Animators who I have directly learnt from.
Lydia Fothergill.
As mentioned before in an earlier post, Lydia and I spent a good while last year trying to learn animation together. Although I didn't learn anything specifically from Lydia, we supported each other and both developed our knowledge and found what we both want to do from it. I found that animation was my true passion, and all I want to do is help make pictures move, and to make that dream become a reality I made a massive choice to leave Visual Communications, to start year one again but on Digital Film, Games and Animation. Whereas Lydia realised that making images move was not what she wanted to do at all, she didn't understand the software and didn't really want to, and found that art direction and production or art department work is where her interests lye. This time together though firmed our friendship (we now refer to each other as card board queens, or just generally say 'alright my best mate') and we have agreed that we will work with each other in the future.
Baba Yaga from sacha frampton on Vimeo.
Matt Saunders AKA Rabbitportal
During my time on Vis-com, Matt came in to do a few animation work shops as well as a general talk at the beginning of the year about his practise. Before I started University, I knew I wanted to learn animation, but wasn't ever really sure in what way, and seeing Matt's show reel triggered my longing to learn animation. I had never heard of After Effects (or a lot of animation software or terms to be honest!) and finding out that this is how he created his pieces inspired me to look further into how he actually created it. This is one of the reasons why the animation Lydia and I created was done in that way.
Since these few talks, I was involved with interviewing him for 'NEST' magazine (the Leeds College of Art Students' Union magazine, which I am co-editorial officer of), which then led him to going to the launch party. At the launch he asked me to help him animate a music video (which I helped complete a few weeks ago, I'm sure I will be doing another in-depth blog about it soon) with Chris. The time I spent on set with him taught me a lot. Anyone can set up a camera and move an object in front of it and take pictures, but not many people can do it well. There is skill needed, and both Matt and Chris are both very talented at what they do and know their stuff!
Winter show reel 2012 from Matt Saunders on Vimeo.
Chris Luk
No cheese allowed here. I am not biased at all writing this, but Chris really knows his stuff when it comes to character animation. On set with Matt for the Ellen and the Escapades video, we both ended up asking Chris for help and advice, even with simple movements such as a cape flapping in the wind (which is why I mainly did the 'special effects' if you can call them that, of water, smoke and ice). Before I properly knew Chris, I was fascinated by his Dino character, and how he brought so much life to him in his quick animation tests of the walk cycle and expressions.
Showreel 2012 from Chris Luk on Vimeo.
Hannah McCann
Although we never finished our project together, it was good fun and really helpful to bounce ideas off each other and swap knowledge and skills. We had planned to create a short animated piece for Light Night in Leeds (an annual event where venues in Leeds stays open late into the night to celebrate art and culture in the city), based on the theme light and shadow. Our idea was to have a person sign different animals, with the shadow of the said animal appearing behind them and move off screen. We did manage to slightly storyboard and develop the character and shadow characters, and I started some animation tests, but time flies and we were never able to finish it in time. We are still hoping to return to this project, maybe to show at a future event, in the next year.
Friday, 2 November 2012
Animation post 5
At Canterbury Anifest, I had the privilege to see this animation for the first time on the big screen. I was most excited about this animation being shown as I had seen the short trailer of this previously over summer, and have been keeping a close watch for when the whole video would be released. I hadn’t realised that this animation was in the programme until it came up on screen, which was a pleasant surprise. Words can’t even begin to describe how much I love everything about this animation. The limited use of colours, the rough textures which change according to the situation the boy is in, the angles used to heighten the contrast between the characters, the heart-breaking story-line, the beautifully thought out characters, the general drawing style, just everything. It is so beautiful and original.
Since Anifest, I have had a short chat with Annabeth about how they would actually create this animation, and some of what she said surprised me. I knew it would have been done in after effects, using different layers to force perspective and depth, and I knew that it was digitalised drawings. What I didn't realise was that to create the texture in the hair, that a custom brush wouldn't have created the effect which it has, meaning each stand of hair would either be drawn separately, or using the eraser tool they removed sections of the hair to give the life like quality (both managing to give the same effect). Now knowing this, I can appreciate the animation more, as I understand the techniques used, and the vast amount of time it takes to perfect the skills they are using.
