#weeklysummaries

Day 1 - Retopology,uv and substance painter 

In today’s session I was able to finalise the uvs created over the weekend around the arms of the character. I ensured that each of the edge flows looped around the subject and this would allow a good bake in future stages. By doing this the edge flows supported the topology of the character for example around the collar I had to create a lip to show the change in shapes from the collar bone. After the retopology was finalised I moved onto uvs. This was relatively straight forward as I selected a camera based view and simply selected the loops around the waist, shoulders, forearms and wrists. As well as selecting the ankle. This gave the base to move forward onto unfolding the uvs. For this I had to cut along the edge of the loop previously cut and move the subject in the uv editor and then press unfold. I the. Pack each of the unfolded uvs into the corner and exported to substance painter.

Substance painter was a relatively new process for me as I had never used the software before. I found the software quite intuitive and really easy to use. By simply dragging the material onto the elected uv I was able to give my character texture therefore lifting his overall look. This also helped to distinguish what each part of the character was made of for example the material of the clothes compared to the braces and belt. I chose a white denim for the shirt and a darker denim for the trousers sticking too the 2d concept of the character. For the texture of the belt and braces I chose a leather and coloured the belt brown and the braces black. The most interesting part of the design comes within the head as I chose to use a Caron fibre material. This will create a distinct look as the lights are placed on the character for the walk cycle and turnaround.

Day 1 - Group feedback session with Lyndsey 

In todays group feedback session I was able to identify how to make my screen play cyclical. For this I pitched the idea of having the character play with a gun at his desk at the start of the screenplay and then have the new accountant pull the same gun out at the end. Lyndsey didn’t think this idea would fit the characters persona at the start and so suggested another route. I chose to forward two ideas the first one was that the character would be handed the gun by his boss and he doesn’t want to use it and so locks it in the desk. The second was too have the character playing with cards at the start. This would therefore establish the characters motive for going to the card game later that evening. I think I will try to incorporate both of the ideas into the screenplay as it will greatly benefit the story telling. However, I feel like I am getting severely close to the word count and so need to condense the screenplay entirely.

Day 2- Rigging the character 

In todays open session I was able to begin rigging the character for my project. I used the knowledge learned from previous sessions to help establish a base in which to start the rig.  However I quickly realised because of time constraints towards the end of this project I need to move quicker in order to get to animating the characters walk cycle, turnaround and third actions. For this I chose to auto rig the character. This does have its draw backs as a severe amount of weight painting is needed to full establish the characters movement when a controller is used. In addition,  I had to rig a completely new hand for the character as the auto rig did not achieve this. I then parented this up to the rig itself. Tomorrow , I will continue to weight paint and start blocking out the walk cycle for the character .

Day 3 - Character performance workshop with Sarah Perry 

In todays character performance session. We recorded reference video for the performance to establish key beats and posing for the characters. I found that this was instrumental in developing my idea. I had previously recorded a scenario of a news reporter and a member of the public. The member of the public would mimic the reporter and exaggerate the movements of the reporter before the reporter notices him. By having a bigger performance area it was better to establish framing for the characters as I wanted a character in the foreground and a character in the background to the left. The character in the foreground would take up the most of the frame to show that he is the focal point.I am looking forward to develop the performance of the character and begin the animation process.

Day 3 - open media lab session

Today I was able to finalise the rigging process. I finished the weight painting of the character. This was a painstaking process due to me not understanding the fundamentals of the mechanic at first. I had to paint weight back on ti each of the joints after testing the rig by moving limbs to areas I could use in the walk cycle. This process also helped how to establish any flaws in the topology as more edge loops were needed around specific joints like the knee and elbow. This is because pinching appeared around the back of the knee and the topology was going inside of itself. Furthermore, around the shoulder the weight under the strap had to be adjusted as it was being pulled by the chest. This caused it to cave in . I am looking forward to completing the walk cycle of my character as I feel I have rigged well.

