mga michaela sullivan

This is my tumblr account for my Motion Graphics and Animation course :3

[michaela--sullivan]

First day back at college and we had to animate flour sacks, attempting to give them personality.

[michaela--sullivan]

[michaela--sullivan]

This is my website as it appears at the moment. I will continue to upload work to it throughout the year.

[michaela--sullivan]

This is my website as it would appear on a mobile device.

[michaela--sullivan]

Creation of my Website

I followed the notes from my template and my final website turned out looking quite similar to how I envisioned. Overall I’m quite happy with the way it turned out, even though it isn’t entirely finished yet. Though as the year progresses I will definitely be adding more to my website.

The website mostly uses the same font as in the original template as I actually liked this font and thought it worked well, as it was clear to read but didn’t look boring. I did experiment with other fonts, colours and styles using the ‘Fonts’ tab under the ‘Design’ menu, but I found that I liked the original the best. I did however change the font for my name, as I thought it suited the page better. As well as this in the header I replaced the clip art stars with flowers and the image of the fish with my own ‘Capra’ logo.

I added a border to the image in the ‘About’ section as I thought this particular border added to the arty atmosphere (due to the tape). At the moment the image is just a photo of me, however in the future I am going to sketch myself and upload it instead once I have time.

The gallery page will showcase my work with both traditional and digital media, and will allow the user to click on each image and enlarge it. Once I have more work to upload I will include a title and description for each.

The ‘Contact’ page actually connects to my email so that once the user types in their email they can submit a message to me which I will receive in my inbox. Or if they would prefer they can also visit my Tumblr or Pinterest account using the links I included at the bottom of the page. I will also be including images of the website as it appears on a mobile device, which I also created using Wix.

[michaela--sullivan]

Planning my Website

In order to create my website I decided to use Wix, a web-based development platform which enables people to make professional sites from scratch, or even from a template. I decided to edit a template as it would save me a lot of time, and would provide me with a structure for my website from the start. The template I chose to use was the ‘Artist Corner’ template, under the ‘Creative Arts’ section, as I liked the way it was set out, and it also fit the kind of theme I was trying to create. Since the template is based on art it would provide lots of space which I would use to showcase my work, and enough space to write about it if need be. After I found the template I wanted I took some screenshots and wrote some notes over them using my graphics tablet. In order to personalise the site there things I needed to change. The overall layout only changed slightly, however there were a few new elements I added to the design.

The home page is going to be the first page that the user will see so it needs to be eye catching and make people want to continue browsing the site. So to do this I will keep the large header and insert a new style of gallery underneath the navigation bar. This gallery will be in the form of a slideshow which the user can click on in order to scroll through my work. I decided that so far on my website I am not going to include any of my animation work, but will instead include a selection of drawings in both traditional and digital methods. The reason for this is because I want my website to be themes around art, concept work and storyboards until I create an animation that I am particularly proud of. So throughout the year I will definitely continue updating the site. The background is customisable using the ‘Design’ tab in the toolbar. You can either choose one of the background presets and then recolour it, select one fill colour for the entire background, or upload your own image and then rearrange it on the page. I personally chose one of the background presets as it was a good quality image and I liked the way it looked. I then applied the background to my other pages. My logo will be drawn and scanned in, replacing the image of the fish. I have decided that my logo will include a goat as in most of my projects so far I have included characters with goat like features. As well as this I also go by the name ‘Capra’ sometimes, which is Latin for ‘goat’, so that could possibly become my pseudonym.

I wanted the ‘About’ page to basically describe myself and what I am currently studying etc. I also wanted to include a picture of myself as I thought it would make the website more personal. For now the picture will probably just be an actual photo of me, but once I have time I definitely want to sketch one out, as this will be more creative and in keeping with the art theme, and will also show more of my skills. Originally the ‘About’ button also included a drop down menu which had a ‘Resume’ option available. Clicking it would take you to a page which was set out like a resume, however I had no use for it as I have had very little work experience and am not looking for work at this moment. In the future if I continue to use this website I will definitely create a new resume type page explaining projects I have worked on or companies I have worked for, hoping that it will help me gain more clients.

The Gallery page is one that I am not sure what I wish to do with yet. So far I know that I definitely do not want this layout but I’m still not sure what kind of Gallery layout I would like. I want there to be two separate sections; one for Digital Art and one for Traditional Art. I will either have both galleries on one page or I will create a drop down menu which will link to two separate pages. Either way I have to experiment more with the template first before I know for sure.

