MI6021 - Research and Development @mi6021huwfenny - Tumblr Blog

Green Screen Experiment

For my project, I decided to purchase a greenscreen for my animation. Using a combination of both stop motion techniques, using models and 2D backgrounds for the environment with the additional use of props in stop motion form.

I decided to use 3 sets of lights, two desk lamps and my bedroom light to give my models relatively good lighting and exposure despite the low budget constraints and lack of materials which would usually be provided by my university.

I also had no camera, so I had to settle with my phone, proper up in a higher position on a box and held in place by spare scraps of plasticine. I researched how to use a green screen as I had never used one before, but I wanted to challenge myself as well as develop a skill that is commonly used in the industry. I did a test where I recorded my hand moving in front of the screen and uploaded it onto After Effects. I then click on Effects and Presets and typed in Key, which showed multiple different options. I used the preset of Key Light + Key Cleaner + Advance Spill Suppressor, which I dragged onto my footage in the timeline. I was presented with the Key Light Effect controls. I used the colour finder and clicked on my green screen, which selected the colour to change. I went on screen view and changed Intermediate Result to Screen Matte. This turned the green screen colour to black and the other element, my hand, white. I could change the intensity and gain of the black by using the screen gain tool, to remove any excess noise from the video footage. I then increased the intensity of the white so the green screen couldn’t be seen behind my hand as a mistake would make it look see through. If I couldn’t find the issue, I used the key cleaner tool on the preset options and removed the noise from there as an extra measure, sometimes using the channel settings to Alpha to identify any spare noise I had not picked up.

I then uploaded a video file that I had animated earlier as a 2D animation experiment and placed it into the timeline, below the test footage. Although there are some clear imperfections on my sleeve, the effect worked, and I could progress to animating with the green screen.

I animated my character using my phone, I wanted to use basic movement as I had not animated with it before. Although he was a bit top heavy, I resolved this by adding some weights to the bottom of his feet to keep him planted on the floor.I animated him waving to the camera as my first trail of animating. I imported the images into After Effects and used 12 frames a second as I didn’t want there to be any changes in the footage. I exported this as an MP4 and exported the footage into another After Effects composition. I used the same techniques as before and put in some free stock footage behind the character. As you can see, I had not properly changed the key light effects, so the character was see-through. I had to use the Alpha Channel and the Key Cleaner to resolve this. That being said, I really liked the effect it created.

I decided to animate my wolf model, taking individual photos for frames with my phone. I thought the fur would not work well with the green screen however after a bit of editing it became a crisper image. An issue appeared when I was animating as the fu that I had stitched onto the wolf made the model’s movements really stiff and difficult to move and I realised I shouldn’t have stitched all the furs joints together. As I have discussed before, I really don’t like the wolf model although I do like the movement of fur on its body and face as it moves.

After the initial failure that was my wolf model, I decided to try and go into a different direction. I created an origami wolf and attempted to animate it. It was difficult to move the back legs but seeing as it was only an experiment I didn’t allow this to stop my creative process. I wanted to have a physical environment so I created a make shift forest using bits of a Christmas tree, a bit of wood and a jacket I found for the ground texture. I then moved the wolf frame by frame across the screen.

I then used my green screen and added a video of a forest to add some more atmosphere to my animation. I liked the effect the wolf had when it passed through the scene, because as I imagined it as an abstract metaphor for my depression I thought an origami wolf would work more effectively than a modelled one with fur.

Origami Wolf Experiment

I attempted to make an origami wolf because I didn’t like how chunky and robust my original wolf was. I was also inspired by the use of origami in Kubo and the Two Strings and found it an interesting use of material in animation.These experiments failed spectacularly, due to the quality of paper I had and my lack of skills with origami itself. However, as I progressed with this idea, I eventually made a passable wolf out of black card. Although it was not as large as I had wanted it to be, I decided to use forced perspective, a technique used in The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, to make characters seem larger than they actually were due to the proximity of the closeness they had to the camera.

I liked this effect as it was closer to the wolf design in my storyboards. The first origami model was a complete failure, I had made it too large and used too much tape because I needed a larger model to compare with my stop motion human model. I decided to start from scratch again and make a smaller wolf for an example wolf that could eventually be used in the animation.