Day 4 - The reflective essay 

In the essay discuss how you would animate the script

Demonstrate a range of research 

Explore relevant books, films, images, digital resources and critical texts

In your essay:identify the potential challenges of filming your script and how you would overcome them. Discuss how and why you revised and redrafted your creative work.

On your blog show your creative development from start to finish, e.g writing exercises, character profiling, beat sheet, outline etc.

In your essay reflect on the potential challenges of filming your script.

Demonstrate an understanding of screenplay style simple, clear, visual. 

Follow the basic rules of screenplay format

Tone and style: your reflective essay

You should write in an appropriate academic tone- citations and bibliographies required

However this is a reflective essay, can use first person and write about your own experiences as relevant to your creative process.

The reflective essay: 1000 words

Don’t explain Jekyll and Hyde 

Don’t explain the task 

Explain how your screenplay was inspired by the set text - themes ,transformation, names and characters, genre and particular lines incidents , images from the book.

Discuss your writing process- reflect on your journey from the first idea to the finished script- introduce evidence of wider research.-

Influences :

Peaky blinders

America in the 1920s

The godfather 

Al Capone and the mafia

The valentines day massacre

Tarantino 

Sam Mendes

The wolf of wall street - Jordan Belfort 

The construction in New York in the 1920s 

The sopranos 

Legend 

The cray twins

3. Discuss how you would film your screenplay. Eg:

Animation type - cg 

Aesthetic style - Pixar/Dream-works inspired

Choice of materials

Colour pallet - dark, dimly lit , black and white 

Soundtrack - typical to the time (1920s swing and jazz music, rat pac)

Lighting - dimly lit 

Intended audience- adults and teenagers

Would the script be easy or difficult to film ?

What challenges could you face?

How could your over come them?

The five stages of Tragedy

 Christopher booker the seven basic plots (2004)  defines the 5 stages of tragedy- sources at end of presentation. Tragedy tends to begin with a temptation

Anticipation stage 

Dream stage 

Frustration stage 

Nightmare stage 

Day 1 - Character Feedback Session with John : Jekyll and Hyde

In todays feedback session ,  John gave me constructive feedback on the two characters I had been working on over the Christmas break. Over the Christmas break I developed two turnarounds and took first hand reference of New York City. The two turnarounds comprised of both the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde characters and heavily drew influence from 1920s New York. The first character is a Wall Street accountant who enjoys playing poker as a hobby. For this character I tried to convey the sense of arrogance that I noticed when I was in New York from watching people walk by around me . John liked that I wanted to draw in a sort of Disney style as he thought the shape language I could convey would greatly benefit the character design as a whole. He also suggested that I should look into the type of fabrics used for the different classes within society and show how that would greatly effect the character design process as a whole. He also suggested that I focus more on the character itself first and later focus on the elements of the setting I had drawn as well. He also liked the silhouette and design of the next character ‘ Ace of Spades.’ Ace of Spades has a similar build to the accountant character as he is in duality with him. The major design difference is that the characters head is an Ace of spades that floats above the torso. Ace of spades is the character I have chosen to model as I feel like creating the Hyde personality will give me more options for the walk cycle and transformation sequence in Maya.

Furthermore, I began to model the character in z brush and started by using the mannequin Z sphere . I added two more Z spheres around the head two give more mass to the head and also establish the shape of the ace of spades early on in the process.  I then added the clay build up tool to establish key landmarks on the torso and began to create the form design on photoshop. Tomorrow I will further develop the model and begin to add further layers of detail onto the design as a whole.

Day 1- Group tutorial with Lindsey

In todays group tutorial I was able to explain my idea for the screenplay as well as show the character designs to Lyndsey. The feedback I received was that it was a good concept and focused heavily of the them of an angle and a devil within Stephensons novel. Lyndsey also suggested that I look at the five stages of a classic tragedy to fully help realise the structure of the narrative. She also gave an indication in into how I would write the dialogue within the scene and showed how I can use a montage within the script to show the progression of the character within the mob. I found this feedback very helpful and I will look to better structure my screenplay and develop the characters family before the incident with the mob itself.