This page was useful as it would allow people who viewed my site to contact me, however it did not seem friendly enough. To make the page seem more welcoming I would need to change the colour scheme as well as the spaciousness and content of the text. I also wanted to change the logos at the bottom of the page and rearrange them a bit as I do not have a Facebook, Twitter or Google+ account associated with my work. Instead I wanted to include a link to my Tumblr as I update this regularly with my work in progress, and my Pinterest which users of the website can click on if they want to see where I draw some of my inspiration from.

The final page included in the template was the ‘Blog’ page. However it was not necessary for me to include it in my website as I already have a Tumblr blog, and a link to this on my ‘Contact’ page. I felt like if I included this page on my website it would probably be too complicated to maintain on a regular basis, and would not fit in with the simplicity of the other pages on the site. If I ever did want to use this page I could use it for posting tutorials or informing people about how I created my work, but at the moment I won’t be using it.

[michaela--sullivan]

Generating Website Ideas

In order to decide what kind of website I wanted to create, I looked at a variety of websites from other people in the industry to gain inspiration. I wanted to see what were the features of a good website, and learn what a website could include in order to make it better - therefore when it came to creating my own website I would be able to build upon this knowledge and create a more professional looking site. Noah Bradley

I enjoyed looking at this website as it centres around what should always be the main focus of the page - the work of the artist. Noah Bradley is a concept artist and upon opening his webpage the first thing you see is one of his images filling the screen. As you continue to scroll down it is followed by a lot more images until you reach the ‘About’ section (which can also be found by clicking the link at the top of the page). Everything is set out nicely and is clear to read which allows the user to browse with minimal effort. If the text was all clustered together and all over the place many users wouldn’t actually bother to read it, as it would seem to be too much effort. This is also true for text that is too small or text that doesn’t stand out against it’s background. Rather than making the user want to continue to read it would just frustrating, so having clear text makes this website is very successful in my opinion. And not only does the artist include examples of his work, which gives the site atmosphere and allows potential employers to see what Bradley can do, he also includes the names of his previous clients and published works etc. This shows users that he has put himself out there and is serious about what he does.

By clicking the ‘Print Store’ button at the top of the page, you will be taken to his ‘INPRNT’ gallery. This allows the user to browse more of his work, as well as enabling Bradley to make money if they choose to order one of his prints. It is smart to include links in this way, as people wouldn’t have necessarily realised that it was possible to purchase from him. And therefore he wouldn’t have made as much money or had his other work seen. Kieran Yanner

This website is also quite simplistic and likes to let the work speak for itself. I love the way in which the gallery has been created, as the work in the centre always stands out against the faded pieces next to it. Therefore the images can be positioned next to each other without becoming overbearing for the user. As well as this the faded images make the focused image appear to be much more vibrant, allowing Yanner to showcase his work much better. The website is laid out quite professionally and on each page is a gallery which contains a lot of drawings. Since the work has been dated it is easy to see how Yanner’s skills as an artist have developed over the years. And since the most recent work is on the first page it means that users will see some of his best work first, and will therefore be more inclined to browse further through the website.

The ‘About’ page, however, was very brief and seemed unfinished - making the site appear to be unprofessional. The information is written in the third person, so it seems that it was not written by Yanner himself. Or if it was it makes the site seem much less personal. As well as this the resume is very brief and does not go into any description at all of the work he did for each company. People who have not heard of him before would struggle here, as there are not even images to show examples of the work he has done for others. This could lead to him not being hired.

He did include his email and phone number though, which is good as it allows people to contact him. If he wanted to go a step further he could’ve included links to his profiles on other sites, as this could allow him to gain a following of people who are interested in his work.

From looking at other websites I have learnt that there are a few features it would be wise to include in my website, as well as some things to remember about the layout of my site:

Text should be clear to read. This includes font size, style and colour.

Text should be spaced out and not too clustered together.

The background should not overshadow the images on the page.

There should be links between the pages allowing easy navigation through the site. This could be in the form of headings or buttons, as just a few examples.

The website should have a clear structure.

Including additional links to other sites is useful, as it allows more people to find your work.

Users should be given the option to contact you, otherwise the purpose of the site is defeated.

The website should be user-friendly and have a good atmosphere to it.

