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.