Original Origami Wolf (FAILURE)

Smaller Origami Wolf (Side View)

Smaller Origami Wolf (Birds Eye View)

Smaller Origami Wolf (Close Up View)

Animation Test

This is an animation test I did to experiment with how canids, and specifically wolves, walked and moved. I had not done a 2D walk cycle in a while so it was a useful experience. I again used the flat image of crumbled black card to create a stylised animation. I drew each frame individually using the pen tool and selected the exterior of each frame, then I changed layers to the material I was using and deleted the exterior, leaving only the black material I had used.

I think if I were to do it again I would use multiple layers to create more movement. Like the workings of Milt Kahl, where the rough sketches of the animation is clearly seen in each frame, changing rapidly as the animation progresses. I also think that I should have moved the material around when cutting out the shapes to create a wolf whose fur is moving, like the crumbling of tissue paper as he moved as i think this would be an interesting effect

Animation Test made on Photoshop

This is a basic animation test for the wolf in the dream sequence. I used a still image of black, crumbled card and drew each frame over each individual piece of card. I wanted to elongate the jaw to make the wolf look more menacing and ready to eat the narrator as a child. I added some blood to its teeth for a bit of artistic merit because I thought it added to the effect.

For the Narrator (myself) I decided to use a mannequin as I thought for an animation test this would work well for human body movement. I decided not to use an armature as I wanted the movement to be more human and the frame of the body was similar to my body shape.

To allow the plasticine to stick firmer onto the model, I used a layer of tape around its head as well as creating protrusions out of cork for the ears and nose, as well as making a layer of glue gun glue to define his lips, eyebrows and eye sockets.

I sculpted a plasticine face onto my model going over the details beneath, fabricating a cheek bones and a jawline from the mould. I kept adding to the layers of plasticine, not wanting the head to be incredibly heavy in comparison the rest of the body. I added white and black plasticine for his eyes and moulded the skin around them to give the impression of eyelids. I also added thin black strips for eyebrows.

I created the hair by combining both green and red plasticine, then cutting triangular shapes from it and layered them on top of each other to give the impression of scruffy hair.

I also created clothing for my character. For his jacket, I used the interior of the pencil case I had previously used for my wolf model and stitched them together. For his t shirt, I used an old white sock and for his trousers, I again used a damaged black sock.

I made hands for my model using bits of wire and fashioning a basic skeletal structure beneath the plasticine that I covered them with. This was trial and error as the plasticine gave the hands a heavy mass and made the hands look too large, almost like Wallace’s from Wallace and Gromit. After I cut them to size I created shoes, I used a lot of plasticine to weigh the model down however this was not exactly effective as it was still too top heavy. So I inserted wire to the bottoms of the models feet to give him more weight.

Wolf Model Production

I created my wolf model by using malleable wire and creating a basic skeletal structure whilst working from a basic template I had drawn, in conjunction with on line research surrounding wolf anatomy and canid armatures. I then used high grade polystyrene and carved it into a basic torso shape, scaling the body to the skeletal armature of the wolf. This would be useful as a light weight model, from experience, is easier to animate than a model that is purely plasticine - as it can remould and melt in certain lightings.

I split the torso into six distinct segments as I wanted the wolf to be easily positioned, rather than have the movement seeming robot-like and clunky. I also used a cork for its head to distribute the weight of the model so it wasn’t top heavy and more practical. I decided to use cork for its paws by gluing them to the wire to create a larger surface area for balance to distribute the weight. I added the legs and neck using the same method by distributing polystyrene so create a basic muscular system.

After this, I used tape to attach the polystyrene torso to the body and bulked the joints out with plasticine because I thought it would make the joint movement more dexterous than if I had used polystyrene to create, for example, the ankle joints.

As I was working on a budget without materials from university, I used two furry pencil cases for the wolf’s fur. I liked it as it resembled a grey wolfs hair colour and consistency, however this was a major hindrance for me for multiple reasons. Firstly, in my designs, the wolf was black, not a combination of grey and black so the synergy of the two-dimensional art and the stop motion would be jarring, so I might create another model only smaller. The fur also created an issue where it had bulked the body out to such an extent where the model looked like a Scottish terrier rather than an unstoppable apex carnivore.

