Kilogramme Animation Studio

For one of our study tasks, we had to find an animation studio that we wanted to potentially work for, either when we leave university, or to get some work experience from. My studio of choice was Kilogramme Animation Studio. I saw the Director of this studio do a talk at Manchester Animation Festival and I loved the look of the studio, it looked like a really good environment to work in and I loved the look of the work they produce, because it was all very broad.

Part of the reason I was so interested in this studio was the fact that they are very passionate about character design, and a lot of their animations are very character based. They produce animations for a huge range of purposes, weather it be a TV add, full animated episodes, website banners  or animated shorts. 

In my presentation I talked about how my interest lie a lot in the area of pre-production, as well as production itself. The fact that this is a studio that thrives off lots of design and concept based work is very reassuring for me. As a way of making contact I have emailed the studio, explaining who I am and where I study, and asking if they would be able to give me some information of their internship programme if they have one, and if so, what they look for in their interns or potential employees. 

I have yet to get a reply, however I have also connected with the studio and one of their main character designers on twitter, so I plan to make contact with her personally, as well as possibly ringing the studio. 

Green Screen Induction

During the first part of this induction, we were shown how to set up the screen and how to place the lights appropriately around the area of focus. We were using a windmill as the object to focus on in this case. We also took a shot of each movement as it turned so it could be put together later in After Effects. We also leant about the importance of making sure that the focus of the animation didn't get blacked out by the screen, so therefore making sure everything was an appropriate colour.

This was really interesting because using a green screen is something I had always thought about but never known exactly how to go about it.

Session 2

In this session, we were shown how to place our animation into After Effects and then composite in our chosen background.

The first ting to do was to import the image sequence of the windmill moving, interpret the footage and make sure the frame rate was changed to 12.

Once that was done, we used the Keylight tool to select a consistent looking area of the background.

This then tuned the background to black, and 

allowed me to alter the lighting to black and white, which could then be adjusted so that the edges would become sharper. 

This stage just made the object look a lot tidier and more focused. 

We then needed to change the background to red, and use the pen tool to go around the object and the background. The darker areas at the corners needed to be cut out too, so we basically needed to go for the main centre area that wasn't effected by the lighting change. 

Once that was done, it was time for the fun bit! I researched for a background in which the object could be placed. In this case, the Lonely Mountain. I scaled down the background and the object to their desired size so the windmill could be placed. 

Something that needed to be altered was the levels, because I wanted the windmill to look as though it was fading into the clouds, so once again I used the pen tool so select the area. I did this by lowering the opacity so I could see the clouds through it and then drew over the rough shape, so that I could then change the levels of this particular area so that it gradually faded down. 

I also played around with the lighting of the windmill because the lighting for this particular background is quite blue and natural, so I wanted it to look as though it was actually part of it. 

SWOT Analysis

In this session, we were given the task of assessing each other in pairs on the Personal, Interpersonal, Technical and Artistic Side. Having somebody analyse our strengths and weaknesses in these areas allowed our potential threats and weaknesses to be identified, meaning we would be able to see where to improve and where we are doing well! My analysis was carried out by James.

Personal:

• Strengths: Motivated, Organised, Passionate, Experimental. 

• Weaknesses: Impatient, Short Attention Span at times

Opportunities - PPP

Threats - Distractions, Patience  

Interpersonal:

• Strengths: Friendly, Helpful, Very open minded, Stays Strong  to opinion. 

• Weaknesses: It takes time to understand some processes. 

Opportunities - Festivals, I have a car so there is no excuse not to go to them, as well as competitions.

Threats - Take time on software and note things down. 

Technical 

• Strengths: Fast typer, knows way around a computer, good with most softwares.

• Weaknesses: Struggles to retain information with software. 

Opportunities - Practice, experience

Threats - Software updates and rapidly changing software 

Artistic 

Strengths: Good at life drawings, 2D Animation, doodling 

Weaknesses: Need to work on Digital Animation 

Opportunities - Life Drawing 

Threats - Multiple Softwares, Digital Drawings 

This analysis that James has done on me, has made it more clear to me of the areas in which I am doing well and the areas that could do with some more improvement. It seems I have a good work ethic and genuinely love what I'm doing, but one of the things that can effect me negatively is the fact that I do get angry with myself when I can't pick something up as quickly as I would like. This activity has brought it to my attention that I could do with setting some time aside to re-familiarise myself with different software that I could potentially be using in the future, and to not be afraid to take the time to jot things down so I don't forget them!


