Professional Skills

The first main challenge was the LandLady animatic which was completed throughout the following period:

• • Week 1: Module Briefing
    In this initial phase, my mind was a whirlwind of creative thoughts. The term 'animatic' sparked ideas from the simplicity of flip-books, reminiscent of the Flip-o-Rama technique in Captain Underpants, to more complex styles like those seen in South Park. With such a range of inspiration, I decided to keep my options open regarding my strategy. This openness even led me to purchase several flipbooks, considering their potential for quickly sketching out animated scenes or movements. However, a discussion with my tutor later refined my understanding of animatics. It turned out that an animatic isn't necessarily animated in the traditional sense; rather, it's akin to a glorified storyboard transformed into a video format. This revelation was crucial in guiding how I envisioned scene layouts, timings, and the overall flow of events.

• • Week 2: Storytelling Lecture
    During this week, we delved into the intricacies of narrative arcs and the essence of various story types. While storytelling isn't my strongest suit, I acknowledge its significance in crafting compelling animations. I started to view animators not just as individuals who move characters as per a director's instructions but as creative minds who contribute to the storytelling process. A pivotal conversation with my tutor broadened my perspective, emphasizing that our animatic should be a reflection of our unique narrative vision, not just a derivative of established works like those of Roald Dahl. This insight opened up a world of possibilities for incorporating personal themes and concepts into my animatic.

• • Week 3: Filmic Language
    This week's focus shifted to exploring the nuances of camera angles and film movements, an aspect of animation that always fascinated me. I found myself reflecting on various cinematic techniques, from the distinctive Dutch angles prominent in the Alien franchise and the overuse of them in the film "Battlefield Earth", to the varied pacing found in Alfred Hitchcock's movies. The vibrant and saturated aesthetic of Wes Anderson's films also provided a stark contrast and a source of inspiration. These iconic styles influenced my approach to visual storytelling, prompting me to consider how different camera techniques could enhance the narrative impact of my animatic.

• • Week 4 - Editing and storyboarding
    My journey into editing and storyboarding commenced with an enthusiastic plunge into Photoshop and Premiere. Previously, my tools of choice were OpenToonz for digital sketching and Sony Vegas for video editing. However, the opportunity to use the Adobe suite, provided as part of our course, was too good to pass up. I dedicated this week to acquiring new skills and familiarizing myself with industry-standard software. I experimented extensively with transparency layers and keyframes, applying these techniques to enhance the production quality of my animatic.

• • Week 5 - Editing and Landlady Animatic
    A significant discovery this week was a tool by Hugging Face called "Make An Audio." This ingenious online tool allows users to generate audio files based on descriptive language, which proved immensely helpful in conceptualizing and executing the sound design for my animatic. It enabled me to efficiently translate my auditory vision into reality, adding another layer of depth to the project. I have gone into more detail about this on my Prototyping tab.

huggingface.co. (n.d.). Make An Audio - a Hugging Face Space by AIGC-Audio. [online] Available at: https://huggingface.co/spaces/AIGC-Audio/Make_An_Audio [Accessed 7 Dec. 2023] 

• • Week 6 - Formative Review - 30th October
    The feedback from this week's formative review was enlightening. It highlighted my strengths in Maya, prompting me to reassess and redistribute my project time. Prior to this, I had been equally allocating my time across different briefs, aiming for a balanced approach. However, this review made me realize that my confidence and skills in practical applications were more advanced than my storytelling abilities. Consequently, I decided to prioritize my narrative work and personal learning projects (PLP) in my schedule, allocating more time to these areas to foster a more well-rounded skill set.

• • Week 7 - Independent Development
    This week brought a moment of self-reflection. I began to wonder if I had perhaps been overly meticulous with each frame of the animatic. Seeing a fellow student's work, which was impressive not for its quality but for the sheer volume produced, sparked doubts about my own approach. My tutor's previous comment about "lots of detail" echoed in my mind. However, I resolved these doubts by focusing on creating a rich atmosphere within each scene, ensuring that each frame, though time-consuming, contributed significantly to the overall impact of the animatic.

 
The second main challenge was the Short Film Project which was completed throughout the following period:

• • Week 8 - The Live Action Project Brief
    Planning for the short film began with brainstorming sessions. I initially toyed with simple concepts, such as a student's quest within the school premises. However, after some storyboard exercises, I realized the initial idea was overly ambitious for the allowed film length. This realization steered me toward more concise and feasible story ideas.

• • Week 9 - Filming and Editing
    I explored various genre directions for the short film. Initially, I leaned towards comedy, drawing inspiration from the sharp, concise skits of "Key & Peele" as well as "Superwog" (also makers of "Superbro" on Netflix). Yet, as the project evolved, I found myself gravitating towards a suspense/sci-fi genre. This shift in genre allowed for more dramatic and intense camera work, aligning with the project's emphasis on camera angles. To add a dynamic perspective to my film, I invested in a drone camera, envisioning stunning wide shots and bird's-eye views to open the film.

• • Week 10 - Independent Development
    Inspiration struck as I came across a plethora of creative ideas on YouTube, particularly tools for animation and special effects work, such as Runway Motion Brush and Kaiber Video Style Mixer. These tools resonated with me, encouraging me to integrate them into my project to enhance the story and narrative through visual effects.

• • Week 11: Submission Preparation
    A setback occurred during filming when part of the footage was limited to 480p resolution. Initially, this was demotivating, as I doubted the feasibility of reshooting. However, I decided to focus on the elements within my control, like manual keyframing and motion tracking. This approach unexpectedly enhanced the narrative, creating a contrast between the somewhat blurry daily life scenes and the sharply focused, higher-quality special effects. This contrast inadvertently supported the theme of a student's mundane life being interrupted by a vivid, intense experience.
    I experienced some slight setbacks myself with rendering the final footage towards the end in Adobe Premier due to it being such a complex project file and was running into errors for around a day untill I found a useful video on YouTube from Rakesh Talks that solved my issue.

www.youtube.com. (n.d.). How To Fix Adobe Premiere Pro Export Stuck or Encoding Stuck 2022. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_o_D7GZhnM [Accessed 11 Dec. 2023].

• • Week 12 & 13: Submission
    The final stages were dedicated to compiling and submitting the project. This period was a time of introspection, allowing me to appreciate the journey and the myriad challenges I had navigated. It was a testament to the growth and learning that had occurred throughout this creative endeavor.