ryleyhall-animationvfx-blog

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For today I have been finishing the film and going through every shot in case or a reshoot is going to be needed.

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Modeling in Maya

Starting project 2 we need to create an alien artifact model using the software Auto-desk Maya.This model is to be placed into a short film we create meaning it would have to be tracked if its attached to something. To ease my work load i decided it would be a separate entity and not something like a gauntlet or a weapon. 

With this i decided to create a drone of some sort. This allows me to have it float and track its own path rather than have tracking motion on it saving me time. In addition to making it more simple i didn't want to have separate moving objects on the drone because i would have to animate those with the whole model and it would take more time. 

To start my research i looked at movies that had drones one being 2010′s ‘Skyline’ an sci-fi mystery with action film centered around the idea of alien invasion using drones from a mothership. This whole idea is good however it involves the use of multiple moving objects which isn't apart of the idea i want.

I then decided to hone in on a smaller drone something like a racing drone i use in my spare time. However these drones don’t look too alien but more blocky. Alien tech tends to be more smooth and shiney.  

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Technology in films and games

Technology is apart of our everyday lives. We use our phones, TV's to watch and communicate with others. Technology is always portrayed differently in films however some show how it is behind the protective scenes the public have. One example would be the tv show ‘Mr. Robot’ a show about a young anti-social computer programmer Elliot who works as a cybersecruity engineer during his days while at night he works as a somewhat vigilante hacker. He gets recruited by a mysterious leader of a underground group of hackers who are tasked with taking down corporate America while also including the company Elliot works for, presenting him with moral dilemmas. 

In my opinion the show it self represents technology in a bad way as it shows the true nature of company's with money while also showing the danger without security. This is presented as we see how server hacks are done but also the influence this has on the person doing it. We can see Elliot lose parts of himself during this phases which could be related to his social disorders. 

This show portrays both sides of cybersecruity. We see how it is used to protect both servers and data for the company's which is meant to be the good side. Its where the hero is while we also see the hacking and servers being taken down while data is being stolen and leaked. This represents the good and bad in technology as a whole. 

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Websites and websites design

Websites are crucial to most industries as they are a form of communication but also allows them to give the summary of what they are.

All websites have a design which they use to portray the information to their audience. Most websites use a clear and simple design where they consider the user access and ease but also the colour theme and the layout.

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Using After Effects

Adobe After Effects is a software where you can create effects such as fire or camera effects on videos or pictures. Its similar to the other software’s and has easily accessible guides on how to use it. 

For today we started to use the point tracker. This focuses on movement of objects and apply the data gathered to other layers. 

For today we used a single point tracker where i used a video of a man kicking the dirt into the air.I tracked his foot and had the tracker leave into the air. This was to create the movement of a head being kicked into the air. I had a slight issue where the path didn't follow to the point i wanted and it seemed like a straight line. 

Below is a video of a man dancing where i had used the tracking tool manually and tracked each individual scene. This is different to allowing the software to analyse itself and allows me to have it track what i want more perfectly. I added a head to the man as an example for this video and had it follow the path i had tracked. 

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What Is Technology

Well Google says ‘The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry.’

However theres multiple amounts of different types of technology. This includes medical advancements, communication advancements, industrial advancements. 

Technology always changes during war however. From different Bio-weapons to drones or tanks. Theres always a new technology. 

Technology is useful for the human race however because its become apart of our life. We use it for certain jobs which would be dangerous to our wellbeing. Or in the factorys.

However there is positives with technology. It helps us live longer as we can cure more. It helps us communicate more easily. 

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Evaluation - 

Overall the film went well and it explained what i had learnt from the research in a basic script. I started to link the images to some of the words i was saying 

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Interactive Media

Above is a mind map representing the different examples within the interactive media range. To do this we started in groups and shared ideas with each other to broaden our examples. Most examples were linked to social media and the internet with stuff like ‘twitter’ or ‘Facebook’. 

After this we started to look into the pros and cons of Interactive Media. In my opinion there could be more cons however they relate to the actual media which is represented and not the interactive media. This involves news reports and how they portray certain standards but isn't relevant to this right now. Going over the pros it was fairly obvious that is the more simplistic answers such as ‘Fun’ or ‘Fast’.However they are correct as media is widely used a lot around the world and most people use it to escape from the life they live in and enjoy the stuff they read or the videos they watch. 

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Making a flim and editing it.

Lately we had learned how to use the cameras presented to us in the class. With the cameras we were given the task to create a quick 30 second story/film. 

