Making the Composition

After creating the backgrounds of the scenes, I arranged the film shot-by-shot with directions of what actions and characters were included in each scene. I started working on the individual character animation. I wanted to do it with frame-by-frame drawings rather than animating it entirely digitally using Toon Boom or After Effects. I began drawing the individual characters in static poses on white paper with no background details, then duplicating them; changing their positions with small increments. I used my Pinflair lightbox for this, which made copying each drawing much less labour-intensive. A small example of one of the actions I made a sequence for is shown below (note: they are not in order).

After this, I scanned each image consecutively into my computer, and imported them to Photoshop where I traced them, cleaning up the lines and added colour. I saved each sequence as a single PS file with multiple folders containing each of the images, so that I could import them into Toon Boom.

In Toon Boom Animate Pro, I created a new project with the dimensions that I wanted my film to be. I then had to import each image that I required to be an element in the shot, and arrange them in order of view. I got the hang of using the software pretty quickly, although there are a lot of elements too it that I still do not yet understand, and I feel I could improve my workrate and output if I invested in expanding my knowledge of the software and interface. In Toon Boom, I keyed in the frames one-by-one; which was quite labour intensive! Although, the final output looked great so I was happy with it in the end.

After everything has been finished up in Toon Boom and exported as a .mov file, some of the shots needed to go to After Effects for some further editing. Here, I made small changes like adjusting Brightness and Contrast, adding a zoom effect or combining the footage with particles for rain, etc.  This process was much quicker than using Toon Boom, but I prefer the visual look of keyframed, frame-by-frame animation than just using After Effects for all the manipulation.

Finally, all of the finished footage was imported into a project in Premiere Pro to edit it together. Here, I worked on perfecting the specific timings of each of the shots. I added transitions between some of the shots where appropriate. Many of the technicalities of the software I was unsure of, so I watched a few YouTube tutorials yet again on the subject. As well as cutting and sticking the video together, I also was able to finally add the audio files onto the footage. One track contained the music piece that Chris had sent me, which I left completely unchanged. To the other track I added sound effects such as rainfall, a moving train and a door closing. I used them sparsely but, I hope, effectively.

When I was happy with the final output I exported the entire thing as a .mov quicktime file at 25 fps, with dimensions of 1280x720. I am fairly happy with the finished product, though there are some minor things that I am unsatisfied with that I would change given more time.

Inserting the Sound

Thankfully, just in time for my animation to be due, Chris delivered the final music piece to me. This one was my favourite of all of them by far, and I was very pleased to be able to use it with my animation. I think it captures the mood of the poem and the emotions I am trying to convey very well. It is especially tailored to the visuals, so the highs and lows, changes in tempo and pauses mimic the action on screen.

As well as this recorded music track, I wanted to include some sampled sound effects to the piece. My idea was to keep them very sparse, so only use about 5 or 6 in the entire compositions: just enough to enhance the narrative and visuals but without being any kind of a focal point. The sound clips I downloaded from freesfx.co.uk, which is all completely free and royalty free, which was great to find. On the website I discovered an entire bank of sound clips to choose from, and each one met my specific needs very well.

In order to add the sound files onto the visuals, I had to learn methods of combining the two with software. As I have never really worked with sound before, I thought this would be a challenge for me. As I was using Adobe Premiere Pro to edit the entire short's final output, I watched some videos online about using Premiere Pro for sound editing. I found the process relatively simple, and I picked up the technical knowledge quickly.

Complete animatic

I created a complete (or as complete as I could) animatic. I did not want to dedicate too much time to it, so I spent just one whole day in the library and completed it, from start to finish. Although it is very simple and unrefined, I was quite proud of myself for achieving this in such a short space of time. I used Photoshop to create still of each of the main shots of action, and animated it by exporting as a quicktime file.

I mainly used my tablet for drawing directly onto the screen, and I kept details to a minimum by doing very rough sketches and leaving out backgrounds of scenes.

When I was finished I discovered at the whole piece came in at only 1:20, instead of the required 2 minutes for the brief. I will have to think of places in the animation that I can extend the length by slowing down the pacing; or else add another short scene onto the end. I still have yet to think about the credit sequence at the end of the film and how I want to display that.
I sent the final animatic to Chris so that he can tailor the music better to the timing. I'm looking forward to it all coming together in the end.

I used some stills from my favourite animations as examples for planning some of the shots. Examples include  Julia Pott's work.

animatic whole 2 from Cal McLoughlin on Vimeo.

