Over the key process of the time involved in planning and structuring the finished animation based on the needs of the client, I was able to establish some conclusive points of how I in particular found we could have been more efficient and improved the outcome.
Certain points of Improvement for the team:
Timeframe- Personally I believe that the structure that we had first decided on was one that would benefit us all in that we planned out what we would produce in what time scale. However although Olivier was in charge of the timeframe and structuring this in a document, I believe it was equally our responsibility to ensure that we completed said tasks within the timeframe and reflected upon them. However, I don't believe this was successfully implicated by the group and therefore we all suffered when it came to the deadline, with us all being at different levels of completion and not having the correct structure known to all. In future projects it would benefit us to highlight to the group the importance of timescale so that we have effectively and efficiently completed said tasks to the standard of the client's requirements.
Communication- Having mentioned the timeframe situation I believe that the communication of the group wasn't on par with the group discussions we've had preciously in the year. There was a certain lack of communication between the members of the group which could have additionally had repercussions on the team moral and overall outcome. Additionally certain individuals dramatically altered and made decisions about their animations which they did not inform the group of, producing confusing and lack of structure in the end edit. In future projects we will ensure to keep steady contact with the individual members of the group in order to work as a team and produce an improved outcome.
Roles- Although our many roles were carried out in the group and well decided as a team, I believe that the roles were not perhaps carried out to their full potential, and I believe that perhaps in order for us to have captured more of the client's requirements (wanting it to be fun, but show a variation of skills etc) we needed to have more leadership from some roles of the group.
Technique- I believe that the technique I used for the animation was in fact the most effective I could have selected, however I also believe that the changing from the original technique to the technique of Stop motion could have in fact caused a lot of confusion within the group and therefore could have wasted crucial time. However, learning from this, I will ensure to test out various techniques for the idea in order to work out what the best suited outcome would be, whilst ensuring that the final technique would be submitted to the group as a whole.
Skills- Although with anticipation over what technique I needed to use, and then a definite decision overruling this, I believe that perhaps the technique of Stop Motion could have been stretched slightly to develop more skills to be shown to the audience as I believe this could have advertised the course a bit better as well as challenging myself, however this was impossible with the timeframe involved.
Timing- For me I found my animation process quite stressful as I was stretched for time as well as other members of the team. I think the problem with my timing lay with the actual creation of the creatures featured in the animation, as this took a lot longer than I had anticipated, and I only wish I was able to structure this better in the future in order to balance out the creation of props with the production stages of the project.
Pace- Although I am happy with the final animation, it was as I say quite a rushed production, and therefore I think if I had more time, I could've made further alterations that would have been effective such as the pacing of the whole animation, such as making it less fast paced and allowing other features to then be included.
As a small workshop, I felt that this session really assisted the functional typography skills and knowledge I had from previous courses. The overall session helped to further develop these skills and learn about other typography jargon that I had previously encountered but not fully delved into.
Kerning
Kerning is a particular technique that I felt was elaborated on well, with the alteration of letters being important for the compositional matters of the piece.
"In typography, kerning (less commonly mortising) is the process of adjusting the spacing between characters in a proportional font, usually to achieve a visually pleasing result." (Oxford Dictionary Definition)
There are certain elements of design where kerning and other methods of composition with typography take place, such as set design and prop composition. Rick gave examples of kerning within such posters of production such as the kerning that was purposefully used in film posters such as "The Grand Budapest Hotel" which the designer used lack of kerning skills to develop the idea of old vintage style posters such as the old hotel signs etc. it was said that the kerning was purposefully produced and that other designers were correcting the kerning when it was purposefully produced to reference to the old fashioned signs. The aspect of kerning really begins to impact the composition of the overall text and design. The advantages of kerning impact the over all layout of design and is an important skill to us as Motion Designers and designers alike, to recognise bad kerning and typography and know how to correct and improve it in our own form of designs and creative projects.
