Rachael Lowry

Animation Student at Ulster University

[rachaellowry]

Pacific Rim Uprising

Another movie I watched whilst on lockdown was Pacific Rim Uprising. I took inspiration from the main Jaeger called Gipsy Avenger. I Googled the name and took a photo that I thought would look cool done in more my kinda style.

I traced the basic outline of Gipsy Avenger and used the eyedropper tool to pick out colours to fill in each section. My style is more messy work with more vibrant colours and I really like how this turned out. The extra detailing of the lines I found were a nice touch and the graduated background shows the light and dark areas more effectively. I also really loved how the main power core turned out, with the mixed colours, it reminds me of stained glass with how bright the colours are. I completed this drawing to try and get more used to Adobe Illustrator and to play around with different backgrounds, pens and colours etc.

[rachaellowry]

Adobe Illustrator

Another thing that I got up to while in lockdown was practicing my skills on adobe illustrator and using my graphics tablet. I took an image I found on Tumblr, it was originally in greyscale and so I used the same shape but added colour to it. I thought the final outcome was pretty cool. 

[rachaellowry]

DOOM Eternal

Another play through I watched during the quarentine was DOOM Eternal. Again I watched this through YouTube with Jacksepticeye. I’ve never played any DOOM games but I thought this newly released one seemed intriguing. I loved the art style and characters. It was very demonic and a lot of gore but I did love the endless amount of enemies available to kill. I also loved the variety of godly looking guns and futuristic armour styling. I especially loved the design of the enemies and the multiple takedowns available depending on the angle the player and enemy are. It is a very beautiful game no matter how much it looks like hell, the art styling is different and I think that's why I like it so much. The best part of this game I have to admit is the perfectly suited heavy metal music. I, myself am not a huge fan of heavy metal but I do admit it is the perfect touch. 

Willings, A., 2020. Doom Eternal Review: Gory, Gory, Hallelujah - Pocket-Lint. [online] Pocket-lint. Available at: https://www.pocket-lint.com/games/reviews/bethesda/148867-doom-eternal-review-ps4-xbox-one-pc-nintendo-switch [Accessed 13 April 2020].

This launch trailer is one of the best I have ever seen, it’s just a mixture of madness and feeling like a badass. 

YouTube. 2020. DOOM Eternal – Official Launch Trailer. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=83&v=_UuktemkCFI&feature=emb_title [Accessed 13 April 2020].

Not a view you'd see everyday...

YouTube. 2019. 7 Minutes Of Doom: Eternal Gameplay - Quakecon 2018. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=101&v=p7cZDoKopkc&feature=emb_title [Accessed 13 April 2020]. 

[rachaellowry]

Resident Evil 3 Remake.

While being bored and uninspired during this lockdown, I spent some down time watching the play through of the new resident evil remake. In the beginning I was blown away by the level of detailing on the characters, the environment, the zombies but most importantly the new design of Nemesis. I loved how the lighting in game was placed strategically to guide the user to the desired location. I loved how dark the game was compared to the use of bright neon signs, its a effective method and adds to the unique features of the game. 

I love this scene at the beginning, the lighting shown ahead gives a creepy effect on the figures and keeps the users eyes focus on what they want them to see. It’s a very smart technique and inspires me to use different effects. 

I like this scene when the sign falls in-front of the character and has an arrow on it to guide the user to the desired location. I found this short section a useful feature and adds to the environment and the current situation of chaos and destruction. 

The first 4 images I love the lighting effects that guide the user through the dark and eerie environment. I especially love the last 2 images where Nemesis face is revealed by his cover being burnt off. The flames around him show a demonic side and strong evil. I especially love his mouth and how creepy it is. 

YouTube. 2020. NEMESIS IS AMAZING | Resident Evil 3 - Part 1. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-YwarjwUDM [Accessed 13 April 2020].

[rachaellowry]

Character Design

I took a break from designing my animatic and decided to create the four characters that would be in my animation. 

I used Adobe Illustrator to create these individuals. However, I did struggle to use the software as some features I didn't know how to use. Im happy with the end result, just some lines aren't straight and some are wonky but when inserting these into my animation I don't think they will be noticeable. 

