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.