Initial Animatic

To create the first draft of animatic, I used frames from my storyboard. As discussed before, I didn't spend much time on the storyboard, which meant it translated to animatic form badly; however it did give me a good idea on how to time the scenes in my final animation.

To refine the animatic I plan to take images to replace the storyboard drawings, which will look like actual frames. This should portray a better idea of what is happening so the audience can compare the overall look of each technique, from how it would have looked if it were animated. I have already given an example of this with the very first image, of my hand drawing on paper; I think it looks so much better then my storyboard drawings already, so I will carry on to get the finished piece to this standard.

I won't have time to finish the whole animation due to my bad time management - but I will complete at least the 3D animation since that is the most efficient technique to work in and I can work on it from my laptop.

Paranorman - Analysis

'Paranorman' is a good example of combining stop motion and 3D animation. The eery theme of the story is animated really well with replacement animation; where the characters faces are animated in 3D and powder printed, painted, and replaced onto each frame. It has proven to be an accurate way to animate, since every facial expression fits perfectly onto the model. Here's my initial thoughts on the film:

Laika are the main company using this technique at the moment; though none of their films have been majorly successful yet, there are plans for at least three more films using this animation technique, and if the box office numbers prove anything it's that their films get better each time, so maybe one day it will be able to compete with CG animation.

This will be the other hybridity case study I write in my dissertation, since I want to explore a variety of hybrid examples.

Paperman - Analysis

'Paperman' is one of the first public examples of the capabilities with hybridizing techniques. Combining the traditional concept art drawings with animating in 3D software, I found this to be a beautiful piece of work, my initial thoughts on it are in notes:

What this film has demonstrated for me is the possibility of using this technique in the future; as technology develops, it is becoming increasingly popular to try new methods of animating, which is exactly what has happened at Disney studios.

If I had considered it sooner, I would have allowed myself time to animate in a hybridizing format for my practical work, since I believe this is becoming a relevant technique to use for the future. Though I didn't get chance to animate it, I will at least include a case study of hybrid animation, including an analysis of 'Paperman'.

Final Character Design

After experimenting with various character rigs in Maya, I have decided to use Moom for my final piece. Since Moom is the rig I am most familiar with and due to the time limit left on this project, this seemed to be the smartest option for me.

In my final piece I will be focusing on the animation, and the benefits and drawbacks to each technique. A drawback I have found for Stop Motion so far is that I cannot replicate Moom's character design in plasticine, due to his limbs naturally hovering apart, which is near-impossible in stop motion puppets. If I have time I could alter Moom's design so that the stomach is joint together, which would make it a slightly better comparison, but I think I could settle for using these character alterations here:

Academic Poster

As part of our module, it was required that I create an academic poster describing what I've been researching for my dissertation and creating practically. I look at it as a summary of what my project's about, which I have displayed here:

Overall I received good feedback on the poster; there's roughly an equal amount of text and images in a simple layout that's "not too busy", which makes it easier to look through, I matched the colour scheme of the titles with my stop motion character, and some people even said seeing the images of my idea made them want to see it animated! 

This gives me more confidence in my work as I start to build my final piece. 

Historical Timeline... Bad Time Management

Unfortunately I won't have enough time to illustrate a timeline of the key historical events in animation. Since I have delayed starting my animated practical work I know that I won't be able to produce a decent quality piece of work within the time that I have left on this module.

However instead I will be structuring my dissertation differently; listing the key historical developments in the first three chapters, representing the three main techniques I want to compare, which will lead on to my analysis and comparison of each in the second half of the text. This will ultimately work out better for me, since it will be a manageable amount of work and I will still have the chance to portray the information I find while researching.

Barry Purves Talk

Earlier this week, the famous Barry Purves came into the Leeds College of Art to talk to my class about storytelling through animation. He did this by showcasing two of his films and then walking us through both frame by frame, describing his thought process and explaining why the shot is good or bad.

Purves really loves the concept of theatre and acting; he didn't do well in his initial acting career so decided to translate that passion into animation. He believes stop motion has the most in common with the theatre, since they both use props, make up and sets to portray their stories.

One of my classmates asked Purves to explain the reason he believes practitioners still use stop motion today, despite computer generated imagery being developed. He stated it is because in a way, it's the most relatable animation technique to audiences; seeing puppets and common materials come to life through animation to a lot of people is astounding. Though CGI has many positives, because of the space within the computer, they are able to put cameras where it is not possible in real life, so this and the plastic feel of the characters make CG seem slightly less believable. Whereas with stop motion, all you need to see is a few props and hints of a story, so that the viewer can fill in the gaps themselves and turn it into a story that they will enjoy more.

The audience is naturally more aware of what a stop motion puppet is, what it's made up of and the materials used to build it; this is why seeing it come to life through animation, breathing, talking and feeling emotions, is considered to be more amazing to watch.

This explanation is incredibly relevant to my dissertation, since I am comparing animation techniques; it is worth taking into consideration as I start my practical work as well, since having an open mind to the advantages and disadvantages of each, whilst considering what the audience will think of my film, will ultimately allow me to consider my shots and set it up well.