My animation arts blog

For this project in a team we had to pick a voice recording and animate two characters mouthing the words. The idea was that the context of what was said would have been based on a news article or headline and what we choose to animate would extend this visually. To start of me and my partner generated and chose a sound file to animate:

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Hearing the sound recording we chose we had the idea that the topic of ‘climate change’ would be a big part in the animation so jotted down animals which live in cold environments. We had stuck with the dynamic of a small happy penguin and a older more grumpy polar bear, this was because not only are polar bears are known to be losing their habitat due to the ice caps melting penguins are also a well known arctic creature so they would be recognizable as their species. Whilst exploring this we came up with the idea that these animals are in an enclosure (like that of a zoo) with the perspective focusing on their reaction to hearing “snow in California, Texas”, we felt it would be funny to see their ‘secret life’ as they go about their day with people visiting them.

To further see the depth of how serious the weather was for those living in Texas we looked at news and weather reports to see the scale:

There had be countless stories ranging from people enjoying the snow to inside apartments freesing as many were left without power for the duration. Many social media posts were made with people seeing their indoor fans having icicles form as well as stated in the recording “a fishtank freezing over”. As shown in the news coverage above the city of “Gun brl” had experienced over 9.5″ off snow. Going of this research we had then moved onto develop the designs of the characters themselves.

With how extreme the weather had been we wanted to make the base character designs simple so that we can over exaggerate the expressions in response to say them reading about the latest weather report. I was in charge of designing the penguin, we had the idea that both characters would be a specific shape so that their design is readable no matter what position they’re in:

For the penguin I went with a soft rectangular shape, this was so it would contrast the big round shapes which the bear had (designed by my partner, Martin)

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We had moved onto developing the concept and felt we needed to research how the animation could be taken,

Walk on the wild side, was a comedy talk show first shown on BBC one in 2009. It had three seasons and focused on animals and their lives, with voice overs done by many talented actors. We felt this fit into this project as the idea of this series was to create funny scenes from what animals do on a daily basis, giving the original footage a new context. Using the sound recording we chose in making our animatic, inspired by this we focused on ways we can exaggerate and create funny ways these characters would react and how they would pose themselves when talking.

We had also found the series “Creature comforts”, by aardman studios, featuring two seasons and started in 2003. Similarly to our project they had people prompted to talk about a topic and in turn they would animate their voices with animals. What inspired us about this was the way they had created animation from the dialogue with body movements such as the lion throwing their arms around as they were talking. We had then discussed ways we could take our dialogue such as: how would the bear act in this scene? would this character be shocked or excited in response? among other things, we had developed a narrative for the whole duration of the recording which we went into creating.

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Using our story boarding notes and plans we had worked together to create the animatic, which we then moved into timing and breaking down our shots. Dividing our overall animation up ( around thirteen scenes each) I had begun working on the body animations:

What I had trouble with was making each scene feel alive, I felt that whilst there would be a pause in most scenes such as a character not speaking or just repeating a pose it felt jarring that they would literally be still. The way I overcame this was by redrawing parts of the frame so that it would have a fuzzy texture so even though they were ‘still’ they would still feel and look alive.

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I had then moved onto the lip syncing of the animation. Using a reference of phonetic sounds and how the mouth would look I had translated these into my scenes so that it matched the way the sounds are said and how.

Moving forward I had to focus on animating features within my scene. Going of a quick critique I had wanted to include atmospheric lighting to make the scene feel more like its underwater:

I added a plane with a specific water texture, I made a sun light which would shine through the texture. I made the texture move diagonally so that when it is played in the animation, the texture mimics the look of the water rippling.

Moving on a added another two cliffs flipped on top of each-other to act like a frame for the piece. I then moved onto adding each scenes animated feature such as individually animating each fish seen or animating the flags and seaweed by adding a cloth physics to them so that when I add a wind force into the seen they are seen moving with the effect.