My personal SWOT Analysis matches pretty well with the one James has done for me. It highlighted my drive and determination to do well and always keep improving and developing, but also the fcat that I need to try an not feel so intimidated by the work of others, and to realise that networking doesn't have to be such a scary thing.

I think during the course of the year I have managed to improve some of these aspects, such as producing more digital animation and becoming more confident in my work. 

VISUAL RESPONSE

Seminar 2 - Social Networking

In this seminar, we got to talking about all of the different social media networks that are available for us to use (most of us are already using most of them) We discussed the more obvious examples such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. These are all sites that most of us already use to try and push our work out there for other people to see, However there were a few examples that I had never heard of such as Linkdin and Secret.

One of the most important things this seminar covered was the importance of online privacy, and it reinforced the fact that if a potential employer can see photos of our personal lives, it can easily convince them to not employ us, regardless of weather or not they like our work! We were told to make sure that all of our security settings were set correctly, and to just in general keep our online artist profiles for our art and that only. This seminar on the whole was really helpful, because there were some sites I had never heard of, and I would consider using them if I dropped another one I am currently using. This session awakened me to the importance of privacy settings on social media, and how it can effect our employability.

Who am I Now?

Five things I have learnt so far on the programme..

1. I have learnt that research and pre-production are just as important as the end product.
2. I have also come come to understand a rage of new software, such as Maya, Photoshop and After Effects.
3. The importance of planning and time management and that plans for potential animations need to be realistic for the amount of production time given.
4. I have come to appreciate and welcome constructive feedback on all of my work, for example, Interim Crits, Presentations and discussions with my tutors and piers.
5. I have learnt to accept mistakes when I make them, and not to cover them up but to show them as part of my learning and development.

Five things I would like to know more about..

1. I would like to learn more about the animation industry as a whole, for example, how to look/apply for jobs and how to build connections.
2. I want the knowledge I already have about the software that I can use to become more second nature and to get used to working with Dragon Frame.
3. I want to know more about individual animation companies, for example, where they are situated and what they specialise in.
4. I want to know more about the process of model making, both 3D digital and for Stop Motion.
5. I want to know more about set design, because this is a area that interests me but I have only dipped my toes into this area.

Five skills that I think are my strengths..

1. I am very good with my time management, I work hard to stay on top of the work I have set and plan it so that I can fit my life around it.
2. I believe I have quite a dark style to my work, so I try to show this in my animations, however I can also work in a range of styles, so I think I am very adaptable.
3. I have always enjoyed carrying out research and producing concept work, so I can use this to my advantage.
4. I can produce some very strong 2D drawing, which I can use and refer to when animating or producing concept work. I can also use it for reference when working with 3D.
5. I am quick at picking up new skills, for example, I feel that I have gotten to grips with Maya much quicker than I thought I would and I can animated using a range of software , which 12 months ago I was unable to do.

Five Things I would like to improve..

1. I would like to improve my understanding my of Maya and the process of modelling and rigging characters because this is something I want to have under my belt.
2. I would like to improve my life drawing because I don't believe I have done enough over the summer break.
3. I want to improve my storyboarding, because last year I think I could have made them to s higher standard, and I want to produce work that I would be happy to include in my portfolio.
4. I would like to improve my ability to be more experimental with different medias, I often stick to the same things such as watercolours and pen and I want to expand onwards from the medias that I am comfortable with.
5. I want to improve my ability to offer constructive feedback to my piers when they ask for it, at the moment I don't feel I have been as helpful as i could have been during Interim Crits.

Five Practitioners that demonstrate my interest in Animation..

1. H.R. Giger is a good example of where some of my interests lie in the world of animation. I admire his work because he was very multi-disciplinary. His work focused a lot on surrealism, which he incorporated into his work around sculpting, painting and set design. I have a particular love for his concept work for Ridley Scott's 1979 Sci-fi horror, "Alien"

I love his concept work because he does a really effective job at portraying how frightening this alien is supposed to be, and the amount of detail is extravagant. These drawings are terrifying but they are beautiful. I would love to design and produce concept work which would invite a similar reaction to this, because I have such an interest in darker and more surrealist areas of design.

2. Henry Selick is somebody who demonstrates my interests in the world of animation, because he is known for specialising in many areas, such as Stop Motion animation, Storyboarding, Character Design, Directing, Producing and writing! I currently am unsure as to what specific area I would specialise in, so I find it interesting to see how much Selick has contributed to the world of animation in both production and pre-production.

3. Danielle Tunstall is a Graphic Designer and Photographer from the UK. Although she isn't in the field of animation, her work still demonstrates a great deal of my interests. Again, she is a very multi- disciplinary artist, which is how I see myself at the moment, I am currently trying to figure out what my area of speciality might be.