To do this we started with the creation of a storyboard. The storyboard we had a basic example of boxes where we could do sketches of the scenes we wanted to film. But also write what kind of camera angle we were to use to film it. 

There is a variety of camera angles we can use in films and photos. Each summarised with the distance of the frame from what we are trying to capture. To give an example one would be a long shot. Long shots are generally used to show the subject but also the environment they are in. It allows the scene to tell a story for instance if we see a workspace we could pressume somthing about their lifes. Its used to establish where the subject is in the world. 

Another camera angle would be a close up. To put it simply its a more intimate and in your face kinda angle. It allows the scene to somewhat create a stronger connection to the subject by allowing us to see emotional expressions. 

Back to the storyboard we were paired into threes and tasked with the creation of a 30 secound film. Going back on my previous experince with filming i decided we needed to go for a more simplistic idea so that we could get it finished without any problems. I also wanted to avoid any overlapping scenes so we decided to use different angles in the film to have diversity but also so it didnt seem so made up. (Even though it did). 

Bit of a weird one but we decided to got for a hostage situation which actually just turned into a kidnapping by chance. Our first scene was meant to introduce us into the character who we could see preparing for something. For this we used a longshot so we could represent the environment the subject was in but also so we could see what the charcter was wearing. I wanted to do this because clothing can tell alot about a character. In my opinion this scene could of went better with a more dramatic introduction to the character. To do this i would of used a more darker environment something like an alleyway rather than the open area we used. In addition i would of used a quick peak at the character and the environement and then cut to a scene of a medium shot showing them prep. 

The next scene was to include both subjects them being the hostage taker and the hostage. To do this we again used a long shot however we ended up with a different angle. This was to have a diversity in the film so it didn’t look to plain and boring. This scene went well however the hostage laughs during most of the scene so it didn’t have any authenticity. In addition to this I would of had the screen go black after he grabs the hostage then then use close ups and mediums shots to show a struggle. This wasn’t included in the storyboard however this would of added that dramatic flair to the scene and show that the hostage is in danger.

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Animation Jobs and the industry.

Going through the animation industry we can see that there is a variety of different jobs and roles that all form the backbone of the industry itself. 

Taking one example would be the animator. This role takes the scenes and characters and add life to them. Or in other words i could say that add movement.  Animators are apart of the production team where the animation actually takes its form and starts to be created.For the animators to create their work they take the rigs that are created by the riggers, who define the movement on characters and objects by created digital skeletons. Within the animation theirs a variation of types of animation. 

One example being traditional animation where they take the project and hand draw each scene rather than using a graphics tablet or software. They then have assistant animators who are the ones who generally clean up and apply the ‘final’ line you could say. In addition from this they also do some lip syncing for the characters in the frames. 

Animation is one of the job choices i would have to go for because i enjoy creating life out of the drawings i create. This is especially linked to when i create characters because then i can use them to tell a story with my images. In addition to that i also have a passion for drawing in general so going with the second job choice i would have to go for the concept artist. 

The concept artists is where the very foundations start for the animation. They create the basic skeletons for the backgrounds but also for the characters as well. They look for how the animation is gonna look. What kind of graphics style will be used but also create references for the animators, background and character designers. 

The reason for deciding on concept artist is linked to my passion for drawing but also because i can be very creative and all ideas i generally write or draw down straight away because i enjoy working on its errors and fix it.

Having to pick a third role is difficult because i enjoy creating backgrounds and characters. Backgrounds in them self's can tell a whole story with detail while characters add that depth and reassures the audience that the animation is life like and alive. Characters can also have that detail which can tell you about their past, personality, their behavior. For instance scars on the face or on the body can represent that their was pain and confliction in their past or if their clothes are bright and out going then its shows off a confidence and sureness. While detail in backgrounds can also do the same i feel like it can be limited. 

However if i was to pick on it would be the background designer. This is because i like to tell story's in single images. Having a grey and gloomy muddy field surrounded by burnt out forests can have many contexts but its first impression are that its a sorrowful land. Having it fitted with characters can make it have that depth as well.

Looking in to animations i would have to say that one really stood out to me when i watched it. The fight sequences really have that feeling of its a life or death situation however both characters are really strong so much that its affecting the background around them. Adding in the sound as well made the clashes between the characters really thrilling. The animation I’m talking about its ‘Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works’  and was produced by a studio called ‘Ufotable’ 

Looking into example jobs i use a website called ‘Artstation’ where many big company's can advert their vacancies because its a website dedicated to the artists community. People can create their portfolios, sell work or custom brushes on the marketplace. Or apply to jobs that are adverted.

