Visual Language- Evaluation

Evaluation

This module as a whole has been are real learning curve for me as I was very inexperienced with many of the tasks I was set. This meant approaching each task being very experimental and having to learn along the way. This meant for each task I have gained knowledge I didn't have prior to the start. Yet as I was also new to many things this also meant I didn't do some tasks correctly or well as it was all about trial and error for some of the section. 

Set, series, Sequence was the first task were were set and was to see how we would deal with generating 24 images and then a story all from one word, which was banana. I did end up finding this rather difficult when i had done about 15 images of the 24 as it was hard to generate more ideas. This is why i liked this task, as it really made me consider what it would be like for a character designer or concept designer as they are given a small brief and have to design so many images from that. 

I did love that it gave me a real chance to draw again though because up until that point, it had been largely computer based, so this was a good change of scene. It meant i could experiment with colour, mediums and ideas of characters. I really want to carry on doing work like this as it gives me a chance to get more hands on with designs, so i will carry on doing the process work by hand and the production, to move into digital.

One of the points the tasks had, was to try to do sketchbook work outside of the tasks. I did this by sketching on the go and on transport when getting to different places. This was good as it let me get creative in places where i wouldn't normally draw.

Captain Character was a real learning task as i had never done anything like that or developed a character that much into poses or emotions, as i had only ever come up with designs, but not thought about their lives or different angles of seeing them. I tackled all of this in this task so it really let me see how much character designers have to bring their characters to life.

After this task i found i need to work on emotions, i was not able to do this for my character as they all looked slightly different which was a problem i found difficult to fix. This means i need to work on studying the human face more, but also designing a character that i know i will be able to visualise from every angle and perspective. I did like how the character turned out though and the amount of dynamic poses i was able to do for her. This meant the people looking at the character could imagine her in many different positions when fighting or in different stances.

For study task 3, i wasn't able to do the turn around so it was smooth. I really struggle to visualise each pose that was going to be the next on in the sequence. This meant her body moves around a lot when she spins, instead of keeping straight. I tried many times to fix this but i just couldn't get the poses to stay constant when she spun. I will be able to fix this next time if i pick a character that i understand more. As i have said, i found it hard to think about her in all of the positions of the spin and turn, so if i were to do it again, i will pick a character to design that i know will be smooth to turn, without too many components or clothing.

When building her, i found it incredibly enjoyable as i got to be very hands on and know how to build a character up from a simple wire frame to a full plasticine figure. This process took 2 days to complete for the character, so it didn't take too long but in the future i will spend more time getting the frame to the exact shape, as i thought if it was a a different shape, the plasticine will build it up, but i just ended up with a character that had a very thin torso and wide shoulders. So next time i attempt to do this process i will try to envision the character fully before building it straight away. This was a really useful stage as it gives you all the basics to start in stop motion, as i now know how to build a character, so i now need to learn how to think ahead to the final piece so the character looks more like my drawings. Although i did feel i worked well with improvising with the items i had, as i created the textured skirt with the end of the tool.

For the environmental storytelling brief i think i did really well. My drawings held a lot of detail of the scenes i was looking at and studying. I sketched bits and pieces from the scene beforehand so i could get a feel for the overall location and then did thumbnails so i could remember the perspectives i need and which parts of the building i want to use. I tried to use different mediums for each location as i wanted to see which could help me achieve different textures, shading effects and aesthetics. Overall i found i really enjoyed this task and i will make sure that in the future i will try to include drawn buildings in my backgrounds as i included a lot of detail and spent a lot of time making sure each on was to a high standard so this is something i found i could do really well, compared to some other tasks i didn't do as well at. After looking at each scene i found i was able to tell the story of how the character would move and flow through the scene, so i will defiantly think about this more in the future as it really helps people to understand the scene and also helps the overall look to be more interesting if the scene if moving and changing with your character as the audience is not just looking at the same thing, with a character moving flatly through it.

Form, flow and and force was really good as a task as it made me think about how the bodies are moving and flowing as to understand the human form more in the future when i animate. I liked they were also short tasks, because when your out in public, people move really fast so it is to teach you to see the basic flowing lines that the human form creates when in motion which is really important to learn. I then researched more artists that did work like this and found they work on tasks like this so it was a really good element of studying the human form that i had not considered before.