Day 2- Open media lab modelling session

In todays open session made major improvement to the model of the my character. I decided to start again from scratch as I have found that this is the best way for me to improve. Using the skills I learned yesterday from the previous model I was able to quickly establish the land marks and key areas onto the body. I also found that I sculpted the head of my character much better than previous iterations as I was fully able to achieve the rounded curves around the base of the head. On the contrary I need to ask for support on how to fully detach the head away from the neck to give a true reflection of the character I had created in photoshop. This will also support the form of the torso as I am currently building up mass along the shoulder and towards the traps. But if I make the mass to large it will greatly effect the build of the character in relation to the head itself. By moving the head upwards I can complete the base of the ace of spades and begin to create the collar of the shirt for the character. Furthermore, I need to work on creating the hands for the character as they are too small and thin due to smoothness of the arm. I need to add more mass to the palm of the hand in order to establish positions for the fingers and thumb relative to it.

Day 3 - Introduction to Retopology 8th January 2020

In todays session with Adam I was introduced to retopology. For this we exported a head from Z-Brush to Maya. For this Adam advised not to scale as it transferred into Maya as this would mess up the high res sculpt created in Z brush. I started using the quad draw tool around the main landmarks of the eyes and mouth. By creating a loop around these this made it easier to connect up rather than starting from one point. I tried to not create triangle or have any gaps. As well as not having a 5 point intersection from quads as that would cause major issues when baking within Maya. I am looking forward to retopologising my own character after I have finished modelling.

Day 4 - Narrative strategies screenwriting

Preparation for screenplay- many screenwriters begin with a beat sheet often bullet pointed. The stories key events and incidents- anything that moves the story forward is a beat.

Preparation: the outline:

Written to help you visualise your story

A bit like a short story. Write in full sentences and paragraphs. No need for fancy language

Always third person, present tense

Flesh out each beat by adding detail and description

Try to think like a camera - don’t waste time on what can’t be shown or heard

Doesn’t (usually) include dialogue 

Can include slug line/ scene headings

Screenplay- 1000 words 

Reflective essay - 1000 words

Running time of a screenplay is estimated as 1 minute per formatted page

As a rough guide assume 150 to 220 words per page.

There is no set word count per page: it will vary depending on 

Dialogue

Scene action

Use of white space 

Formatting 

Screenplay written in Courier 12 point font 

Celtx and written duet is free screenwriting software

Show what works on screen as animation 

5 basic conventions

1.Give each new scene a heading or slug line - written in caps. 

INT/EXT interior and exterior 

Location 

Time of day

New scene begins with change in time or locations

2.Slug line is always followed by scene action/description(even if just a single sentence)

Scene action- the non dialogue bit of the script

All the actions and descriptions

Introduces and briefly describes characters and locations

Cover any other relevant scene’ business’

Keep description simple, clear, visual.always write in present tense

Limited to what we can see and hear on screen

Characters name in caps first time only 

Descriptions are brief

Lead the eye- show us visuals in logical order

Splitting the action is if you want to show a series of separate actions simply place each action on a new line

Montage is exactly the same layout 

Spec script is written for a reader. It rarely includes camera angles or scene transitions

However all scripts traditionally begin with fade in and end with fade out an the end

3. Dialogue layout 

Headed by the speakers name

Appears in a central column down the page 

Single spaced

Less is more -film is primarily a visual medium

Can be broken by lines of actions

4. Parenthetical's

To show who a character is talking to 

Or if tone contradicts meaning

Mainly used these days for little bits of action that occur during dialogue 

5.sound

V.O - voice over

O.S - offscreen not in shot

Day 1- Lecture with Lyndsey 

Brief- build a body of research and development work

Two part project - script and character design, both have to have an element of human anatomy 

Week 11-17 project

Including three week Christmas break

Requirement

Character research and development bible

Character reel 

Experimentation reel 

Reflective journal

Min three sequences 

-turnaround

Walkcycle walking across the scene 

Submission :focus on body mechanics

Character research and development bible

Research - imagery of anything and everything related to the character, artists research

thumbnails- silhouettes , contour , colour 

Colour- experimentation with cool schemes 

Posing - dynamic range of posing 

Construction- turnaround, core shapes , breakdown of rigging and mesh 

Can also have facial expressions and turnaround

For Monday - bring initial ideas 

Ba2a research: Narrative strategies 

In this unit you’ll take inspiration from a classic text to make an original screenplay suitable for animation.

