With My Animation Now being Uploaded to YouTube, i have been able to receive Comments and Feedback from People who have taken the Time to Watch the Video. I have Received a grand total of 4 Comments on the Video via the YouTube Comment Section. I will Respond to them in this Blog Post rather than replying to each one individually. You can watch my animation here.
First i will give my own Personal Opinion of the Animation and then i will assess the comments and respond to them accordingly.
Personally, i feel that my animation turned out a little better than expected. I didn't think it would turn out half as good if i'm being totally honest. This is mainly because although i knew that the animation itself only needed to be around 20 Seconds, i felt that it would turn out a little bit too rough and would look a little rushed. However, when selecting music and sound effects, i feel that i made a good choice, and that the music added more to the Final Product then i may have anticipated. I can't deny that it still does look a little rough and i am more than aware that if i had allocated myself more time on this particular project, it could have turned out to be a lot better aesthetically i mean.
Here are the Four Comments i have received on the Video Since it was Uploaded.
I feel that all of the comments are generally positive, but also have some fair criticisms. I am glad that people are saying that they enjoyed it, and i am very pleased with how people have noticed the music and how it seems to fit quite well. I think that the Comment by the user, 'Eclipse GP' may be a little too generous, because in my opinion, it doesn't look exactly professional, as it is too rough around the edges and could certainly use a bit of improvement in terms of it's appearance as i mentioned earlier. This issue being pointed out by the user, 'TheNinjaHitman', his comment saying that he enjoyed the animation and music, but could clearly see that the background images could have been better, and could have been more aesthetically pleasing.
One other criticism i received was that the sound of the Chicken was a little irritating, because it was seemingly non-stop, and as time went by, it just got a little annoying. I can understand this and even thought about it while editing the sound. But i kept the Sound effect in because i thought it sounded quite funny. But again can understand the criticism, and will make sure to take it into consideration next time i add sound effects for humor, and maybe ask for a second opinion when doing something similar in the Future.
So although the general consensus is that people enjoyed the animation, i am more then happy to take some criticism, if it means i may create a more likeable animation in the future. In the future i will also try and allocate myself more time when trying to be creative or when i know something could have some potential to be really good, if all i need to do is spend a little more time with specific aspects of the planning and creating processes.
At the moment, even though i would like to, i can no longer make any improvements due to time constraints. but again, i will definitely take this as a learning experience to hopefully create a better animation in the future as well as getting myself to set aside enough time to be able to create something to the best of my ability.
This has been a similar issue in the past for me when trying to create an animation. Both time constraints and the end product not looking quite as good as it maybe should have. You can see this in my animation i created a little over a year ago by viewing it below.
I feel that i can improve on both of these animations and hopefully in the future, i will create something i know is genuinely good and something i can be very happy with.
Today i have started and completed my animation. It didn't take too much time to actually animate because there isn't an awful lot of movement going on and i am only using the one set.
This photo is of the set. I used some Grey coloured card as the floor and some Light Yellow Coloured Card as a back-drop so that you could see a printer which is sitting just behind the 'set'.
In this photo you can still see the set but you can also see part of the Webcam used to film the animation and part of the computer screen which is displaying what the camera is seeing.
The Software i used to capture each frame is called iStopMotion 3. It is a basic piece of software, but it gets the job done.
This is a screenshot of the Software while i was using it. I captured this animation in 12 Frames Per Second, that means that every second that you watch of the final product, will consist of 12 separate Photographs.
At first i wasn't sure as to how i would make the chicken look. I thought to myself, 'how can i make a chicken look funny?' Aside from him walking into a KFC Styled Restaurant.
First i drew the chicken on paper at a front facing view and a side facing view. This was i understood some of the proportions that may be needed when creating he Chicken out of Modeling clay. I figured that if i drew it first i might be able to get a sense of whether or not it was actually possible to make out of clay and still be effective. here are those drawing below.
The one which has the text, 'Kentucky Fried Children' written non it is supposed to be the chicken version of Colonel Sanders, the Face of KFC. Can you see the likeness?
After drawing them out, i decided that it might be a little too far fetched for me to try and create a realistic looking chicken. So i thought, 'This is like an alternate universe where chickens Eat people, so why would it be so wrong for the chickens to wear clothes?'
So with this i decided it would look cool if the chicken was wearing a suit. Here is the Photo of the Suit i created Below:
I am quite happy with how the suit turned out, you will get a better look at it in the following Photos in which you will see the chicken's head.
Just to add, i made the body after i made the head, but due to the way i have set out this post, i have shown you the body first.
Here is the chicken's head. I know that it looks a little plain at the moment but it is still subject to change.
I think at this point i will change the head if i think i can make it more 'funny looking'. I just don't think it looks as good as it can be at this moment in time.
I have also added a little Tail of feathers at the back. I'm not sure what it is called exactly.
Here is the Head attached to the Body.
I will now begin Making the Wings/arms of the Chicken, this is because in the animation he will need to hold a small bucket of Deep-Fried Human Arms and BBQ Human hands etc.
In the mean time i have decided to remake the head because i knew it could be better. Plus it had gotten dirty and wouldn't clean properly.