Overall i have found i have learned so much from this module that i will go ahead and use in the future to better my drawings. Each task was aimed at a different part of the animation industry and steps you need to know to draw better. This meant that by the end of each task i had researched into each element of animation that we studied and learned a more about who was in the industry at the moment and who's work i really loved and was inspired by. There are many things i would like to apply in the future from this so overall i believe i have come out of this module and term, being better than when i started.

Visual Language- Study Task 5- Form Flow Force- Strike a Pose

Strike a Pose

For strike a pose i needed to do life drawing in 20-30 minutes. This was a great task as i dont have any experience in drawing people, especially when they are sat in front of me for such an extended period of time so this was a great task to learn from and experiment with.

This was the first sketch i produced which didn't turn out as good as i wanted as i only had a 2h pencil at hand and didn't have time to change it as we had already started sketching so i worked with what i had. For the next sketch i want to improve on the face as i know i could have added more to it but i was concentrating on the torso too much, so i need to think of the overall final piece and what it needs to look like.

I really did like this sketch as it let me show so much more detail as i was using a fine liner. I was sketching this model while he was someone else so i could makes sure he wasn't going to move. I do like this medium as i use it when sketching anyway as it gives a really nice overall look to the final piece. It is also very clear what he is wearing and how he is sat so this is why i think this one turned out much better.

This sketch was of my model when she was smoking. As she was just sitting down i thought it was a good chance to get another sketch. I used oil pastels as they worked really well for a sketch i did in the last task. I loved the way the layers could really be built up which is why i started off with the dark shades on the seat, table and hair and built up from there. I could also capture the body part and how she is sat really well in this medium as well.

After that sketch above, i did this one right after so i kept using the same medium. I went for more warm colour this time, only using yellow, orange and brown. Paired with the stance, i really liked how animated she turned out. The colours are nothing like the original so it adds a different look to the overall end piece.

For this sketch, i simply used biro as it is quick to sketch with and easy to add shading or darker lines. I think the body and bean bag chair she is holding did turn out looking good but i did the glasses too dark so they look more like shades which is not the effect i wanted as the overall end look as you are drawn to that focal point as they are the darkest point of the drawing.

Finally this is the last sketch i did for this task. I had the model lie on two bean bags and relax so i could get all the arms, legs and face done before she moved. I love how this one turned out as the coloured pens i used really captured the tones, shading and details i wanted them to. This was one of the best ones i have done as i have thought about the whole design before i dived in a randomly sketched like i did at the beginning.

After drawing all of these and doing this task i feel i have improved on drawing the human form and concentrating on what is in from of me and not being worried about time. In the future i want to study more life drawing as i really enjoyed doing these sketches, that will also help me carry on developing myself and how i draw people as well as form, flow and force.

Visual Language- Study Task 5- Form Flow Force- Ah, Push It!

Ah, Push it!

For this task we were given 5-10 minutes for each sketch, showing someone pushing or pulling on an object. For this task i had to think of different poses to ask the models to do so i could show how the body looks when using force. This was hard because the body doesn't always look like it is strained when it is pushing or pulling objects.

This was the first sketch i did for this task and is of the model pushing on a cupboard door to open it. Although this pose does show how force is needed to pull, it is not well drawn as i used charcoal on paper with ink in the background. If i had been able to get the head right, it would have really improved the overall look but with the charcoal, i just ended up shading too much so it went black. This will be something i will improve on in the future as i need to work on how much charcoal is needed to add subtle amounts of detail to forms.

My model sat down to do her shoe and tie it but i found it to be a good pose, this is why i asked her to exaggerate it and i got this result. With the dark background and pale scratchy pen, it becomes very clear what the main focus is. I also added in the background as i needed to ground the character as she just looked like she was floating. I still feel i can draw better but i keep getting worried about time, but on the next sketch i will try to spent more time on the face or clothing.

My model was picking up a chair in an exaggerated pulling motion. This is why she is strangely stood over the stool. I did spend more time on the clothing like i said, so it is a bit more obvious that she is wearing a thick jumper, but after i started sketching i found it looked interesting if i explored the negative space behind the character. This made it clearer that she was stood on the floor and was near a wall. I do feel i did use the charcoal better in this sketch so i have improved from the first drawing i attempted.