I find her work very inspirational, because it has a very dark side to it and is so interesting to look at. I naturally produce drawings and ideas that are quite sinister, so I really love seeing what she produces. A lot of the inspiration I get from seeing this, I am able to use to my advantage when it comes to animation. 

4. Guillermo de Toro is an artist who came to my attention after watching "Pan's Labyrinth." The first thing that grabbed my attention was the dark, fantasy theme of his designs when it came to characters and surroundings. He is known for his work in the areas of, Directing, Writing, Character Designing and Set Designing. He is an artist who keeps many notebooks in which he includes excessive notes and drawings, all of which stem from his imagination. His ideas are so mythical and detailed, and he his the ability to not only design these worlds and characters, but also bring them to life. 

5. Even though I am not as obsessed as I was 12 months ago, I still think that the work of Tim Burton shows a lot of my interests in the world of animation. Not only is he a director, producer and writer, but he is a character designer and generates his idea in a way of producing lots of concept work, and concept work is something that I know interests me a lot. 

I admire his concept work because it is quite loose and sometimes a tad messy, however I think this does his style justice. A lot of people argue that his work is quite repetitive, however he was one of the first practitioners that made me consider going into animation. 

5 websites/online resources that demonstrate my areas of interest within the creative industries.

1. instagram.com is an online resource on which I post a lot of my art work, however I also use it to follow other artists, groups and organisations with in the creative industry. I follow a wide range of practitioners from fine artists, photographers, animators and sculptors, as well as other students. 

2. laika.com is a website which is really good for following the work of the Animation Studio, LAIKA. I find the work produced by this studio is really interesting because they are known their specialisation in Stop Motion animation which is often built from scratch. The main thing I find so inspirational about their work is the huge range and detail in their character design. 

3. I recently came across www.characterdesignpage.com whilst looking for places to view other artists' work that centre around character design. Looking through the website has been really intriguing because there is such a big range of designs and concept work to be seen, in so many different styles. 

4. tumblr.com is another site I have recently started using to try and push more of my work out there. Again, it is really useful to use because it enables me to view the work of all different artists of all different professions from all over the world, which is always very inspiring! 

5. Since starting back for second year I have become more familiar with www.loopdeloop.org and what they do. Now that I am aware of this competition and how it works, I would really like to take part in one soon, because the animators are provided with a theme, but can chose the medium and length of their animation. I feel it will really boost my won confidence with my own animations as well as allowing me to see the work of others. 

Final Animation

My final Animation for this brief was one which I really enjoyed, and considering the fact I didn't use live footage for reference has made me that little bit more proud of it. Even though it is very basic in the method, and it isn't overly edited I am glad with the representation of the movements I have shown. The main reference I was using was getting up and dancing around myself countless times to figure out what leg goes where and the positioning of the arms etc.

My aim for this animation was to express movement, but in a slightly exaggerated way, using a character design of my own.

How Would I Improve?

If we are allowed, I would like to add some audio to it before the final exhibition. I would like to add some vocal sounds, as well as the sounds of the dancer's feet coming into contact with the ground, as well as the sound of the legs gradually breaking.

Reflective presentation

For my end of year presentation, I decided to keep the amount of writing on the screen to a minimal because I really didn't want to bore people! So I produced some guide lines of what to talk about for specific slides. This presentation is one which I am actually looking forward to showing, because I think it will be a great opportunity to explain not only what I feel I have succeeded with, but also why I have struggled a lot this year!

Results in After Effects

After drawing all of the frames, I decided it would be easier to process them in After Effects instead of Photoshop, because I didn't need to play around with the amount of time each frame would show for. When I played it back at 24 frames per second, it was lasting 13.7 seconds, the problem being it needed to at least be 15!

However I decided after watching it that the result, that the final frame could do with lasting for a bit longer, so I planned to duplicate that last frame so it lasts slightly longer, that way it will reach the required running time of 15 seconds and the animation wont end so abruptly. It also brought me to the decision of creating some titles at the start and finnish purely because I came up with the best name EVER: "Break A Leg!"

Personality Test - Introvert

This week, we carried out some different experiments in order to see what type of personalities we all have. This was quite interesting because even though we are quite a loud group, not everybody's personalities seemed to be very extrovert. We had to rate different aspects of out lives from 1-10. These were aspects such as health and well being, finances and social life as well as work. On this particular day I wasn't feeling my best, so I had to bare that in mind. However, over all mine results proved that I am an introvert, which doesn't surprise me at all.