I used the cork head from the first stages of my modelling and it was incredibly small in comparison to the rest of the body so I decided to bulk this out. I used polystyrene and tape, as well as a bit of modelling clay to give it’s skull some definition.

Generally, I’m not happy with the model. So I have a fail safe option if this aspect of the production goes awry. I will either create a smaller wolf model with darker fur and more lithe dexterous bodily movement similar to the wolf from Fantastic Mr Fox or Peter and the Wolf, or I will botch the stop motion wolf completely and have the character as a 2D character in three dimensional space which would give it a more ethereal feel, rather than be a flesh and blood character. I have also been experimenting with an origami wolf design.

I will experiment with with making animation tests of both.

Soundscape

For my animatic, I first created a soundscape. I read my monologue in the pace I thought it should be read, changing a few lines if the flow didn’t integrate well into the rest of the speech. After I had produced my monologue, I wanted a soundtrack intertwined with the speech, to create a sense of atmosphere within the short animatic. I chose Nanou2 by Aphex Twin because it was a simple few keys on a piano and I thought it really gave a sense of remorse and reminiscence to my film, as well as the pace giving my monologue an interesting flow. It was also a song that I hold very close in my heart, as it gives me a sense of nostalgia as I listened to this music when I was younger.

I progressed to adding diegetic sound into my soundscape, using both free sound effects or creating my own with Foley sound, such as some snarls with a toilet roll tube and the wolf eating from a bin, where I recorded myself eating a pastry. I enjoyed the exercise because I like creating atmosphere with sound because it can make or break a project if done incorrectly.

I found this more of a collage of sound, an orchestra of a life and creating it, although it made me incredibly sad and reflective on what I had created, it helped me expel some demons that had been eating away on my back for sometime. I think it really captures what I was feeling when I initially wrote this script, and with the addition of sound it allowed life to be breathed into my work. I worked in snippets of my life, both audio from my highs and lows - for example I used audio from my stand up gig and music I have created because on a human level I wanted to show I am not simply limited to my depression and I am a multi-dimensional being with numerous sides and hidden parts. And this exposure through sound really allowed me to voice who I am, encapsulating everything that’s inside and out, good or bad.

Soundscape created on FL Studio 12, below

After creating my soundscape, I exported it as an MP3 file and imported it into After Effects. I imported my images from my storyboard into the timeline and used the soundscape as a general guide to time when the images would match the soundbite. As the images were created on different software's, the quality of some elements of my animatic became pixelated when I began to resize them to fit with the size of the camera but this became less apparent when the animatic had been rendered and exported. After each shot had been fitted onto the screen to a standard I was happy with, I exported the video through Adobe Media Encoder and I put it into an MP4 file format, uploading it onto YouTube to get feedback from followers, with the additional note that it was too large a file to put into Tumblr without a secondary source.

Animatic Development, Below

Storyboards

This is a breakdown of the scenes within my animation and animatic. Each shot is broken down into its most basic elements. I wanted to show the slow decline into depression as the animation progresses. I did this by changing the style slowly but surely during the progression of the story.

At the start, the art style is similar to Charlie and Lola only more haunting and dark, however there are brighter and more spontaneous uses of colour during the introduction in the dream sequence. I contrasted these with the colour black, which is always used as a block colour, as well as reds to represent the nightmarish undertones of blood and horror. As it progresses through the animation, the style continues to change and evolve.

For example, when the narrator wakes up from his nightmare, the animation changes to stop motion to represent reality - the colour tones will slowly get dimmer and more faded and washed as he grows up during the short animation. This is an artistic choice to signify how all the colour and wonder is sucked out of his life as he grows up and as the wolf becomes a stronger presence in his life. The pills scene is an outlier however as it shows there to be a lot of colour in the background, however this is to signify the anti-depressants working slightly but the wolf makes the narrator stop taking them.

I wanted to use repetitive imagery and references with in my animation. For example, the wolf would never be seen by any one except myself, as it is an allegory for depression which can go overlooked although people are aware of it.