Showcasing of work is very important, as this is what the client wants to see.

[michaela--sullivan]

Printing Resolution

The quality of an image is measured in DPI, which is an abbreviation for the term ‘Dots per Inch’. However more recently the term has been changed to PPI, ‘Pixels per Inch’. The higher the PPI is, the more pixels there will be in the image. And therefore the higher quality the image will be. Most companies will require work to be printed at a resolution of 300 PPI or more, as this is often sufficient for most printing and is agreed upon as being “high resolution”.

[frankieamsbury]

These are the early mind maps and lists that me and Michaela created when working together in a group, this help us complete task 1 and 2 of the brief.

[michaela--sullivan]

Digital Communication

Communication using digital devices has greatly impacted our society, and is now something a lot of people couldn’t live without. It allows us to work with people all over the world and provides us with a lot of different opportunities. We use it digital communication all the time even when we do not realise it, using our phones, tablets and computers or even other devices such as our games consoles. Social Media Social Media is a device used for communication. Whereas regular media, such as the newspaper or radio, is limited when it comes to giving your own thoughts and opinions, social media is built around the concept of communicating with each other. There are a large variety of social media sites and they can be categorised depending on their purpose. For example there is; Social Networking - One of the first things everybody thinks of when they hear the words, ‘social media’. They enable users to add friends, comment on posts, join discussions and groups as just a few examples. Social News - Users can comment on articles and rate them, creating discussion topics. Wikis - People can interact by adding articles and editing existing articles about topics of interest. There can be a wiki or Wikipedia page for almost anything and anyone can contribute to them. Photo and Video Sharing - Sharing photos or videos and commenting on other user’s submissions allows people to communicate with each other. Social Media is rarely used to communicate in the workplace, as it is an informal type of communication and therefore is not always seen as appropriate. However there are always exceptions, and some smaller companies where employees are more laid-back or the community is more close-knit, may make use of social media. Often it can be more convenient to work using social media compared to other devices such as emails, due to the interface being very user-friendly. Facebook

Facebook is one of the most successful and well-known forms of social media. It was launched on February 4, 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg and was originally intended to be used by college students. Though nowadays it is used by people all over the world and of varying ages. The site encourages users to connect with other people they know by allowing them to add friends, exchange messages, post status updates and photos and share videos. Users can comment or ‘like’ each others posts and will receive notifications when others update their profiles. Facebook could be a useful tool for communicating in the workplace, as it allows for a more relaxed atmosphere between employee and employer. And therefore it’d make the project much more enjoyable to work on. As well as this Facebook has a group chat feature which would enable multiple people to communicate at once, and therefore ideas and concepts could be shared easily.

However it is also possible that people may become too easily distracted by Facebook, and therefore there could be a decrease in productivity in the workplace. Also a lot of people post personal things on Facebook that they probably wouldn’t want their boss to see, as it is sometimes better to keep your private life separate from your professional career. Twitter Twitter is a social networking device which is also very popular. It is quite simple to use as it’s main purpose is for users to send out short 140 character messages called ‘tweets’ for others to read. They are made public unless the user adjusts their profile settings to private. Users can ‘follow’ other’s profiles as well as ‘retweeting’ their tweets. A survey was conducted by San Antonio-based market-research firm Pear Analytics, in which they analysed 2,000 tweets (originating from the United States and in English) over a two-week period in August 2009 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm (CST) and separated them into six categories: Pointless babble - 40% Conversational - 38% Pass-along value - 9% Self-promotion - 6% Spam - 4% News - 4% It shows that people often post whatever they are doing or what is on their mind, compared to information of real value. Often there will be a trending topic however, which many people are commenting on at once. This is what really connects people, as they all share their opinions on the relevant information. Twitter has been commended before for the amount of time in which news has been spread across the world. Often news will reach people through sites like Twitter much faster than when watching the Tv or listening to the radio. However I don’t think that Twitter is a very appropriate tool for the workplace, due to the nature of the site. When communicating ideas you would need a lot more than just 140 characters, as it is important to go into depth so that all employees are on the same page. As well as this most tweets are public, which is not ideal for a company working on something secretive. Though Twitter would be perfect for publicity, as news can be spread at an extremely fast rate. And the use of hashtags and retweeting etc could make the product a trending topic, which would get more people interested and eventually gain more profit for the company. Pinterest