Above is the final render of the world that I had made. What I enjoyed the most was creating and developing the scene itself, working out which colours would make sense and actually bringing it to life within a 3-D space. What I would have done differently is see if there was a way to add textures which mimicked wet rock onto the cliffs or a wooden texture to the boat so that it would feel more believable along with the ripple effect done with the lighting. Overall I have enjoyed this project even if the difficulty in learning a new digital software was challenging, it was extremely fun being able to create and realize a scene fully and animate parts of it and I would love to explore it further.

In creating the animatic itself I used 16:9 paper so that each frame is consistent, the main materials I used were marker and I had referenced my original environmental designs and mood board when choosing colours.

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I wanted to focus on the shading being able to enhance the atmosphere, with it being more airy and dream-like as I wanted it to contrast the harsh environment.

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Above are the final scenes I drawn and coloured, I then photographed and edited them to fit a 1910×1080 size. I also during this time recorded some ambient and foley noises to be included. What I found was difficult is recreating specific noises like a fire crackling or the noise of a cat walking on snow however the way I overcame this was recording noises which would seem similar: snow has a crunchy noise and I related that to how small pebbles sound like when walked on so used that, for the fire I slowly crunched a bag of pillow stuffing so that the noise would play out overtime. I then moved to put my scenes together in premier pro.

Putting the scene together:

I put each scene and sound recording into premier pro and moved to timing my scenes so that each would play for a certain amount of time when needed. I also placed each specific sound recorded to be played for a certain time too, keeping in mind how long each scene they are used in matches up. I then played the finished product and going off the critiques I had gotten in the class review I changed around a few sound placements and removed others if they confused the narrative.

For the final task I uploaded the final video and this is the result:

What I feel worked well in this was the use of colour and the designs of the characters and environment. I feel it was communicated well that the cat was in a harsh environment and needed food being that of the fish, it was interesting to see how I could take the expressions as the main designs are quite simple. The only thing I would say which could have improved the animatic would have been to add directions in the shots them self to show how I would want the camera to act. Overall the process making this animatic was an enjoyable one which I would love to work on in my own work.

Beginning my process of putting together my cinema graphs and shots I decided to make a quick storyboard going of the idea of a flashback- like scenario, with the changes between night and day being shown as the shots progress:

My plan with the story was that I would be taking photos, some scenes showing that I’m aiming my camera whereas others are the shot taken after aiming. The idea being the exploration of the filming aesthetic being able to suggest that what we are seeing is from the past. To go of the brief and the story being based on something on myself, I decided the place I would take my photos would be my neighborhood as I’ve lived here most of my life.

Taking the shots:

For my shots I focused on lighting and the type of imagery which is associated with my chosen aesthetic on 1960’s and 80’s with a filming aesthetic seen in VHS tapes.

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For my day shots the camera settings I used 200 ISO and changed the saturation and contrast settings to not only have a washed out appearance but to also help create a blurry feel to the photos.

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For my mid-day and evening shots I used the same ISO however I changed the aperture to 1/20 so that the level of brightness of the surroundings is picked up such as the car headlights or lights.

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For my night shots I used the previous settings for my evening shots, because of this cars moving by had a quick blur to them suggesting movement in a still image.

In three of my shots I filmed a shot sequence which shows movement: like a bus moving or a light flickering. I then moved to editing so I can put together my cinema graphs in Nuke (NC).

For my cinema graphs I felt it would make sense to have three being based on the three times of day shown. Above using my chosen scene and short film sequence I edited together my shot, specifically this shot has a bus moving so I used the roto and alpha nodes to have everything but the bus still. Overall I felt whilst I was able to make three cinema graphs I had alot of difficulty using nuke as not only was it a new software but I only got it working a few days ago so the time I had to make something was short.

