weird colours, maybe deep purple, black and white. flashes of bright colours to symbolise terror and excitement.

it then shows groups of casuals looking suspicious and talking to each other.

they then proceed to capture the police officer and tie him up to take to the fire where they dance around the fire in celebration.

i want the idea to be really abstract.

what i will need to design:
the urban football terrace for my background.
characters- police officer, casuals in their jackets and trainers.
props- fire, other things

animation i like

i really like this video. i love it in fact. it fits the music perfectly. the animals and creatures are simple yet fascinatingly imaginative. i like how there is real life footage that is edited with the creatures so it looks like they are part of reality.

http://www.minilogue.com/

the works of minilogue are amazing, they always employ really interesting and creative animators to work on their music videos.

this OK GO music video is brilliant. stop-motion using live footage. the songs good as well. its a really good idea and the outcomes amazing. they always have interesting videos, its their trademark.

salad fingers is another thing to look at. the drawing =s are interesting and not too complex. the story are bizarre and beautiful all at the same time.

due to the style of drawing the characters are not limited in their simplicity and unlike a more detailed precise drawn character which take loads of effort to manipulate and move.

location/ scene of my animation

for any of the others i would say the skatepark would be the best place to put the animation.

casuals- football pitch or the terraces.

where casual culture was born and bread. this is the perfect place for my animation to be set as well as the fact that these places when littered with casuals is heavy watched and guarded by police officers.

the scene is simple and easy to draw if i was going to use this as my scene for my animation.

they al seem to be simple square shapes.

the prey of the hunt

chavs- as they are bullies, small nerdy people: often in group but not hard to separate. week with glasses. scrawny creatures that do well in academics. easy targets for the week minded.

casuals- referees: enemy of the football pitch whenever things don't go your way. subject to being abused on and off the pitch.
police: nicknamed pigs, these law abusing creatures go about giving it all the front but really they are just scared little men. they are there to protect the peace but often abuse their power and do fuck all.

skaters- security guards: often like police, abuse their position in life. skaters don't like them because they move their skating off their premisses.

emo's/stoners- themselves: they harm themselves more than anyone else could. they are their own prey and predator.

POLICE- they seem to be the best prey to choose from as they are feared like savage animals (like they sometimes are). they resemble the hogs of the african plains as they are called pigs. tribes in africa hunt pig, have wars with pigs. they hunt what could potential kill them like a police officer is able to arrest you.

storyboard

definition- they need to dictate whats happening in every frame of the animation. it should be descriptive and should illustrate that its doing what it should. it should run in order and should illustrate the timeline and show a defined timeline.

illusion of movement- animation is the illusion of movement given the eye

after effects- programme to help make animation.

cell animation- working on drawings and pictures and making into an animation like a flip book

i have the idea of using the cut up method on this project somehow.

amounts of frames shown per second becomes your frame rate.

drawing by hand can create happy mistakes and imperfections.

characters/groups

after having a tutorial on the songs and discussing ideas. the idea of looking away from african tribal and the stereotypical response to the song and to look at our own culture. looking at the tribe and cultures of our every day society. this idea really intrigued me. i have been reading the book, Perry Boys The Casual Gangs of Manchester and Salford by Ian Hough. we referred to casual culture on the rest of society acting like tribal cavemen even to this day just in different ways.

ideas were to look at things like tribes, a gang or group of people, african tribes, the hunt, the prey(hogs pigs, the kill) leaders, chiefs, the place of gathering.

instead of having africa and natural wildlife as my environment, put the principles of tribes into our familiar environment.
what tribes do we have in Britain's urban environment. who or what could be the prey?

