Study Task 1 (Week Commencing: 20/04/20)

At the beginning of the week I struggled to work on the Iceni tribe scene as because the file was so big, it kept crashing every time I did so much as select a layer. I also couldn't open any other files while I had this scene open, and I couldn't export the footage without Photoshop crashing.

I did as much as I could however due to how slow the software became, I had to give up on some changes I wanted to make because Photoshop couldn't handle the file size.



I like that there is a bit of variation in the designs and movement, such as the timing of the breathing, however due to the vast amount of members so close together, these changes aren't noticeable.

I added a strip of light to the sword as while this is a simplistic design, it was enough detail to make the sword look more refined. I also changed the angle which the sword leaves the shot as I believe this looks more natural than the first attempt. I'm still not that happy with it.



During the facetime call, I had a word with Harry about taking on one of his smaller scenes to help with time, as I only have a few more of my own left to animate while he has yet to finish one. We will make a decision by the end of this week.

I added the Romans to one of my last scenes, so now I'm just waiting on the backgrounds being completed so I can add them.



I focused more on the other deadline (for 502) this week as this is when it was originally due. I wanted to submit it as soon as possible so I can turn all my attention towards this module.

PP2 Update (LoopdeLoop, Feedback, Presentation and Submission)

Over the last several weeks, my studio team and I continued working on our group LoopdeLoop, Mushy, which we submitted on 20th April 2020. Throughout this process, I also regularly updated my animation Instagram with clips and WIPs to keep my followers entertained.

We received the feedback for our studio presentation, so I tried applying the same principles to my personal presentation. I recorded myself presenting it, just as I had suggested the last time however, my laptop hasn't got the same software as the University computers so I couldn't screen record.

Something else I struggled with during submission was exporting my blog as a PDF as once again, I wasn't sure which programs I had access to.

Once submission is over, I can focus on the short animation I was commissioned to do over Instagram.

© Emily Kate Mullis 2020

LoopdeLoop - Mushy

I suggested that the studio should work together, so that we had a solid animation to show the class in our presentation. Harry was with me at the time, so we discussed various ideas that could work under the theme, and messaged the group chat with our ideas.

I suggested a few different ideas for the theme and brainstormed with the team. Eventually we agreed to do one of my ideas.



Link to Script

So that everyone could visualise the idea I had in my head, I quickly sketched out the roughest storyboard ever, which Kathryn later refined.

I nominated myself as the producer and ended up with the role of director too. I started by making a jobs list (for both the animation, and the presentation). I swapped some roles around and made sure to regularly update my teammates with any changes they were unaware of.

Below is the original Gantt chart I made however, I ended up pushing back the deadline as some of my teammates continuously missed their deadlines, as other modules took precedence and eventually, Covid-19 disturbed our workflow.

I broke down the jobs for individual scenes and then made an updated chart with individual deadlines for these specific tasks.

As I previously mentioned, production was delayed so I made an updated Gantt chart. I made sure everything was clear and easy to understand by colour coordinating the jobs. In the group chat, I posted this chart weekly to make sure everyone was on track.

I have also stressed that if anyone is struggling to get their scenes finished in time, to alert me sooner rather than later so I can try and help ease that pressure by taking on some of the workload.

When it came to animating, the character turn-around sheets were a little late, which pushed the schedule back by a working week. This meant I couldn't start the key framing in the first week, and ended up working through that weekend despite travelling home at the same time.

So, despite this setback, I still ensured scenes 7A, 7B, and 7C were finished by 23rd ready for Alisha to in-between.



Link to Scene 7 (Key Frames Only)

Due to the very little time we have left, other module deadlines approaching fast, and Covid-19 forcing me to work from home rather than in the studio, I tried to cut corners and made a mistake.

I only realised once I was more than half way finished with the key-framing so, I decided to finish what I had started and then asked my teammates if they could notice anything wrong. Two members didn't notice anything at all, and the third didn't notice anything at first, and only realised after I made them look harder. Even then, he said it wasn't noticeable.

Just in case they had noticed, I did have a plan B however, I was worried how this would effect the following scene. Fortunately, nobody else had started key framing scenes of her face yet, so I told them to flip the design, just as I had done as that way, it would be consistent and we wouldn't need to change my shot.



Link to Scene 1 (Key Frames Only)

I then moved onto scene 1. I made sure the hair was consistent by having the hairband on the same side as the previous shot as these scenes follow onto each other.



Link to Scene 7

Alisha works quickly so, I didn't have to wait too long for the in-betweens. I added colour however due to time, I didn't add shading or highlights as I feel it works fine as it is.



Link to Scene 1

Mine and Alisha's scenes were finished by 3rd April, which meant I had the rest of the month to focus on my other project and the presentation. Once the other scenes were done, I looked for sounds to add, including a pumpkin's gut being squished and wind ambience, and Kathryn edited everything together. We then submitted the animation to LoopdeLoop.



I love the aesthetic and how the character works so well with the backgrounds. If I had more time, I would add shading to the character. I would also add a scene of the strawberry landing again.

