End of Year Reflection

Well, it's come to this. My time at Olathe Northwest is drawing to a close, as I now only have a day and a half left of school. It's definitely a time to look back and reflect on all I've learned since joining e-Communications.
The most obvious bit of acquired knowledge is technical experience. Since joining e-Comm, I've become skilled in the use of Photoshop and AfterEffects, as well as had some limited experience with Maya for 3D modeling. My primary technical growth came primarily in the realm of Stop Motion Animation, as I mastered the program DragonFrame, and used it to film Toy Soldier.
However, I did learn a far more important set of skills as time wore on. I learned project management and collaboration through my group projects such as e-Comm Brawl (Sophomore Year) and Beary Bad Day (Junior Year). It was certainly a challenge learning to trust others with key aspects of a project, but it's also easy to forget how much work can be accomplished by a group rather than a lone worker. Group projects led to some of my best work, and I'm thankful I had the experiences.
All in all, I leave with the same thoughts I had last year: that I wouldn't change a thing. Each mistake, each setback, and each triumph have all had an effect on who I am now, and I wouldn't change them for the world.
Most of all though, I'll probably miss the friends I've made here. They've accompanied me through thick and thin, and worked with me through every hurdle. We've laughed together, and we've struggled together.
I'll definitely use what I've learned here as I transition into college. While I may not use as many of my technical skills, I'll certainly utilize the learned skills of collaboration and leadership as I leave Northwest behind, and stride confidently into an exciting future.

Illuminated Cynicism

Okay, I'm going to be rather honest with you all: I'm not a huge fan of Illumination Entertainment's work as a studio. It wasn't until recently, however, that I began to realize exactly why I didn't appreciate the studio's projects.
I discovered an article reviewing the studio's upcoming movie, Sing. While the article's criticisms apply primarily to Sing at first glance, the trend extends to Illumination's other projects as well. The article by A.V. Club also concerns a number of Illumination's other films, either directly or indirectly. The criticisms that stood out as the most accurate to me were the ones concerning the humor of Illumination's films.

As the article summarizes quite well, much of the humor presented in Illumination's films relies on juxtaposition and relatively immature jokes. While they can occasionally warrant a chuckle, it's rarely consistent enough to keep me comedically engaged. There are times when such humor works, but only in smaller amounts. The first Despicable Me knew this fairly well, and blended the studio's style with its signature humor well enough to produce a smash hit.

Where I disagree with the article is on its criticism of the studio's animation style. While the character designs aren't always appealing, given the exaggerated torsos and tiny feet indicative of many characters, it still creates a genuine and appealing appearance.

Despite my own criticism of Illumination's work, I still see the appeal it holds for others. The jokes and character styles are more suitable to a younger audience, and while the article claims that the movie would not likely hold the attention of its target audience, I must disagree. Sing is, for the most part, another fairly generic Illumination film. However, if you're a member of the studio's younger target audience, a generic Illumination film isn't a bad thing.

While I haven't seen Sing, and likely won't bring myself to watch it, I have seen enough trailers and Illumination films to know that this one will likely be more of the same. The article doesn't address this trend as heavily, as it primarily concerns Sing, but it isn't hard to notice the trends emerging with the studio. As an animator, it reminds me of the age old maxim: Know Thy Audience. If you know who you are trying to appeal to, then you're more likely to succeed as an artist. In that regard, Illumination succeeds as a studio, appealing to a younger and less cynical audience, even if that means it doesn't look as great to the rest of us.

In Between, and the Art of Symbolism

So I was browsing short films around the internet and came across In Between. It's a charming and clever short film about a young woman stalked by a blue crocodile, who prevents her from living her life. In my first viewing, I took the film at face value, simply seeing a blue crocodile and remarking to myself, "Wow, that would've taken forever to render". It was only on my second viewing that I caught the symbolism of the creature: the woman's anxiety.

