Week 9 Part 1

The requirement of production stills proved invaluable in finalising the style of the animation. The methods of animation and realisation of the characters had already been finalised but the backgrounds still needed some experimentation. Below is an unaltered screen shot taken from the 3dsmax model.

There was a decent amount of 'moody' lighting present in the 3ds max model but the emphasis was not placed on the right areas of the shot. Also the main plot device (a light appearing at the end of walkway) was not present to the extent required by the narrative. In order to achieve this, a strong 'S' curve was applied tot he image, as well as heavy use of the dodge and burn tools. Finally, a very light 'poster edges' filter was overlaid on top of the image so the flash generated characters looked more at home within the shot. This was the result:

Week 8 Part 2

The final poster i the series is to be an extreme close up of Nihl's eye in which instead being in the background, the environment will be reflected in Nihl's eye. Below is a Prelim using a concept of Nihl that had been painted for the progress submission.

In order to complete the poster, I highly detailed version had to be painted with the graphics tablet which required much layering and light correction to get the creases and wrinkles required to convey nervousness. Finally, an image of elephant skin was warped and multiplied over the painted layers to give a final touch of organicism.

Week 8 Part 1

With the posters for the media package, a very subdued style will be used in contrast to the animation, which is all about the big ‘reveals’ of its two characters. Initially, seraphi was be placed very dominantly over each poster, albeit very opaque, however, it was suggested the character be left off the posters entirely. In order to create a cohesive series of posters, Nihl will be featured in various scales throughout. A very opaque environment shot will also be used in order to provide context to the posters.

Below is a bonus poster that was not submitted because its simplicity was inconsistent with others

Week 7 Part 2

Some possible final touches for the animation could include the rough distortion of the frames as if the 'camera' is not working properly. Distorted images such as the ones shown below could be overlaid the final animation, briefly flickering to heighten the sense of unease that heightened throughout the animation. This and other techniques are intended to make the animation slightly more abrasive and rough around the edges.

Week 7 Part 1

These are some more precedents for my animation. They are taken from 'The Animatrix' series of short films and illustrate the highly stylised, moody feel I am trying to achieve with my animation. This is typified by painted backgrounds with slightly more 'cartoonish' characters in the foreground as well as very deep and contrasting shadows.

Week 6 Part 2

Other areas of criticism centred around the composition of shots in the story board and animatic. Possibly the biggest change required in the submission will be the application of the various cinematic techniques shown to us in the lectures (such as use of the golden ratio and framing the focal point of the shots with deep shadows). This will require an alteration of the 3ds Max model from which the backgrounds will be taken. Also, more reaction shots of Nihl are required to better communicate when the viewer is seeing Nihl's POV or a simple shot of the environment.

Week 6 Part 1

Progress submission on Tuesday. Undoubtedly the most difficult section of the submission were the test animations. Seraphi's required use of bones to manage the animation of so many different pieces as shown below. All the pieces were individually painted in photoshop. Managing the layers and armatures proved difficult at first but once they were established the smooth 'float cycle' achieved the desire effect for Seraphi.

Nihl had to be completely hand drawn for every frame. The final product; however, lacked emotion, failing to convey they fear mixed with curiosity that Nihl will exhibit throughout the animation. More experimentation needs to be done in animating a realistic scuttle. After the presentation, the design of Nihl was criticised as not evoking the sympathy intended for the characters. Although the criticism is valid, I believe the correct feel of the character can be achieved through the correct animation and does not require a re-design of the character.