I like to process things in my head, and a lot of the time don't express feeling externally deeding on where I am and who I am with. However this was a really good exercise because it reminded me that this isn't a bad thing at all. Also the next part of the test told me that I was a "creative" which was great to find. I don't often put much thought into my own personality or the way my mind works, so it was interesting to be encouraged to do this.

The Reflective Practitioner

This weeks's PPP session was about how to improve our reflective skills and how to present our blogs in more effective ways. We were taken through a some point what to do and what not to do, and this really helped! Some of the don't aspects were things which I am sometimes guilty of doing, so it was good to have them brought to my attention! For example, we were encouraged to blog about our mistakes, which is something I try to avoid. So this has really encouraged me to experiment more and not to worry if I mess it up! Also, I often write big amounts and ramble on, which is something else we are told NOT TO DO.

However, there were other positive things that came to my attention about the way I blog my work. First of all, I think I do a pretty good job of constant reflection of my creative journey through the briefs, I like to make sure I get everything recorded. Also, I often discuss what I would change if I were to do something again!

This week's session, brought to my attention what I have been doing well and what I need to improve!

Waking Sleeping Beauty

This week, we watched a documentary about the journey that Walt Disney Studios has gone through. After growing up with Disney, it was s interesting to see the the behind the scenes of the preparation because I was able to appreciate the effort and time put into the animation in a way that I wasn't able to do until now. Most people wouldn't believe that Disney was not always as successful as it is now, and that it did go through time of real struggle. 

However I found this really inspiring and reassuring at the sam time. Seeing how much time and work these animators put in, reminded me how worth it it is in the end. I find it a shame that the animators themselves don't always get the amount of credit that they deserve, I think it is easy for an audience to forget and put the majority of their appreciation into the other aspects of the production. 

Overall, a really great documentary! Really helpful! 

Copyright Presentation

Copyright is something that up until now, I never thought about that much. It was brought to our attention that copyright in the UK is pretty much automatic for your own work, however we were advised to put the copyright symbol in the corner of our work anyway just so that we can prove that it is in fact ours!

However as we step into the professional it isn't always as simple as one individual getting the rights to something. It all depends on who you work for! For example, if a film is created, the rights go to the principle director and the producer if it is a joint effort. However if it is independent , or an individual was to create a pairing, or piece of music or writing then the rights would go to that individual.

The duration of copyright depends, for music and sound work it lasts for only 70 years after its start date, however other artistic work lasts for the creator's lifetime plus another 70 years (YIKES) Asking for permission to use somebody's work is very important because they own the rights to it. If you are creating something for educational purposes then it isn't as important but its always best to ask anyway!

Copyright in itself can get quite complicated but for now I'm glad that I know the basics of it, considering before I started this course I was pretty clueless!

Presentation Anxiety

Before being set our task of preparing our disseminate presentations, we were given a presentation on how to do just that, but how to do it well with out getting over anxious or worried. Even though I am somebody who has never really had much of a problem with public speaking, I still found it really helpful, because it reminded me not to over rehearse. I have always found presentations easier when I  improvise, which I think is because I used to do a lot of performing.

This was in some ways settling for me, because I often struggle with the practical side of animation and often ask fellow students for help, so when presenting to the class I realise that it is one of my strengths which I try to use to my advantage.

Viktoria Modesta - Prototype

In Channel 4's music video for Viktoria Modesta song "Prototype" which addresses the topic of her prosthetic leg, there is a lot of quite extreme and unique representations of the topic. I actually believe that the design of the video itself is better than the song itself. The thing that grabbed my attention is this was the use of costume design and the range of prosthetic legs that she wears. They are so extreme and unique that they take the attention away from the fact that she the disadvantage of loosing a leg, in this video it is represented as an advantage for her because it gives her this crazy individuality.

The reason I have blogged this is because aspects of this video such as the costume design and movement gave me a lot of inspiration for character designs and story lines. It is so edgy and original, and I would love to create work based on this. 

Thought of You - Ryan Woodward

This animation os one which I have talked about so much already but because I have such an interest in the animation of dance. Every time I watch this all I can think about is how fluid it is and how satisfying it is to watch. I am really interested in the movement of the human and the way in which dancers carry themselves, also in the way two bodies move together in dance and how they support one another and react off one another. 

Danielle Tunstall Photography

This photography by Danielle Tunstall is with out a doubt on the frightening side, but this is the kind of thing I love. Aspects from our everyday reality have been taken and represented in a different way. I love this work because it isn't designed to make us feel uncomfortable, it is to get us thinking about what it represents. (Im not always the biggest fan of metaphorical art) but this is one which I really thrive off because it is so "in ya face" and shocking.