In accordance to the brief given, it has appealed to me the aspect of researching alternate methods of narration through film. Flashbacks for example are a key method used, as well as transportation methods used to transport the viewer where the directors want them to look. The directors and producers can manipulate the reaction of the viewer almost like a puppeteer, making them look and feel where and what they want them to do.
A new way of looking is the part of the brief where we look into a film, the creation and research of such a film that develops the idea of expanding on something that people don't usually notice. We have finalised 3 main ideas with photographic research which we will then cut down into a main idea to film.
Idea 1- Water
For the ideas to commence, it was suggested that perhaps we should go for a walk, as there we would stumble across unknown objects or sources of inspiration. For my walk I decided to venture into the High Peak, to see the rural surroundings and what ideas they would present to me. Water was my first initial idea, an idea that transpired from an initial idea that I had thought of when being briefed, this idea was to film an eye blinking horizontally, and then to flip it vertically to reveal the wings of a bird flying, mimicking the arch of the eyeball. I believed this idea was inspirational with the idea of representing things that everyone doesn't necessarily see within each other.
This then revealed an idea of making such connections within something more that I could control, such as water. I began by taking quick shots of water in small streams that passed by me, inspired by the behaviour of the water that reminded me of water in other formats, such as water I saw in a field's trough for the cattle, showed similarities to things such as cups of tea, which I then decided to photograph as a possible link.
This then inspired me into looking at more vast areas where water was present, not just in small puddles or cups of tea, but in vaster areas such as rivers and waterfalls. The waterfall in particular was most inspiring, as it produced an abundance of foam, which I found interesting as it reminded me of boiling water in a pan, the foam rising from the heat, whereas in this form was simply being pelted by the action of the water.
Idea 2- Trails
An additional idea that I had produced is the idea of trails, I like the intricate idea that there are fragments of trails left behind, only to be found and a narrative being possessed within them. I went to the Peak District, into a nature pathway that is also a route used for off roading, therefore it was a rich hive of tracks and trails that each include their own storyline. The rough grooves and depths in the mud and dirt simply tells its own story, the weight of the vehicle or use of trail, the speed etc.
Idea 3- Lines
This idea which was built on during the Courtyard brief, was the idea of following line elements building up to a mosaic of line implications. Wind Idea.
Upon learning to interpret new ideas from old ones, I went for a walk to try to decide on the idea I'd like to select. However, I was pleasantly surprised to be inspired by two pieces of paper floating in the wind, almost personified and seeming to dance, and I was inspired by the small but elegant movement that they created through the aspect of the wind. The actual litter itself danced and interacted well with each other and I decided that there was something in that idea.
I went out to film the litter on a very windy day, but found it pretty difficult to capture the moments naturally rather than forced movements, so in order to do so, I placed the litter freely and allowed it to move by itself rather than anticipating chasing litter that happened to be there. In addition, when collecting alternate videos of the litter, I began filming other fragments I noticed that were too effected and manipulated by the aspect of the wind. Therefore I decided to take advantage of the high depth of focus within the camera and film different things blowing in the wind such as hair, pieces of plants, dust, leaves etc. and to generally create a nice, calm atmosphere.
Due to the filming of litter being quite unpredictable, it was an important element to ensure that they all worked well, each shot from selective angles, as I wanted a form of closeness to be present within the piece, such as the close shot angles I produced of the leaves slightly swaying from the wind and how this is impacted overall.
When editing the clips together, I ensured that there was a slight blend of textures to ensure a calming transition between the clips, something that was an important element for me to include at this time. Such as the feather merging into the hair etc. These transitions really added strength to the piece as it allowed the overall composition to flow well together. In addition to this, I tried a few testers with sound before adding final clips of sound to the piece, my first initial plan was to produce my own Foley using a variety of objects, however, the outcome was not favourable in my opinion, as the objects looked rather odd in comparison to the sounds, and it also created more of a tense atmosphere rather than a relaxed one, something I wanted to avoid. Therefore, in conjunction to this, I decided to include sound effects of relaxing elements which I would then combine together to produce an overall relaxing composition.