While the actual meaning of the crocodile is actually present in the video's description, I make a habit of not reading the description of short films until after my first viewing, as the synopsis of many such films often spoils the ending. I was more focused on the animation style of the crocodile on my first viewing, so I missed the metaphors. Its movement style is more like that of a snake than the legged reptile it is, frequently displaying insane levels of flexibility and apparent spinelessness. Even its walk is indicated by a pretzel-like appearance.

My only critiques with the film lie in its occasionally messy look. While the majority of the animation looks excellent, there are a few times when the quality has an almost half finished look. Outlines and lighting, while still decent, don't quite look complete, as if this is the final draft before the last set of edits.

Overall, the animation style still looks good, the story is still charming, and the metaphor is well executed, even if the style doesn't hold up perfectly at times. The crocodile is especially well animated, behaving almost like a playful puppy with a snake's flexibility. I appreciate this animation because it finds a way to convey the heavier topic of anxiety in a light-hearted and humorous way through the metaphor of the crocodile.

If anxiety were truly a playful and annoying crocodile, maybe it would be easier to conquer.

War! Huh! What is it Good for?

The answer to the lovely question posed in this post's title has been debated by philosophers, pacifists, and musicians, among others. The answer (only slightly satirical) is that without conflict, artists would have nothing to communicate to potential viewers or readers. Without conflict, there can be no story, and without story, there would be a number of unemployed animators, writers, and directors.

This is one of the reasons why war movies are so popular, as they display human conflict in the most raw and brutal ways. Such stories focus extensively on the people involved in the conflict, but only occasionally shift their focus onto those individuals who aren't active participants, but are affected and hurt by the conflict. These stories are less about the conflict itself, and more about those connected to it through friends or family who actually participate in it. The stories of the non-fighters are tricky to tell, but are often just as intriguing, or potentially heartbreaking.
Such is the story I am aiming to tell in my coming project.

I won't be focusing the entirety of my animation on the conflict portrayed, nor will I be focusing entirely on those the soldier leaves behind. I aim to capture both sides equally, from the gritty nature of the war itself, to the just as stressful position of hoping those involved in the conflict come home.
I talked last year about my coming project, one I've scaled down drastically since then. I decided over the summer that I wouldn't make the same mistake as I had with Primitive by biting off more than I could chew. This project is obtainable, practical, and will be plenty of fun.
I took out the concept of an enemy family giving the soldier shelter during the conflict, as it would be too much to animate, and tricky to show a distinction between the warring factions. I've also decided to include a mixture of 2D and stop motion, primarily for artistic purposes, but also because it would be incredibly difficult to animate the battle scenes I want using exclusively stop motion.

The 2D work is pretty much done, and I will be dedicating my second quarter to working through the stop motion filming. The brief battle scene above is the main part of the 2D scenes, with only two or three other shots taking place in 2D.
This project is going to be a massive undertaking. Many of the assets and models are already ready, tested, and in place, but the majority of the stop motion work remains. I'm looking forward to moving forward on this project, and telling the tale of the war that never was.

12-13-2016
So it's been several weeks, and the stop motion filming is progressing nicely. I have only a few shots that remain to be filmed as the quarter draws to its close. As I've moved through filming, I've found relief in the fact that each line of the song I plan to use is roughly four seconds, leading to an easy standard number of frames for filming.
The song I've synced the entire animation to is an older piece from the Second Boer War, but was popularized during the First World War later on. The song "Goodbye Dolly Gray" is one of my personal favorites of the period, as it depicts exactly what I aim to capture with this project: both sides of the conflict, from the home front to the battlefields themselves.

I'm not entirely sure if the entire project will be completed by the semester's end, but I at least aim to be finished with filming by the time finals are over. If need be, I'll do shot assembly and any necessary special effects upon my return in January.