Blog is required

Got to read strange case of dr jekyll and mr Hyde(1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson and create your own screenplay for an animated film inspired by the text.

Submission requirement 

1000 words creative text 

1000 word critical reflection 

Optional can submit concept art

Won’t be retelling the story of Jekyll and hide just keeping the them of duality.

Has to be a short film and tell a complete story- primarily visual 

Use the summaries of the novel 

Jekyll and Hyde - is an allegory- it has a deeper hidden meaning 

Day 2 - Jekyll and Hyde

In todays session we had an introduction into creating characters. Starting with a silhouette and moving through to add colour and then finalising. We chose the characters of Santa clause and Krampus. I found that this was a good introduction into how I could structure my initial designs for the Jekyll and Hyde project. I feel like I need to produce a mood board of the era I want to focus on as well as conduct research into the world itself at that time. I found the character designing process very organic in this session and tried to stay as loose as possible as this would allow more ideas to organically flow throughout. Silhouette will be a major factor in my character design for this project as a good silhouette is essential in good character design. This allows us to differentiate which character is which due to the shape language used within the silhouette.

Day 3 - Life Drawing

In todays life drawing session we focused on light and shade as well as perspective. The initial task was to draw the subject with the box 8 times with 7 minutes per pose. I found this quite easy in order to achieve the scale and proportions of the figure. However, I feel like the perspective of the box needs improvement. At times the scale of the box would be detrimental to the figure itself with some of the edges needing to be made larger in order to ensure that it was up to scale. The next was was a 30 minute light and ark drawing over a charcoal background. I started by blocking in the elements of light with a rubber and white chalk and this helped me to establish key landmarks around the face and upper torso.. I then added darker segments for shadows and used the charcoal base as a mid-tone. I am really happy with this piece and want to try and improve further in drawing facial features. 

Day 4- CG session 6th December 2019

Week 10 

Day 1- Z brush 

In todays Z brush tutorial we were introduced to understanding the anatomy of a subject as well as reintroduced to the fundamentals of the software. This was mainly an inductive session to understand how to navigate the menus and the various tools within the software.

Day 2- Z brush 

Week 8 

Day 1 - Motion graphics open session

In todays session I focused on the first scene again with the squares and ironed out the movement of objects within the squares themselves. I also altered the way some of the squares transition from one to another. I used trim paths to create the milk effect coming out of the the bottle as it turned over and poured into the glass. This then in turn made the liquid of the glass raise up through changing the path of a square I made at the base. Next I began to change into the final transition before the undersea split by using the null objects to manipulate the squares. This is so the final green square can transition with the cup into the undersea split scene. Tomorrow I will look into moving the cup through the undersea split scene and incorporating my groups assets into the sequence.

Day 2 - Motion Graphics open session

In todays motion graphics session I ironed out the early scenes by adding nuances to the motions for example in the building scene the building now push wide before straightening. I find this this makes the piece overall more dynamic and differentiates it from others in the group. I also changed how the grass interacts on the scene it now moves up and down to accommodate the buildings movements. With the the addition of clouds I was in the background I feel like that this completes the scene well. Next I worked on the end of the squares scene with the introduction of the coffee cup sliding into frame with the speed lines. I used trim paths to create the speed lines and parented the lid of the cup to the up itself so when it transitions to the undersea split sequence it seems seamless. To do this I had the cup fall out and into the next frame. The difficulty I had with this sequence was the change in colour according to the story board the cup lid had to change from white to blue . For this I just quickly changed the colour as the green square moved out fo shots. In addition for the undersea split sequence I added a liquid inside the cup as seen on the storyboard as well as bubble that floated upward in the scene. For the liquid I added a square inside the cup and just changed the path as the cup rotated down the scene. Finally I added my groups assets to the beach scene. Tomorrow I will finalise the last transition to make it a loop and fine tune the remaining motion in the piece.

