Extended Practice: Meeting With My Music Collaborators 15/03

The meeting with Nathan went well. I explained to him why I was having to make changes and that I was sorry if this was going to be an inconvenience, but because the edit was only minor and that they hadn't yet started on recording the final pass, that it wasn't going to be an issue. I left him with an updated version of my LAV, and assured him that there would be no more changes to the timings of the animation, however it might be a possibility that the credits at the end of the animation will last longer than what is outlined in the animatic. Again, he assured me that this wouldn't be an issue either, as it would simply be a case of repeating bars of music (I think that's the term he used, I've not a clue when it comes to music).

They are now going to get started on finishing off the music, and I told them that I would keep them posted with progress, and they are going to do the same.

Extended Practice: Updating my LAV

Whenever I have finished animating a scene, I have been slotting my progress into my 'Live Action Video' Premiere project. I thought this was just good practice, and it allows me to see how much has been completed, what there is left to do, and how well the animated sequences flow.

I realised watching through the video that I wanted the kite to crash down next to/near my character, rather than get hit by the kite. This meant that the shot where my character rubs her arm is no longer necessary, and I decided to cut this out. Though it was only a few seconds, this was going to effect the timings of the music that Nathan had sent to me. I let him know of my intentions and thought it was best to meet up to explain the changes I was wanting to make, and whether this was going to be a problem.

I hope not.

Extended Practice: First Music Pass

Nathan sent me a first pass of the soundtrack, and I'm really pleased with it. Just listening to it I was unsure whether it was going to work with the animation, so I slotted the track into my Premiere file, alongside my LAV, and I was really happy with what they'd come up with. I loved the change in tempo as my character sighs; the timings were spot on, and the music accurately portrays the characters emotion.

LAV with Music

I made sure to let the group know that I thought they'd done really well, but that for the final pass I would prefer actual instruments rather than samples. I also mentioned that I thought the music that played in the end credits should be softer, and they have suggested having just the piano play, which I thought was a good idea.

Extended Practice: Beginning to Animate

The time had finally arrived for me to begin animating. It had been so long since I animated something of this nature, that I was actually quite scared. But determined and enthusiastic nonetheless.

Rather than animating all my line work in one big Photoshop file (which would be ridiculous), I 

decided to animate each scene individually. I defined each 'scene' by how long the reference video lasted, and made a separate folder and Photoshop file for each scene in order to keep organised; labeling each file/folder with the time-stamp/duration that was outlined in the Live Action Video. 

Example of File Structure

 

I opted to start with a fairly straightforward scene to ease into the swing of animating again. Despite being a scene with minimal movement, I still tried to bare in mind what I had learnt during CoP, and focus on the little elements that can help give character life and enhance performance. For instance, I made sure to have the pigtails sway as Maressa's character tilted her head, and the subtle shoulder raise of my character as she sighs, to help drive that she is fed-up. 

Scene 047-049

Though it's only a couple of seconds long, I'm pleased that I've made a start with production. It's now just a case of continuing to work.

Extended Practice: Creating a Live Action Video

As I was going to need a lot of reference material to animate my film, I thought it would be best to record a Live Action Video. For authenticity, I got my sisters together to help me film the footage, and recorded each scene from my animatic a number of times, so I could be more selective with which takes worked the best.

Kites: Live Action Video

I thought the LAV was a good idea, not just for reference, but it gave me a better understanding of the timing of the animation. In order to make the video, I slotted in the selected/edited scenes into my animatic, and I found that the LAV and the animatic were similar in length, meaning that I had been accurate in the timings of my animatic to begin with.

The LAV - despite the acting being absolutely terrible in every way, which was made well aware to me in our 'presenting animatics' critique - was a big help to me. It allowed me to feel more confident with the shot framing and the story of the film, as it was a better indicator of how the scenes flowed and how the characters moved. I shall be referring back to this intently rather than my animatic, as I shall study the movements when it comes to animating, and these are also my preferred timings.

I have since been in contact with my music group to inform them about the LAV, and told them that they should work with these timings when producing any demos/music.