Pinterest is a website that allows users to post up pictures, gifs or videos onto boards, which are a collection of the above. They can also ‘like’ and re-pin other user’s pictures. Users can choose to create boards based on any topic they want, or they could be completely random. Either way the main purpose of the website is to entertain or to help people gain inspiration. It also encourages people to come together as a community and discuss certain topics, by allowing users to comment on posts. Behance

This website is used as an online portfolio that allows people in the creative industry to connect with each other. It can help people showcase their work as well as appreciate and comment on other people’s projects. Websites like Behance can help people to find work as it is designed for a specific community. As well as this looking at other people’s work can help you to improve your own and learn new skills, as artists may write about the creation process of their projects. Instant Messaging

Instant Messaging is a service that allows users to communicate instantly via text, through the use of the internet. It is extremely popular due to it’s convenience. Compared to email it is more efficient as the recipient will receive the message straight away, assuming they are online. When working on a project it can be important for the immediate back and forth exchange that Instant Messaging provides, especially when working on ideas. There are a huge selection of Instant Messaging programs, including WhatsApp as just one example. WhatsApp is a cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS. It is available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Nokia, and uses the same internet data plan that you use for email and web browsing. All of the contacts on your phone that have WhatsApp can be found in your contacts section, and can be messaged via the app. Though as well as just basic messaging, WhatsApp users can also create group chats, send each other unlimited images, video and audio messages. WhatsApp also alerts the user as to whether their messages have been delivered or read. Companies that are more formal most likely wouldn’t use Instant Messaging, as it can be very intrusive. Instant messages pop up on the screen, announcing their presence with a loud notification tone. Though you can configure the instant messaging software not to do that, you then run the risk of missing the incoming message altogether which negates one of the “pros” of instant messaging. As well as this it would require that every member of the team uses the same Instant Messaging provider. If someone doesn’t have an account with that service, they will not receive the message. It is more likely that Instant Messaging would be used between only as few people in the company when brainstorming ideas (assuming they are not together). This is because the main purpose of Instant Messaging is to allow users to communicate single thoughts, rather than lengthy essays. Email

Email is similar to Instant Messaging, however it is much more formal and is more widely accepted. Everyone has an email address, especially when it comes to business. Email is short for ‘Electronic Mail’ and is more similar to a letter than an instant message. This is because they are far more lengthy and expressive than the simple sentences or thoughts that are sent via Instant Messaging. Each user will have an email address that is unique to them and can send emails via their web-browser or using applications installed into their computer. Not only does Email have the ability to send messages; users can also attach photos, documents and other files, so that more information can be shared. There is usually a much higher limit to size of a file that can be sent via email compared to text or instant messaging. And this is at no cost to the user. There are many advantages to using email, which is why it has been so broadly used for so long. Firstly, it is universal so users do not need to be on the same email provider in order to send messages to each other. As long as the user has an email, a message can be sent to them. Another ‘pro’ of using email is that a single message can be sent to a large group of people, allowing a user to communicate with an entire team, or list of individuals at once. Also compared to instant messaging which can often delete your messages, emails will only be deleted once the user chooses to delete them. Therefore there is always a written record, which be useful if there is ever a problem involving the law. As a user’s inbox will require a password to access, email can be very secure. There is still a lot of spam, though it can be filtered out by the program. However this can sometimes backfire when important messages are mistaken for spam and removed from the inbox. It is also impossible to tell if an email has been received, and often emails will not be received straight away. Some people have started to find emails quite outdated, and in fact one IT company is “working to eliminate email for inter-company communications because it feels it is a distraction that wastes more time than it’s worth”. Video Chat Video Chat enables users to connect using their webcams, so that they can see each other and talk even when they are not together. The technology works in real-time so that communication is as efficient as possible. One of the oldest and most used softwares for video chatting is Skype. It is a versatile program as it can be used for leisure or work and has many different features. Firstly, Skype can be used for one-to-one conversations, or for group chats. Up to 25 people can be added to a call for free in the original version, however in the business version up to 250 people can be added to a meeting. As well as this, anyone in the company can be found and scheduled for a meeting in Outlook, and their accounts can be managed. They also claim that their security is ‘Enterprise-grade’. Not only does Skype allow for just video-chatting though. As it can also be used to call mobiles or landlines at quite low rates, for voice calling or for instant messaging. I find that there are many advantages to Skype, as it is very user-friendly and has everything that a business would need for a meeting. As well as being able to communicate using video, audio and text, files can be shared between members of the group and there is no limit on size. And if a member of the meeting needs help on anything particular or wants to present their work, the screen-sharing option is perfect. As the user can choose to share their whole screen or only a portion of it, with the call. The only issues with Skype is that people need a good internet connection to be able to use it effectively, as without it the call will break up or certain participants will not hear the call in real-time. As well as this there is a lot of spam on Skype, and automated messages. File Sharing