Day 3 - Motion Graphics

In todays session I completed the motion graphics task by finishing the remaining transitions between the scenes as well as adding final refinement to objects within scenes. The first thing in the session was to complete the looped ending of the scene for this I cut the start of the first scene and placed it after the beach scene. I then parented the this scene to the beach scene and moved the position of it so it was above the composition. After this I duplicated the scene and reversed what I had cut and placed this at the start of the main composition. I then used the position tool to time the final scene coming not frame and matching it up with the start with the ruler tool.

I was also introduced in this session to pinning the fish to enable them to swim as an alternative to placing them on a path. However I opted against using this in my final composition as I have only just became aquatinted to the tool and had already made my fish move with the rotation and position tool. I can see the benefits of using this tool as it would allow me to rig character within after effects moving their limbs at joints like the elbow, wrist and shoulder.

Next I added the light to the cup as it descended into the sea. For this I added a white square that would act as the highlight and parented this to the cup so it followed the movement of the cup. I then used the path tool to bring the highlight back down to the cup.So it was directly onto of it. I then duplicated the cup layer and mat tracked this layer to the highlight. This then allowed it to fit inside the cup outline. I think that this adds to the overall aesthetic of the piece and highlights the importance of the cup itself as we begin to track its descent to the bottom of the ocean. It is clearly distinguished from the other objects floating down and the fish themselves.

Finally I addition position and rotation changes to the remaining objects in the square scenes. This allowed them to wobble between transitions. I started with the rotation of one object and rotated it from left to centre and then to the right hand side. On each of the left and right sides I moved the position upwards so it appeared that the objects was on its corners almost teetering so it is on its corners. For the central rotation I pinned the base of the object to the bottom of the square. I repeated this process on each of the objects by copying the rotation key frames and fixing the position key frames afterwards. I found that this adds speed to the overall transitions and helps add another dimension to fixed objects instead of them shuffling like a deck of flat cards. Furthermore I added the text to each of the scenes I added the typewriter effect from effects and presets which spelled the word out of a series of two key frames. I then adjusted the key frames so it would speed the word out and retract it with reference to the scene itself.

Overall , I feel more confident in my ability to use after effects as I feel I have grasped the key fundamentals and tools within the software. I found that at times this project was frustrating due to the amount of controls within the software through both the null objects and the timers in place.I am happy with the outcome due to the perseverance used within the project and the speed of each of the transitions.

Day 4 - Individual tutorial with John 

Day 1 - Sound design

In todays sound design session I decided to focus heavily on the Kubo clip. I began to layer up sounds for the later part of the clip as I had the footsteps completed previously. By doing this I was able to complete the part of the paper man folding and flying through the gap. The choice of sound for this was a flag in the wind as well as paper crunching. By doing this it gave the sense of folding paper as he folds up into a square. The next part was to create the sound of the wall falling down after the beetle character pushes into it. For this I layered an impact sound as he hits the wall and the landslide sounds to create the sound of a crashing wall. I feel like I got the timing correct in the two places of impact and this shows the power of the character as he pushes through the wall. Finally I added more crashing sounds to the end of the clip as the floor begins to fall through.

Day 1- Inanimate object media lab session 

Today I altered my animation as a result of feedback from John. For this I moved the forks rotation forward so the full celebration is now onscreen. Furthermore, by doing this I made sure the motion into the slide is more fluid by removing a key frame as the fork steps into the slide. I then delayed the keepers key frames so he falls later as well as adding animation to the start of the sequence. This animation includes the fork that is away from the wall looking around and the keeper preparing himself by jumping up and down as we’ll as looking around the wall to the left. Finally I began to change the lighting so there is more of a night time feel to it. For this I added a purple and blue area light to the back of the scene. By doing this a night time aesthetic is established and the light generated in the scene is from the reflections on the surfaces of the characters and the table top itself. Finally I added the same texture that is on the side of the wall to the back wall behind the fridge. I did this because I was struggling to light the back of the scene behind the fridge. SO by doing this the light reflects of it and overall enhances the look of the scene.