One example shown is a ‘Senior Concept artist’ role adverted by the company ‘Industrial Light & Magic’. This job is a senior which will require experience in the role itself with experience working on AAA projects and other company's that produce such products. The role will require you to lead a small team of concept artists and require you to give ideas to others while also working independently. It will also require you to be taking scripts and details from clients while also giving information to the other leaders of other departments. This job will also require a Bachelors degree or equivalent.  

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For today we had started looking into the basics of Adobe Premiere. This was a software i was unfamiliar with within the adobe lot and could say it was a difficult one to understand even though it had the same uses as Photoshop or Animate. 

We started with the very basics which does include on saving the file but also making sure the scratch disk’s or the folder in which the project is saved is the same. Secondly we started on creating a project where we could learn how to add images into the project but also include it on the scene and the effect editor. 

Doing this was fairly simple and was similar to Adobes Animate with a simple drag and drop system. However adding effects and key frames became more confusing. At first i was able to have two images which would be seen in the short video where i then started to add certain effects. My first effect which can not be seen in the example video above was a colour effect which changed the image of the husky to a dark red effecting its shadows and the image as a whole. 

My next effect was a blur to the alligator which was fairly simple to do which allowed me to start my next part of the video. I tried adding a key frame where i could have the spinning effect take motion on the image of the husky however i never had the buttons appear to do so. I tried another effect and i had the same problem so either this was a human error and i didn't press the correct buttons or have the right effects and frame or this was a software problem and just didnt show me the correct stuff. 

Carrying on from this problem i just decided to have multiple images with the effect in different styles. It wasn’t the effect i was going for however it was a temporary fix and allowed me to carry on and add in the other images. 

In addition to the images i had included i also had the time to include a audio file which was linked to the certain images i had included. With this i didn't have any problems including into the project but also fitted in nicely with some effects of distortion which wasn't present in the example video above.

Overall the use of Premiere is decent and i can see myself using it for later projects and film making however it will have to include some independent learning and tutorials. 

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Looking into the VFX Industry and it’s Roles

https://www.artstation.com/jobs/XeAVFor the start we have begun looking into the industry as a whole and what jobs are included but also what they include.Doing this we looked at a PDF which included a graph representing the different types of jobs we could expect and the path to achieving that role in the industry. One example being the Effects TD. This role includes creating the small details like sand rising from a cgi helicopter landing. Or creating the effects that move under certain rules of physics. This can include floods or destruction. 

Below is 3 job roles that i have been looking into more because i enjoy creating what they include. 

The reason why i picked animator was because i have taken an interest into the motion stop films and pictures that create stunning story's. I take inspiration from Studio Ghibli and their work. 

The reason why i picked Effects TD is because i enjoy creating scenarios that follow the rules of physics. But also creating the reason why an explosion went off at a certain scene because i feel like certain films nowadays are lacking in the rules of physics and just include floods or explosions or small details for no reason but for dramatic effect. 

Looking at the concept artist role i have always been drawing and just creating concepts and ideas i think of on the spot. Creating sources for the vfx or animators to use in the creation of a film is also a big part on why i feel like this role is suited for me. 

An example job being represented by the website ‘Artstation’ would be Animators with the company ‘Axis Animation’ 

This job is located in their office in Glasgow and includes the tasks of creating high quality character and creature animation’s for their ongoing projects. However this also has some responsibilities which include Body Mocap Cleanup - Character and Vehicle keyframe animation -   Facial capture implementation and polish -  Facial keyframe animation -  Camera layout/Previs and  Scene caching and clean up. 

This job can be seen on this link - https://www.artstation.com/jobs/XeAV

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Introduction To The VFX & Animation Course

The introduction to the VFX & Animation course started with the introduction to the basics on the course but also what to expect later on. This started with representing how work was to be mainly presented as such on tumblr but also later on in wix websites but also having word documents as a back up.

The next step was to show how to represent our work with the basic (Research - Planning - Production - Evaluation) in a continuous cycle which evidence as a link.

After this we started off the course by learning about the rule of thirds. This is a rule in photography and cinematography about how photos look good in certain angles. This includes where the objects center are aligned with intersect lines across the frame showing the background, allowing people to scan the picture and analyse the narrative it portrays.

Above is a couple of examples of my go at using the rule of third. Personally i believe these could be improved with objects to be centered on but also different angles to include and actual story/Narrative. Both seem lacking in emotion but also lacking in centered objects.