There are repeated mirrored shots during the animation, for example the extreme close ups ( As shown in [6] [14] and [64] [65]). This was to show two things, to juxtapose the reactions between my younger self and my older self - showing rejection, misunderstanding and fear of the wolf, that develops over time into irritation, annoyance and then acceptance.

Trains were also a reoccurring theme within the animation (from [27-28] and [50 - 54] ). This was at once a reference to Trainspotting, one of my favourite films which defines the act of trainspotting as ‘an obsession someone unfamiliar with the notion would never understand”. This is similar to myself and the wolf, as I obsessively research it in one scene - [28] - as well as other things, such as comedy, comic books, music and art, which a lot of people would never understand. Additionally, the meaning of trains in dreams refers to having a one track mind, and being unable to divert from one path to the next. The train in my animation represents suicide. As I always thought, as a child and even currently, that my life’s climactic end would be by the hands of suicide, obsessively thinking about it as it slowly but surely barrelled towards me.

I also tackle alienation and disassociation within my narrative. I am essentially alone. The secondary characters who are shown with in the animation are either completely ignorant to my depression [36] or against me [45]. I show crowds of people how I see them, masses of shapes - observing me like ghosts from afar because they don’t understand me or are afraid of me [55]. I decided the use the crowd of my comedy gig [69] as a pack of ravenous wolves, which is what they were to me because as a comedian, you either survive or you are eaten alive.

I wanted the end of the animation to end positively, however with bitter sweet undertones. My depression allows me to create the art I desire to help rid myself of it. Although it is there, and in my opinion always will be, I have accepted it into my life. In the final scene it shows me on a sofa with a group of wolves in human form [79], showing the friends I have made with similar issues themselves. I also have accepted the wolf, however I do keep it hidden inside myself [73] allowing it to surface in moments where I feel the most vulnerable or in everyday life.

By Matt Butterworth, managing director of MullenLowe MENA I know a wolf. He is living in the woods and has been for more than 17 years, but I know full

I found this article online when researching for my project. The writer, Matt Butterworth goes into depth about the effect lockdown has on people during the ongoing eternal tragedy that is Covid-19. He uses the wolf as an allegory for his depression, the same as myself and uses its formidable presence in a similar way as myself. This gave me hope, he also suffers from his own personal wolf and also explains that in the creative industry, a lot of people suffer from the same issues that haunt me.

Additionally the closing sentences really spoke to me as I had reflected the same sentiments surrounding my own issues and struggles with the wolf in my cloing lines in my monologue.

“I have come to terms with the fact that I will always have my illness. I have to accept it is a part of life, like having a vitamin deficiency.

The wolf will always be there, I just have to learn to keep him at bay, If the wolf has come to pay you a visit during these horrible times, just remember, there are always people to talk to and give support. You’re not alone.”

CGI 3D Animated Untamed Short Film by Juliette Viger, Maja-Lisa Kehlet, Tautvydas Kazlauskas, Anna Ewa Nowakowska, Andreea Serban-Chira, Simon Dilling Hansen...

Conceptually, this film is not dissimilar to my own creation. It follows a young girl and her wolf-father, a man slowly succumbing to his own animal condition in the city of New York. Originally a talented jazz musician, he has slowly began to change into a wolf and is slowly losing touch with his humanity. I think this is an allegory for mental health or at the very least alcohol addiction, as he loses all passion for something that he once loved and is now a vile, abusive creature whose selfish actions and loneliness is driving a wedge between himself and his daughter. In the end, he embraces his passion for jazz music, however keeping the form of the wolf, which could be a metaphor for his depression/addiction still being apart of himself although it is an accepted flaw rather than eating away at his entire life.

It’s not easy for a movie-star to age - especially when you’re a stop motion animated skeleton monster.Phil, once a terrifying villain of the silver-screen, ...

I enjoyed the integration of live action and stop motion in this short film, it was seamless and incredibly well done. I liked the smooth, human like movements of the main character, Phil, and the ironic humour surrounding stop motion animation becoming an outdated method CGI. As the miniatures and environments go, they are some of the best I’ve seen, especially coming from a short film with a relatively low budget.