Day 2- Zbrush induction

Today I was introduced to the Z Brush software and found it very intuitive to use compared to modelling in Mudbox. I found that it was easier to manipulate shapes with the various amounts of brushes available compared to mud boxes limited pallet. I also found that it was easier to navigate than Maya itself. This was especially noticeable with the eyes of the character as I easily mirrored the object and created the eyelid of the duck I was making. I am looking forward to using Z brush more in the future for the upcoming projects.

Day 2- Motion Graphics Media lab session 

In todays session I was able to complete the undersea split sequence. For this I added motion the the waves from left to right by changing their position . I also changed the timing of when the light blue ship changes to a cone as this needed amending from previous iterations. By doing this the square is changed later as this now allows the debris to fall down on screen. With the debris I made the paths of some of the objects move into the darker part of the background so they disappear. For the later part of the pan down I used the position and path tool to offset the fish so they move at different times for them to swim through the debris. I found that having the fish at different speed it added to the authenticity of the piece as fish swim at different speeds. I am looking forward to working on the later part of the animation and stitching the scenes together through transitions.

Day 3 - Motion Graphics 

In todays motion graphics session I focused on the transition between scenes of the under sea split and the beach scene. I was also briefed on the collaborative aspect of the task by importing new assets into the each scene which my peers ad created. For the transition between scenes we had to create a wave that flowed from the bottom of the screen towards the top which acts as a clear. We used the wave form effect to create the depth and width of the waves and used a null object to manipulate them all in tandem. This was quite easy to complete but  I found difficulty in matching the timing of the wave coming down off the screen and making the objects appear behind it. Eventually I feel that I delayed the waves enough that it appears to drag the objects onto the shore. I now need to complete more transition between the scenes and animate the cup falling down the undersea split scene.

Day 4 - CG introduction to rigging

Day 1- Film language Lecture

Match cuts in film editing - the art of hiding the edit 

Match cut refers too when a director cuts from one scene to a completely different scene, but keeps objects from the two scenes graphically matched so as to establish continuity and flow. When the placement of objects in the frame is (relatively) identical before and after the cut, you’ve got a composition match cut. This is arguably the most common type of match cut you’ll see. You can simply lock down a tripod and shoot two or more different scenes from the same spot,

Graphical match - a visual element is carried from one shot to the next shot

Sound cut - shot changes when a sound occurs. Also known as sound bridge.

this cut is all about matching a sound that’s occurring in both shots, also known as a sound bridge. It can be the same sound or something that blends in nicely with the clip you’re transitioning to. The TV show Angie Tribeca‘s first season was all about this in the opening credits.

Action cut - gets from room to room . Cuts on action from character or from one location to another. This type of match cut often goes hand in hand with the previous one. An action match cut refers to when the action or movement within the frame is matched, regardless of whether it’s shot in the same place or time, or even with the same framing/composition. This can refer to either the camera movement (pan, tilt, dolly, etc), or the movement of something in the frame. 

sources:

https://tubularinsights.com › match-cut

Creative Match Cut Examples & Editing Techniques for Your Next Shoot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptXlYulVAsM

Cuts & Transitions 101

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAH0MoAv2CI

Match Cuts in Film Editing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El28XrjtcMI

Video Essay: Continuity Editing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6otVm1YNI0

https://blog.pond5.com/21323-5-types-of-match-cuts-and-how-to-use-them-well/

https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/8-essential-cuts-every-editor-should-know/