© Emily Kate Mullis 2020

Study Task 1 (Week Commencing: 13/04/20)

In the shot below, I changed the speed and refined the movement so it looked more natural by adding recoil. I also went into After Effects and animated a camera shake so that the movement seemed more powerful; like the vast amount of warriors caused the ground to shake with their rage.

My laptop kept crashing while I was working in After Effects however, so this task took much longer than it should have if I could access the University computers that can handle the software.



I messaged my team about having another facetime session. In which, we discussed what we had done over the last week and how we were coping mentally.



Once I had access to the background, I added more Iceni members to my group. This process took a while, as the outlines, details and colours were all on separate layers. I will continue to refine this by adding some members to the side.



I turned my attention to the shot of someone unsheathing a sword. I started with the outline, and played around with the timing of this shot. Then I added colour. Next week I will refine this by adding light.

I have also been watching some animated shows and films in my down time, such as: Final Space, Attack on Titan, and some Studio Ghibli films on Netflix, to give me some inspiration for my own animations, and also take my mind off of things.

Studio Brief 1 - Walk the Walk

For the first part of this brief, I have to complete the study tasks set, which I have been doing and posting about on my blog.

Link to Networking: Who, What, When, Where and How?

Link to CopyShop

Link to How Much Do You Need?

Link to Working Freelance/ Self Employment

Link to So Pro

Link to SWOT

It was difficult trying to find time to do the tasks whilst working towards my other module deadlines, especially when I had to move back home.

As I didn't know how long I would have access to the facilities, or if I could access the software outside of University, before I made the decision to come home, I made my Level 5 showreel using the animations I had completed up to that point. Unfortunately, this meant I couldn't include my work from the documentary project or LoopdeLoop task.



Link to Showreel

If I had more time to work on this, I would change the music. However, seeing as it is missing the outcomes from my more recent modules anyway, once University is open again (even if this means next year) I will make an updated and refined version of my second year showreel with better music and my newer animations.

I feel given the circumstances however, this showreel works for this purpose.

I struggled making the powerpoint for the same reasons, as I couldn't access PowerPoint from home. I ended up using Google Slides as the Drive is something I can access from anywhere.



I filmed myself presenting this for the submission as the lockdown meant I couldn't deliver it to the class.

It is difficult presenting to an empty room as while it isn't as nerve-wracking, you can't get a feel for the atmosphere. When I was rehearsing the group presentation to an empty room, that was okay because we had each other to bounce off of however this felt more awkward, and you can tell because I keep saying "um" to fill the silence.



Link to Presentation

Overall, I am happy with this presentation. I'm not confident with graphic design or layout, and some slides do look a little cluttered however, I am pleased with the avatars I made to accompany the bullet points as while I did something similar last year, I feel more confident in these designs as they have more character.

© Emily Kate Mullis 2020

Study Task 1 (Week Commencing: 06/04/20)

I started the week by adding leaves to this shot to make the hair and fabric look more natural. The leaves also give context and helps to ground the character in the scene.



I've been messaging my teammates regularly, asking for updates, and also assuring them that if the workload becomes too much, to let me know as soon as possible so that I can ease the pressure by helping to complete some scenes; as long as I'm not told at the last minute.

During the week, I worked on the shot of the iceni getting ready for war. I animated four characters, and I'm planning to duplicate them once background is done to fill out the crowd.



I insisted this week that the group should facetime as I was worried my messages were being lost in translation, and it's much easier to communicate face to face. I used this session to direct Harry while he was editing the animatic. We removed several scenes and once we were all happy, we could continue animating to the right times. We have decided to make this a weekly occurrence.



I moved onto a new scene as I have been struggling to concentrate this week.



I added Rhys' background to this shot however I will continue to refine it as I am not happy with the timing or movement. During our facetime session, he said I was ahead of schedule so I should hopefully be able to relax a little.

Study Task 1 (Week Commencing: 30/03/20)

At the start of the week, I focused on colouring in the shot of Boudicca in her final scene. I spent more time on this than I had originally intended, as adding all the colour and details in her cloak and skirt was very tedious and time consuming.

As I am working on my laptop from home, I am having problems with the software. I had a similar issue last year during the Christmas and Easter break, as whenever I try to playback what I have so far, Photoshop is only capable of playing the animation at about 7fps or less, so I can never get an accurate judge of the timing.

It is only after I export the clip, that I notice any errors. In this instance, the fabric looks wrong so, if I have time I will go back and fix some of the stripes in the cloak however, as this took me way longer than I had originally thought, I haven't got time to go back now and will only do this at the end.



At the end of the week, I moved onto another shot. I started by doing some embers tests. I animated them at different sizes and changed the timing to see which worked best, and put them on top of each other to make the scene look busy.



I also animated some fire, and for these tests, I asked Rhys for any progress he had so far on the Londinium background as I wanted to make sure the colours would work together.



Most days, I can communicate easily with my teammates as we will all be awake and working at the same time, so I get responses back rather fast. Some days however, I struggle to keep in contact with certain members due to personal matters arising or teammates getting ill. To counter this, I am planning to talk to my team about which hours are the best to work during and maybe this way, we can all work to the same timetable.



I animated a silhouette and once Rhys had finished the background, I added it to the shot. I am happy with this outcome, so I can now move onto another scene.