File Sharing allows multiple people to have access to a file at once. Data can be instantly synced and shared on any device, so people can work together from anywhere. Programs like Dropbox have many features that make work so much more efficient. And even people who do not have a Dropbox account can contribute, as Dropbox links can be shared with anyone. There is also a business version of Dropbox that makes data access more safe, reliable, and fast. It features powerful admin controls that can protect information both inside and outside an organization. Dropbox is very useful as it can hold a lot of information. It is much quicker and more efficient for multiple people to be working on a file at the same time, compared to having to send the files over and over. As well as this it can increase productivity in the workplace. In order to gain more space it is sometimes necessary to pay for it, though that is to be expected and is not really a problem for a big organisation.

[michaela--sullivan]

2D Animation This is my animation as it is currently, and I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could write me some feedback :)

[michaela--sullivan]

Evaluation

2D Animation Our task was to produce an animated sequence lasting around 30 seconds, and possibly using some of the techniques or tools we have learnt about in class. We began by researching into the many different styles of animation that influenced how animation is created nowadays. I was then able to use these skills I had learnt about during the production stages of my animation. By researching the history of animation it enabled me to generate my own ideas for my project using mind-maps and sketches, and then communicate them through a story-board and pitch. Overall I think the project went quite unexpectedly. At first I found it very hard to generate ideas but as I did more research, looked at other work for inspiration and started sketching, I began to find it much easier. I ended up with a lot of original ideas, which I am pleased about. I also ended up developing my ideas as I was creating the project; as I learnt more about the variety of tools available in Flash. For example, being able to convert an object into a symbol and adding filters such as Colour, Blur or Alpha to create different effects. These filters allowed me to make my animation look more professional. Some things that I had trouble with was the live-action footage. If I were to do the project again I would probably use a still background as it would have been much easier to animate over, or try to fix some of the issues that I had with the video. For example some of the shots were very shaky, which made it very hard to animate. This is because where some of the animated objects were meant to be incorporated into the scene, they looked strange as the background was moving while they were still. I tried to adjust this by key framing the objects into the correct position for each frame, but as there were so many frames in my animation it was extremely time consuming. Another issue I had with the camera is that I did not realise that the quality of the camera I was using was actually quite low. When compared to my phone you could zoom in much less farther before it became pixelated and hard to work with. As the brushes in Flash all require the view to be zoomed in to create fine lines, it is definitely something I would have to look out for next time. Something I was not pleased with was the management of time for this project. While some of this was my fault, it was also due to other project work which I had to hand in. I feel that if I had a bit more time I could’ve significantly improved the quality of my work. In the end I had to skip out on creating a few of the scenes which would have added to the atmosphere and story of my animation. And some of my scenes were also cut short, for example the scene in which the hands pull back Devlin using his coat. However I tried to include as much as I could within the deadline, and I will probably choose to continue with this project at a later date. So while the animation is incomplete, it could also be classed as finished to someone who hasn’t seen my storyboards and preproduction work. There were many things I would change about my animation. Although there were some aspects that I did like. For example in the first animated scene where Elizabeth peers up from behind a log, I was able to create a sequence for the hand which looked quite realistic and flowed well. I also liked the art style I used as it looked effective but didn’t take very long to create. I chose to keep with the black and white theme for all of my animation work. During this project I developed a lot of skills in Flash, as well as research skills that I will definitely try to use in future projects. Most of these skills were based around drawing frame by frame animations. Feedback “The way that the animation was made and they way that the artist used the use of the envirmoment  was really well it fitted in well with the overall concept of the video but the only downside to it was the animating of the tree face was kinda hard to see but still it stayed with the overall concept of the video.” - Simon I definitely agree with the statement about the tree face, as in my original plan I was going to make it look more like a creepy hallucination using the brush tool. If I had more time I definitely would’ve done this. My main issue with the particular image that I used for the face was that even though I set the background to transparent, it kept showing up faintly in Flash.