I made the eyes a bit more wide apart because i thought it would give the chicken a more 'gormless' appearance. i have also added the little floppy bit on top of the chickens head.
In the meantime i will scan in the drawing of my version of the KFC Logo and colour it in using Adobe Photoshop.
I will Now Smooth out any little rough areas on the logo and then print it out to begin building the set.
I have collected some red coloured card and a card board box so will now begin making the 'set'.
I will take the lid off of the cardboard box and will begin putting it all together so i can hopefully (eventually) begin animating soon.
Here is a window i have quickly made in Photoshop. This will be placed onto the red card.
Here is the complete set all finally built.
And just for good measure, here is the chicken holding his KFC Bucket (below).
In My Next Blog Post, i will begin Posting updates from the actual Animating Process.
The Idea i have come up with should be no more than approximately 25 Seconds.
My Original line of thought was to do something that was supposed to be kind of funny. It doesn't have to be hilarious, just something with a neat idea behind it. So i thought, what is a well known joke or riddle? I instantly thought of, 'Why did the Chicken Cross the Road?' Then, while write my Previous Blog Post, i came up with the idea of having chicken eating human from a KFC or Burger King Styled Restaurant. Just to add, i think it will look a little funnier if the chicken is wearing a suit.
I will have the chicken walk in one side of the restaurant empty handed, and walk out of the other side with a bucket (like you would see at KFC or McDonalds). There will then be a close up of the chicken and human arms and legs will be sticking out of the top of the bucket. He will then continue walking while eating.
Here are my Storyboards.
Ignore the Spelling mistake in the title, it should say, 'Kentucky Fried Children'.
I plan on creating the Models and the set soon and hopefully it will all look good and clear enough as to what individuel items are. I haven't attempted to make a "3D" set of any kind before so hopefully it will tun out ok.
In this blog Post, i am going to list some, or any of the ideas i can come up with. My first idea is to start off with a lump of Plasticine, and have it form and create itself into a seemingly living creature of some kind. I get the idea after watching the two YouTube videos below.
I feel it could be a little fun and as it's only going to be around 15 - 30 seconds, it doesn't have to be overly elaborate or have a real 'in-depth story' as i mentioned earlier.
I am wanting to explore the idea of using a common joke as a starting point, like, 'Why did the chicken cross the road?' but it needs a twist. Maybe it could be crossing the road to get to a KFC Style Restaurant that is selling Deep Fried Human Instead; With a side of Chips.
- I think i may now have my idea planned out, in my head at least. I will now Begin Planning and creating the storyboards.
I have been asked to create an Animation using some form of Stop Motion. It must last a minimum of 15 Seconds Long. I can create it any way i want using any StopMotion Technique and it can be about anything i want.
First i will take a look at some short Animations i can find on the internet and hopefully get some ideas.
I found this one on Youtube. i thought it was very well made however, i thought it was a little slow paced and might have been funnier had it been a little quicker, but it was very well made in terms of the quality of the clay Models and the Animation itself.
This one is very well made, it is a bit gory but very well made.
Out of the two things i have looked at so far, i think it would be good if i could find some kind of Middle ground between them.
If i'm looking at Clay animation or model based animation, i feel that you cant ignore Wallace and Gromit. It is a massively popular television series which has inspired thousands of people to try and create there own animation.
From some of the Videos i have added to this blog, and more that i will look at in my own time, i will try and get some kind of idea of what i could include into my own animation, baring in mind that mine only needs to be 15 seconds long, so it doesn't need to be overly elaborate.
I will update with a new post soon with any ideas i may have and what i will do from there on.
Stop Motion Animation is a unique art form. And of course when you look into it, there are different types, styles and techniques of Stop Motion Animation which makes it seemingly more so unique. In this blog i will be taking a look at the techniques used in Stop Motion animation, the history behind some of the elements involved and learning about the people who are responsible for some of the different techniques which are still being used even decades after being created.
Persistence of Vision
There is a theory called 'Persistence of Vision'. The Definition of this theory is that an image will remain on your retina for just a fraction of a Second after seeing it. This means that when another image a number of images are shown in quick succession after each other, it tricks the brain that it is a moving image. This of course only applies when the images are made to follow each other. If the images were completely random, It would look like just a bunch of random images popping up one after another very quickly.
To explain it better, it is simply the way an image or succession of images are perceived by the brain.
Celluloid You have the, what could be referred to as, 'the tradition Animation', being Celluloid or Cel Animation. Animation cels are sheets of clear plastic with individual objects, characters or characters body parts drawn on them. When you lay different sheets on top of another, you are able to create an animation. Celluloid Animation has been used for decades since the very early 1900's. Although i have been doing my research into when the first Cel Animation was produced, i have yet to find a conclusive answer. My findings seem to suggest that an animation called 'Bobby Bumps' was possibly the earliest Celluloid Based Animation Made. Before 'Bobby Bumps', animation was simply Paper Based. - Winsor McCay's, 'Gertie the Dinosaur' was a Paper Based Animation - The Creators and producers of Bobby Bumps, Earl Hurd and J.R.Bray received Patents for Celluloid Animation because of their work on Bobby Bumps. Cel Based Animation has been widely used and is still in use today. It became very popular and has been used on a number of different platforms of entertainment. Some of the most famous and most well known Cel-Based Animations were created by Walt Disney. This includes the Likes of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', and Mickey Mouse. But have in recent years, began using computers to create their animations. Still using the same methods of Tradition Cel based animation, but its all digital and the majority of the process is completed on Computers now.
