Final Animation

Booklet

This is the page layouts for a booklets i'm including with my animation, It will be handed out within the DVD case, so people can understand the story line more thoroughly. It acts as a visual aid to explain more about the characters and their actions. The colours are all very dark and gloomy to accompany the theme of the animation, and then the last image is a striking red to highlight the death of the character.

DVD cover

This is the front and back for my DVD slip cover, I wanted my animation to turn into something solid, something you could own or collect. Due to my target audience of young adults, I thought presenting my work in a DVD package that could be handed out was a great idea; it would attract attention towards the animation.

These are the images that are to be printed on the actual DVD's by labels, so even the inside of the packaging  is finished and attractive.

Practice animation

Here was my initial run through for my narrative project; its just a quick film showing the basic camera angles and flow of the animation. I'm so glad I practice run of the filming, because i learnt alot from it. I know exactly how many photos i need to take for each shot; this animation runs through far too quickly and not nearly smooth enough. I need more movement in Actaeon's body; have him running away and more facial expressions when he gets transformed.

I also need to think about music; I am definitely going to edit my own together with noises of hunters approaching to make it more obvious that it is them that killed Actaeon (not Artemis). I am glad I adapted the plot to a more modern day setting; having Actaeon get shot instead of torn apart by dogs. The face painted 'hounds' I originally planned within the story line, would have make it look over complicated and a bit humorous. This is a tragedy and I want the animation to reflect that.

filming

These are some stills from my final animation,  I managed to find the perfect spot in Christchurch with a wood that leads out onto a little river. I have a lot of editing to do on the final piece as i under estimated the amount of photos I took on the set. Now i have the challenge of learning how to use aftereffects, and maybe i will start to record my own sound this week. The tutors thought it would be more effective with a soundscape to compliment the film.

final deer facepaint

bleeding experiment

Very very blurry imagery, my camera has been playing up the past couple of days. Its shows the main idea of the blood spreading. In the actual animation it will be the wolves attacking the hunter, so their hands (paws) will wipe across him bloody causing the blood to spread... like they are attacking him.

experimentation

camera angles

denouement positions

indoor lighting

outdoor lighting

I have decided to do my animation outside as i like the lighting and background much more. The only problem with outside lighting is that it will change throughout the day, due to whether. But the flash tends to make all the pictures equal. I like the darker photos, as it goes with the tragic theme of my narrative.

teabaggin'

Just found the first ever animation I made; this is what made me fall in love with stop motion. We were messing around in class, and made up a small narrative about Terry the teabag. Poor teabag gets terrorized by all the studio appliances, until he dies. This was just a bit of fun, but it brings back good memories.  Thanks to Connor Anal and Jonny Clapham.

transition experiments

The whole theme of my animation is transformation; the transformation between human to stag. So i need the animation to flow through, transforming to different scenes flawlessly. This technique of the eyes of one person changing into another, would be used for when Arthemis sees Acteon for the first time. It would also get the point across that she is looking glaring at him; she is the reason he transforms.

Development

Some more development for my animation, building up the face paint for the hunting hounds in the narrative story. Also playing around with the cut out deer that i want to run across the screen; this needs alot of work. I like the detailed patterns on the facepaint more than the stag.

Development

This is an experimental animation for my final project; it shows how i want to portray the transformation between human to stag. It's just a rough animation and still needs alot of work, but it does show the basic concept of how body painting can transform a human. The idea to use twigs for antlers was a last minute decision because i had no props on me, but it was a pleasant surprise and turned out to be quite a good accident. I might even consider using twigs in the final piece, it brings the piece back to nature and gives it more of a handmade feel. I need to work on the detail of the facepaint and the expressions of the model. I have experimented throughout this short animation to see what expressions look best and it works alot better when the model is screaming; it really shows the darkness of the transformation story.

storyboard

These are my 8 images for my animation story board:

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  Exposition: hunting dogs see a stag 
• Arthemis bathing
• Rising action: Arthemis spotting the hunter
• first view of Actaeon spying on her
• Climax: him turning into a stag
• his hunting dogs spotting him
• Falling action: him dying
• Dénouement: him dead on the forest floor

I am still unsure whether to base my animation in a wood or, make all the props out of paper; to have the tree's in these images blown up and stuck on a white wall. The colours of the tree's would chance with the mood of the scenes, ending on a dark red for when he dies.

Narrative research

I first discovered my love for stop motion animation after watching this music video for oren lavie; something so simple, such as people and everyday objects makes this incredible animation. Just by carefully moving the model and the objects bit by bit, you can create the most amazing scenes. This is why I have chosen to do an animation for my project this year.

Our brief this term is 'the Narrative', and straight away I knew i wanted to do a stop motion animation. I've always had a passion for theatrical make up and detailed face paint, so I came up with the idea of animating the face gradually becoming painted. I researched stop motion 'body painting' and turns out it has been done quite a few times before; this video for  example is a music video for the 'We Have Band' which shows the faces transforming with different colours and shapes. This is exactly what I want to do, show my model slowly transforming into something else through each brush stroke of paint.

It looks like the lines are appearing by themselves all over the body. I have chosen to do the greek myth of Actaeon; the hunter who got transformed into a stag by a greek goddess bathing in the woods. It his punishment for spying on the god, who in revenge turns him into the creature he is hunting. In the end Actaeon's hunting dogs see him as the stag, and kill him themselves. I plain to show the transformation from human to stag through bodypainting, and also show the hunting hounds through face-painted models.

more christmas cards...

 

Christmas cards

     

These are my Christmas card designs for our 'winter' exhibition at café Boscanova taking place next month. The exhibition has been set up to market our work and bring attention to ourselves as Illustrators.