Once I had finished my cinema graphs I moved to premier pro to place and composite my film. On the side I created a transparent png of the words: ‘play’ and ‘ PM 00:00:00, Feb. 07.2021’ to be included as overlays in my film, this was to go of the look of VHS tapes including when a film was recorded. I put my shots together and manually placed my ‘play’ png to pop in and out to further sell the idea of it being on tape.

I felt whilst what I had made up to that point was good, it could be way better so I went on youtube and looked for tutorials on how to capture the VHS look using premier pro.

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Using the tutorial I was able to capture my chosen aesthetic by changing around various video effects. Some of the effects I used was: adding a purple hued shadow to the overall image, I lowered the contrast and white level as well as later on changing the sharpness among other things. Overall by following the tutorial (linked above) I was able to capture the look in more depth creating a very convincing style which replicates the VHS look.

Final Video and reflection:

Overall I have, beside my rocky start with Nuke, enjoyed my time creating these cinema graphs and shots.

What I’ve liked about this project was exploring a style I personally like visually, this is because I was able to look at my chosen style in depth and explored how it would be best to capture it for my chosen idea around flashbacks. What I would have done differently would have been to explore my story in depth. In my storyboard I had planned to include myself taking ‘shots’ to play off the imagery of the making of the film in the moment however as I got to my chosen place I found it was difficult to not only get the right shot but also have myself be in shot as many people would pass by in front of the camera unintentionally.

I also found that including myself in the shots would confuse the simple narrative and felt that the imagery of the shots looking like that being of a VHS recording would work better in showing the past so opted to not shoot them in my final work.

To summarize I have enjoyed this project in the end, it was difficult to understand Nuke in a short time however for how long I had I was able to explore my theme to a level I was happy with. Whilst I may not choose VFX going forward I would still refer back to what I have learned as I feel it would still be helpful going forward.

Based on my initial ideas and photo tests I felt I would need a aesthetic to further emphasise the direction I wanted to go for. Not only did I want to showcase a flashback in my story I wanted to somehow show the past and to figure this out I would need to look at films or media which can further help my idea. In finding the filming aesthetic to go along the 80’s style I was aiming for I decided to look into VHS recordings and what they are like. Contextually VHS’s where made around the 1970’s, unlike the modern day camera VHS film and photos run on a small magnetic tape:

“The cassette consists of two small spools of magnetic tape, including the supply reel and the take-up reel. The VCR (Videocassette Recorder) Pulls the supply reel around the rotating video head drum with the help of pins and rollers on either side. Due to the loose M-shape this creates in the magnetic tape, this process is referred to as M-lacing. Each 180 degree spin corresponds to the processing of one frame of video. The head drum rotates at a rate of  1798.2 rpm in NTSC machines and 1500 rpm in PAL machines.”

https://kodakdigitizing.com/blogs/news/vhs-what-does-it-mean

Looking at this staple filming method I decided to look at how to recreate this with my own equipment, to do this I looked at how the aesthetic is used in media and film:

I wanted to look at the type of filming that is done with VHS as well as what the look suggests to the viewer. In looking for a piece of media which showcases the style I want to go for I found this. To summarize my thoughts on it I felt the style of how it was recorded worked well: it wasn’t made with the intent of it being professional or with a specific purpose. It consists of people and places and the memories made surrounding that. What I particularly liked is the type of film it is being on vhs, it is able to showcase age as well as emphasize a nostalgic feeling which comes around with reminiscing.

For my cinema graph project story I want to focus on the idea of ‘bringing the past into the future’ this will be primarily shown through the visuals replicating the VHS style as well as an emphasis on bright vibrant colours seen in the 1960-80’s. An idea on how I can incorporate both together is taking shots on places and items which evoke a feeling of the past like that of old records or video game systems, modern places with a twist the twist being it would have the feel of it being filmed in the past or that of looking at old vhs recordings and watching the shows stored.

