This is the second week I am home from University. As Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be incredibly busy, I need to make sure I do as much work on the remaining study tasks as I can in my free time.
On Monday, I worked on the lip sync task. I also messaged my group asking for progress reports.
Then in the middle of the week, I celebrated Christmas with my family. I also had to make time for my job.
At the end of the week, I refined the articles for Study Task 3, so they were ready to publish. I also continued working on the lip sync task.
Sunday, 29 December 2019
Saturday, 21 December 2019
Study Task 1 (Week Commencing: 16/12/19)
At the beginning of the week, the musician messaged me about the length of the updated soundtrack. He explained that the total run time is one minute and forty-three seconds. I had a word with the director about whether to A) run over the allocated time, B) negotiate the times with the lectures, or C) tell the musician to trim it. My main concern was that last year, a lesson we were regularly given was to follow the instructions in a commission perfectly, as television stations can't allow for animators to run over or under a given time due to the set timetable. So, I encouraged the director to have a word with one of our lectures to look at our options. She messaged me back saying it was fine to run over.
Later on in the week, he sent me the updated soundtrack.
Nearing the end of the week, I worked on Study Task 3. I found this task really difficult and it took a lot longer than I had anticipated.
Later on in the week, he sent me the updated soundtrack.
Nearing the end of the week, I worked on Study Task 3. I found this task really difficult and it took a lot longer than I had anticipated.
Monday, 16 December 2019
Study Task 1 (Week Commencing: 09/12/19)
This is the last week I have at University before I go home for Christmas which means I have to make it count.
On Monday I re-exported the close up shots of the hand and face as .png sequences to remove the edge halos when I added the background footage.
From here, the lighting and dirt layers need to be added; then they will be completed shots.
On Tuesday, I added the colour to the bird shot.
I also messaged another classmate who wants to gather experience for their voice acting portfolio, to arrange a time they could help provide a voice over. Stacey booked the sound booth on Wednesday, so I let him know the time and place, and he was available. Stacey will book the booth once more over Christmas to record the foliage sounds.
Once I was done adding the colour, Joseph updated the bird shot by adding the background and lighting. However, there was a problem with outline, which I pointed out, as when the bird's wings crossed over it's body, or when it flew in front of the branches, the outline was okay but the parts that weren't overlapping disappeared, so he will refine this over Christmas.
Meanwhile, I continued to outline the shot of the man's back morphing into the beast. This took up most of the week.
To break this practice up, I added the colour layer to the shot of the foot transforming as looking at the same shot all day, every day, became a bit tedious.
Once done with this, I finished the outline of the back and then went on to add colour to this shot.
On Friday, I finished refining the colour and added the background Kate animated. She then presented the weekly. Comparing what I saw from the class weeklies overall to what we have so far, it looks as though we are on track. Although over Christmas, I will continue to check up on my team as while I won't be at University, I am still the producer, so need to keep on top of my teammates.
Based on the animatic from the weekly that Kate put together, and the updated scenes Joseph and I completed in class, I edited together an updated version and sent this to the musician to work on the final soundtrack. He said most of the visual cues from the first version match up with the latest version so it shouldn't take too long to refine.
I also updated the production sheet and uploaded it to Drive so the team will be able to access it over the holiday.
On Monday I re-exported the close up shots of the hand and face as .png sequences to remove the edge halos when I added the background footage.
From here, the lighting and dirt layers need to be added; then they will be completed shots.
On Tuesday, I added the colour to the bird shot.
I also messaged another classmate who wants to gather experience for their voice acting portfolio, to arrange a time they could help provide a voice over. Stacey booked the sound booth on Wednesday, so I let him know the time and place, and he was available. Stacey will book the booth once more over Christmas to record the foliage sounds.
Once I was done adding the colour, Joseph updated the bird shot by adding the background and lighting. However, there was a problem with outline, which I pointed out, as when the bird's wings crossed over it's body, or when it flew in front of the branches, the outline was okay but the parts that weren't overlapping disappeared, so he will refine this over Christmas.