Urban/ British tribes
subcultures

chavs: 

derived from chatham in kent, this term can be applied loosely to every culture with a nasty, thieving element. there are many variants of this creature but all are subject to the following commonalities:

chavs are completely amoral, having never been subjected to right and wrong by the inattentive uncaring and often absent parents.

chavs are part magpie, evidentially supported by their love of all things shiny, or as vacuous, illiterate street slang would say"bling"(tacky shit). they can be seen twokking from the jewellery counter in Argos/index.

whatever their ethnic background, chavs have a built in affinity to hip hop/R&B(not real rhythm and blues) even if they are inherently racist. they see their life as glamorous and cool ( their none of these, what they are, are tack wearing shit-houses with no morals or taste. often bullies who go around in groups because by themselves flap it when confronted).

casuals: 

they emerged in the pivotal years of 1979 in inner-city manchester and salford, a mysterious tribe of football hooligans and trendsetters united by a new fashion. their only counterparts at the time were the scallies of liverpool, who became their biggest rivals both on and off the terraces.

"these early eighties football fans originally hailed from liverpool and manchester and adopted david bowies androgynous wedge haircut seen on the cover of the album low. casuals floppy girlish fringes, tight lois jeans and adidas trainers were deemed effeminate and therefore revolutionary for boys. in the labels. their brief was look smart in Sergio tTachini, Ellesse, Fila and Lacoste shirts,jackets and shoes. they adopted a perry tennis clothes that extended to designer labels Armani, Burberry and Aquascutum. influences were as diverse as the two Ronnie's and Bjorn Borg."

this casual culture still lives on strong today. there are many more makes worn and strong influence on popular fashion.

note: casual culture with strong connections to football fits in with my tribal theme and how people gather to watch the game religiously every week without fail.

skaters:

basically they are called skaters because they skate. skateboarding or bmxing, they engage in extreme sports. they are often associated with stoners. they smoke weed and hang, congregate around skate parks.

the appearance of these characters are baggy trousers and usually a t-shirt with detailed graphics on the front.they 'rock' punk and grunge like hair cuts, either long haired or spiky.

stoners:

people who 'mong out' all day and take drugs. these people often look scruffy and chavy. they hardly string a sentence together. this is o hard fact yet they seem to be highly sociable characters.

emo's:

they're stupid creatures, complete morons. they usually come from very wealthy and well off families. these people have little ambition in the fact that their parents will take care of their everyday needs. they often have a fringe to the side over lapping their eye.

moshers:

enjoyers of heavy metal and head banging in mosh pits. very nice characters i have come to realise and although dressed like the devils children are very kind hearted. they wear black baggy clothing and have long like girls. 

these last three are very similar and run in the same kinds of circles.

                   

NEW PROJECT

Print to Pixel, my new project.

I am making my very own animation that will last about 30 seconds. i have been given the tribal song. all of group six was given this song.
i am extremely excited about this project. i never saw myself making animations but i have always loved then. back in college i was constantly watching them on vimeo. we get to try out stop-motion animation and cell animation. i am really looking forward to all of this.

my first task is to generate three words that i feel describe the song which i have been given.

when listening to the track thought of tribal and indigenous culture, rituals, celebration, gathering from or for a hunt, dancing around a fire and africa.
colours that i associate with the music are, in the feeling of celebration, bright and vibrant colours. when thinking of the hunt i think of dark deep colours like navy blue and black.

the three words i have chosen through just listening to the music are.
ritual
noun:
1. an establishment or prescribed procedure for a religious or other rite.
2. a system or collection or religious or other rites
3. observation or set forms in public worship.
4. a book of rites or ceremonies.

adjective:
1. of the nature of a practiced as a rite or ritual: a ritual dance.
2. of or a pertaining to rites or ritual: ritual laws.

gathering
noun:
1. an assembly or meeting
2. an assembly of people; group or crowd
3. a collection, assemblage, or compilation of anything.
 synonyms:
1. assemblage
2. congregation
3. concourse
4. company

adrenaline
US name: epinephrine, a hormone that is secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to stress and increased heart rate, pulse rate, and blood pressure, and raises the blood levels of glucose and lipids. it is extracted from animals or synthesised for such medical uses as the treatment of asthma.
chemical name: aminohydroxyphenylpropionic acid; formula: C9 H15NO3

note: adrenaline plays a very large role in the fight or flight reaction which refers to the various processes that occur within the body when it is confronted with some form of mental or physical stress.