Staff, C., 2020. Illustrator Tutorials: The Best Lessons To Sharpen Your Skills. [online] Creative Bloq. Available at: https://www.creativebloq.com/digital-art/illustrator-tutorials-1232697 [Accessed 2 April 2020].

[rachaellowry]

My Animatic

I began using Storyboarder to create my animatic. I really like using the software and find it simple and effective to use. 

I also am using the advice of my tutors and YouTube videos to keep my work loose and messy, just to get my ideas down. 

[rachaellowry]

Research on Animatics

I began my research by watching a few videos my tutor gave me. The first one I watched was a short clip of an animatic created by Dermot O’Connor. It showed his basic animation with simple sound effects. I liked this video as it clearly showed me I don't need detailing or colour, just basic characters, black and white colour and simple sound effects. I also liked as well that he included another video called “Dos and don’ts” which showed some areas of his animatic that had small mistakes and how tweaking the scene slightly can improve it drastically.

LinkedIn. 2020. Animation Foundations: Storyboarding - Animatics And Layouts. [online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/animation-foundations-storyboarding/animatics-and-layouts?collection=urn%3Ali%3AlyndaLearningCollection%3A1~AAAAAAIe0ZQ%3D311038&u=35574164 [Accessed 28 March 2020].

I then visited a YouTube video which demonstrated how to use Photoshop and After Effects to create an animatic. I found this method straight forward to understand and feel this would be the easiest approach to creating my animatic. Through previous experience in graphic design, I gained some basic knowledge of After Effects when creating a lyric music video.

YouTube. 2013. Creating A Shot For An Animatic With After Effects. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xZBRn0Z-no&feature=youtu.be [Accessed 28 March 2020].

Another link I received from my tutor was a free piece of software for creating storyboards/animatics, called Storyboarder. I thought I would test out the software and see how it compares to using Photoshop and After Effects. I then looked up a basic tutorial on how to use the software. 

YouTube. 2019. Storyboarder Lesson 1 | Intro And Overview Of Storyboarder. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPurQv4rC1E [Accessed 28 March 2020].

[rachaellowry]

My Storyboards pt.2

From my researched I done a simpler version of my storyboards. They were a lot more messy but it allows me to add in anymore features that may improve my animation. I found the research helpful and allows me to complete more work in a shorter amount of time.

[rachaellowry]

Research on Storyboards

From feedback I received I began some research into storyboarding. I was informed of the storyboards used for Alice In Wonderland. When looking at these storyboards I took inspiration from the different angles used in every board, each one shows her different emotional state, her curiosity and the depth of her environment. I found that these as well catch the audiences eye and shows them where to look, where as I found in my storyboards they were misleading and had too much going on and so simplifying them would aid what I want the audience to see.

When receiving feedback I was also told that my storyboards don’t need to be perfect and exact. Looking back on my first storyboards I found that they were too precise and I spent too much time on them. From this I watched a YouTube video about a guy storyboarding who isn't the best at drawing and so I took inspiration on how messy his work was but it showed and explain the main features and so didn't require the detail. I also found numbering each storyboard makes it more clear between scenes and between different frames. 

YouTube. 2013. Storyboarding For People Who Can't Draw (Like Me!) : FRIDAY 101. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux_Em1lVsjI [Accessed 28 March 2020].

I also watched another video showing two different methods of storyboarding. One being completely visual and the other being more descriptive with more basic imaging. I also learned that the images don't need to be detailed and can be simply shown with words near them to describe what they are. 

YouTube. 2019. How To Draw A-Grade Storyboards (Even If You Can't Draw!) | Media Studies Tutorial. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPrkxj2MyZI [Accessed 28 March 2020].

Finally I just researched some basic tips to keep in mind while storyboarding. From this I decided to write them down and stick them to my wall so I don't forget about them. 

Hunt, P. and Arts, C., n.d. Master The Art Of Storyboarding. [online] Creative Bloq. Available at: https://www.creativebloq.com/advice/master-the-art-of-storyboarding [Accessed 28 March 2020].

[rachaellowry]

Storyboards

I then began to get down a basic idea of how I’d like my animation to look. I simply put down the main scenes I wish to place within my animation, from this I will continue to produce scenes in between and design characters and landscapes I wish to include. 