Meanwhile, I continued to outline the shot of the man's back morphing into the beast. This took up most of the week.
To break this practice up, I added the colour layer to the shot of the foot transforming as looking at the same shot all day, every day, became a bit tedious.
Once done with this, I finished the outline of the back and then went on to add colour to this shot.
On Friday, I finished refining the colour and added the background Kate animated. She then presented the weekly. Comparing what I saw from the class weeklies overall to what we have so far, it looks as though we are on track. Although over Christmas, I will continue to check up on my team as while I won't be at University, I am still the producer, so need to keep on top of my teammates.
Based on the animatic from the weekly that Kate put together, and the updated scenes Joseph and I completed in class, I edited together an updated version and sent this to the musician to work on the final soundtrack. He said most of the visual cues from the first version match up with the latest version so it shouldn't take too long to refine.
I also updated the production sheet and uploaded it to Drive so the team will be able to access it over the holiday.
Monday, 9 December 2019
Final COP2 Weekly Update (Deadline: 10/12/19)
On Monday I spent the morning checking over my essay and visual journal to make sure they didn't need any more refinements. I also checked that every study task was uploaded to my blog and memory stick ready for the deadline.
Then in the afternoon, I converted my blog into a PDF as tomorrow is the 10th December and I don't want to do this at the last minute in case something goes wrong.
This is the final post for COP2.
If I had the chance to do this module again, I would have started working in my visual journal from the first session so that it was more developed. This would have also given me more time to experiment. If I could redo the survey, I would ask the participant their date of birth to see if this played a factor in their preferences. I would also give all the character designs the same pose so the silhouette results were fairer. Another suggestion of what else I could have done from one of my classmates was to choose a list of female animated characters, and read their character descriptions only. Then, based on how they were described, design my own versions to see if people could tell who they were or not, and what decade they were originally from.
Then in the afternoon, I converted my blog into a PDF as tomorrow is the 10th December and I don't want to do this at the last minute in case something goes wrong.
This is the final post for COP2.
If I had the chance to do this module again, I would have started working in my visual journal from the first session so that it was more developed. This would have also given me more time to experiment. If I could redo the survey, I would ask the participant their date of birth to see if this played a factor in their preferences. I would also give all the character designs the same pose so the silhouette results were fairer. Another suggestion of what else I could have done from one of my classmates was to choose a list of female animated characters, and read their character descriptions only. Then, based on how they were described, design my own versions to see if people could tell who they were or not, and what decade they were originally from.
Sunday, 8 December 2019
Study Task 1 (Week Commencing: 02/12/19)
At the start of the week, I worked on the lip sync task as despite saying I was going to focus on this over Christmas, I wasn't happy with how it looked at all and I wanted to fix it as soon as possible so that my mind was at rest.
Then, based on my lecturer's feedback, I updated the character turn around sheets by making him dirtier, ready for the 'Art Of' book we also have to produce.
I started by searching online for tea stain textures to add an extra layer to the piece. I then fell down a hole where I looked at brushes as well as textures, including: painted wall textures, dirt textures, paper textures and different dirt brushes. I downloaded a few, tested them out and sent my favourites to the group chat to get a vote on which brush to use.
The group vote was unanimous, and we ended up going with brush no. 10.
Once decided on a brush, I updated the dynamic pose sheet too and while I was at it, I removed the pants from the wolf so that this is also ready for the 'Art Of' book.
Then, I continued with the animation. Kate brought me some shots of the background that she had animated, to make sure they worked with the 2D elements. As I'm not very confident using unfamiliar software, I stuck to what I know, and imported both her footage, and my sequence of images into Photoshop. I couldn't make the background transparent for some reason, so I had to manually do it which was time consuming. In the future, I will try using After Effects or Premiere Pro to see if these are easier to get the hang of.
I did the same method with the next shot and once we were both happy with the perspective, I exported the footage.
I moved onto the foot shot. As the Christmas break is coming up, and I won't be able to access TVPaint from home, my team and I decided it would be best if I focused on the outlines only and then someone else in the team would add colour so the work was shared a little more evenly.