"Moon", from the album "Play Me Again" (03 March 2017)LP vinyl or CD Digipak : https://www.wiseband.com/yo/shop.php?boutique=5246Digital : http://hyperurl.co...

This video was very interesting to me. It uses vectors and parallax to convey distance and movement. The noise on the materials and the use of paper really spoke to me when I was creating a style for my animation, especially in the beginning where I used several, layered materials to give it a sense of stylised realism. The constant movement appeals to me because I want to create something similar with the scene with the narrator in the car or similarly with the rushing train that cuts off the monologue. I enjoyed the minimalism of the environments, as I want to use physical miniatures to create a foreground environment and project onto my green screen with an animated 2D image.

Dreamlike Imagery - LunaPic.com

For the repeated scene of a flashback, which happens earlier on in the animation I wanted the scene to be different in appearance rather than be seen as a lazy cop out of a repeated shot. However, as I progressed through the production I decided that the dream sequences will all be in an acid-like hallucinogenic trip.

For this, I used a website that can change the appearances of images into different effects and textures. The different materials I used for my animation really blended well with the effects LunaPic produced.

Below is a still image of the wolf in the torchlight, it created an effective texture that I will attempt to replicate later in the project.

This is a GIF of the still image I used, I really loved how the light seemed like it bounced around the image and off the wolfs face. I also liked the effect that the light produced as it made the light look like it had been created using a pastel or a crayon. I enjoy the pulsating movement of the image.

This is a similar image effect, however it creates a crosshatch effect and swirls within the image, as well as movement. I don’t think this effect is as effective as the one above because I think it’s very distracting to the rest of the image. The tone is intimidation, and this takes the tone away by adding lighter tones of white and yellow within the shot.

I love this shot with this effect, it gives it an unnerving gothic feel. I like how the light bounces around like flames and how it refracts around the main image. It slow flashes almost give the effect of the light running out of charge.

This image isn’t as effective. Its the amount of colours and the strange rotating movement doesn’t do the scene justice.

Storyboarding and Art Direction

“When I was young...”

“There was a wolf at the bottom of my stairs.”

“I knew it was there...”

“...lurking patiently in the dark.”

“I would get so scared...”

“...and for a moment...”

“...it wouldn’t be there. It would be my nanna’s chair by the phone, with a fluffy cardigan on it or something stupid”

“But as I said, it was only for a moment.”

“It would come back before long.”

“The weight on my chest.”

“Its bright yellow eyes looking into my own.”

“Its teeth.”

“Its dogshit smelling breath.”

“And then, as if this weren’t a pretty shitty situation anyways...”

“It would speak:”

“They can’t protect you Huwie”

“And I’d wake up, unsure about my surroundings. My box room.”

"Familiarity.”

“Open the curtains.”

“ “Peer out into the forest. I knew he was there.”

“He always had been.”

“And that dream would happen again...”

“And again.”

“And I’d piss the bed again...”

“And again.”

“And I’d climb into my nans bed again and again. I thought she could protect me but like it said:”

“They can’t protect you Huwie.”

“The fact that I had read Little Red Riding Hood and the grandmother died didn’t fill me with confidence.”

“Eventually, the dream died. Like all dreams.”

“But the wolf was still there.”

“It followed me when I moved house.”

“Twice.”

Script

Black.

In the calm, deep waters of the mind, the wolf waits – F.T McKinstry

Narrator:

When I was young

Young boy stood at the top of a flight of stairs. Staring into the darkness.

There was a wolf at the bottom of my stairs.

Downstairs there is a shape and movement. The thing is very vague and is obscured by darkness.

I knew it was there, lurking patiently in the dark.

Boy lifts a torch with a terrified look on his face.

I would get so scared and for a moment, it wouldn’t be there.

Boy turns on the torch and directs it towards the thing.

It would be my nanna’s chair by the phone, with a fluffy cardigan on it or something stupid.

The boy looks relieved. And wipes his forehead.

But as I said, it was only for a moment. It would come back before long.

The wolf’s shadow covers the boys face. The wolf dives at the boy from behind him and throws him down the stairs. The boy lands with a thud. The wolf on top his chest.