[michaela--sullivan]

Creation of my 2D Animation

The task we were given was to plan out and produce a 10 to 30 second animation with sound, using software such as Flash. In order to create my animation I had to research into the many different styles of animation that influenced how animation is created nowadays. It benefited me as it enabled me to use these skills I had learnt about during the production stages of my animation. Live-Action Footage Once I had planned everything out using sketches and storyboards, I had to create the film which would serve as the background for my animation. As I was playing one of the characters, I filmed some of the shots, while my friend James filmed the others. We ended up filming in three different locations; my friend’s house, Oxleys Woods and Severndroog Castle. I then took the footage and edited it together using iMovie. I added some effects so that the film would fit the atmosphere of the story more, including ‘Black and White’ and ‘Vignette’ - which adds a fading black outline around the edge of the screen. Once the live-action part was exported I then used another program to convert it from a .mov file to a .flv file. This was necessary as only a .flv file would be compatible with Adobe Flash. I opened up a new project in Flash, selecting the HTML5 Canvas. I made sure that the frame rate was set to 25 frames per second, as this is the standard frame rate for the UK. I then imported the film to my timeline on a separate layer.

Scene 1 For this scene I needed to animate Elizabeth reaching out her hand and peering from behind the log where she was buried. I used two separate layers; one for the outline of the character and one for the colour. I started by animating her hand, which was mostly trial and error in order to create something that looked realistic. I selected the paintbrush and resized it so that I could create fine lines. I then chose the first frame in the animation and inserted a key frame. I drew the fingertips where they would first be seen if they were to slide over the log from behind. Then I copied and pasted the contents of that key frame onto the next one along, and edited from there. As the illusion of motion would be created by small changes in a series of images, I erased one half of the fingertips, moved them down and added a tiny bit of nail. I then continued this process of copying and pasting frames, changing them a little bit each time, and ended up with a continuous series of images that flowed as an animation. After this I went back and added colour on a separate layer underneath the first. This bit was a lot less time consuming, as it did not need nearly the same amount of focus. Next I needed to animate Elizabeth’s body. As the background was comprised of live footage, I couldn't manipulate it at all. I had to animate her upper body coming from behind the log, which would have been simple had I used still images - since I would’ve been able to insert the log part of the image in front of her and used a motion tween to move her up. Instead I had to copy and paste the image of Elizabeth to a lot of different frames,  move it up slightly each time, and then go back to every single frame and erase the part that would be hidden by the log.

Scene 2 For this scene I took a picture of a tree with a face from the internet and cropped it in Gimp so that it just had the image of the face. I inserted it onto a transparent background and then smudged out the edges so that it would blend with the bark of the tree once I put it in front of my live-footage background. I inserted the picture onto it’s own layer in the timeline and converted it to a ‘Movie Clip’ symbol so that I could add some filters. This included 'Colour’ - in which I decreased the saturation until the image was black and white, and ‘Blur’. But more importantly it enabled me to create a motion tween which allowed me to fade the image in (by key framing the Alpha option), so keeping with the hallucination theme. Another thing that was useful about the motion tween was that I could create a motion path for the image. Since the background was very shaky and the tree moved around, it would look odd if the tree face didn’t stay in one place. So I included a motion path that tried to follow the position of the tree.

Scene 3 The goat boy scene was quite a pain to create as the camera was very shaky and this meant that I had to readjust the position of the character in almost every frame. To simplify things I used a combination of motion tweens and frame by frame animation. For the times when the camera was panning up/down the castle and when the head falls off, I created a separate symbol version of the goat boy. This allowed me to create a path for him to follow which was much more efficient than having to click on every single frame and key frame it. For when the goat boy starts to point at Devlin I used frame by frame animation to draw the different positions of his hand.

Scene 4 I used key framing to animate the vine catching onto Devlin’s foot. It was complicated at first due to the way the camera moves down the steps, however I completed the shot in the end. As the vine wrapped around his foot I also had to be aware of Devlin’s coat masking it, and therefore had to erase some parts of the vine at some points where his coat was in front. As the foot broke the vine I had to make the vine stretch itself, as this is a more accurate portrayal of what would happen in real-life. So to do this I used the free transform tool to select the points in the lines I drew, which bought up a box I could use to manipulate the shape of the object.