During the 1930's it was the 'Fleischer Brothers' who were the leading Animation Studio. They were creating some of the better looking and smoothest looking animation at the time, other studios were struggling to compete, including Disney. Max Fleischer patented the 'Rotoscope' technique. The Rotoscope Technique is where you trace over a real image and create an Cartoon drawing that can, if done correctly look fairly realistic but still have its cartoon look. Both Disney and The Fleischer Bros used what is called a 'Setback' Technique. This technique is used to add a sense of depth to an otherwise 2D Image. This Diagram above shows what the Setback Camera basically is and does. It is there to create a sense of forced perspective, however with limited technology in the 1930's, this effect was not exactly affective, so therefore it wasn't exactly seen to be pioneering or particularly special or needed.
Cut Out
One of the most famous modern Cut Out Animations is South Park. Albeit, only the pilot was actually made with real cut outs, but the show is basically built on the simplistic style of cut out animation. South Park is created on Computers these days but it is created in a way that simulates traditional cut out animation. Cut out animation is a seemingly simple form of animation but it can be quite complicated when needing to consider the amount of individual cut out pieces you may need to use. As with Cel Animation, you may need separate cut outs for one character. One piece for the characters body, and another separate one for their arms. It is easier than having two or more different character models for slight movements of their arms or legs.
Some other well known cut out creations are, 'The Miracle of Flight', by Terry Gilliam. "It was created in the same style as Monty Python's Flying Circus, but was created separate from Monty Python." You can view the 5 minute short, below.
Model Based
Model Based animation is possibly my favorite kind of animation. More specifically, Clay Animation or, Claymation. I think it's fair to say that most people have at least heard of Wallace and Gromit. Wallace and Gomit being the well loved creation of Aardman Animation Studios. It has a popular following around the world, and it's not hard to see why. People love the art style of Wallace and Gromit. Everything is obviously made out of Clay or plastic, yet when you watch some of the Wallace and Gromit episodes and movie of course, there is a sense of familiarity, especially with British audiences because of course, the show is set in England. Aardman of course create other well known model based animated shows such as, Shaun the Sheep and Morph. Each are all popular and well received in their own respect to their own audience. I believe people enjoy watching Clay animations because you can create virtually anything from modeling clay/Plasticine. If they are made well and are well written it can almost be like watch an alternate reality, because some Claymations, Despite their obviously exaggerated and wacky appearance, can feel very real. This is in terms of creating a somewhat realistic story like with Wallace and Gromit or even Chicken Run, despite it being from the chickens' perspective.
Just to add, there are also plenty of Independent film makers and Animation enthusiasts who create their own Claymations and you can view them on video sharing websites such as YouTube and Vimeo.
Pixilation
Pixilation is a form of animation which instead of using objects or Modelling Clay as the main focus, Real people are used instead. And of course, as this is still animation, that means that these people are animated the same way that any other animation would be, meaning that they have to move tiny amounts every frame. In pixilation, because of human error, it can be a frustrating process but generally in professional shoots, there wouldn't be much more error than that in any other kind of professional filming shoot. The Concept is rather simple and can be used very effectively, especially when you have a unique idea that can work very well.
Look at this Pixilation Animation called, 'Neighbours', by Scottish-Canadian Filmmaker, 'Norman Mclaren'. 'Neighbours' is an anti-war film created in 1952. It uses the Pixilation technique to create rather humorous looking movements in terms of how the actors move as well as any inanimate objects. Obviously with any type of animation, you are looking at individual frames in quick succession, this gives the appearance of movement. This i have covered, is called, 'Persistence of Vision'. They use this to create funny looking situations and vision gags that couldn't possibly exist in real life.
Georges Melies used some Pixilation Techniques in some of his work. I wouldn't call it animation exactly, but he has been known to use some Stop Motion Techniques to create specific effects in his work; mainly when wanting a person or an object suddenly appear or disappear out of nowhere. But of course, Georges Melies was a Making films very early on in the Timeline of Film Making.
You can see some Pixilation Techniques being Used at times during many of his Films. You can watch one of his most famous films below:
Timelapse.
Although it isn't thought of as a form of animation, Timelapse is technically a form of Stop-Motion. It fulfills the definition of what a Stop-Motion Animation is. In case you're unfamiliar, To create a Timelapse, you have a camera take a photo at specific intervals and after taking enough, you can play the images back and hopefully it will look smooth enough to not look like you are watching separate images or frames. Here is a video of a Timelapse below:
This is the magic that timelapse photography can create. You can take photos of something at specific intervals, something like the Sun-Set in the video above. It probably took between one and two hours to film those sun sets individually, yet we were able to watch them in just a matter of seconds because all of the photos that were taken have been placed together to be played as a video, the same way in which any animation would be created.