When i was exploring mediums i found some oil pastels. I then used black paper with bright fluorescent oil pastels layered on top. I haven't used this medium in a long time but i really loved the result overall. I started exploring how i could show shading and fluidity with where the force was most relevant. I did this by shading all the areas experiencing force, in a purple while the background was a cold blue and green. This is one of the best ones i feel i have produced as it really shows how the model is pushing on the brush and what position the body needs to be in.

This is the final sketch i have done for this task to show force. I had the model sat in a chair but pushing up with her arms to keep her in that position. I did this in pencil and a maroon pencil to add the tones. I added more of a background into this sketch to show where the model was sitting as she was against a door. This is showing how the chair is squishing to accommodate for the person, which is why i did it as the darkest item in the image as it is having the force on top of it as well as the models arms.

Overall i do think i need to think of this concept more as i dont show much force in the sketches i do, this is why if i do sketches in the future, if someone is showing a force. I will make sure to show it and how the body is moving with it.

Visual Language- Study Task 5- Form Flow Force- Like a Puppet on a String

Like a Puppet on a String

For this task we had to do 12 poses again, yet this time we needed to show more of the squash and stretch within 10-20 poses. This quite hard as it took a while for the models to think of what to do for each squash and stretch as we needed to get a lot of motion to show what was happening.  

This was one of the first designs i tried which does show the model going down, yet i think i would like to show more of the squash and stretch within the piece. This was a basic set of poses to start with but i will defiantly try to push more and show more of what the brief needs to show.

I really like this sequence of sketches. I had three pens in my hand and as the model was going from being a small ball on the flood, to being stood tall with her arms up, i was interchanging the pens to show how she was gradually growing and getting bigger and taller. This is hard to see the smaller poses but if you look in the centre, you can see how small she was at the beginning so this is showing the stretching our body's can do in different stages.

For this design the model was going from being outstretched and slightly lunging forward in an exaggerated position, to bending down and squashing down to being smaller and wider. This was a good sequence to show the flow at the beginning, down to the force of bending down and how the body contracts down.

This was the final sequence i have done where i moved to the side and looked at the model going from a crouch, all the way up to being stretched, and then back down. This was a good one for me to try and fully show how the body gets bigger and smaller in different positions, this is really what squash and stretch is all about. How the human form constantly changes depending on what position they are in.

This was a step on from the first task as i was able to show the flow of the body but in a little bit more detail, so i could show what i learned from the first task, but extend what i gained from that task into this one.

Visual Language- Study Task 5- Form Flow Force- Rhythm is a Dancer

Rhythm is a Dancer

For this brief we were given 4 different tasks. This task was to do 12 poses on one page of A4, each one to be done in 10 seconds and show the most basic motion, flow and form. For this, i wanted to show more of the basic form, and as we only had 10 seconds per sketch, i did extended lines for which part of the body the weight was balancing on. 

This image was on of the first ones i tried. As i hadn't seen how fast 10 seconds went, i kept getting behind when the model was moving so the legs didn't really move much, and neither did the arms. The model also found it hard to take into consideration every part of the body, so this is why she forgot to move her hands and arms for most of it, as she was thinking of her legs.

For the next sketch i wanted to show the fluid lines more as well, this is why when she moved again i decided to change how i sketched.

For this sketch i was more aware of time management when my model was moving, this is why you can see a bit more movement in the arms and legs. I also found if i really exaggerate the main body weight into that one long line, it really strengthens what position your trying to show. This also helps show more of the fluid forms motion.

For this, there was a lot of motion to watch as i was looking from a strange angle so i needed to think more for each design, this is why i couldn't get enough fluidity in these sketches. This is why i changed position after this, so i could fully see what was happening and how the model was moving.

As i moved to sit at the front of the room, i found i could see so many different things as i had the front view of the body. I then kept finding it hard to fit the sketches all on the page in a line as 12 is a lot when your trying to show motion. This is why i showed them actually moving, because where i was sat, this is how the model moved around. I really liked these sketches to i stayed here for another few drawings so i could really show how the motion on the model was throwing around the body weight.

This model moved around and gave very dynamic poses, this is why they move around so much and look very different. I liked these as i could really show how the body was transitioning from where i was sitting, this gave me some good motion and fluidity through the simple sketches, especially in the first 5, as you can see where she was going from one position to another.