Scene 5 For this scene I wanted to keep it simple as the subject was very far away in the shot. Therefore it wouldn’t be worth going into so much detail as the viewer just wouldn’t see it. I copied and pasted the upper body of Elizabeth from the first scene and added some extra layers to create the rest of the body. I converted it to a symbol so that I could add a motion tween and then added two key frames for the position of the object. One was at one side of the screen and the other was in the middle, as the character had to look like she was standing in one place as the background was panning.

Scene 6 Scene 6 was also created using key framing, however I did it in reverse as I thought it would make everything much easier. Rather than drawing and adding a little bit to each new frame, I created the finished drawing of the hands and then worked backwards, copying and pasting but then erasing small parts. By doing this I knew exactly where all of the hands would end up. After that point though I animated normally again as I could just follow the way Devlin moved to get the position of the hands right.

[michaela--sullivan]

2D Animation - Storyboard After creating the film I decided to draw out a storyboard for the animation work in my project. To make sure the drawings stood out clearly I drew everything in red, however in the actual animation everything will be in black and white. I firstly took screenshots of each of the live backgrounds and drew on them using Photoshop. I included drawings of each shot as well as the timings and descriptions of what was happening. It was useful as it enabled me to plan out exactly how my animation would look, and I would be able to refer to it during the production stages.

[michaela--sullivan]

2D Animation Pitch - Review These are some of the slides from the pitch I created about my 2D Animation. The feedback I received about my animation was mostly positive, however there are still lots of things I could work on in order to make my sequence better. Firstly there was a lot of backstory that the viewer would not understand if they were not told prior to watching the animation. So to fix the problem I would have to put in some extra scenes at the beginning which would explain how Elizabeth died, who the goat boy was and why Devlin was hallucinating. As well as this it was mentioned that I would have to get permission if I wanted to film the castle. Therefore I shall do this before I go filming so that I have time to make changes to the animation if I am denied. Lastly, I was told to make sure that I kept everything separate. So everything in live-action would be based on real life, and everything that is animated would be one of Devlin’s hallucinations. This would be helpful as to not cause confusion amongst the audience. As the idea of reality merging with fantasy is fine, but for the time span of the animation it would be much too hard to convincingly portray it to a level that the audience would understand.

[michaela--sullivan]

2D Animation Pre-production

Narrative

The story revolves around Devlin, a man who is ridden with guilt after the death of his girlfriend, Elizabeth. She died after overdosing, thanks to the years of suffering and pain that Devlin caused her during their relationship. The way he abused her mentally left her too scarred to even leave the house, and terrified of him.

The sequence begins with a live-action version of Elizabeth who is taking pills in the bathroom. She staggers through the hallway of the house and into the bedroom, where she collapses on the bed and dies. Eventually Devlin returns home to find her, and decides to carry her into the woods to bury her, so that nobody would ever find out about her death. After she is buried, Devlin is seen walking back through the woods. As he progresses further he begins to hallucinate and see strange beings, such as despairing faces in the trees and a mysterious goat-boy. A ghostly figure appears in the distance. At this point Elizabeth re-appears, but in an animated form (since everything that is part of Devlin’s imagination is animated).

At first he does not believe that what he is seeing is there at all, but the images begin to haunt him more. And as he sits down in their old den, he takes a pull from his cigarette and blows the smoke out. It is thick and black, and he realises there is something wrong. Devlin throws the cigarette away and holds his head in his hand. He stares at the floor before looking up and seeing Elizabeth before him. He cowers as she whispers in his ear the last lyric of the song, “you’ll never know what hit you”. Techniques (Software)                                                                   For my sequence I will need to use video editing software, as I will be using live-action footage for the basis of the animation. All of the backgrounds and the characters Devlin and Elizabeth (before death) will be filmed, however all of the other characters and hallucinations will be animated, since they are figments of his imagination. The video editing software that I will most likely use will be Final Cut Pro or After Effects. This is because I don’t find them too hard to use, so I can get the footage edited efficiently. Also they both have a very large variety of features which I can use to make the video look more professional and to a higher quality. After editing the video I will need to import it into Adobe Flash so that I can animate on top of it. I chose to use Flash because I find it much easier to use in comparison to After Effects, especially when drawing an animation frame by frame. Although drawing each frame is much more time consuming than creating a symbol and adding a motion tween, I think it will look much better in the long run as using the bone tool can really limit how a character can move. Audio                                                                                   When choosing the music for my animation I had to consider how it would add to the atmosphere of the sequence. The animation is going to be a psychological horror, so the music would have to be quite creepy or chilling. I chose the song, ‘The Devil Within’ by Digital Daggers, as I thought it would fit this genre well, and it also presented the theme of revenge. Overall, the tone of the song is very dark. For the beginning of the animation before the music starts, I will include the audio from the video clips as well as some background music. It will most likely be slow piano music at a low volume, as it is supposed to sound quite sad. Since the animation is only supposed to be around 30 seconds long I will definitely have to shorten the song. I predict that my animation will end up being about two minutes long, since not all of it is animation. Environments The animation will begin inside a house. Only a small portion of it will be shown, however it has to look quite cramped and dark due to the nature of the story. Firstly, the camera shows Elizabeth standing over the bathroom sink overdosing. She then staggers down a small hallway into the bedroom, collapsing on the bed. Devlin’s feet are seen walking up the stairs. The rest of the animation will be set in Oxleys Woods as it a very large area with a variety of features. This includes lots of trees and wildlife, clearings, gardens, walls, and other structures such as the den.