Day 1 - Sound design 

In todays session we placed emphasis on ambient sound in a piece. We were given a clip from Kubo and the two strings ad had to add footsteps swell as other noises. I found  that when adding the footsteps it was good to time them out with the character. By giving each of the characters a different sounding walk it helped to distinguish the weight of each of the characters. I especially liked the sound I placed on the beetle character as he had a classier walk due to the length of his legs. The sound I used was the walking on marble as this helped emphasise the boots he was wearing. Next we adding the sound of the waterfall and used the reverb to make it sound distant as the camera cut to the angle of the close up for the characters. The lecturer said that when doing sound on the piece it is best to start with the dialogue and move up . This then establishes the overall volume of the piece. Finally we added the sound of the room as it was introduced in the scene. For this I used the wind sound and placed the endless tunnel reverb setting on it.  The changes the tone of the animation as the new setting appears sinister. I am hoping to continue my work on sound design and finish both the clips on the iron giant and Kubo.

Day 2/3- Inanimate objects 

Over the past two days I have been able to make major headway with my animation using the feedback given by John previously. I Was able to add the run too the celebration however he now goes off screen and returns back on screen. I feel like this doesn’t work as well as having him onscreen the entire time and for this I will need to adjust the x positioning of the character. Furthermore the character appears to stop when jumping into the slide so I need to rectify this by not pausing and making one continuous motion. This will therefore add more momentum into the run pushing him into the slide itself. From previous feedback I now added more of a twist to the spoons jumping as the ball flies past them. I am struggling into delaying the keepers jump in relation to when the ball is kicked and so I need to move the key frames further along the timeline. However I am cautious as to will this effect the overall tone of the piece as I want to portray the keep as being so close to the ball almost like the keeper has a hand to the ball but it still goes in. John suggests I add more of a delay so the keeper completely misses the ball as it hits the back of the net. I will try this variation and see if it works better overall.

I also started my first render pass of the animation I have rendered 230 frames of the animation so far and plan to render more next week. However I am tweaking the animation slightly on Tuesday to accommodate the feedback given by John and so will render another run through of the animation after the changes have been made.

Day 4- Motion Graphics

In todays motion graphics session we focused on the later part of the sequence where the cup floats down to the bottom of the ocean. For this we had to create a long body of artwork in illustrator so that we could pan down in after effects. I didn’t realise that after effects was useful in camera movements and this greatly helped my understanding of how motion graphics are created. I started by creating the pan by changing the position of the scene from one point to another, I also added a key frame to emphasise the change in water level as we first enter the ocean. Next I began to animate the individual objects in the scene to float down with the pan this really enhance the piece however fine tuning is needed to fully show the understanding of the movement of these objects. 

Day 5 - Introduction to rigging

Today we had an introductory workshop into rigging in Maya. The first task was to grasp how add joints into a Christmas hat . For this I went into front view and placed 5 joints down the centre of the hat. The next step was to connect the ht to the joints with the skin tool. By doing this the joints will move the hat at the specific points. However there were issues where the hat didn’t have enough weight at the base so I had to paint more weight onto it. The next step was to parent the joints to a controller by doing this it was easier to move the hat and creates a web mechanism which helps the overall solidity of the object. I parented child to parent so joint to the controller. Finally I parented each of the controllers to each other and this allows each of the controllers to work as one or individually. 

 Day 1 - sound introduction

In today sound introduction we had to adjust the sound of a clip from the iron giant. I found that this was beneficial in creating sound for my animations. This was because I was able to add other sounds on the timeline instead of the existing sound track. I was able to cut and adjust the pitch of the sounds. In addition to layering the sounds up to create a more realistic explosion for when the iron giant shoots.

Day 1- Film language group tutorial

In todays group tutorial I was able to get feedback on the research I have been completing for the essay. I found this quite helpful as I was able to present my finding and get feedback rom the group. The feedback was that the two scenes I had selected from Dunkirk and Battle of the bastards( game of thrones) long takes were good to compare as they had two different tones. One being in the battle itself the other is just before and shows the scale of the beach itself. 