Animation post 4
'Fly. Fly, fly. Fly. Flife. Flife. Flife. LIFE. Life.'
Mikey Please, please may I be as good as you at animation, please. I seem to have a running theme of unusual animations don't I. I am at risk of repeating myself from all of the other posts, but I really do love his work and just watching any of these videos below gets my animation juices flowing in my brain.
Here you can see the animation in it's full glory.
THE EAGLEMAN STAG from Mikey Please on Vimeo.
I saw this time-lapse at the same sort of time that the trailer was released, and waited oh so patiently for the final animation release date. Just watching this short video really puts it into perspective how much time and effort really goes into creating an animation, especially a puppetry one.
The Eagleman Stag - lake timelapse from Mikey Please on Vimeo.
This is the video which impresses me the most. The making of. I have always been fascinated by how people actually manage to achieve what they do, in any form of entertainment. Animation is like a magic trick to me, I love seeing it and not questioning how they did it and enjoy being caught up in the moment. But I also like ruining it for myself, knowing how they managed to saw the woman in half, or sit in a glass tank for 10 minutes padlocked in, but in this case how they managed to turn foam from the inside cushions of a sofa into a 9 minute long, character based animation. Who'd have thought it! Well the amazing Mikey Please that's who.
Making The Eagleman Stag from Mikey Please on Vimeo.
Mikey Please, please may I be as good as you at animation, please. I seem to have a running theme of unusual animations don't I. I am at risk of repeating myself from all of the other posts, but I really do love his work and just watching any of these videos below gets my animation juices flowing in my brain.
Here you can see the animation in it's full glory.
THE EAGLEMAN STAG from Mikey Please on Vimeo.
I saw this time-lapse at the same sort of time that the trailer was released, and waited oh so patiently for the final animation release date. Just watching this short video really puts it into perspective how much time and effort really goes into creating an animation, especially a puppetry one.
The Eagleman Stag - lake timelapse from Mikey Please on Vimeo.
This is the video which impresses me the most. The making of. I have always been fascinated by how people actually manage to achieve what they do, in any form of entertainment. Animation is like a magic trick to me, I love seeing it and not questioning how they did it and enjoy being caught up in the moment. But I also like ruining it for myself, knowing how they managed to saw the woman in half, or sit in a glass tank for 10 minutes padlocked in, but in this case how they managed to turn foam from the inside cushions of a sofa into a 9 minute long, character based animation. Who'd have thought it! Well the amazing Mikey Please that's who.
Making The Eagleman Stag from Mikey Please on Vimeo.
Animation post 3
Benigni by Elli Vuorinen, is yet another of my all time favourite animations. This, by far, has to be one of the most thought provoking animations I have ever seen. I was stunned silent for days after seeing it, and still a year on from when I first laid eyes on it, I still have the same reaction when it finished. The narrative is superb. The lighting, the set design, the characters, the atmosphere created by all of these elements combined makes this animation so memorable in my eyes. The use of plasticine is done in such a sophisticated way, yet still retains the charm and hand crafted feel. I love it, I love it, I love it. The end.
Again, to look at the rest of her impressive portfolio of work, go and visit her website: http://ellivuorinen.com/animations/benigni
Animation post 2
Liam Stevens. What more can I say. Yet another amazing animator with another unique style of working.
"Waiting" - My Robot Friend (feat. Jay Kauffman) from MakeMakeStudio on Vimeo.