Severndroog Castle is also located in Oxleys woods and will be an interesting place to film, as it produces a very eerie atmosphere that I notice every time I walk up to it. I would have preferably liked to have filmed the castle while it had been in this state (photo), however it has now been enclosed by a number of gates.

Character Sketches Devlin The character Devlin will be played by my friend Simon, as he is similar in appearance to how I envisioned Devlin, and I thought that he could portray him well. Devlin is the main character in the story. He is a manipulative man who feels the need to be in control of everything around him, including his girlfriend Elizabeth. While living with Elizabeth he wanted to keep her all to himself no matter what the consequences were. Though he wanted her to love him more, he only ended up pushing her away. And in the end he resorted to scaring her into staying inside his house. Knowing her to be superstitious of almost anything he dressed as a demon, putting on the mask of a goat and following her everywhere she went. Once his abusive nature led her to her death, he was overrun by guilt; and lived in denial and fear of her death ever being discovered by the outside world. I chose the name Devlin for this character as it is quite unique and it is a play on the words “Devil in”. Thus making the song choice, ‘The Devil Within’, even more fitting.

Elizabeth Elizabeth is the other main character in the story, however unlike Devlin she will be both live-action and animated. I will be playing the character before her reanimation as a ghost, however throughout the film my whole face will never be shown. I chose to shoot this way so that anyone can relate to the character, and also so that when I animate I am not trying to animate myself. The years of torture from Devlin left Elizabeth with a worn down appearance. Dark circles under dead eyes, pale white skin and thinning, black hair are her most prominent features. She walks around hunched over, as if she is curling up for protection. From the woods she haunts him and eats away at his sanity in the same way he had to her. However she did not choose this fate, for she is trapped within him. Although she appears a few times in the sequence, Elizabeth is also portrayed earlier using the trees. They each have faces that convey her emotions now that she is dead, fearful and wanting revenge.

Goat Boy This character is a hallucination of the past. Just as the memory of Elizabeth haunts Devlin; so does the memory of what he did to her, personified in Goat Boy. He is a cloaked figure, wearing the mask of a ram (symbolising the devil). I had two different designs for goat boy. One is what Devlin may have actually looked like while he wore the mask, and the other is more metaphorical. I may choose to include only one of the designs, or both - depending mainly on if my schedule goes according to plan. The reason why I chose to make the second Goat Boy design a child, rather than a fully grown adult, was because the act of putting on a mask to scare and control another person is very child-like and immature. It is almost hard to believe that someone would do such a thing, although there have been similar real-life situations.

[michaela--sullivan]

Quick Example of Digital Communication Whatsapp is a cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS. It is available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Nokia, and uses the same internet data plan that you use for email and web browsing. All of the contacts on your phone that have Whatsapp can be found in your contacts section, and can be messaged via the app. Though as well as just basic messaging, WhatsApp users can also create group chats, send each other unlimited images, video and audio messages. I find that Whatsapp is very useful, especially when you are out and you need to send someone a picture message, as my phone would charge me to do it via SMS. It also enables me to keep in touch with multiple people using the group chat feature. Sometimes I even use Whatsapp for work purposes. So that video, audio and image files that would be beneficial to me can be sent to me efficiently.