I again tried another walk cycle as i really wanted to try and show how the human form moves up and down as they go across. I think i did manage this because if you look at the top, the head is bobbing up and down like it is supposed to, which you cannot see in the first sketches. I really wanted to show more detail in these sketches but as they were only 10 seconds i couldn't, as i would have lost what the model was doing and get behind.

This is the final sketch sequence i have done that shows again, a model moving around a lot for the 12 poses. They wanted to be dynamic to show the form of how the human body moves. This is why i did a lot more angular lines, as the flow was not being shown, it was larger movements to show the body.

This task has made me understand the human form more in the most basic ways, as there is a continuous line that goes through the body from the foot on the ground, to the head. This is how you can show the most movements. I want to look at other artists that did this style of research so i can see how they approach this. I know of a few artists like Glen Keane and Ryan Woodward who do this so i will research how they do each stage.

Visual Language- Study Task 5-Life drawing/ the human form in an animation context- Glen Keane

Life Drawing & The Human Form: 

Glen Keane

Glen Keane is amazing at capturing motion and the real fluidity that comes with dance. In this video it just shows how he studied dancers and how they move so that when he animated this video, they showed exactly what went into each movement and stance he had the characters take.

In his final animation, the way he has drawn the characters, is so elegant and soft, so that the fluid lines can really be seen and the viewers can see how soft the dancers would have been in how they stand, move and walk. This all adds to his final piece because he studied them so closely, it comes across and can be seen in the animated character.

After doing our task, i really want to do more with what i have learnt, as i know the basics of how peoples form moves and contracts, but i would love to show an animated version of someone dancing like Glen Keane. I will defiantly do this in the future because, i only had 10 seconds per sketch. So i think it would be interesting what could be created if i spent more time studying the motions like he has in the video above.

Visual Language- Study Task 5-Life drawing/ the human form in an animation context- Richard Williams

Life Drawing & The Human Form: 

Richard Williams

Richard Williams is an animator who has spent a long time doing life drawing and studying the human form, you can see the result of his studying in his animation 'Prologue' which is just under 10 minutes long and is hand drawn to an extremely high standard. This really shows his skill as he is able to show, in detail, what the human form looks like while moving and how to show detailed camera movements along a scene.

As the video has not been fully released, i can only find a clip of what the film looks like but it still shows how he understands the human form in animation. Doing this type of animation meant Richard Williams had to draw every frame which is why it is so stunning that he had created a photo realism animation.

If i were to do this form of animation, i would have to spend a lot of time perfecting each frame so that the overall look ended up as smooth as Williams has been able to create his to be, this is why animators tend to stay away from this form as it is so time consuming.

Visual Language- Study Task 5-Life drawing/ the human form in an animation context.-Ryan Woodward

Life Drawing & The Human Form:

Ryan Woodward

Just after watching this animation, you can see how he studied the human form and how they flow through movements like Glen Keane does. This is an animation i found a while back and really helped me understand how to show basic shapes but also show so much just from those simple lines.

When doing the study task of Flow, i looked at this animation, yet it was hard and impossible to show something this detailed in just the 10seconds we were aloud to do per sketch of our models moving. This is why i decided to do them simply with stick figures but with extended lines to show the flow so, using this animation i was able to show the flow through another way of sketching which i had not tried before so this was a good learning experience as i feel i understand motion a lot better. 

I would love to produce animations like this in the future as they aren't overly hard to animate, but the struggle is with getting the motion to flow smoothly to create a realistic look overall and in the final piece.

Visual Language- Study Task 5- life drawing/ the human form in an animation context-Joanna Quinn

Life Drawing & The Human Form: 

Joanna Quinn

Joanna Quinn says lots of helpful things in this video that i will use and take on board for the future. One of the things she says is that when she is drawing her characters, she looks at herself for the positions. She uses herself as her own model for life drawing as it lets her achieve different perspectives and angles. This has been used as a method since the beginning of animation, as artists used to have mirrors, like Joanna Quinn has, so that they can look at facial features, expressions and movements.