2-24-2017
At long last, the animation is finished! There have been a few changes to the original design, primarily in how it's presented. It was my teacher's recommendation to add the older-looking overlay. It adds to the aesthetic, and turns down brighter colors.
The decision never to show who exactly the protagonists' country was fighting was a tricky one. How could I show conflict without ever showing the enemy outside of the silhouettes? However, I came to see that it didn't matter who they were fighting. The conflict would remain the same regardless of the foe, but I decided to include the enemy in the 2D segment for a particular purpose. In showing both sides with the same 2D models, I highlight the pointless and futile nature of conflict, as in the end, each side isn't separated by that many differences.
This is likely my favorite project I've done in animation, and certainly the best one I've actually finished. After a while of half-finished work, it's refreshing to end with such a complete and excellent project. I hope you all enjoy my new favorite project: Toy Soldier.

Final Junior Post

Greetings and Salutations my most Loyal Viewers. It seems like only yesterday that I started my junior year, and I say it's been a pretty wild ride. My goals this year included a number of large projects, yet only a few were actually realized in their entirety. This represents the biggest lesson I've learned this year: don't let your eyes be bigger than your stomach (And according to historical precedent, I have some big eyes). I know I've touched on this lesson in several other posts, but I feel I really need to set it up as the biggest lesson I've learned this year. I let myself believe I could accomplish any project in a set amount of time, yet I failed to take into account so many factors and setbacks time and time again.
 It's worth noting that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results, yet others say that repeated mistakes help one learn and grow. By those accounts, does that make me a maniac one the swift road to success?

the project Primitive is likely the best example of this mistake. I began the year intending to make a full four part animation, but ended with only the first part completed. While all the project's many assets were actually completed before work on part 1 even began, it still sucked up a lot of time that could've been used making it just a little further. Additional setbacks such as getting time in the sound studio to narrate also cost me some time (And it still turned out riveting, I know. Not boring or monotone at all). In the end, it's truly my project management skills that need some work. I have the technical skills and attitude necessary to make these things happen, just never as quick as I originally predict.

To succeed today, it is imperative that one must possess skills such as project management, but one must not forget the necessary skills of communication and leadership. Without the ability to coordinate work with others, nothing gets done. It's no use being a master in a particular field if all that comes out of your mouth when you try to speak is stuttered gibberish. Luckily, I don't have that problem. The leadership and communication demonstrated during the stop motion gummy bear project was one of the reasons it was so successful. We all worked effectively as a team, and had a great time on the project, and got sick on candy once or twice.

I feel I've grown not only as an animator this year, but as a person. My leadership and communication skills have improved drastically since my awkward freshman days, and I've rediscovered some previously forgotten talents in regard to stop motion animation. While not as common these days, stop motion animation is my absolute favorite type of animation. I've done work with it for years, and like a young Doctor Frankenstein, I always enjoy bringing my monsters to life, and giving personality to simple inanimate objects. Leadership and social skills have played a big role in my life this year. I made many new friends, both within the e-Communication program and outside it, and learned some valuable management skills from group work this year. My technical skills have also made some leaps forward. After my work on Primitive, I learned some important skills in After Effects. The art of vector based graphics made everything within Primitive possible for both character design and setting.

Next year, I'm going to use what I've learned this year (particularly in stop motion) to create a larger stop motion film. Unlike Primitive and the other unfinished projects of the year, I plan to do much of its asset design over the summer, so I can jump headfirst into filming next year. No more running out of time for this animator, I'm getting a vital jump start that will serve me well in the future. What better lesson to learn than preemptive work? I plan to make this stop motion project the center of my work in e-Comm next year, and am looking forward to it not only because it's my favorite form of animation, but because of its deep subject matter.

All in all, I have not a single regret about this year. There is not a single moment I would change. I've had my fair share of both mistakes and triumphs this year, and I treasure each one of them. Each of those moments has made me who I am today, and forged a small piece of me with every moment. If there must be one thing I could change, however, it would be to make more mistakes. Had I made more mistakes this year, it would have made me just a little more prepared for next year's journey. I'm satisfied with my year, and am glad I had the experiences I did.