Kate then brought me some of the perspective shots from inside the cage, so once I had the outline ready, we tested the shots again to make sure they worked together.
I am happy with the follow through I added to the hair on leg as it grows, but I struggled with the movement in the foot here as I wasn't sure how to make the foot grow without the proportions looking wrong. I also struggled with making the actions look painful and agonising because the beast is stood up, so I had to consider the weight, which limited the movement.
Based on the work we had so far, I updated the production plan sheet so it was ready for the weekly presentation however when Friday did come around, we skipped this week's anyway.
On Thursday morning I attended a sound booth induction. After that, I continued to work on the shot of the bird landing on the branch. I worked on this shot for several hours, and found it incredibly difficult. I saved regularly throughout this process however, when I came to move the file from the desktop to my folder, something went wrong with the updated file and I could no longer access it. This meant I lost all the work I had done that day on that particular shot.
In this time, I had key framed the second half of the wing animation, and also key framed the feet. I added in-betweens to the body, wings and feet too, and as I struggled so much doing this, I began to panic as I wasn't sure I would have time to redo this whole shot as well as the other jobs I have.
I was completely devastated and went home. So on Friday, I came into class ready to start again; determined to get it finished.
I found this attempt went a little faster than the first, and this time I saved the file to my Google Drive first before I saved to the folder, as I didn't want a repeat of the day before. I also now export whatever footage I have every time I save so that if I lose a file again, I at least have some form of the progress saved.
I then moved onto the shot where the bird looks down at the beast. I wasn't sure how far the crow was supposed to look so I consulted with the director so we were on the same page. I then messaged Joseph, asking for the shots of the sky he painted, so I could add them to the animated shot of the bird to see what they look like together.
I used the same background for the previous shot I finished. This time, I exported the footage as a .png rather than a .jpeg so I didn't have to manually remove the background from each frame.
This weekend I am visiting home which means I won't get any work done over this time. Next week, I need to rough out the shot of the wolf's back, and then key frame it and add in-betweens. If I get this finished before next weekend, I can start adding colour to the remaining shots as next weekend I go home for Christmas which means I won't be able to access the software I use in University.
Then, based on my lecturer's feedback, I updated the character turn around sheets by making him dirtier, ready for the 'Art Of' book we also have to produce.
I started by searching online for tea stain textures to add an extra layer to the piece. I then fell down a hole where I looked at brushes as well as textures, including: painted wall textures, dirt textures, paper textures and different dirt brushes. I downloaded a few, tested them out and sent my favourites to the group chat to get a vote on which brush to use.
The group vote was unanimous, and we ended up going with brush no. 10.
Once decided on a brush, I updated the dynamic pose sheet too and while I was at it, I removed the pants from the wolf so that this is also ready for the 'Art Of' book.
Then, I continued with the animation. Kate brought me some shots of the background that she had animated, to make sure they worked with the 2D elements. As I'm not very confident using unfamiliar software, I stuck to what I know, and imported both her footage, and my sequence of images into Photoshop. I couldn't make the background transparent for some reason, so I had to manually do it which was time consuming. In the future, I will try using After Effects or Premiere Pro to see if these are easier to get the hang of.
I did the same method with the next shot and once we were both happy with the perspective, I exported the footage.
I moved onto the foot shot. As the Christmas break is coming up, and I won't be able to access TVPaint from home, my team and I decided it would be best if I focused on the outlines only and then someone else in the team would add colour so the work was shared a little more evenly.
Kate then brought me some of the perspective shots from inside the cage, so once I had the outline ready, we tested the shots again to make sure they worked together.
I am happy with the follow through I added to the hair on leg as it grows, but I struggled with the movement in the foot here as I wasn't sure how to make the foot grow without the proportions looking wrong. I also struggled with making the actions look painful and agonising because the beast is stood up, so I had to consider the weight, which limited the movement.
Based on the work we had so far, I updated the production plan sheet so it was ready for the weekly presentation however when Friday did come around, we skipped this week's anyway.