For my last slide I was thinking of adding in my own personal animation to show my name, if it suits the end result of my animation. 

[rachaellowry]

My Synopsis

The evolution of poverty in a family from Ethiopia, through the help of charities such as Stand By Me/World Vision etc. It is aimed towards all ages, to raise awareness of poverty. 

Genre: Documentary.

Medium: Animation.

[rachaellowry]

Inspirations

I again researched more videos that showed good flow of animation and showed the topic well. These videos inspire me to explore different ideas of other producers and place elements into my work. 

YouTube. (2016). June: Life is Better When You Share the Ride. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=404&v=v8nyGzOLsdw&feature=emb_logo [Accessed 6 Mar. 2020].

Anon, (2016). NYP - Unmasking a killer: How immunotherapy helps your body find cancer and destroy it.. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=70&v=asT5pvccpZ4&feature=emb_logo [Accessed 6 Mar. 2020].

Vimeo. (2018). MasterCard "By The Numbers". [online] Available at: https://vimeo.com/243733243 [Accessed 6 Mar. 2020].

YouTube. (2013). OREO Canada Wonderfilled Anthem (Full TV Commercial). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=50&v=XFsZ6BO4LU0&feature=emb_logo [Accessed 6 Mar. 2020].

Vimeo. (2019). Airbnb Cycling Experiences. [online] Available at: https://vimeo.com/281962890 [Accessed 6 Mar. 2020].

[rachaellowry]

Poverty Animations

I watched these videos to gather inspiration on what types of elements I could include within my video. These videos also inspired me on how I would design the landscape and individuals such as cartoony or realistic. I also discovered that little text and majority illustration works well with speaking over the top. 

YouTube. (2012). WHY POVERTY? Animation. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAsZNditf-A [Accessed 5 Mar. 2020].

YouTube, (2013). Poor Us: An Animated History | WHY POVERTY? (OFFICIAL FULL FILM). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxbmjDngois [Accessed 5 Mar. 2020].

YouTube, (2015). What is Poverty?. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5qig9HIJ7k [Accessed 5 Mar. 2020].

[rachaellowry]

Ethiopia’s Progress Towards Eradicating Poverty

I found this essay based upon Ethiopia’s progress with poverty, I found these statistics very encouraging and positive that poverty in the county is going down at impressive rates. These statistics would work well alongside my animation. 

Ref: Un.org. (2018). Ethiopia’s Progress Towards Eradicating Poverty. [online] Available at: https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2018/04/Ethiopia’s-Progress-Towards-Eradicating-Poverty.pdf [Accessed 5 Mar. 2020].

[rachaellowry]

World Vision

I also researched some statistics about worldwide poverty. From this research I will pick out the best information and check through other websites to ensure the information I gather is real. These statistics also show solutions and what World Visions and individuals can do to help poverty.

Ref: World Vision. (2020). Global poverty: Facts, FAQs, and how to help | World Vision. [online] Available at: https://www.worldvision.org/sponsorship-news-stories/global-poverty-facts [Accessed 5 Mar. 2020].

[rachaellowry]

Stand By Me

Beginning my research I began looking at the charity Stand By Me. Stand By Me was the charity organisation I travelled with when visiting Ethiopia. While researching I found their website to be encouraging for others to take on a sponsor, this is a core option for solving the poverty crisis. The variety of locations that Stand By Me work in shows how over a small amount of time, large changes can be made. For example, they have managed to successfully build schools and provide education etc. to 7 county's worldwide since 1995, just 25 years. 

Their website provided me with a variety of facts and figures and solutions that can be used for my animation. 

Ref: Standby.me. (2020). We rescue children - Stand By Me. [online] Available at: https://www.standby.me [Accessed 5 Mar. 2020].

[rachaellowry]

02/03/20

In our first day of Animation we began by reading the brief, discovering that we needed to create a 30 second animation based upon a good cause. From this we began talking as a group, discussing main focus’ in todays age and topics that effected us individually. 

From this discussion I decided to chose a topic based upon poverty. I chose this as I visited Ethiopia in October last year and was able to see first hand the struggles. This topic I found to be something I am passionate about as I have visited many children who deserve a good future without limited opportunities due to poverty.