Another thing she said was that when doing hand drawn animation, dont take your time when doing establishing sketches, just draw the flow and motion. This is so that if it goes wrong, you can just rub them out or throw it away and not have wasted much time. This means she really understands the human form as she can sketch the characters so easily in strange position and they still look realistic.

Sometimes when you draw motion, it doesn't look exaggerated enough so you need to over exaggerate it, as Joanna Quinn states, if you draw it over exaggerated, it will still look normal as it would follow how your character carries themselves, it just makes it look more interesting for the viewers to see. Here is an animation she created showing her aesthetic and how her characters tend to look and move within the animation.

Visual Language- Set/scene/Sequence-Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice-10-The Lion King

  Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice: The Lion King

 Normally storyboards are done more basic so that time can be spent on animating and other aspects of the animation but these are they storyboards done for The Lion King. I was very surprised to see these done in this much detail as they budget was less for this movie as the main focus was to produce Pocahontas. On the other hand this might be why so much time was spent getting every frame perfect. As there was less money for the animators so it was cheaper to hire good storyboard artists compared to animators.

The way these have been done is very stylised, the characters have already been built up into the final characters so this made it really easy for people to come from the outside and understand what was happening, but also produce an animation that looked exactly like the storyboard. This made it easier to create the movie as there were no debates on camera shots or perspectives, as it was all done on the storyboards.

This proves how important they are within movies and animation, as they help people to produce a movie that they have never seen but understand what is happening and what will happen, as well as letting people see what the character can look like. This is also done in concept design, so the two go hand in hand in letting the overall outcome be understood and come to life.

Here in the image bellow you can clearly understand and see what is happening and where the camera focus needs to be for each shot and second of the animation. They have also done this by shading certain characters so they become less the focus for when a new character comes in.  This is shown by Timon being brighter than Simba when he is walking away.

Visual Language- Set/scene/Sequence-Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice-9-Tank Girl

Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice: 

Tank Girl

Tank Girl is another graphic novel that uses sequential imagery to produce a story that is simple to follow and in these comics, strange and unique.

The aesthetic of this comic looks like the Gorillaz characters in their features and characteristics, but the overall look is different from most comics. The storyline is also aimed at adults as it contains a lot of nudity and swearing. This is why they can push the boundaries more, as they are aiming it for an older audience.

The way the comic is laid out needs to be simple for this story as they tend to be very violent and quirky, if they were too complicated and noisy. They would be hard to follow.

I do like the style of this comic as it can go from more simple designs like the one on the right, to very detailed on the larger pages, like the first image. This shows they prioritise the detail for the much larger drawings.

Visual Language- Set/scene/Sequence-Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice-8-Regina Pessoa

Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice: Regina Pessoa

Regina Pessoa has a very unique way of showing her storyboards and images, as she uses mainly black and white. This therefore makes the images bold and clear to the story.

This method of sketching would mean that if she were to do a full length movie, they would take too long so these are for shorter films, to which are around 10 minutes long.

She sketches in this aesthetic in her sketchbook also, so she can practice constantly and keep producing work all the time. I would like to try to use this form of animation for the effect it gives the overall piece but i would have these pieces of work for more the final outcome, not the storyboard as these would be too time consuming, but it would be a good look to try in the future. 

I didn't use her style in Set/Scene/Sequence as my story is more playful and this effect created a deep creepy look which wouldn't have matched what i have been doing. It has still been good to look at her work as i feel she really shows something unique in her work and art.

Visual Language- Set/scene/Sequence-Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice-7-Michaela Pavlatova

Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice:
Michaela Pavlatova

Michaela Pavlatova uses sequential imagery in her sketchbooks. I found these images in books that show some of her drawings and how she lays out her sketches and storyboards.

Even thought the way she draws is sketchy and using block colours, the way she sketches uses a lot more details. These images show detail and shading to show items and perspectives. She has then decided the timings at the bottom so when animating the images, she has a framework to follow.

In the industry there isn't always time to do detailed storyboards like these ones as thousands need to be created, yet because she does shorter animation they can be more detailed. She is also working alone on some of the projects so this also gives her the chance to do the work on her own terms and in her own aesthetic.

Visual Language- Set/scene/Sequence-Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice-6-Isabel Herguera

Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice: Isabel Herguera

As soon as i saw these images done by Isabel Herguera, I loved the unique aesthetic. She has made a sequence on the right that all flow together and can be understood. The colours she has used make all the images pair together and look like the whole page is collected which is good as you need to be able to follow the scene.

