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Final Project Proposal

“We Are Ghosts” is a short documentary that focuses on people with disabilities who are in the immigrant diaspora. I will be animating a one minute excerpt of this longterm project using interviews I conducted. The interview will be the main narrative guide for the animations and I am interested in using the subject’s own imagery as much as possible in order to honor this population. Therefore, I decided to use a combination of rotoscope, different forms of stop-motion (with linocuts and collage), and some refining tools in After Effects in order to use re-utilize the frames of the live footage as much as possible. 

The imagery will focus on natural elements (flowers, leaves) and bright colors and textures which will be put in contrast with medical imagery such as x-rays, bruising, medication, and IV-drips. I decided to do this in order to normalize the nature of disability and illness and put it in a frame of biodiversity — meaning disability is natural in the world we leave in. Bright imagery and colors will also respect the people I am centering (kind of in the style of Kehinde Wiley). 

Below are Images of the animation I have been making.

Timeline: 

Week 1: Finalize concept and idea. Test out different tools. 

Week 2: Begin preparing stop motion tools and rotoscoping frames. Finish rotoscoping. Test out After effects as well with animation already done. 

Week 3: Refine animation and edit all pieces together. Make sure the animation plays well with the recorded sound from filmed footage. Utilize After effects to continue refining the animation as much as possible. 

Week 4: Edit the piece in a cohesive manner and refine sound.  

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Logo Animation Exercise

I used the previous stop motion exercise as inspiration and created a commercial that could exist in that world. I thought maybe I could add some images on the television that the character is watching.

I'm still learning after effects and adobe illustrator but learned a lot with this exercise. Next time I would fine tune things like make the image bigger and better time the animations.

@pywang

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Week 5 - After Effects

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Week 4 - Stop Motion

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Week 3 Reflection

I really liked Sugar Free Facts and Decaf Wish. 

This short felt refreshing in how strange and unique it is. I really enjoyed how handmade this short film feels and the small mistakes, like the changes in lighting. The accidents feel almost intentional and seeing the process can be exciting. It seems as if the filmmaker was having fun while filming and I liked how that also affects one’s viewing experience. At the same time, as silly as it might seem at times, there are also small moments that are subtle and profound. I got the sense that the filmmaker was reflecting on growing up and how boring adulthood can be, and using stop motion like this is a great way to explore that feeling. I also enjoyed the use of sound to tell a story, the sound effects really give the animation a sense of purpose and help tell a story. It was overall fun and interesting and made me think about how I could utilize sound in a similar way. 

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Week 3 - Stop Motion Preparation

I decided to do something more experimental and wanted to animate different things in one scene as opposed to a narrative. So, in this thumbnail sketch, the smaller props shift, wrinkle, unwrinkle, die, and grow. The central figure also shifts and smokes while watching TV. It then cuts to a television playing the news which I plan to green screen.

I have been building a stop-motion puppet I can pose and move. The picture is the wire armature and head which I plan to finish soon. The room and props will be sculpted.

My central idea was an environment that shows the effects of living with depression / chronic illness.

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Week 2 - Rotoscope

I rotoscoped a friend's video from Instagram. The quality of the video wasn't that great so it was harder than I thought but I really enjoyed this exercise. I tried my best to also get a handmade feel to it too.

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Week 2 Reflection

I really liked “Belly” by Julia Pott 

This short film left me with a bittersweet but also whimsical feeling and I think that is due to both the symbolic script and the unique style of animation. In the animation, each frame felt handcrafted and each line drawn felt very deliberate. I like how we stay still with each frame for longer than usual to really absorb the composition of each frame. Through this, I got a good sense of the specific color palette and combination of styles being used, from hand-drawn to collaging stock footage in the background. There is a great deal of texture in the animation and it felt as if each frame had several layers going on aesthetically and metaphorically. I think this works well with the narration because the fantastical style allows for Pott to explore coming of age in a whimsical and abstract way. It also gives an eerie feeling. The characters look a bit off and it echoes the main character also feeling a bit off when he loses his mysterious friend. 

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Week 1: Flipbook Animation

Flipbook animation made on index cards.

I struggled with the material of the cards and the drawings don't flip through as well. Next time, I would space out the key frames better and plan out in the in-betweens better as well.

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Week 1: Thought Piece

Lotte Reininger "The Adventures of Prince Ahmed"

Lotte Reiniger’s “The Adventures of Prince Ahmed” captures the illusion of movement through silhouetted puppets and abstract forms that act as transitions. It seems as if there is a stop-motion element given to the action of each figure which gives it the appearance of natural movement across the frame. Much of the success of this film lies in the detail of the composition of each frame. Reininger carefully places objects and figures in each frame and this creates a natural narration. For example, characters will interact with silhouetted buildings and stairs,  moving diagonally across the frame. One of the most potent narrative tools here is the use of transitions. Reininger cuts into close-ups, fades in and out with black, or manipulates light to create an abstract form that transitions into the next scene. Not only does this add to the narrative flow but the careful manipulation of light and shadow also adds to the magical tone of the piece. In addition, color is essential as it evokes different emotions and sets the mood for each scene. For example, a soothing blue is used during a romantic scene while red is prominent in scenes with strong action and emotions. Paired with evocative music, color, shape, and sound are the only things needed to create a clear story without dialogue.