In accordance to this, I watched through the edited clip that I had produced and looked and planned what effects would work as I went through the composition. It occurred to me that the following interactions and links would work well for the composition overall.
How to establish the idea of wind without using a manipulation of wind itself- my idea- use calming swayed sounds, such as wind chimes and pipes, which cause mellow, clinking movement sounds which are often related to wind. Also perfect music to represent relaxation with the instruments often used in relaxing activities such as meditation.
I noticed the animalistic references that occurred in the composition which I decided I could successfully establish further such as the feather being represented with bird songs, whereas I also decided to pair up slight movements of dust and leaves to the howling of wolves, something I noticed when looking through the clips. The leaves looked like wolves raising their heads to the sky to howl. Using the similar movement in the composition with the clip of the sound effect of wolves howling, I believe that they went well in co-ordination with each other.
Storm sounds and rain were added for the movement of some of the litter, I added this as storms are unpredictable and manipulated by the surroundings, which is the same for the litter filmed therefore establishing a clear connection between the two.
After having been given the task, I decided over reading week to travel to a local park, where I knew would be a good setting for some characteristic shots. Along with my sister, for staged shots, I travelled to the park. My thoughts were:
I wanted something mysterious, an echo of an event perhaps, that could be interpreted in different ways. I wanted the staged shots to look natural, and almost like I'd caught the subject off guard in an odd situation.
I also wanted to experiment with the idea that the subject doesn't necessarily have to include a person in order to tell a story, certain objects out of place or seeming mysterious themselves tell a story that is alternate to each person- this is also where I believed this park would be useful in ensuring that there was a mystery of what we could find near the lake.
"Lost thought, lost mind" - She gazes out towards the trees on the bench that is saturated with memories, the view is not the same as she sits alone, waiting for the past to come back.
This set shot was to produce an aspect of mystery, , asking my sister to genuinely daze into the distance whilst I shot this from a higher angle, produced the effect that she is unaware that this photo is being taken.
"A ripple that no one saw" - A reaction with no clear cause, and no clear consequence, what made such a movement, and where is it now? This photo I shot to challenge the narrative without using a subject of a person which usually would be present throughout, I think the fact that there is no other life in the shot suggests an ominous cause of the ripple.
"The shoe that waited" Who does the shoe belong to? Why is it there? I liked the idea of further challenging the lack of subject in the photo, using the shoe as a personified story in itself, interpreted in different ways. There is a trail of a person, but none in the shot.
Over reading week I collected a range of images that obtained rich and subtle colour combinations to represent the following words:
Verdant Definition:"Green or rich with vegetation" Considerations- springlike colours, neutral and energetic colour combinations, such as yellow, green and browns. But also lighter colours.
Calm Definition: "Tranquil and quiet, soothing, without presence of anger etc." Considerations- Cool tonal combinations, purples, blues, pinks and pastel colours overall. Relaxing colours usually include lighter shades of existing colours. (Pastel inclusion of white tonal elements)
Sombre Definition: "Dark or dull in colour or tone, representations of seriousness or sadness" Considerations- Neutral or dull colours, sombre means dull or shadowy, therefore dullest tones needed throughout.
Jubilant Definition: "feeling of great happiness or triumph" Considerations- Bright colours, possibly tones of primary colours, bright reds, purples, blues etc. Perhaps contrasts of purple and yellows.
Autumnal Definition: "A characteristic of the season Autumn" Considerations- Warm tones of colours, for example reds, yellows and oranges.
Colour Symbolisation
Specific colours alternatively represent and symbolise a range of emotions and events. Here's some examples that were suggested to me that I have studied further.
Red (Warm Tones)
Red is a colour that is most vibrant, and is said to be first to catch your eye. Red is a colour of danger, passion, love and lust. It is often used to represent good and bad, the colour of the devil, the colour of 'stop' signs or traffic lights, the colour of passion that emotions like love represent.
