The final task! – Critical analysis,, Last post until further notice?

(I already wrote this twice before, not sure why WordPress keeps deleting what I write…)

 

OKAY. FOR  THE THIRD TIME. DAMN IT WORDPRESS. Right.

 

The last task was to write a critical self analysis of our work. I finally finished the animation and this is the final task! Hurray! On to the analysing.

Overall my animation worked. In all honesty I feel like a fool for coming up with such a complex idea but I finished it – barely – on time. It was a “brave” attempt but I suppose I need to learn to not “bite off more than I can chew”…  😛

The animation generally fits with theme “state of change” and the topic “flesh to bone” but in reverse. However there were flaws everywhere – and it was noted during class about the issue with the hair volume being inconsistent and perhaps some more in betweens would’ve benefited the short, but with given time restraints I had to give up on being such a perfectionist and corrections.

If I were to do this project again I would most definately NOT use this style or such a complex idea again (talk about increasing the workload x200 @A@) unless I was given more time to work on it, had a higher ability to animate and draw and/ or I was using a programme other than Flash to animate.

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…and that is the last task, and probably the last post! I’m not entirely sure if I will use this blog again in the future, since so far it has served me for my uni work. It’s possible I would use it for my own personal stuff instead but I’m more than likely to just make another blog for that – which I will post a link to here for all you lovely, amazing followers and readers who actually read and liked my random ramblings and posts here! Thank you to you all too :’) It was encouraging to see people reading, following and liking my blog! ❤ Stay fabulous! 😀

 

Finished animation!

I finally finished my animation! Barely by the deadline XD Talk about cutting it close! 😛 Here is Remy…I think I’ll reserve my thoughts on the result for my last tast – the critical analysis.

Task 4 – Influences

For task 4, as the title indicates, we have to think about what characterises and influences our style of animation. 

 

Let me take a moment here. Being bluntly honest I’m going to question if it is bad for me, as an animation student, to not know many animators? If I was asked to come up with a name off the top of my head then unfortunately I would be giving you a blank face. *Please forgive me Meryl!* ;^; In all honesty I was originally inspired to study animation because of Japanese anime. Also maybe Disney. (I’m going to assume many people tutted in disapproval at the anime part..) Perhaps they’ve influenced my illustrative style, atleast anime and manga has pretty much shaped my  regular drawing style and Disney, as well as Tim Burton, was definitely a big influence on my more newer, developing styles. My first cycle animation piece was almost painfully obvious that the idea came from Disney’s Oswald. However neither of the latter two influenced my current piece (or atleast not that I see or have thought of.) I was quite at a loss when I was thinking for this task, so I talked to some class mates to see if that would help. We came to the conclusion that it was realism and manga mixed together to result in the style I have used in this animation. Realism is definitely something I have been practising to improve on recently, as well as that until this year I had mainly I had been focusing on fine art.Manga is what I started out with and will probably always have traces in any style I try to do. I’m not sure if I’ve answered what I was asked to do for the task but this probably all I could say, even after thinking more on it. I thought about what I wanted from this animation – an animation that will make people think I am amazing and talented and clearly the best (pfff modest, I know. 😉 ), good grades and something “different”. Maybe I hadn’t gotten my idea completely outside the box but I tried something I was uncomfortable doing, something that would take a LOT more patience, time and effort than if I had simply chosen another idea or style and something I would usually not consider. With these in mind I didn’t quite take in any particular examples, not consciously so I can’t say. I just used what I had as my skill set.

 

Quite enough of the rambling don’t you think? For those who haven’t seen any previous posts or have NO IDEA what I’m talking about – my animation is based on the topic “flesh to bone”, one of the topics our group had decided. However they didn’t have to necessarily be in that order so I decided to reverse it. The overall outlook of what I got after working on it a while was that it felt uncomfortable and wrong but it still worked. Atleast that is how I saw it. The subject is a child I painted – Remy. The animation starts as a skeleton and instead of building upto flesh as a human would ,with muscles and tissue and things, I instead made it build up like a painting. The skin would build up like paint covering him and pouring down, shadows and highlights eventually becoming visible, hair gradually growing as I paint it as he moves his partially developed head on the digital canvas. It end with his eyes opening, blinking as the little bits of his iris’ and light glints appear and parts the end with a smile.

Task 3, Part 2 – “Changing Batteries”

I was also tasked to think of other animations that fit with our given theme “state of change”. There are various interpretations but most people tend to look at the physical idea of “change”. Emotional or abstract change can also fit into “State of Change”. A good example is this animated short.”Changing Batteries” actually made me cry – and I don’t cry easily! In this short, one example could be how the robot started out as a mechanical being – nothing more nor less. However as time goes on he (it? It seemed boyish in nature..?) learns to behave and act like a human and learns emotions. (Though as he is a robot he may not necessarily “feel” it but a mental state perhaps.) He shows when he is excited – as when he saw the circus on the television or when he got tickets and was jumping like a giddy child, he shows when he cares – when covered the old lady with a blanket, he shows when he is happy – as when his batteries were changed or when the lady bought him a can of oil( again in a quite child-like manner), and he shows when he is sad – as when he sat with a forlorn posture alone after the lady had passed on. The change from being an emotionless mechanical robot to something that became a being that was able to show emotion and live like a human child with the old lady could fit into the theme I think. Another change would be the old lady. She is old, constantly growing older over time while in contrast the robot boy is unchanging. Eventually she dies. This could also count as a state of change. There are more little things, such as the plants being lush and green and changing over time to eventually die, just like the lady, despite the unchanging robot not changing his habit of watering them, though discussing more would turn into an essay.Now go watch it and cry guys. :’)

Task 3, Part 1: Comparison – Bill Plympton’s “Your Face”

http://tu.tv/videos/bill-plympton-your-face-short-fi

In task 3 we were instructed to compare and contrast Andreas Hykade’s film “Love and Theft” with Bill Plympton’s “Your Face”, discussing how they differ and what they have in common.