On Thursday morning I attended a sound booth induction. After that, I continued to work on the shot of the bird landing on the branch. I worked on this shot for several hours, and found it incredibly difficult. I saved regularly throughout this process however, when I came to move the file from the desktop to my folder, something went wrong with the updated file and I could no longer access it. This meant I lost all the work I had done that day on that particular shot.
In this time, I had key framed the second half of the wing animation, and also key framed the feet. I added in-betweens to the body, wings and feet too, and as I struggled so much doing this, I began to panic as I wasn't sure I would have time to redo this whole shot as well as the other jobs I have.
I was completely devastated and went home. So on Friday, I came into class ready to start again; determined to get it finished.
I found this attempt went a little faster than the first, and this time I saved the file to my Google Drive first before I saved to the folder, as I didn't want a repeat of the day before. I also now export whatever footage I have every time I save so that if I lose a file again, I at least have some form of the progress saved.
I then moved onto the shot where the bird looks down at the beast. I wasn't sure how far the crow was supposed to look so I consulted with the director so we were on the same page. I then messaged Joseph, asking for the shots of the sky he painted, so I could add them to the animated shot of the bird to see what they look like together.
I used the same background for the previous shot I finished. This time, I exported the footage as a .png rather than a .jpeg so I didn't have to manually remove the background from each frame.
This weekend I am visiting home which means I won't get any work done over this time. Next week, I need to rough out the shot of the wolf's back, and then key frame it and add in-betweens. If I get this finished before next weekend, I can start adding colour to the remaining shots as next weekend I go home for Christmas which means I won't be able to access the software I use in University.
Thursday, 5 December 2019
COP2 Weekly Update (Week Commencing: 02/12/19)
This is the last full week I have to work on COP before the deadline which means I need to make the most of it. At the beginning of this week, we had a lesson where we were set another task that involved writing an evaluation.
Halfway through the week, I continued to look through the suggestions my peers gave me in feedback sessions on what to paint in my visual journal. One suggestion, which links to my essay, was to look at a specific show/film which featured somewhat sexist or unfair designs between the male and women characters, and redesign them.
I looked at the characters from 'Inside Out' as not only had I researched this for my essay, however one of my classmates had suggested I specifically look at shapes, so I thought 'Inside Out' would be a good example. Another suggestion was 'Up' however I hadn't mentioned this in my essay, and was worried about time so if I had more time, I would also redesign the characters from that.
I continued to refine my practical sketchbook so that it was completely ready for when I record it and submit it. I also found a way to make my sketchbook even more symbiotic by incorporating the silhouettes I painted into my essay response.
At the end of the week, I proof read my essay again to triple check that everything was correct, and submitted it to estudio.
Then at the weekend, I visited home for the first time since I came back. As I knew I wouldn't get much done during this time, it was imperative that I made sure I achieved all the deadlines I set myself over the week so that I wouldn't have to do anything last minute next Monday, considering the deadline is Tuesday.
Halfway through the week, I continued to look through the suggestions my peers gave me in feedback sessions on what to paint in my visual journal. One suggestion, which links to my essay, was to look at a specific show/film which featured somewhat sexist or unfair designs between the male and women characters, and redesign them.
I looked at the characters from 'Inside Out' as not only had I researched this for my essay, however one of my classmates had suggested I specifically look at shapes, so I thought 'Inside Out' would be a good example. Another suggestion was 'Up' however I hadn't mentioned this in my essay, and was worried about time so if I had more time, I would also redesign the characters from that.
I continued to refine my practical sketchbook so that it was completely ready for when I record it and submit it. I also found a way to make my sketchbook even more symbiotic by incorporating the silhouettes I painted into my essay response.
At the end of the week, I proof read my essay again to triple check that everything was correct, and submitted it to estudio.
Then at the weekend, I visited home for the first time since I came back. As I knew I wouldn't get much done during this time, it was imperative that I made sure I achieved all the deadlines I set myself over the week so that I wouldn't have to do anything last minute next Monday, considering the deadline is Tuesday.
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