The weight on my chest. Its bright yellow eyes looking into my own. It’s teeth. It’s dogshit smelling breath. And then, as if this weren’t a pretty shitty situation anyways, it would speak.

The wolf smiles.

“They can’t protect you Huwie”

The wolf unhinges its jaw and swallows the boy whole. He falls into nothingness, oblivion. He spins out of control. As he spins one last time, he wakes up in bed. Soaked in urine.

And I’d wake up, unsure about my surroundings. My box room. Familiarity.

He looks around his room and stands up, there is urine on his pyjamas.

Open the curtains.

The garden. The field. The forest. The train tracks. A train rushes past.

Peer out into the forest. I knew he was there. He always had been.

Shot from outside. Staring up at the house from the forest.

And that dream would happen again and again.

Repeated shot of being eaten by the wolf. But differently.

And I’d piss the bed again and again.

Repeated shot of waking up, different amounts of urine and type of reaction differs.

And I’d climb into my nan’s bed again and again.

Climbing into nans bed, falling off twice. Never see nan. Only a shape. Boy is terrified in bed. Staring at the stairs.

I thought she could protect me. But like it said:

Flashback to distorted wolf smiling.

“They can’t protect you Huwie”

Shot of young boy doing research with piles of books about wolves and other things. Writes in a notepad.

The fact that I read Little Red Riding Hood and the grandma died didn’t fill me with confidence.

Crosses out something and throws paper away.

Eventually, the dream died. Like all dreams.

The paper hits a small bedroom bin that is overflowing. It has a microphone. Books. A spider-man costume.

But the wolf was still there.

The wolf eats out of the bin.

It followed me when I moved house. Twice.

Boy has now aged to mid-teen. He is watching as the wolf chases the car.

It was by my side in school. But never when I needed it.

Boy is getting beaten up in the middle of a field. The wolf urinates on a tree, unbothered.

It was loyal when it suited it. It was by my side when people left.

Boy crying on his bed, arm around the wolf. The wolf howls.

It wagged it’s tail when I did some stupid shit by accident.

The wolf lays on top of the stairs and the boy falls down, tripping over its body. Cut to the boy with bandages over his head and body, standing at the metro. Arms folded, enraged. The wolf growls at people who pass.

Or when I attempted stupid shit on purpose because what’s the point in living any---

A train cuts the narration off as it rushes past.

But fuck it, that’s not the point.

Flashing lights from the windows pass. They slow, turn into strips and then bars.

In what seemed like the end, it swallowed me whole and I became just like it.

The narrator is now in a cage. With wild yellow eyes and a furry body, punching a wall with a bloody fist. Wolf pelt over his head.

So, I tried to kill the wolf. With silver bullets of sertraline.

Table full of pills and tablets.

Nothing worked.

The wolf’s paw swipes it from the table.

I became roommates with the wolf.

Narrator and wolf sat at a table. Narrator has folded arms. The wolf, indifferent.

I broke bread and signed treaties, but the crack is… it’s a fuckin animal so.

Narrator gestures to a piece of paper on the table.

It had no use for it.

The wolf vomits the contents of the bin and other elements of the film, mementos from the narrator’s life. The dreams he had lost.

I hate it. But we have one thing in common.

The narrators face changes from fury to curiosity.

We need each other.

The narrator pulls things out of the sticky slime. A joke book. A microphone. A sticky note.

It pushes me and abuses me and hurts me and lies to me.

The wolf looks at him and pants. A dumb dog.

But I create happiness from its snarls.

Narrator doing stand up.

I form music from it’s woeful howls.

Narrator with the microphone.

I tear at his fur to build brushes to paint.

Narrator painting with the sticky note on the wolf’s head.

Now I try and wear its pelt with pride.

Narrator looking in the mirror and smiling, the wolf pelt on his head.

Even though I can’t live without it and it wants to see me dead, I’ve made my peace with it.

Narrator placing a bowl on the floor filled with rubbish and trash, the wolf eats it… wolfishly.

I hope you too can find peace with yours.

Narrator lights a spliff, in a smoke-filled room.

Darkness.

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