In conclusion, this has been a pretty epic year. I made penguins beat one another with sticks, gave life to candy and LEGOs, and made an awesome playlist to listen to during work. I've learned valuable lessons about leadership, project management, and seating choices (yet another mistake). I'll be sure to keep everyone out there updated on my work and progress during the summer, so don't go anywhere. I've had an amazing year, and I look forward to making more memories.

Time and Patience, a Preview

As our final project in Animation this year, we were tasked with creating an animation based on the concept of time. As much as I love going along with the crowd [/sarcasm], I had some other plans, so I had to work the time animation into my greater scheme.

My grand plan for the end of this year and next was to create a full stop motion film, but I'll explore that a little more later. Given the very finite amount of time I had to get such a project done this year, I decided to make it my primary goal next year instead, and build a trailer for it using the last bit of time I had this year. In order to work in the time animation (which I built later) I decided to create a calendar to show the passage of time during a particular scene in the trailer. I use a calendar to show the passing of several months. Unfortunately, the fact remains that the trailer is unfinished. Like Primitive, it has a number of promising tests and almost all its assets in order, but not enough time to complete it. Despite these shortfalls, I am still possession of a number of promising test shots and early parts of the trailer. It's rather ironic how an animation about time ended with me running out of time to complete it in its entirety. What I still accomplished was more along the lines of what the project originally intended, and I'm glad it turned out as well as it did.

This was the final result of the calendar animation. Many of the days shown carry some personal significance, from my sister's birthday to one or two date-related pop culture references (5th of November anyone?). It was created using the page turn effect in After Effects. While this aspect of the program did some of the heavy lifting, it still required some elegance to make everything work adequately. Parts like the depth of the drop shadow and the details of the page turn effect itself  are most notable among these.

These are two characters from next year's project. The image is a pose test meant to see how well I can articulate a pose for each. One can see a slight difference in their posture, with the one on the left being more formal and reserved, while the one one the right stands in a more brash and aggressive pose. as the project will have minimal to no dialogue, expression and body language will be everything.

Above is the trailer's first scene, the main character farming. While it doesn't appear too exciting (and it really isn't without more context) it effectively illustrates a rough cut of how the characters in this animation will move. Once more assets are in place, the set will have small strings of fishing line attached to key character points to move them into positions they wouldn't be able to hold themselves in otherwise. This idea of rigging is used by many stop motion animators, and serves them well in creating dynamic and moveable characters. 

But back to the necessary concept of time, and how it will be used. Time will pay a pivotal role in the main film. Time changes people to make them think in ways they otherwise wouldn't. Time alters its hosts both physically and mentally, and is a driving force throughout the universe, as well as society itself. the most important aspect here is one of change, and whether even the most hateful and spiteful beings can learn to forget their feelings of hate. My project will explore that theme through the eyes of a soldier involved in a conflict similar to the First World War. Throughout the film, his time with an enemy family will change his perception of the world, and of the war. The calendar animation earlier chronicles that change in time, and will be expanded and changed for the much larger project.

In short, next year's project began with these simple tests and a single calendar. the concept of time is often a vital one in storytelling, representing change, both in society and in ourselves. I'm glad I had the chance to get a jump start on this exciting new project this year, and I look forward to bringing this project to you next year. In the meantime though, I'll be sure to keep you all updated on some smaller stuff, as well as some professional projects. I'll see you all soon.

Making Monsters (Vector Style)

Hello Loyal Viewers! (At this point, it's just a trademark and tradition, so you can disregard it if you wish) For several projects, I've had to create some local fauna in order to add a little substance to a 2D world. These creatures make up the ecosystem of Primitive (The Penguin Project, as everyone forgets the actual name), as well as other projects. These monsters are built using vector graphics in After Effects, and follow a similar basic pattern. They may be made to suit many different purposes, and at one point, a particular creature was even adapted slightly to suit the needs of a project coming soon.