Day 2 - Sound room introduction

In todays sound room introduction we learned how to record sound both with voice acting and foley sound using audacity. I was chosen as one of the voice actors and found it very enjoyable to read the script to the clip and record my voice. It is fascinating how sound can help create emotion within the piece and by using my accent instead of the actors how the tone changed within the clip. I am looking forward to using this to help my future animations.

Day 2 - media lab work 

In todays session I was able to rectify the camera movement which was a key element of feedback from the group tutorial. By doing this I delayed the time the camera moves on the step up to the ball , the camera begins to track after the forks movement. Furthermore, this adds more speed to the ball itself which I also changed. For the grape I began to add the physics of how it would move in the air after it was struck. After watching Roberto carls’s free kick once again I rotated the ball on the z axis to create the topspin on the ball swell as rotating it clockwise to show the curve of the ball as it spins back into frame. Finally I changed the slide of the character so there was more weight to it. For this I added more key frames at the start of the motion. Also at the start I added the anticipation of the fork jumping into the knee slide. This adds to the weight of the character as it gives him the momentum to move through the slide. Th slide begins to slow down toward the end and this is where the fork realistically falls off the edge of the table. I have made the fork clatter against the table edge after it has slipped off. This then forces the fork to rotate and fall out of shot. I am looking forward to adding the light and rendering out the piece intake for the deadline.

Day 3- Life Drawing

In today’s life drawing session we focused on a clothed subject. I found this extremely difficult as clothes overlap the subject. At first because we had a spotlight I couldn’t see my pencil marks properly so’s switched to charcoal for the initial 6 minute drawings. I found that I was drawing the head too large in proportion to the rest of the body and so tried to rectify it in later drawing. The next task was to draw the subject for the remaining part of the session.This was quite easy to do as I blocked out the proportions well especially around the face. I find myself focusing heavily on the face in every life drawing session as it is something I want to continually improve to help show expression.

Day 3 - Motion Graphics Introduction 

In todays workshop we were introduced to the new motion graphics brief using pre designed assets. We have to move between the storyboards seamlessly using innovative

Ve transitions. The first part was to move three buildings from the bottom of the screen up and make the traffic move. To make the traffic move I drew round the template using the pen tool and animated one line moving from right to left. I then added a wiggle to the cars which helped the overall motion of the traffic. Next I duplicated and offset the three cars so that there appeared to be a constant flow of traffic. The next part was to create a transition from scene 2 to scene 3. To do this I transformed the square in the top right so it began to fit three quarters of the screen. I also used the null object tool to move the remaining squares off the screen. I found that this transition worked well as the square that grows larger it pushes the squares off screen and the final three squares helped the transition into scene 3

Day 4 - Media lab Session with John 

In todays session I was able to restructure my entire composition for the animation. I moved the wall itself over to the right had side. This allows the bend and dip of the free kick to be emphasised more.In addition this allows more exaggeration to be placed on the goalkeepers jump and dive as he now moves from the left hand side of the goal and falls towards the right hand side of the goal. I also introduced a cut into the camera movement to satisfy the brief. One more cut is needed to show the three camera shots , close , medium and wide. However I struggled to implement this as every time I moved the animation along the timeline things will become out of place. To counter this I need to create a new scene and establish the cut from that position after a full render in after effects.

Furthermore, I was able to add little nuances to the characters themselves after the ball is kicked the fork leans to the right as he begins to watch the ball fly into the top corner. The wall also jumps and begins to look towards the balls trajectory. I find by adding these details it fully enhances the piece and incorporates he elements of research I have been watching where individual players react differently to the scenario itself.

Areas of development will be to make the wall of spoons to turn further on the jump to fully establish the reaction. The next part is to delay the keeper so as he jumps he is late to the ball. At the moment the keeper appears to save the ball , he does fall before the ball hits but it will benefit the piece more if he is late. In addition, I need to add a run around for the celebration to give more momentum to the character when he slides. 

Day 4 - Lecture with Steven Ong

Specialises in after effects

Work out of your comfort zone 

Started freelance 

Then became a junior creative