New Music

A few days ago, Chris got in touch with me again about the music. This time he had created a longer version of the soundtrack music. This one starts the same as the previous version, but changes halfway through and becomes lighter and more uplifting. He wants to me to send him the correct timings of all of the actions in the animation so that he can tailor the music better to suit it. I think I will create a detailed animatic using Photoshop so that he can see for himself the precise positions of all of the shots within the storyline.

Presentation

Tomorrow I have to give a short presentation to my animation class about the proposal for my animated piece. I prepared a slideshow to run through with all of the class. It contains minimal annotations, as I plan to talk a lot over the slides. I included as many visual references as possible and kept it concise. I even went as far as creating a sound-cloud account so that I can play Chris' music to the class as part of the presentation.

First Sound Draft

My friend Chris sent me a first rough draft of the sound production. It is the soundtrack that will be used at the start of the animation, in the more melancholic scenes. He has said he will continue to work on it and refine it, and send me later versions of it soon. I am getting pretty excited now!

'Bounce' Version 1, Chris Barker

Completed (Yet Unfinished) Storyboard

Using the template provided on Study Direct by our course tutors, I created a very basic initial storyboard. It finishes earlier than I intended my plot to finish, so I will have to supplement it later with additional pages. I created it in Photoshop with my pen and tablet input, and typed all of the text. I tried to include both plot description, and lighting, sound effects, camera angles and movements.

Storyboard Preparation

Today I started work on my storyboard for my animation. I have to hand the completed work in was part of my first assessment, due on 31st October. I have an un-outlined idea of a few key concepts and plot points for the piece, but I do not know yet how to sort them into a linear narrative. I started to draw a few randomly chosen frames in Adobe PhotoShop with my tablet. They are as of yet not in chronological order, but I will piece them together on the storyboard sheet when I get a clearer idea in my head of the plot as a whole. I want to look back at my completed readings to reference while doing this and to get some tips.

Animation Session 6: Sound

In today's session we spoke mainly about the feature of soundscapes and music in film, specifically animation. Sound guides the perception of image of a viewer, and influences the way they perceive the visuals presented to of them. Music is a trans-cultural language. There are two main rhythms in a piece; one from visuals and one from audio. An example of soundtrack music we were treated to by our tutor was from 'Peter and the Wolf.' The audio is very dramatic and clearly adds to the narrative - it has a distinctive mood and feel, and features highs, lows, climaxes, drops and other narrative features. It was recommended that we complete a sound moodboard to complement our storyboard, which plans the points at which the sounds heighten and drop, and how they will add to the visual narrative.

'Salad fingers' was given as an example of atmospheric music, which is used in the background, is not very lyrical or distinctive, but evokes some emotion in the viewer.
Some music, such as in Norman McLaren's 'Neighbours,' combines different elements as senses, like smell, feel and sight and suggests a feeling of them.
If I were to use mouth action or voice overs in my animated piece, it would have to be very precise, and so would be very difficult to do. I have decided to not include any vocals, and just have music and sound effects rather than monologue or dialogue in the soundscape.

What is the effect of adding audio to a narrative? What does it contribute?


Application to my own project
In the poem 'Love After Love,' not much action takes place. The music that features should be melodic and gentle, rather than dramatic with many highs and lows. Because my piece will start of with a sense of hopelessness, I want to create a sombre, forlorn, lacklustre mood with the soundtrack. It will be slow and match the visuals of the unhappy protagonist. As the mood grows lighter and the main character's spirits lift up, I want to make the music lighter and more cheery, perhaps evoking springtime and lively feelings like the music in 'Peter and the Wolf.' I know my friend who is composing the music works mainly in acoustics

'Love After Love' by Derek Walcott

A friend studying English Literature suggested the poem 'Love After Love' by Derek Walcott to me when I explained my predicament about now connecting with any poetry for the brief. It is one of her personal favourites, and it struck a significant chord with me also when I read it.

The time will come 
when, with elation 
you will greet yourself arriving 
at your own door, in your own mirror 
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
 
and say, sit here. Eat. 
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart t
o itself, to the stranger who has loved you 

all your life, whom you ignored 
for another, who knows you by heart. 
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf, 

the photographs, the desperate notes, 
peel your own image from the mirror. 
Sit. Feast on your life. 