As you can see, this is what kind of animation she produces, where the simple style is made unique, by her use of colour and charcoal. This really helps to make each one of her designs look like her own and stand out. Her form of animating is not to my taste but it is good to see how animators are still using mixed media within the industry. That is why i like the work she produces.

I was looking into artists that use mixed media as i have used this in my storyboard as i love mixing the media of pen, ink and charcoal. These all mix well together to create a unique look overall, this is like the one above which mixes them all, and others layered onto.

Visual Language- Set/scene/Sequence-Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice-5- Brent Green

Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice:

Brent Green

Brent Green has a dark look to his sketches and storyboards. Even though my storyboard is playful i still enjoyed looking into his work and what his final animations looked like. 

He is another artist that, in his sketchbook, has just sketched messy small drawings. These have enough detail for him to understand what is happening when he comes to animate, so they are perfect for him to get what he needs, while saving time from not spending too long on each one.

On my storyboards, i wouldn't have normally spent that much time doing them in such detail, as it isn't needed. I wanted to show where my drawings and concepts have all lead to so this is why they were time consuming, but if i were doing them in the industry, there wouldn't be time.

Its a good lesson on time management, as hundreds need doing for some scenes in movies so they have to be done quickly and look clear. I will make sure to take this further in the future, to make sure i can produce the work needed in the allotted time given.

Visual Language- Set/scene/Sequence-Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice-4-Sin City

Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice: 

Sin City

Sin City is a visually stunning graphic novel that uses black and white tones to create dramatic actions and forms. Their way of drawing was really what made the whole atmosphere of the novel so impactful, which is why when it came to turning it into a movie. They decided to keep the aesthetic the same and use this bold way of using lighting, to their advantage.

Most novels look like they are for young adults whereas this elegant way of drawing really broadens their audience to more adult viewers. When i first watched the movie, you could really see it was based on a graphic novel as they way the move through the scene has really been taken into consideration to show how the comic shows the sequence.

I looked at this because i wanted to create a similar effect with my storyboard, where i am only using black and white, till the main focus comes along and that is the colour. Sin City used this when a damsel came onto the scene or a main villain appeared. This is why i researched into their aesthetic and could really see how stylized the movie was to the graphic novel.

I also find some comics get too confusing when their sequence becomes too messy or busy, or they try to make the boxes weird shapes. Here you can see how they used the basic shapes of the page to create elegant clean looks to the overall pages.

Visual Language- Set/scene/Sequence-Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice-3-Fiona Staples

Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice: Fiona Staples

Fiona Staples is a comic book artist who has done storyboards that start out very simple before the works on them, and they gradually get more detailed until the final outcome can be created.

For storyboards, basic block shading can be enough to let animators understand what is happening and what the perspective and lighting needs to be. This can be seen in the second image and they are still basic drawings but with small amounts of colour added to create a more detailed final design.

In the last image you can see how setting out the sequence as simply as possible can get a really nice overall look when it gets to the final stage. I like the aesthetic that she has with her work at the colours are all soft tones so the comic isn't too hectic in detail which can distract the eye of the viewers too much.

I would love to produce an animation with this comic style in the future as it gives are really nice look overall which appeals to me. I will also produce my storyboards more in this style too as it looks professional and it straight to the point, with not unneeded detail, clouding the small drawings.

Visual Language- Set/scene/Sequence-Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice-2- Paul Driessen

Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice: Paul Driessen

This is the work of Paul Driessen and is a perfect example of how storyboards and dont have to be big masterpieces, they just need to show what is going to happen in each shot. These are images from his sketchbook, where he does not need to be neat, they just need to be informative.

Sequential imagery is just a sequence of images that are put together, here you can see just how many are needed to create a detailed final animation. For animated movies, they need thousands. Here are just a few from Paul Driessen but it really shows how he works and how he puts the images together to form the sequence.

I do like the way he has done freeform thumbnails to hold his images as they are quick and easy, instead of finishing templates and going out of you way to make them perfect, as storyboards and thumbnails aren't perfect. They are quickly done as a source the animators can look at to understand the scene and what is going to happen within it.

