convergenceunit3-blog

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Prince Alex

completed sequence.

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snow sequence i want to create as i go as previously this has worked well i want to use the medium of the paint to create the transitions. Snowy blizzards. In the audio it’s the land of the polar bears so i want to have a polar bear walking sequence. And the castle being engulfed buy snow. this is the part of the storey where the anticipation is heightened. I’m going to try to predominanlty draw fro imagination as i think this will be the best way for me to not think too much about the scenes and have a more childlike manner to the animation. Also this is where things will start to get more grainy and real. the technique of painting on glass leaves trails of paint and shows a journey and process.

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alex's house is a castle in his imagine, iv'e been wanting to get it right.

I've used the same approach of layering acetate over a background image and animating on top. Only certain bits in the scene move and are animated. Hs cape flapping his run to the castle. I think these small but simple movements work best

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painting backgrounds then using acetate sheets with certain components already painted on to create new scenes and transitions is working well i like this technique and enabling me to work fast as i can create new scenes and transitions experimenting along the way. It's also adds the the dreamy imagination feel i want to achieve.

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iv'e been gathering a range of concept art backgrounds after the lecture i had with the iframe iv'e realised the potential of backgrounds as i can slot them in to any frame as i'm painting on transparent material. it creates mood depth and for my dreamy sequence this is vital

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i painted some textures then cut them out and painted added detail for my dragon sequence, i wanted to experiment with small movements like the independent eyelids that i can make him blink and the different layers of flames with i manipulate him to roar. I wanted to try something a bit different to the paint on glass technique to see the versatility of different mediums. Paper is very easy to move and create image sequences ins top frame.

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dragons this is quite a key character in my story. I want to produce something that i can use repeatedly  in different frames throughout

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playing around with acetate,lighting and painting on transparent textures and what effects i can achieve with this. It's harder than i thought to achieve certain scenes that i have in mind for instance i wanted to get the feeling of alex looking up into the trees and looking around however like you can see in this video it's hard to get all the shots to link in a sequence if you haven't got any le way in the field of vision.

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different viewpoints and scene selection simple backgrounds yet depth ,colour and ambience is strong

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ISSUES

Lighting - after shooting images realising my face was being reflected in the transparent reflective material this is glass it took me hours to position the light so that it wasn't reflected in the glass/ camera lens

Camera  - when taking a number of photo's it's need to be on manual mode and focus so that all the frames are the same, iv'e noted that instead of moving the camera i need to move the paper and glass instead as i don't want a jumpy sequence

It took me what feels like a whole day to work out where to put the camera tried buy the side level with the paper all different angles. Iv'e had the tripod long and tall behind my desk with the camera pointing down.

Frames per second - iv'e been taking too many shots meaning the sequences take too long and don't fit in with the audio timing's.

however i feel that it is giving me more freedom and options on how to create each section. As for instance on this particular section i prefer the initial sequence of building up the face instead of the lettering so i will maybe use this at the beginning of the film.

Medium - acrylic paint scratches off easily and is hard to manipulate as it dries very fast although i quite like the effect it has had on my painting technique i feel that using oil paint with it's long drying ability will allow me to manipulate scenes and frames better. And that's what most of the professionals use aswel.

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The most important thing for me was and still is to let the material I am working in speak to me and help me derive an aesthetic particular to it. The sand naturally makes certain shapes when you push it around. It tends to leave trails which can be of use if you don’t try to fight them. I would say that a big dose of this philosophy would be a very useful cheat and tip for anyone wanting to work in sand. Experiment, and experiment to find your design.” - Eli Noyes “When I’m doing an animation film, just like painting a picture, I let out my energy and my feelings in the colors. With the animation, I’m searching to express ideas, but I also try to find the harmony of life. This harmony I can find during the filming process with mistakes and successes. Step by step, I try to project the beauty, the force and emotions within the animated image.” - Alexander Petrov “Kentridge modifies his composition little by little between each frame shot by erasing certain parts and re-drawing them. The charcoal technique, ephemeral and volatile, lends itself to this treatment, particularly in that faint traces remain of the imagery that has been erased. The result on screen gives a rather fragile image, all in nuances, quite in the manner of a man obsessed by the idea of traces, of reminiscences.” - Philippe Moins, 1998, on the animation technique of South African artist William Kentridge

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the texture and colours are accidental, i used acrylic on glass instead of oil. The acrylic paint dried nearly as soon as i painted it on meaning when i was trying to layer colours and paint the new layer would sometimes rub away the layer underneath - to achieve highlights and lighter areas i simply rubbed away the paint completely leaving the glass. This sequence test run allowed a lot of issues to be raised however i quite iike the effects that have been caused

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A special rig using multi planes of glass so that the paint on a number of surfaces could be manipulated without effecting the brush work on the others. Such a setup and give depth to the scene as the camera looks through a number of visual elements

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I have been hunting for equipment, i know that with traditional paint on glass animations they paint on sheets of glass well secured with different sheets to create depth and field of vision

with the time frame i have iv'e decided to take a more experimental journey - i have some photoframes that i will use the glass out of unfortunately 2 have cracked in the process of removing the glas however i have one A1 in size . I also have a sheet of pexi glass simular size and also a long sheet of acetate

at the beginning i had the vision of painting on a continuos canvas like a long horizontal field of vision and then filming the different stages his has changed considerably even though i have a long sheet of acetate, i want to play around with the idea o layering and the medium of paint on a non permenant surface as this is the most exciting thing that has presented it's self.

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for my opening sequence i want to have a quick painting of the main characters face but that's the only glimpse you'll see of the narrators voice, building an image of what he will look like. Want him smiling, i'm looking at this project in a playful approach not going to paint/draw anything realistically going to free myself up

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From listening to the audio iv'e come up with some intial images and environments i want to have in this film i imagine mountains,forests, fairytale landscapes and components. From google searches to different videos and illustrations i have took inspiration. Sketching mainly from imagination but reference material like the few screen shots of animation stills give me ideas on how to create depth and composition in scenes.

this is something that i need to work on within my personal practice and this project is allowing me to practice this vital skill.

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walking sequence, i want the imagery to have a childlike naive dreamy feel so that the sense of childlike wonder and intrigue into the storey is gained from the viewer. I want the animation to be like it would be through a childs mind to achieve this i need to think about the simplicity of scenes, the content int he scenes how can i portray certain environments like the castle and imaginary scenery. Iv'e been sketching out some rough ideas for scenes and the components in each scene that will be animated buy movement of transition.