CLIENT PROJECT - FUELAPP

This one’s from July/Aug 2019

Client: Fuelapp

Project: Create a 35 - 60 second ad for the start up company FuelApp. FuelApp is a South African start up that lets you order fuel on the go using an app on your smart phone. How cool is that?

We actually hired our first intern during the production of this project and as of September 2020 - she’s been working with us full time for a year now!!

 Shout out to Tanika Pillay!

Who doesn’t love work in progress GIFs?

The eye roll is by far one of my favourite things I’ve animated recently!!

Client: Healthforce

Project: Create an animated video explaining showcasing the brand unique telemedicine offering.

The idea was to take 3 different characters and scenarios and show how convenient and simple it was to use the Healthforce service/system to access nurse-run clinics in pharmacies all over South Africa. The client’s main user demographic is women (of varying middle to high earning professions) who often have school-age or adult age families. I chose to create 3 female characters and develop a stoy for each one. Eventually we ended up changing the third character - Lisa - into a male, but I’m still really satisfied with the result.

SHOWREEL 2019

WHAT IS ANIMATION?

(a.k.a. A series of animation definitions I’ve wanted to upload for a long time now)

When I was in university my lecturer never once shared a definition or explanation about Animation - he never introduced the topic or tried to explain the experience of Animation conceptually. Later in university, when I had to complete an Animation thesis project this lack of a definition was a point of frustration. I needed a starting point as a foundation for my research. Now as a professional Animator and as an Animation Lecturer I’ve seen that it’s really important for my team and my students to understand the terminology we use when creating an animation - that way we can speak freely without having to over-explain the process when beginning every new project. 

When I was in my fourth year of university I developed this definition during my research thesis:

CABBLOW’S DEFINITION OF ANIMATION

Animation is the technique of creating the illusion of movement through the use of successive drawings, photographs or computer generated imagery (CGI).

Whenever I introduce Animation as a topic with my students I begin from this definition because it gives me a starting point where I can breakdown what Animation is conceptually and then practically.

Here’s how I break it down:

1. “Animation is the technique” - This means it is a method of doing something.

2. “of creating the illusion of movement” - The something we are doing is creating movement, but not really movement, but the idea of it - the illusion.

LET’S LOOK AT THIS IDEA OF ILLUSION MORE CLOSELY

I always say to my students “There’s no such thing as video”, and they always look perplexed because in fact there is such a thing, but what I really mean is that the experience of video is different from what they assume it to be. Video or film is just a collection of sequential images playing at a rapid speed one after another. I remember reading about the persistence of image - either during art classes in high school or in The Animator’s Survival Kit by Richard Williams. I’m paraphrasing, but it really means that our eyes and our minds are able to retain an image in the brief moment before another image that is similar is shown to us. Because our minds are so smart when we watch a series of related images we experience movement. That’s why movies are called Motion Pictures. I was mind blown when I realised this. That’s why I say “the illusion of movement”.

Last breakdown...

3. “through the use of successive drawings, photographs or computer generated imagery (CGI) - Here I am referring to the practical ways in which Animation is created. “Successive” simply means that the images are in some kind of sequence, which allows the viewer to see the illusion of movement. “Drawings” refers to 2D or hand drawn animation. “Photographs” refers to stop motion animation and “Computer Generated Imagery” refers to 3D animation (like Toy Story, Shrek, Frozen etc...) as well as any other form of animation that makes use of computer technology (since this is the digital era with every growing technological advancements)

LET’S WRAP THIS UP

I developed a series of other helpful definitions relating to the animation process. I compiled these using my lived experiences, my university research, online news articles and videos, private discussions with colleagues and dictionary adaptions. I am sure that I will continue to add to this list where I see fit.

Really it’s all just to help where I can for people looking to understand more about the Animation process. Especially people who have had to teach themselves this topic and have a burning desire to keep growing in it.