Visual Language- Set/scene/Sequence-Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice-1-Steven Subotnick

Sequential Imagery and Drawing Practice:  Steven Subotnick

Steven Subotnick was an artist who stuck out to me when i was reading the book Animation Sketchbooks as he has these designs that are so detailed and done in inks and charcoals, but then when he does his storyboard sequences, they are a lot simpler and just there to show what is happening. This is common as a storyboard artist doesn't have time to make each one a masterpiece, they need to do so many that a basic design is a whole lot more practical. This is why i loved his work because many people expect them all to be done to an exquisite level, when that really isn't good for time managing a project.

Here you can see where he has done simple tonal pencil drawings to show a hunter going through a wood. He has used different angles of the pencil to create the different effects and to get different textures into the animal, as well as the trees and fields.

Studio Brief 2- A Tale in the Sting- Anamatic

Animatic

For this animatic, I used the images from my storyboard and stretched them to create a still animation. As I created my storyboard in Photoshop, I was able to create subtle movements within the storyboard, that really helped to show what was happening and moving within this animatic.

As I was adding all of the images together, they ended up looking dark. This does help set the mood and how the person within the animation must feel, but gets a little hard to follow after watching it all. When producing the animation I will make sure to set it out, in a way that is easy to understand and read the story of throughout.

After looking at how this plays and showing my peers and tutor. They all felt it moved too quickly as the theme I am trying to show, moves slow and steady. I totally agree with this after watching it a few more times, and have decided to cut some of the scenes, and lengthens the ones i have for the final animation. This will give a different look overall, that is more about the journey, rather than lots of small scenes jammed together. 

In the final piece, I will have the kitchen scene, to begin with, then the outdoor, bedroom and final desk scene. This will allow me to include more movement from the character, as well as create more lasting atmosphere that I will pair with music, to create the slow moving but painful feel for the character within it. 

I also showed my peers my ideas and back story, this lead them to believe the dog may not be read as depression. None of them are sufferers so it would be harder for them to see it, but i will try to create a powerful hue around the creature that will get bigger as he does, this will show that as the depression gets worse. So does the feeling of weight upon the person.

Studio Brief 2- A Tale in the Sting- Sound

Sound

For my animation, sound plays a very important aspect of it. Sound can add so much atmosphere, which i need for my animation and what it is about. As depression is incredible breaking and sad for the person suffering, i need the animation to portray this through all forms, not just visually but with the music as well.

This is why i am choosing Cinematic Orchestra- To Build a Home Instrumental, to create this atmosphere. This song is full of emotion and pain within the lyrics, yet i cant find a section small enough to fit to the length of my animation with all the lyrics fitting and making sense. This is why i am using an instrumental. I still get the atmospheric sound, with it all fitting together and creating emotion.

Studio Brief 2- A Tale in the Sting- Storyboard

Storyboard

 These are the pages of storyboards i have created. Each one showing which camera angle i am wanting the scene to be animated to and which location. This was the first time i had done a storyboard digitally and i actually really like how it looks. This way of doing it, let me show little movements within the same scenes where something had moved, as well as showing tones, shading and detail. I am going to defiantly keep doing this in the future, as it ends up looking a lot more professional, than when i sketch it up on paper. As well as using the templates so it is the correct size and is neat.

As it is only a storyboard, there is no way of working out how long this animation will end up. This is why my next step will be to pull all of these images across to an animatic so i can work out lengths of scenes and how much either needs to be cut or changed. I think i will change these scenes if it does go over as i want it to move slow enough so show what is happening, which i cant do if loads of scenes are popping up one after the other. This is why i think i will end up sticking to the 4 scenes i first thought of. The kitchen, outside, bed and desk/ office scenes.

Overall i am happy with the idea i have come up with for the campaign, so i will try to stick to this throughout the process and not get too lost in the modules or other modules for that matter.

Studio Brief 2- A Tale in the Sting- Chosen Finalised Character Clips

Chosen Finalised Character Clips

Here are all of the scenes i used of me filming my character model, act out what i wanted, with him imagining something was near him or weighing him down in these different places. This task took me quite a while to do, not with the filming, but with planning out how long they needed to be to get the message across for each scene. As well as getting enough camera angles and interesting shots. I also needed to think about what exactly i was going to ask my model to do for each scene which was a different experience. This is becuase i had never done anything like this before so it was hard giving stage directions when it was rather difficult to imagine it all fully in my head.