After watching both, I noticed that some of the movements (?) were similar – or the same. For example in “Your Face” the man’s head twists into blobs – the exact same was in “Love and Theft”. Both have faces merging, changing, disfragmenting – a constant state of change. There maybe other similarities but those are the main ones I saw.

The differences between them are more than obvious. “Love and Theft” appears to have been animated entirely digitally whereas “Your Face” was done with traditional drawings. The styles are different also – Hykade has a more cartoon style and incorporates various aspects from pop culture and on the other hand Plympton has a more caricature-like style and is consistent with just one, most likely original, character.

Task 2!! – Love and Theft by Andreas Hykade

For task 2 I am to look into Andreas Hykade and his work and career. Also to have a look at his short film “Love and Theft” which is the one above.

Looking Hykade’s history he’s a Bavarian born animator who started working as an animator in 1991 in London. He studied at a couple of places and worked as a free film maker for a decade before becoming a professor of animation in 2005.

Many of his works have won various awards – particularly “We Lived in Grass”, “Ring of Fire” (wow did that one leave an impression..), “The Runt” and the one I’m about to analyse, “Love and Theft”. This short film had won the BAF award in 2010.

Analysing this video truly is a brain melting task! Like whoa. So here, read my notes on what I spotted in there after watching twice:
Hello Kitty, a baby, Mickey/Mortimer Mouse?!, Donald Duck, Spiderman, Goofy??, Charlie Brown, a Panda?, Spongebob, Tweety, Bert from Sesame Street, Powerpuff Girls???, Betty Boop!, Snoopy, Droopy, Spike, Gromit, historical figures??/ fictional figures?, (Santa, Hitler, Shakespeare?!), a yin yang, an alligator, violins..?, scream ( from the painting)..plus everything in between.

Progressively aggressive with the music, orderly and distinct >> chaotic mess, calm in the middle >> calm end. Starts with various characters, people old and young, gets more perverse near the end? Perhaps going along with the flow of life?

Some thoughts. It was a child, and it zoomed out of his head. And all that we saw was what the child’s head was filled with. Cartoons, Sex, illuminati messages, general pop culture, etc. What most young minds are filled with these days through TV, internet, outside, inside.

Some parts had specific messages? E.g. Mickey straight after Hitler = Walt Disney was pro Nazi?

My head has exploded with this. It is an amazing piece of animation though! One of my favourites.

Catching up with the weekly tasks! – Task 1~ ( for animation)

I have a confession to make. I have been very bad and left all my weekly research task till the week before submission. Am I going to face death penalty for this? No, but I will start them pronto and stress incessantly until deadlines are over!! Beginning with task 1 (well actually it’s task 8 but it’s the first task for the second project of the module – animation XD).

The task is to research my “client” – to focus on the work of the National Media Museum in Bradford, and in particular it’s film fests. One of them is the Bradford Animation Festival, who is the “client”.

What is the National Media Museum?

-> Well..it’s a museum (duh.) in Bradford.

-> It apparently aims to “be the best museum in world for inspiring people to learn about, engage with and create media.”

-> Basically has various floors dedicated to,investigating, showcasing and celebrating film, photography, animation, T.V and new media (not entirely sure what the latter would consist of that’s not already mentioned..? Perhaps things that cross boundaries into other areas? Such as game animations or something?)

-> Houses items of historical significance – National photography,cinematography,television and new media

-> Has 3 cinemas – including and IMAX – and is home of BBC in Bradford.

-> All of the above is trivial trivia, the important point is that it hold cultural and educational events and festivals. Festivals like the Bradford Animation Festival. The festival basically is an animation and video games fest held annually in November. Guests are invited, some who are big in the area and top in the industry, and has workshops, screentalks and events and such.

A quick run through 2013’s submissions was entertaining, amusing and also some gave you food for thought. (For an animation student like yours truly looking at those works in comparison to my own kind of brings out my competitive side~ I want to be the best!!) There were different categories, such as short shorts, commercial, student films, pro films and many use different tactics and styles. Some were witty and funny where others were more serious, some had controversial topics where the rest were nothing more than entertainment perhaps. My two best picks from the winners and special mentions of 2013 were the 1) commercial winner: Rollin’ Safari – The Chase  and 2) music special mention: KILLER MIKE ‘REAGAN’ 

 

Whew! And that’s Task 1 people~

 

 

Gif WIP

Yeap, an animated gif WIP of the animation…this is so much effort *sob*

Animation WIP Screenshot

Hello all! As you noticed I went AWOL for..a little..while…yeah. But hey ho, I’m back now~ And making progress on my animation! (totally not when the last minute panic kicks in shhhhhh 😉 ) I’m using Adobe Flash here, ’cause we have to.
Originally the animation was meant to be double framed, however it didn’t quite work with my idea so after discussing with my tutor I cranked it up to triple frames!
Also while working on it there was something bothering me about it. Why did it feel..not right? I was doing my animation perfectly, and the drawings were fine, so why did it bug me? I mentioned this to my tutor also and came to the conclusion that it was more to do with the content than the execution. 1) The flesh to bone sequence is in reverse – Bone to flesh. Being backwards makes it a bit confusing and 2) the subject is a child, which makes it a little uncomfortable. After establishing this I felt more comfortable working on it and it didn’t bother me anymore. owo Onwards!! *continues to animate*