I find this stuff so inspiring because it feeds me with ideas for my own work, and reminds me how much I love things that are "messed up"

Peter and The Wolf

The 2006, stop motion release of Peter and the Wolf was Directed by Suzie Templeton. I think this version has worked really well. I really admire the way it has been made, because there has clearly been some brilliant attention to detail. I think stop motion animation is a method which is quite difficult to always keep realistic, I really think this is an example of stop motion that has worked well. Also, the animation of the animals in spot on too, not just of the human characters. If I was going to crate my own stop motion, I would with out a doubt be watching this film before hand. 

Rodrigo Blaas

This short Pixar animation by Rodrigo Blaas is one which I found so incising, mainly because of its effective use of audio. The animation begins on a rather pleasant note and the music is quite cheery, but as the story develops and becomes darker the music and other surrounding audio move with it perfectly. For example, there are moments where there is no audio to be heard, which created suspense and uncertainty. The music often dips in and out and is quite high-pitched at times, which made me feel more on edge than usual, so I definitely think this is a great example of how the use of audio can completely transform an animation if used effectively. 

Craww

Craww is an artist who I only recently discovered. I often get told that my work is sometimes quite strange and I often draw very skinny people with over exaggerated skeletal features, so it was so good to see the work of another artist who works in this way, because it gave me inspiration for different ways I could go about my drawings. 

I love the use of media and colour here too, its very delicate but sort of frightening at the same time, which is what I find so interesting. I find this work quite contradictory, because it shows a form of beauty but also a form of imperfection and exaggeration at the same time.

The Caged Bird

Some will probably wonder why I have decided to blog about this poem by Maya Angelou. It is one which I came across whilst looking for inspiration for a drawing. It put a great deal of imagery in my mind due to its constant juxtaposition between the free bird and the caged bird. This is still something I read every now and then because for some reason it always inspires me, weather it just gives me an idea for a subject matter to work with, or a character to design, or even as a theme for a story line. 

9

The film  "9" which was released in 2009 was Directed by Shane Acker and Produced by Tim Burton. It is a Digitally animated film which is set in a post apocalyptic world and follows the lives of the small sack people which have been created to live on.

I have a particualr lovw for this animation because its storyline is very different. Usually when we see films with these kind of story lines, they consist of live action. There are so many aspects to this animation which I found really inspiring, for example, the use of character design, audio and colour. I think it is quite difficult to make an animation scary depending on the method used, and I think this example proves that it is always possible. 

Villain Dolls

I have chosen to include this blog because as of last year I came into possession of a collection of limited edition Disney Villain porcelain dolls. I was so interested in these because they have been designed in a way which shows these well known Villains in a new light.

I really admire these dolls because I think they are beautifully made, however it is interesting to think about how they are represented. Certain characters such as Ursula and the Queen of Hearts, have been changed drastically through their body shapes, they have been made more "attractive" which could be debatable. I think these dolls show how the use of character design, especially in female characters has altered over the years. 

Animatic

Putting together this animatic of my idea, has helped me get a better idea of how it will look, and how long I want each key frame to last for. I have kept this one quite basic because the purpose of it is to see weather or not my idea will look how it want it to. 

"HEART" by Erick Oh

This short CGI animation by Erick Oh is one which I have watched many times. I found it a really useful animation to learn from, because it has used a range of principles of animation. For example, when the heart falls to the ground at the start, the use of squash and stretch allows it to look bouncy and delicate which makes it more believable. I was really inspired by this animation because of the use of character design and background design. The whole mood of the story in this is quite dark and edgy because of the dark colour scheme and the use of rather strange looking characters. The whole setting of this animation is quite ironic, giving the fact that it could be assumed that it is about love due to its name. 

Jason and the Argonauts 1963

This clip from Don Chaffey's 1963 fantasy greek mythology feature film, "Jason and The Argonauts" shows the scene where an army of skeletons is brought up from the ground to fight. These skeletons were created and manipulated using stop motion animation and then later on incorporated into the live action. Since first seeing this film when I was younger I have always found this scene quite unsettling. One of the main aspects of it which I find so unnerving is when the skeletons begin walking together in formation. The fact that they all move in exactly the same way at the same time, makes it much more intimidating. Eventhough it is easy to tell when watching this now, that this is clearly a use of animation from way back in the day, I still find it really impressive the way the actors would have acted out the fight with only objects to specify where each skeleton would potentially be. Also I think the use of timing and coordination has really paid off, I can see why when this film was released it was such a big success!

