catshawanimates - Tumblr blog

[catshawanimates]

Almost all of the frames I animated for this film, some are on A3 pages, because I had some issues getting hole-punched paper towards the end of term 

[catshawanimates]

undefined

Sound Design

Around March I got in touch with a sound designer who’s brilliant, Jack Ridley, he understands the project really well, and during all the meetings we’ve had he’s contributed ideas of his own and just generally got what the film’s about which is great.

I sent animatics back and forth whilst the sound-scape was figured out, and about 3 weeks before the deadline I sent him a time-locked version of the film, not fully rendered at all but with annotations for where sound should go (see above).

He got a draft back to me the week before the deadline (which is the sound in the version of the film I submitted for this course), however personal stuff also came up for him that weekend at the last minute, which meant that the sound for the submission isn’t finished. We’ll keep on working on it for the filmhouse screening however, because I think its essential for getting the mood of the film right. I like the rain at the beginning especially, but the final soundtrack won’t be as minimal.

[catshawanimates]

Library Details 

I’ve been scheduling meetings with alan and nichola as the film’s been coming together to go over just making sure that the film doesn’t have any glaring incoherencies.

The latest meeting with Alan he suggested that what was missing is the library sort of reaching out to the main character more, it is after all meant to be alive, I’m hoping that the shifting nature of the environment in the final submitted version of the film will convey some of that but I’ve also in this last week added some of the above environment elements, to show an example of what will fill the film when I properly finish it, as I’m going to keep working on it after I’ve submitted.

I planned for the library to be full of these small animated details, the above ones hopefully convey what I’m going for, though I ran out of time.

[catshawanimates]

Ending

I ran out of time, but to clarify the very ending of the film, I would (and will) add a few frames following MC as he goes up the royal mile, looking around at just regular morning Edinburgh, admiring it as he did the last few spaces in the library, showing that his eyes have been opened. I’ll also add a sort of lightening effect over the roofs that the sunglasses bouncer guy points to, as he’s pointing to the dawn rising.

[catshawanimates]

continued notebook pages

[catshawanimates]

Above is the notebook I used throughout production to keep track of things, what shots I had left to do, notes on improvements and meetings and so on. I used it along side the many iterations of the Gent chart I set up at the end of last term. I managed to stick to it for the first few months, but in practice I realised I work better going through each task consecutively rather than each shot.

Above is also the set up I had at home for animating, which Is what I spent the vast majority of this term doing. The line-tester was lent from Uni.

Also post-it notes, they’ve been absolutely invaluable

[catshawanimates]

undefined

27 04 21 

I’ve been able to get into the studio to do some linetesting and the difference in quality both in the amount of work I get done and the capture quality of the cameras in department is Shockingly improved, I’ve started putting those frames into the timeline, as well as added an ending.

[catshawanimates]

undefined

20 April 2021

This is where I’m currently at, 

The ending is missing frames but I’ve run out of paper. I’m getting more on Thursday and will finish the last gaps in the animation by the end of this week.

The compositing of frames onto backgrounds needs a lot of work but once i figure out the best method it can just be copied to all the animation really quickly. 

I’m very concerned about the fact that this film is meant to be sort of 50% character animation and 50% environment animation, but the character animation took far longer than expected, and so has become the main focus. I’m going to spend all of next week editing environment elements into the film, to bring what I originally intended into the story, but I’m happy with how the animation thats there has turned out. If the film doesn’t end up being finished to the standard I planned, I’m going to work with it through summer to bring all the notions I wanted into the library, because, as I couldn’t go into department all this term I think my film has suffered quite a lot.

[catshawanimates]

undefined

28 March 21

This and last week I worked on getting the rough animation and a few keys done for as much of the film as possible, as well as thinking through some possibilities for shadow textures with Mike

Above is all the work I’ve done currently cut together, Ive got to fine tune the editing and compositing thats still a work in progress, but it’s good to see the film on a timeline

next week I plan to fill the gaps that i’ve got to the same level as everything else there, so that I can send a fully timed film to my sound designer, and then the next three weeks will be spent doing inbetweens and smoothing out the compositing.

It’s been a good learning process getting into a system of producing each scene, its kind of made me realise that you can plan to a great extent but theres always things that come up in production anyway, you cant plan for everything.

[catshawanimates]

undefined

I’m going for working my whole film up to a draft level, then improving it layer by layer, so hopefully by the end of march I’ll have a fully timed film, and I’ll spend april fleshing out the animation.

I didnt manage to do a composite scene, but thats next week’s job

[catshawanimates]

undefined

Another part of the first entrance

[catshawanimates]

undefined

Shot in progress of the first scene in the library

[catshawanimates]

undefined

Continuing the Stairs animation, just roughly placing everything

[catshawanimates]

undefined

[catshawanimates]

22/2/21

A collection of the planning and logistical work I’ve been doing for the film over the this term 

[catshawanimates]

undefined

15/02/21

Progress on the animation so far, I’m just roughly cutting together everything I’ve generated. After a reaally slow January I do feel like I’m getting into the swing of things, but I need to get a move on with the MAYA content. 

I should be getting a rostrum later in the week, so I’ll be able to properly linetest and shoot frames which is brilliant.

[catshawanimates]

undefined

Lineup Layer Test