I've always enjoyed the process that goes into constructing one of these monsters, as it can be changed and suited depending on what you wish to design. Certain subtle additions can indicate different ecological roles, such as predators and prey. In this brief tutorial I'll explain the basic process for building a vector based monster, as well as certain additions you may wish to make to indicate certain traits. If you've bothered to read this far, you're clearly interested, so let's get started.

Another creature made for the project, only this one saw the light of day

Above is the finished and unused Predator originally meant for the Penguin Animation (may it rest in unfinished peace).  You also may notice the slight adaptions used to make them appear a little more advanced in the poster above. The key with beginning the Frankenstein-ish process is to start with a body. This can be either a simple or horrifyingly complex shape depending on what you're going for, but in the case of the creature above, I started rather simple.

This body sets up the neck and tail ahead of time. It's a flexible starting option, and leaves some room open for some experimentation down the line. To accomplish each of these shapes one must simply hit the After Affects Pen Tool and begin drawing these basic shapes, which are then set up as layers.

From here you add the legs. This adds some proportion to the creature, and gives a pretty good idea of what size to make everything else. Each of the legs' three sections is its own vector shape similar to the body. When making the legs, it is important to manage the layers, so as to keep some degree of continuity in the creature's limbs. Oddly layered limbs leads to a creature looking physically broken, as if it was hit by a bus resulting in shattered kneecaps. If that's what you're going for though, break away. Another key thing (with regard to my animator relatives out there) is to set up the anchor points in the legs. This is incredibly important if you want to animate the creature later, as these anchor points function as joints for the legs.

After the legs, add a head (there will be a little more on this later) to give the creature some substance. It'll add some degree of personality, and build on the sense of scale started in the legs. Be sure to add anchor points to each part of the head. The upper jaw and lower jaw should each move independently.

From here details are added to the head and body to give the creature a little more substance, and round out the main development phase. I wouldn't recommend always adding a head plate, but a different color on the belly helps fill some empty space and make the monster more interesting. These need no anchors as long as they're bonded to the head and body so they move with it. There are few things stranger than a creature leaving bits and pieces of itself behind as it moves around, unless it's a corpsified zombie actively decaying in its motion. In such a case, you may need to see another tutorial, as I can't really help you there.

From this point, we have some big decisions to make about our newborn monster child: what kind of monster is it? Is it friendly? What does it eat? Should I be worried about something like this attacking as a mutant after nuclear apocalypse? The answer to those questions, as will be discussed in this tutorial, are as follows: Predator, probably not, less fortunate and smaller creatures, and absolutely yes. All joking aside, I'll be discussing primarily how to make both a carnivore and a herbivore in this tutorial just to give you some variety.

If one seeks to go the more aggressive route, the most obvious addition is teeth teeth and more teeth, particularly sharp teeth. Good canines are a clear indicator of a carnivore, as they are used to cut and tear prey and food (I bet you didn't realize you'd get an ecology lesson as well as an animation tutorial). The large claws are also a hunting mechanism used to attack and subdue prey for easier consumption. Without them, our creature would have little defense other than its gaping jaws. One can also opt for claws, but large imposing death-blades make for a more entertaining beast.

And now, for something completely different. The herbivorous beast is a tad different than the vicious predator above. Its lack of sharp teeth indicates a diet based more on plants rather than meat, along with its shorter, less aggressive head style. Its pupil is widened to give it a less hostile look, and add a bit more vulnerability and innocence. The creature's arms were also completely overhauled and replaced with little claws that seem more fit for picking at low hanging fruit than tearing into prey.

The contrast between the two is notable, and these smaller details should be taken into account when setting up this character. Wildlife plays an important role in setting, and a potentially large role in story, so it is imperative that time and effort is dedicated to making it unique and notable. Hope you all enjoy!