I chose these scenes as they are the main places people tend to be day to day. This meant that when someone was watching the campaign for Samaritans. They would feel an emotional attachment to the character, as they can see that they felt similar in their own homes too. This would hopefully go towards helping more people, and touching more lives in getting Samaritans out there to help as many people as possible, and letting them feel comfortable enough to call in for help.

As i was basing my character on the build of this model, i needed him to do the scenes. This is why i have no green screen and had to cut out all of the scenes in a process. It wasn't just becuase i wanted that rough cut out look, but that i didn't have the equipment handy to do it another way. This meant the process took a long time with cutting out each frame. As overall i have cut out more than 1000 frames for all of the scenes.

This is the creature i have designed for the depression feeling. As i was told by peers that they may not think it is depression or understand it. I have shown the creature to have a purple hue as a form of negative energy that gets bigger as the creature does. This shows how the creature effects the person as time progresses.

I do think this was a good attempt as i had never drawn animals before, but i do think i could have designed it better, but i couldn't figure out how to get the anatomy correct when it was in certain positions and angles. So this is what i decided to do instead. But it does attract the attention of the viewer as it needs to have an effect, because people with depression feel it all the time and it is a threatening presence for them daily.

Studio Brief 2- A Tale in the Sting- Character Concepts

Character Concepts

As i was doing different scenes at different times, i have designed different outfits for the character when in different situations. This let me explore drawing different types of clothing on the same character, as well as seeing how i could draw basic clothes to match the same style of the character i have designed.

I really like how these have turned out but after thinking about the animation idea i have, I'm thinking of doing it with a real person as this will add more of an impact as well as a different visual outcome. The character i have designed is based on a real person, who is able to do the scenes for me if asked. I think i will choose this idea as i really love have animations and videos, especially music videos, look with this form of cut out film effect.

I do really like these character designs however, so i will not be wasting them. I am going to try and use these designs in the future at some point as i do feel he would make a good character for another animation. This just let me experiment with using film within animation, as i have not tried this before, so i think it will have a very different effect to the overall piece.

Studio Brief 2- A Tale in the Sting- character development

Character Development's

I have never drawn and animals before doing this animation, so i feel it will be a real learning curve for me. I wanted to get a real feel for how the animals worked and moved, which is why i have drawn them in many different positions and breeds. This was a very effective study for me as i have really learned how they move and how their joints differ from that of a humans. I have left them quite sketchy as i will be doing the animal in my animation, in the same sort of look. This still shows all the shapes i need from the dogs and the way their bodes flow which is shown from the wispy lines i have done with the bold used on the outline.

While drawing, i also tried to do many different shapes and sizes. This is because i am doing the animals growing as his depression grows. Making the beast more threatening and create more of a presence as it appears.

When deciding upon a person to be affected by this presence. I wanted a skinny male, this is because people suffering with depression sometimes undergo weight loss and loo less healthy, as they are taking less care of themselves. This is why i have sketched some basic male body shapes, to decide upon a final shape and design to go with.

This page is filled with my character development for the animation, exploring face shapes, hair styles, features and the overall body shape. This helped me choose the designs that i feel fit my animation the most, and which i feel have the most impact. I did quite a few designs as i wanted to see what i cold design with the simple cartoon shapes, as this wasn't a style i had tried before.

Out of all these designs i really like the top two to the left, this is because they look simple and cute. This will show how they change throughout the animation and get more tired and run down and the animation plays and the scenes change. This is also the characters body shape that i have shown in more detail. Then went over in pen to make it all more bold and stand out more.

As i was doing different scenes at different times, i have designed different outfits for the character when in different situations. This let me explore drawing different types of clothing on the same character, as well as seeing how i could draw basic clothes to match the same style of the character i have designed.

I really like how these have turned out but after thinking about the animation idea i have, I'm thinking of doing it with a real person as this will add more of an impact as well as a different visual outcome. The character i have designed is based on a real person, who is able to do the scenes for me if asked. I think i will choose this idea as i really love have animations and videos, especially music videos, look with this form of cut out film effect.