For this project we are tasked to describe ourselves in images, we can interpret this many ways but the main idea would be to create a short storyboard to then capture and shoot a cinema graph animatic. To understand and explore how I can interpret this I decided to make a mind map noting down the main themes which stuck out to me:

Going through my ideas I wanted to play with a visual theme so jotted down styles of film or colour choices which I would like to work with. Through this I found that the theme of retro styled film is something which would be interesting to explore, not in terms of story but in the aesthetic of how the piece would look. I paired this with the idea of cinema and the popular film genres from those times like horror or films based on the working class and thought that with my project I could explore the idea of visually exploring a chosen theme. Another idea which stuck out was exploring my day to day routine, focusing on the organisation of what happens when or what it is like for me like that of a visual diary.

Combining the ideas I liked I figured something which I could do would be around the idea of going through a usual day with the look of it being like that of a flashback or walking through a day. Something which would be interesting to explore through this would be looking at how flashbacks are usually portrayed in films and what film makers usually do with the concept: first person perspective, vintage styling to suggest its from the past. I feel to further develop my idea I should explore films and possible ‘stories’ which can help towards the cinema-graph having a planned out story with some type of purpose whether its to be visually appealing or play of a theme.

Finding a theme:

For this project and the style I’d like to explore I went with exploring the style of retro vintage most prominent in the 1960’s and 80’s. The reason for this is I find the choice of colours and lighting to be very nostalgic even though I was not around during those times, in a way it is able to showcase a different time of film making with the types of stories and how the films are made. An interesting idea I had from this was exploring the contrast between the present and the ‘past’ and the idea of bringing them together through the way I would capture them. Most of the iconic brands and places we go for today had only started back then, where they would have looked different compared to what we’re used to today. Through my cinema graphs I’d like to bring the past into what is currently seen with the idea of a ‘flashback’ starting of light and sunny and ending of dark like that of going through a day with visuals to create the atmosphere of it being set in the past.

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/flareblitz4/vfx-inspiration/

Here I created another mood board honing in to what I visualized with my idea of the past into the present using pinterest. I gathered images which not only capture the idea of looking as if it where set in that period but also played with the concept such as a Polaroid styled photo being shot in 2017, I liked the contrast between what we see and what we know being a prominent feature.

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To quickly test my ideas I used a small mini arcade game I had and took some photo’s using my phone. I wanted to test the idea of contrast between light and dark as well as see how the scene overall comes together and if it creates the feeling i’m aiming for. With the ISO changes I wanted to see if I could capture a washed out and airy feel as well as a dark and rough feel, I felt I was able to though the contrast of colours were not as prominent as I had hoped. I then moved to playing with my exposure settings seeing what gets changed lighting wise and how it affects it: I found that whilst the first held the silhouette of the arcade machine so its recognizable the second was able to capture the feel of playing in an old styled arcade with the limited light source of the screen. To experiment with this I used my lava lamp which has a pink hue and held it above my scene to see the effect, whilst the light of it was dim there are subtle hints of pink in the scene which I think adds to the atmosphere as it brings out some of the original colours such as the red control sticks as well as help to define certain sections of it. Working from this I’ll look at visual references from films which capture the aesthetic I’m aiming to achieve.

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To develop the model I decided to add my chosen colours into my scene, changing around a few so it would make sense such as the boat now being a dark brown instead of a pale yellow like in my colour tests. I played with perspective and depth by making objects further away appear lighter in colour and changed a few tones used in the test so that the scene looks more like you are submerged underwater.

Next I decided to move on to lighting within the scene. Keeping in mind this is a scene deep underwater I only included small sections of light as realistically natural light wouldn’t travel that deep so I improvised by having the lighting be used to create an subtle ominous glow through out the piece instead of a direct use of it. This helped to emphasize the ghostly atmosphere as apart from the fish which can be seen circling the top of the ship there is not any visibly signs of human life within. The positioning almost seems as though it is lighting from around the ship.