Concept Work

I have decided that I would like to hand draw my animation, because I think this is one of my strengths. I am aware however, that I will have to have some footage to use as evidence. I will either record my friend who I used to do ballet with, get somebody to record me, or refer to some of the many videos I have found during my research. (My friend and I aren't quite as advanced as I want this dancer to look, so I may have to refer to online examples)

I have produced a number of different drawings which have a been a way for me to decide what positions I want the dancer to move through, and how I will go about making this look believable.

Producing these drawings was really helpful because it encouraged me to pay extra attention to the muscular build a ballet dancer has and how this enables them to move it certain ways.

Final Design

I decided to alter the appearance of this character in comparison with its original design. I have simplified it because for me this animation is my way of practising with animating movement, so I changed the character's outfit, because originally the red tutu would have diverted attention away from this. However I will still consider the original character for future reference. 

Storyboard 

I knew this animation was going to basically consist of a range of dance movements right up to the point where her legs break off at the end. I put this storyboard together so I was able to see what move would come after another and to get an idea of the timings. In order to get a better idea I will need to produce an animatic in order to make sure it is between 15-30 seconds. 

Research

Even though the dancer in my animation is supposed show show an exaggerated version of the way ballet dancers tend to look, I still need to do research on the way in which they move. Ballet allows somebody to move their bodies to its full potential, and in ways which cannot be achieved with out life time training. So I want to make sure that when my character is dancing, the movements look believable

Mood board 1 - Positions

I knew it was important to re-familiarise myself with some of the different movements ballet dancers out their bodies trough, especially since I haven't done ballet myself  or watched a ballet for about 2 years. 

Jessy Lipke - 10 year old Ballet Dancer 

 Darcey Bussel

I have incorporated these two videos into my research because two videos into my research because they are very interesting to watch. These two dancers are of completely different ages and therefore at different points in their dancing careers, which is why I find it so intriguing to see how they vary. Whilst watching these, i was paying particular attention to details such as the positioning of the heads, arms and posture , not just the feet and legs. It is clear that the body language of a ballet dancer is very prominent and well postured, which makes them look more confident and professional. These are aspects which I will need to incorporate into my animation. 

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Blood and guts are the best.

Even though I already have my character design, I carried out some research on the darker side of ballet to see if my design could do with any alterations. I have decided that I might change the design of the tutu slightly. I have created this mood board because I wanted to familiarise myself with other people's attempts at turning ballet into something darker - and those who know me will know that i will take up any excuse to research anything gruesome. 

The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes is a 1948 British film about a ballet dancer, which was written, directed and produced by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. The film itself is about a Ballet based on the fairy tale from Hans Christian Andersen. The film is about a young ballerina who is given the leading role in this production. The fairy tale itself is about a young girl who buys a pair of red ballet shoes from a shoe maker, not knowing that the shoes are under their control. She ends up dancing until dying of exhaustion because she is unable to stop. During the film, the woman who is given this role, does become manipulated by the shoes and ends up jumping in front of an approaching train.

I watched this film when I was very young, but I still remember it very well. It has been quite influential for me when it comes to this brief because it has quite a contradictory theme. Ballet is normally seen as graceful, elegant form of dance which requires huge amounts of discipline, but in this instance it has been turned into something more unpleasant.  

The reason for my obsession..

Since I was tiny I have been a dancer and only stopped doing ballet when I was 17, so I have been surrounded with it for most of my life. I have a really strong interest in the human body and the way different people can make their bodies move, so for me this isn't just an opportunity to show my character design, but also a chance for me to practice animating movement, because I don't feel like I have don't a great deal of this so far and I would like to improve.

There are a number of dance based animations which I find really satisfying to watch because the movement is animated to beautifully. For example, "Thought of you" by Ryan Woodward and "Duet" by Glen Keane.

Although I want this to be an animation based on movement, I still want the character's physique to be exaggerated and not to replicate the realistic human form. I want it to be gruesome and edgy, therefore contradicting the typical style of ballet. 

Inspiration to make it disturbing..

This stop motion animation "T is For Toilet" created by Lee Hardcastle, is full of blood and guts, and even though it is animated through claymation which would be seen as quite a difficult way of animating this, it looks really effective. This animation was a reminder for me, that making something gory and humorous at the same time can really work, and I love dark humour. 