Oriental culture such as in China, use red as their primary marriage colour, with brides wearing the colour as an act of harmony and to represent love.
Whilst red can be used for love, such as red roses for romance, and red for passion, there can also be such thing as red representing danger, such as warning signs, and within nature red is used as a natural danger colour such as poisoned predators such as frogs with red dots.
Blue (Cool Tones)
Blue is a colour that is a cool tonal composition, it often is represented through the cool tones, and the idea of "feeling blue" meaning miserable, an idea introduced by Picasso, who when feeling upset used to paint using tonal blue palettes.
Specific representations of colour are used in a range of cinematic as well as design compositions, using colours to represent certain information.
The 'blue' period of Picasso's paintings were supposed to reflect his mourning over a fellow artist, and influencing the inclusion of further blue aspects. Blue also symbolises aristocracy, with a lot of royalty wearing deep 'royal blue' which was a colour that used to only be able to be purchased by the richest of people. As well as this, there is an aspect of referencing royal as 'blue blooded'. A lot of natural elements such as vegetables do not include blue, and also the fact that the sky and sea remain blue through nature, and also making it seem like a cold sense of colour. Blue also represents faith, with the Virgin Mary often painted in blue, as well as loyalty and trust.
Green (Neutral Tones)
Green is a colour that is often representing growth, life and nature, with a lot of nature being represented with green overall. There is alternatively the aspect of sayings such as "Green with Envy" which represents the idea of jealousy, a strong emotion often represented in such a way.
Whereas in religion, green is used in Catholic society for Sunday services, with the alter decorated in green garments. In addition, celtic myths are given the idea of fertility with green being symbolised. As well as such inclusions, green is used for a lot of corrections as well as connotations of being right (for example green ticks for correct answers to questions etc.) In addition to this, green is a go sign for traffic lights, with the cars meaning that green allows cars to go.
Yellow (Warm Tones) Yellow as well as red, is a warm tonal composition, yellow, is a sunshine sort of colour, also known as happiness, and joy. Sunshine and happiness are the connotations involved in the overall effect of yellow, with it being India's wedding colour, the bride wearing yellow mostly.
However, in nature, wasps and bees represent their own warning signs with yellow, with yellow and black stripes warning other predators of their sting. Whereas yellow on the roads forbids drivers from parking in particular areas.
Yellow is also meant to attract bees, and other insects to flowers, with many being bright yellows for pollination. Yellow is also used in other ways of attraction, such as fluorescent yellow mostly used in highlighter pens (attracts eyes to key information) as well as high vis jackets which are mostly fluorescent yellow to ensure traffic can see pedestrians/workers etc.
Colour in Cinematography
Cinematography is something that uses aspects of colour, colour that produces certain effects. For example, if a shot is taken and the colours are too vibrant, but they need perhaps a subtle effect, they may filter down the amounts of colour, or alternatively saturate specific colours to highlight certain points.
When considering the aspect of cinematography with colours, the first film that sprung to mind was the original 'The Wizard of Oz' 1939- which involves the main character Dorothy beginning in a black and white, rather dull looking Kansas that was made to look unwelcoming through lack of colour, who then later on enters the world of 'Oz' which is then inclusive of bright colours- showing how Oz in comparison is a much better place to be.
Whereas, 'Matrix' 1999, is a film that I have come across in my own time, which shows a green tint throughout that is supposed to represent the futuristic feel that is the theme of the entire film, this effectively means the director used colour as a main tool for the effect they wanted to create.
Additionally when further looking into the colour specifications, I noticed that red was a colour that was inhabited in a broad range of films, it being a strong and passionate colour means it is clearly a strong choice for cinematographers to use. Such examples I have come across when discussing with friends and family, is such films that include colour to enhance specific things, like 'Sin City' and its sequel involve black and white film but then with some colour elements added briefly, as accents of colour, such as the surrounding character and background being in black and white whilst the blood is bright red, further adding contrast as well as showing the importance of what the red represents.
