Storyboard alterations...again

Right so when it came to the hand back and the feedback I got on the storyboard. It was mainly along the lines that the imagination sequences didnt fit, ie the bugs turning into army men, and things of that sort. That the growing sections werent exaggerated enough and quite dull. A majort problem was that the way the shots were constructed meant that there would be waaaaaay too much animating, and i wouldnt be able to get it all done in time.
So there was alot to be taken into consideration and to be built upon. The first thing was to address the pros and cons, and brainstorm some ideas.





Whilst brainstorming and coming up with new solutions to aspects of the storyboard, i kept coming up with interesting shots to use, that would be close saving time when it came to animating.



Once Id gotten an idea of the shots that i wanted to include in the story and a rough new storyline... The biggest thing to attempt was creating a new storyboard!
And here it is! Once id finished it I went to get some feedback, and was told it was alot better structured and to go ahead with the animating! First good news id had in a while!



I had finally gotten a storyboard that was good enough to proceed to animate! Though there were still some gaps in it... In particular the imagination sequence. Due to the fact that the general feedback that the imagination in the orgiinal animatics was confusing. So in this new storyboard I was planning on creating a seperate scene just to have the imagination, so i could exagerate the animation more and not be limited by the format that is stop-motion. Firstly i wasnt completely sure how I was going to get to the imagination, there were three possible ways to approach this, that i then storyboarded. I then had to think of the design of this sequence, which I now decided to do in FLash. That was that i wanted it to be similar to a young childs drawing, to help emphasise its the childs imagination and help the idea of crazy things happen be accepted easilier. Heres the the storyboarding for the sequence to cross into the imagination, and some deisnging for the childs design in it.



Heres the final sotryboard of rough sequences for the flash/imagination sequence. I decided to move across into the flash by just using thought bubbles, thought it was the clearest way to show that its the kids imagination, rather then zooming into the eye, could get very confusing.



Right so I finally have a finished storyboard, planned out flash sequence so im ready to start animating/making alot long last!

I just remebered I also looked at the bugs in further detail... Rather then having the imagination where the bugs transform into army men for example... im not sure whether I should have imagination appearing ontop of the stop-motion image. I did some tests in the sketchbook... But undecided yet, depends whether i have time at the end!



I actually did some very quick tests, to help decide how the transfer into imagination could work, aswell as the imagination ontop of a stop motion image. There below.



Now Ive got the story finished, its time to start making!

Research Boards...

Right so as I said when it came to the first hand in, I unforunately ran out of time and ink to print out my research boards for my sketchbooks... Doh! So I shall upload them all onto here, and obviously explain why I did them, and as I go along I shall add more recent research, might aswell confine it all to one post =)

So firstly why I kinda wanted to do stop-motion was other peoples work, so heres a collection of the animations that have inspired me to go for the format aswell as me just enjoying the manufacture the most out of al the aspects weve covered in the first two years!



From there I already stuck in the research about the different main themes of storys that I considered pursuing. The one I did end up developing was the Old Man and Boy storyline. So heres me researching old people to look at there characteristics, in particular how as they aged there back curled over, which infulenced the design of the old man a hell of alot.



From here to help infulence the story I went on to look at gardens, greenhouses, and then plants in particular. I went on a crazy mission with a camera around my garden photographing all plants that were out. I did notice something they generally look the same when there just sprouting, two or three leaves. This is what had the biggest impact on my design for the windowsill. It makes them look as if there all young plants, means the guy is more protective of them etc.







As my film devloped... the story drastically changed from a big garden to a confined balcony! To design the balcony I obviously had to look at whats out there to work out what to do for it! So here is what I looked at when designing it.




I also have no incorporated the bugs into the story... So had to research them to work out how to design something that people would recognise as bugs! So heres some of the images I looked into.



When making the balcony I needed to look at props, and how to design them, what people recognise as garden furniture etc etc...



After the handin, it was said that the boy needed to be more obcessed with bugs, so I looked at preivious ant farms, to build something to suit the purpose but people would recognise as a bug enclosure.



Finally last load of research was to do with the imagination sequence. So id been told to make it a sequence in a thought bubble for example, and I decided I wanted it to resemble a childs drawing/style to emphasis the fact that its a childs imagination going wild. So I looked into examples of childrens drawings and allowed it to infulence my own designs.



And thats the last of the boards of research to be shown!

So the first deadline has passed....

Right! So looking back through the new booklet, it has become clear that I need to have a clear production journal present on my blog =)
So from now on i shall work on making a coherent feedback of the progress Ive made, and how things have developed.

Firstly I think its best i give the general feedback from that of the 1st hand in. The general points were as follows
-Not enough research visable
-Story -> Need to make the boy more obcessed with the bugs
-> Scrap the bugs transforming with imagination - adjust the imagination sequences to a scene edited on top?
->Story needs work, altering the sequence of planting... more simplier.
-> Too much animating, wont be able to film it all, get the shots to be closer and simiplier.

So Ive decided to show how hte work progressed from here, it sections, firstly how the storyboard evolved. How the characters devopled, the construction of the puppets and sets, how the designs altered whilst working on the puppets etc. Then how i went about the filming process, difficulties i encountered and the changes I made etc.

Also will shortly be uploading evidence of my research! That has infulenced me throughout!

Slight Changes to Sets and Characters

Okay... so as im trying to make my puppets, Ive had to do some minor changes in the designs to allow the puppets to be easier to animate with.
Heres the altered concept images;






This was the set with alterations, but after a tutorial yesterday, it believe that my plan will be undergoing alot of transformations, which i hope will be for the best, they more then likely will be, so this is the set before i do my alterations;

Animatic!

So here is my animatic as promised... I was really pleased with it, though today im going in for a tutorial with specific feedback on my dear animatic, hopefully really giving it that edge, by altering camera angles and some of the character performance that is intended!
Then once that is done, hopefully itll all be go on the animating stage! Just need to finish my Puppets and sets now! Ill try and get some photos up as soon as poss =)

Official start to a new semester!

Right so were finally starting back at uni, and after my feedback today ive been given a new lease of motivation!
1st job for me is to get my finished animatic... that should be undergoing more changes tomorrow but oh well! and my tests that I was very proud of! I know the cameras shaky, but I was really proud on how smooth i managed to get the characters! Its the first time Ive felt I may be able to accompolish my goal!
Then out comes the pen and paper, and a to do list will shortly be coming into existence!