This particular shot from 2010's "Black Swan" which was directed by Darren Aronfsky, depicts a scene where the main dancer begins to hallucinate, and she thinks her legs are snapping in two. I found this scene disturbing because it is pretty graphic, however lets face it, I love the graphic stuff. This has influenced my idea for my animation, because I like the idea of having my character's legs or feet becoming corrupted in some gruesome way so the dancing is stopped by the ending. This shot above has kick started quite a lot of different scenarios in my mind as to what could happen to the dancer's legs.  

Idea for animation

We have been given the task of creating a 15-30 second animation which represents a particular theme or method of animation that we have a particular interest in. I have a massive love for character design, so I would really like to go back through my sketch book and create an animation based on a particular character I produced a while ago.

This is drawing I produced a couple of years ago and I have always wanted to develop it further. I recently used one of my friends as a model and turned her into a real life version of this character. This was really fun because I used paint to create the optical illusion of her mouth gaping as far down as her shoulders. I have designed a lo of characters, but this is the one I am the most desperate to animate at this point in time!

Till Death Do Us Part

I love this print by JP Valderrama because it has taken something that should be seen as pleasant and given a literal twist to it, relating to the title "till death do us part". In some ways its quite a grim piece of work, but it is definitely one that can spark a mixture of reaction. I want to produce work that makes people feel a mixture of emotions, and it doesn't worry me if somebody isn't keen on something I produce because they find it too gruesome, so I when it comes to art work like this I feel like I understand it. 

Beth Cavener Stitcher

I came across Beth Cavener Stitcher's work when I was carrying out research on clay sculpture for my Foundation Diploma. Her sculptures focus on human phycology stripped of context and represented through animal forms.

Her work process often consists of sculpting clay over metal armatures with over 2000 pounds clay at once. Once this is done, the sculptures aren then cut into 30-160 pieces and the clay is taken out of the middle, taking it down to 1/4 of the thickness. If the sculpture is too large to be fired at once as a whole, it wouldn't be attached back together until after firing, with glue and epoxies. 

I find this work really satisfying to look at because of the smoothness of the clay and the way in which Stitcher has emphasised some of the bodily features of the animals. She has captured the facial features and projected certain emotions across brilliantly through doing this. Cavener has taken some quite sensitive subject matters and adapted them so they can be addressed up front. I find this relatable because a lot of my drawings and sculptures that I have created in the past , have been inspired be a range of quite emotional and psychological topics. 

H.R Giger

HR Giger (1940 - 2014 ) was sculptor, set designer and surrealist painter. He was particularly well known for his art and concept designs for the 1979 science fiction horror film, Alien. His art work came to the attention of the Director Ridley Scott, through Giger's "Necronomicon" which was the published collection of hid work.

 These are some for of the examples of Giger's work which inspired his creation for Alien. I find this work terrifying but I love it for that same reason. Also at the time of the film's production, his style of work was something new for people to see. Even though these designs are designed to be intimidating and to make people feel uneasy, I cant help but find them really beautiful, because of the unique and intricate way they have been designed.



His work was then transformed into the life like suit which was used  for the film. Its extremely impressive that such a complex design was able to become some thing which was three dimensional. I first saw Alien when I was very young, and although it frightened me then, it still does now. Giger's design was very unique. He was an artist who found inspirations in his nightmares, which isn't much of a surprise. The fact that he has taken the word "alien" and from it created something which is more mind-blowing than a great deal of the other monsters, even the more modern day designs, is really impressive. I think Giger's work is fascinating, because he has used the darker sides of his imagination to depict these frightening but beautiful designs.

Mary and Max

Mary and Max (2009)

Written and Directed by Adam Elliot

Produced by Melanie Coombs

Narrated by Barry Humphries 

This black and white, Stop Motion animated film is based on a true story, based on friendship, suicide, autism, love and chocolate hotdogs. No really, it is. I only came across this film recently and to be honest I loved it. I won't lie, its rather depressing. It has a completely unique and clever way of approaching some of the most sensitive subject matters in film, and life in general. The character designs are brilliant because their appearances reflect their personalities really well. My favourite example of character design in this film, is Max. His exaggerated and tired looking features make his character, somebody who has lived with autism and depression, believable. (There are of course, countless ways this character could have been portrayed, but I think this one fits really well with the style of animation used) This clip I have shown is to me, one of the most important scenes. Max is writing to his pen pal Mary, he is explaining his condition to her. This is so interesting because it is approached from the point of view that we don't usually get to hear this stuff from. I love the fact that some objects are in colour, because they represent certain emotions. The red tassel on his hat, seems to me like his attempt at being happy and adding some colour to his very monotone life. The animation in this film is brilliant because of the attention to detail, but to be honest the main thing that  has grabbed me is the overall mix of such a sad, sensitive story, humour and quirkiness and the fact that it has been shown in Stop Motion. I love how unique it is, and even though at a first glance it could be mistaken for a kids film, it really is not. There is a lot to it, but I think its a really moving and heart warming film. 