So within this surreal action film 'Sin City', the aspect of colour highlights certain areas and points, there's also an additional Film Noir scheme throughout.
In addition to this, I came across the film 'Schlinder's List' which involves an idea of an inclusion of red within black and white further. The film is set in the Second World War, where the world was being impacted by Nazi Germany, and the impact of the war on all generations, specifically young families and children.For this film, with the aspect of red, it symbolises the aspect of war and innocence in contrast to it, with the young girl being the only one in colour, with her red coat and shoes representing blood, and showing that there is always innocent people, and the youth of the war suffers. The red coat is symbolised throughout the whole film, where the coat finishes on the floor at the ending, showing how it has been a symbol all along, of the innocence in comparison to the tragedy of death and violence that war presents to an innocent child. In addition to this, some believe that the bright red also links with the idea of Nazi colours, with Nazi logos including red and black, colours with dangerous and violent connotations.
The Corpse Bride - Tim Burton (2005) 'The Corpse Bride' by Tim Burton is another of his gothic tales, where there are two worlds presented, the land of the living and the land of the dead. Both of which are used with contrasting colour palettes, as the colourful palette is oddly used for the land of the dead, suggesting relaxation and more of a fun atmosphere, whilst the land of the dead was more sombre tones. Therefore, the land of the living in contrast ironically seemed to be the best place to be.
The way in which the characters were designed to represent this was discussed in this documentary I have found about the making of the film and the colour palette involved.
4th February 2015 Today was a one day session on what I believe is a key part of our industry: narratives and storyboards as well as pitch lines. We were given an introduction to what pitch lines are, the official tag lines to summing up and idea for example film themes, and how powerful they are in pitching an idea to a group of people in the industry perhaps. Ultimately, it's an effective way of allowing your own ideas to be visually and descriptively displayed but in a simple format.
It became apparent that these interpretations could be made just from one descriptive sentence, not to necessarily give the whole game away, but to inform the persons reviewing it of what they actually involve within the storyline. Examples such as Batman and Shrek were given. Storyboards & Narrative
It has always been the case of using storyboards in my work in the past, however it has become more of a defined skill since this workshop helped us develop a further understanding of the power that can be found behind storyboards. Without even using dialect, storyboards can really impact the visual outcome of the work, it becomes more distinguished and allows creativity to be more accurately displayed. A key example of this is Hitchcock's 'Psycho' who's storyboards constructed by Saeur Bass were so precise and visually explained that he didn't actually have to preview them himself through the camera. The director had such a trust for his design team that he could rely his ideas completely on the storyboards that they created. As additional viewing of how storyboarding could help assist animation as well as film making, I looked at the book in class called "Storyboards - Motion in Art" by Mark Simon, which developed an idea of how initial sketches are the most important in the process of developing ideas etc. Without the original sketches and the mistakes in the sketches, there wouldn't be the outcome that comes out of it. The storyboards help develop ideas as well as envisioning others and showing your peers your thoughts in a more efficient and professional way. In addition to this, the storyboards are a way that in professional pitches, designers show their ideas. However, directors such as Steven Spielberg don't actually have the skills in storyboards, but is shown that the initial sketches are more useful, as then he can quickly put down his ideas in a way that his designers can translate into professional looking storyboards. It has been made clear that when we design our own animations and films, we need to make sure that the storyboards are going to backed up by rough sketches and rough storyboards, as alike these celebrity directors, we need to ensure we keep our initial ideas and learn from them of why they didn't work, or why they can no longer be considered as ideas.
An example is pencil sketches don't have to be a temporary measure, you could draw out a first draft of sketches or a storyboard in permanent marker but it wouldn't matter, the fact is that the idea has been shown effectively and the story board helps to finalise your ideas on paper to then edit and work on in future pieces. The storyboards could then be further altered and perceived differently.