To finish the scene I added a blue hue using the shading tool to represent the dark ocean surround the ship. I positioned the angle where I would want the final piece to be seen from to further emphasis how large the objects we see are with the small fish as a point of reference. Moving forward I will think about what I can do to further develop my world and possible animated segments for when it is finished such as the fish circling the ship as a cycle or the seaweed swaying in the water or small bubbles floating to the top.

Using the basic synopsis idea and the character designs I went to create a simple idea for a 40’s story, baring in mind that it will be for an animatic.

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Above is the storyboard I had come up with. Knowing the animatic’s duration will be short I had to create a story which worked well with this, so to play on the base theme of “topsy-turvy” I decided it should be represented with interesting transitions and camera angles as a story with a more in depth idea would be hard to fit into the short timing.

The story board idea for this is: The Cat is trying to find a way to survive in the harsh winter in the ice it sees the perfect chance at an ‘easy’ meal, a small fish trapped underneath the ice, or so it thought.

For how short this will be I wanted to make the viewer feel something after seeing this so I included short scenes for humor such as the cat slipping along the ice or feelings of happiness as the cat and fish gets taken into a warm home. Where it would be difficult to ‘tell’ the viewer what is happening I wanted to play with the visual narration so had the characters be silent with the actions being expected of what they are (a cat pouncing or a fish swimming). Knowing it would be hard to have an ending to a short and simple story be satisfying I decided the ending would work best if it ended with the characters story and not end on a cliff hanger where the viewer guesses what could happen next.

Moving forward I decided to draw the characters to understand them better from different angles:

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The Cat features sharp and solid shapes for its silhouette so that the viewer would be able to not only recognize this as a cat but to also recognize this specific design going through the story. For the fish I wanted their shape to be more organic and elegant so their silhouette (whilst it would be inconsistent) the general flowing features of the tail would allow for it to feel alive as it swims along the water. In creating the frames for my animatic I will look back at my previous environmental designs and mood boards so that I can draw out and created the coloured animatic. I will also gather sounds to be used in the animatic so that the atmosphere looks and feels alive to the viewer.

Making more progress on my scene, using the sculpting skills I had learned in building the gecko model I included additional features to make the model match my original sketch. Using metaballs I created basic shapes to represent fish and using the brush tool I created a flag to go along with the boat. Whilst I had trouble I used the same technique for the flag for seaweed along the sand rotating some to add variety.

Progressing on I moved to test a few possible colour choices for the final scene keeping in mind the original inspiration mood board I had made as well as experimenting with the types of colours I can use. I particularly liked doing this as I was able to explore different ways the environment could be seen with the colour choices changing how we interpret it, I was able to play around with it to create combinations which would suggest different atmospheres such as the red scheme suggesting something burning hot whereas the green scheme suggests an almost ancient landscape with hints of gold and the purple scheme suggesting an ominous ghostly vibe. Going over each test and which I would like to go forward with I decided to go with the third green colour scheme, this is because it not only works with it being underwater it adds another layer to the scene making it have a ancient feel as discussed but also suggests that there is life hidden away with the use of green. Moving forward from this i’ll work on incorporating these colours into the final scene as well as fleshing out parts of the model itself so the overall theme is showcased.

With this we practiced with sculpting tools and created a model using meta balls. Using references of a green gecko I blocked out the main body using mainly meta balls and ellipsoid shapes making up the basic shape of the gecko.

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Whilst making this model I had found it that it was easier to block out and make the gecko itself than using the sculpting tools like the brushes. I had trouble adding details like certain eye shapes or the nose however I have enjoyed trying these techniques to know what I would need to improve on. Adding on to this I’ve also been able to see how the techniques learned can be applied to my model such as adding to the ground to make it appear more textured and will be playing around with these techniques in the model as well.

Looking at the model I made of this gecko one other part I would need to improve is the overall anatomy and placement of certain body parts. Although this is my first time modelling a creature I can notice parts of the body having a grainy texture where using the brush or joints of the legs where unfortunately it makes the model look a bit like a different animal, however overall the process of learning these techniques was valuable.