Animator VS Animation

"The Animator VS Animation"

By Alan Becker

Music by Sarah Eide

First of all, this mix of live action and animation works really well! Probably one of the sweetest things I've ever watched. The simplicity of the characters inside the computer make the sole thing better than if they were all individual full developed characters, because I love the idea that a character in its early stages still has the capability to wreck it's creator's life! Even the detail on the actual computer screen makes the whole thing so realistic. I like the fact that this is an animation about animation, and its a reminder that every creation has to start somewhere and every character can have ULTIMATE POWER. I think it represents the fact that some artists let their work dominate their life and this animation takes a literal view on this. I love the fact that this little stick figure has such a bold personality. It reminds me that not all animations have to be overly complicated in order to be awesome. 

Children

"Children"

By Takuya Okada

I found this one when I was just researching for random animations and I thought it was terrifying yet  amazing. This 3D CG animation by Takuya Okada is probably one of the most intriguing things I have ever watched. There is no dialog but I have an idea of what this story could be about. I think it is representing the fact that children are encouraged to keep silent and keep in formation. Even the teacher is the same, so I think it relates to the way we are all encouraged to be clones of one another. There is no differentiation between the children, making them look like robots in society. The colour scheme and music all add to the dreariness of the story, but I think it works really well! I love the fact that in the end, the children break out of their stereotypes which is represented through the breaking of their zipped up mouths. The ending could be seen as pretty sick, or disturbing but I think it is a great representation of showing children reaching out and making changes for themselves and not always following rules, which was shown clearly when after seeing a dog get hit by a train everyday, the child decides to run out of his usual route and save the animal. Its sort of brutal, but I think its a very powerful, unique and well crafted piece of work. 

Vincent

I get a lot of inspiration from some of my favourite books, artists and animations. Some of them are completely different to one another when it comes to audience, genre and technique, but there is something about them all individually that I love.

"Vincent"

Designed / Created / Directed by Tim Burton.

Produced by Rick Heinrichs

Narrated by Vincent Price

Music by Ken Hilton

This 1982 Stop Motion animation is one that I am obsessed with. Firstly the way this animation came about is pretty awesome. Tim Burton was working for Disney at the time and this idea he had was definitely not "Disney material". However he was provided with $60,000 to produce his adaptation since it still didn't fail to impress! I like it's twisted take on the mind of a child because it represents how children like to play and pretend but this story takes this to a whole new level. Vincent's obsession with tales from Edgar Allan Poe make him so detached from reality that he really believes he is Vincent Price. I love use of stop motion and lack of colour, I don't think it would have the same creepiness about it otherwise. The exaggerated facial and bodily features look amazing, I love the fact that Vincent hasn't been made to look like a typical 7 year old child. There is no dialog between characters, but I think the narration is spot on. I have such a huge interest in creating Stop Motion animation and I love the creepy stuff like this. I could go on for pages about this one, so I all have to draw this to a close others I will never EVER stop.

Caitlin Hackett

I have chosen to blog about this artist because I am obsessed with her work. Caitlin Hackett's subject matter is based around the natural world and the relationship that us humans have with the nature and the ways in which we effect it. I came across her work when I was carrying out some anatomy research for my A Level Fine Art project. I was immediately drawn to it because I loved her strange, rather melancholic interpretation of this subject matter. Hackett has a particular interest in the biological changing of animals due to the changing surroundings and I love the fact that she has taken the inactive and combined humans and animals together in some of her drawings. Even though its quite daunting to look at, it gets the point across.

The mediums that she uses are very similar to what I like to use. She often uses ball point pen with a mixture of coloured pencil or watercolour on paper. For me, using ball point pen to create detail is one of the most therapeutic way to go about it. 

I have been really influenced by this artist and her work because it has encouraged me to stop sugar coating my own drawings and designs. I often worry that some of the ideas I have area bit strange and may be taken in the wrong way, but i've really related to Hackett's drawings and have been so inspired to keep pursuing my ideas. I find it so refreshing to see that somebody has taken this subject matter and put a completely unique turn on it. So may people have looked at this work I have researched and told me that they find it "terrifying" or "creepy" but that is what I love about it. I like the fact that this work is able to spark such a mixture of reactions from people.