I have already begun to think of characters who could act as the protagonist, and the narration that might go along with a poem like this. 
I asked an open question to all my friends on my social networking sites if any musicians work well with composition, and if so, would they be interested in assisting me with the soundtrack for my piece. I received a few responses, one in particular was from my friend Chris who is a singer and plays guitar. He was eager to get involved, and so I showed him the poem and together we have agreed to come up with a mood and feel of the sounds to use. He will then compose a short piece with this direction.

Animation Session 2: Round-up

The topic of this week's session was the genre and narrative of animation. To come up with a starting point for the concept of our animated piece, we were asked to consider our backgrounds and our cultural heritage, as well all the animation that has influenced us previously. I came up with a quick brainstorm of the elements that might influence my initial concept based on what we learned in class.

We discussed genre in animated films, and each had to offer our own favourite type up to the class in discussion. We learned that any story we tell must have a narrative structure of a beginning, middle and end. The protagonist is introduced in the beginning, and the scene is set. Conflict is present in the middle, which may lead to a confrontation. The turning point that creates a resolution is at the climax, between the middle and end, and then finally everything is tied up in the conclusion.

We discussed a few different plot types that might be present in the narration:

Energetic/ Action/ Goal Oriented: protagonist strives to attain a goal

Ensemble: when multiple protagonists are present

Daisy Chain

Repeated Action: eg. Groundhog Day

Character Driven

The Brief

For our creative project, we are required to conceive, research and execute an animation with sound that responds to one of our provided project briefs. Reading through each of them, I decided that brief #1 suits my animation tastes and abilities the best.The idea of basing an animated piece on my own interpretation of a poem really does engage me, and I hope it will lead to the development of a strong project. The animation needs to respond to ideas I have drawn from tutorials workshops and from study I have undertaken, as shown on this process blog.

Brief #1: Animated Story

Devise an animation with sound in response to a poem of your choosing. It should not be a literal transcription, but instead convey a personal response to the overarching qualities of the chosen poem.

I decided to start researching poems by some of my favourite poets, so see if I could find any with themes that particularly resonated with me or a subject matter that provoked an emotional response.
I read through poems of Richard Brautigan - but all were too short and often had an explicit or adult subject matter. Seamus Heaney's poetry was set in too fixed a location and with too definite a narrative of a storyline. Nothing in the works of Sylvia Plath resonated particularly with me. I had the feeling that I wanted to deal with mythology of some sort; for my subjects to be in the natural world yet perhaps with creatures of locations constructed from my imagination, as Miyazaki does in 'Nausicaa.'

Amoretti LV: So oft as I her beauty do behold 

Edmund Spenser

So oft as I her beauty do behold,

And therewith do her cruelty compare,

I marvel of what substance was the mould

The which her made at once so cruel-fair.

Not earth; for her high thoughts more heavenly are:

Not water; for her love doth burn like fire:

Not air; for she is not so light or rare:

Not fire; for she doth freeze with faint desire.

Then needs another element inquire

Whereof she might be made; that is, the sky.

For to the heaven her haughty looks aspire,

And eke her love is pure immortal high.

   Then since to heaven ye likened are the best,

   Be like in mercy as in all the rest.

A Dream Pang

I had withdrawn in forest, and my song
Was swallowed up in leaves that blew alway;
And to the forest edge you came one day
(This was my dream) and looked and pondered long,
But did not enter, though the wish was strong:
You shook your pensive head as who should say,
‘I dare not—too far in his footsteps stray—
He must seek me would he undo the wrong.

Not far, but near, I stood and saw it all
Behind low boughs the trees let down outside;
And the sweet pang it cost me not to call
And tell you that I saw does still abide.
But ’tis not true that thus I dwelt aloof,
For the wood wakes, and you are here for proof. 

Robert Frost

On Looking Up by Chance at the Constellations

You'll wait a long, long time for anything much
To happen in heaven beyond the floats of cloud
And the Northern Lights that run like tingling nerves.
The sun and moon get crossed, but they never touch,
Nor strike out fire from each other nor crash out loud.
The planets seem to interfere in their curves -
But nothing ever happens, no harm is done.
We may as well go patiently on with our life,
And look elsewhere than to stars and moon and sun
For the shocks and changes we need to keep us sane.
It is true the longest drout will end in rain,
The longest peace in China will end in strife.
Still it wouldn't reward the watcher to stay awake
In hopes of seeing the calm of heaven break
On his particular time and personal sight.
That calm seems certainly safe to last to-night. 

Robert Frost