Last year I did an animation on After Effects using the cardboard sets and characters that me and my partner in crime, Lydia Fothergill, made. We both were greatly inspired and slightly in love with this mans work, and in owe that he did the whole animation in camera, where as we had 'cheated'. With nothing but a pencil and some card (and maybe a bit of glue to fix everything together), one person can create such beautiful sets, and beautiful characters, and put together creating a beautiful animation. The narrative could have been much stronger, but I feel that when watching the video, you are so focused on the physical aesthetic you barely even notice what is actually going on in the video (as good or as bad as that is!).
For more of his glorious work, and paper cut illustrations, check out his website http://liamstevens.com/
"Waiting" - My Robot Friend (feat. Jay Kauffman) from MakeMakeStudio on Vimeo.
Last year I did an animation on After Effects using the cardboard sets and characters that me and my partner in crime, Lydia Fothergill, made. We both were greatly inspired and slightly in love with this mans work, and in owe that he did the whole animation in camera, where as we had 'cheated'. With nothing but a pencil and some card (and maybe a bit of glue to fix everything together), one person can create such beautiful sets, and beautiful characters, and put together creating a beautiful animation. The narrative could have been much stronger, but I feel that when watching the video, you are so focused on the physical aesthetic you barely even notice what is actually going on in the video (as good or as bad as that is!).
For more of his glorious work, and paper cut illustrations, check out his website http://liamstevens.com/
Animation (part one of many...!)
Animation Animation Animation. Where do I even start. I love it, and could happily do it forever (I kind of need to learn how to do it properly first though!). So limiting myself to talk about just five of them is going to be difficult...so I may go over!
The first animator I thought I would show is the talented Shishi Yamazaki, who studied at Tokyo University of the Arts. I absolutely love her drawing style and her uniqueness in the water colour paint marks in each frame. The colour choice is so vibrant, which is highlighted more by the colour blocks she uses (rather than detailed shading), and relies on the mediums texture to bring life to the images. She also really understands cinematography, you can just tell, as she always has the viewpoint and positioning of the 'imaginary camera' just right.
This first animation is probably her simplest, concentrating solely on getting her characters personality across.
YANOYA from shishi yamazaki on Vimeo.
Using the same character, this animation clearly shows her uniqueness in personality and her spontaneity. I love the contrast in mediums used, and the flickers in colour change. I feel this medium really reflects the character well, and I can't imagine it being done any other way! The two are a match made in heaven!
YA-NE-SEN a Go Go from shishi yamazaki on Vimeo.
Annoyingly I didn't think that her work could get any better, but it really does! Here, she not only uses a range of different characters, but she gives each one such life and fluid movement, allowing each to express themselves perfectly in time to the music. One day I wish to be this good, I admire everything she does. (I could post her video's on here forever, but sadly she only has 7, and one is a showreel!)
Neo Cos exhibit ネオ・コス展 from shishi yamazaki on Vimeo.
Her blog is a beaut too http://shishiyamazaki.tumblr.com/
The first animator I thought I would show is the talented Shishi Yamazaki, who studied at Tokyo University of the Arts. I absolutely love her drawing style and her uniqueness in the water colour paint marks in each frame. The colour choice is so vibrant, which is highlighted more by the colour blocks she uses (rather than detailed shading), and relies on the mediums texture to bring life to the images. She also really understands cinematography, you can just tell, as she always has the viewpoint and positioning of the 'imaginary camera' just right.
This first animation is probably her simplest, concentrating solely on getting her characters personality across.
YANOYA from shishi yamazaki on Vimeo.
Using the same character, this animation clearly shows her uniqueness in personality and her spontaneity. I love the contrast in mediums used, and the flickers in colour change. I feel this medium really reflects the character well, and I can't imagine it being done any other way! The two are a match made in heaven!
YA-NE-SEN a Go Go from shishi yamazaki on Vimeo.
Annoyingly I didn't think that her work could get any better, but it really does! Here, she not only uses a range of different characters, but she gives each one such life and fluid movement, allowing each to express themselves perfectly in time to the music. One day I wish to be this good, I admire everything she does. (I could post her video's on here forever, but sadly she only has 7, and one is a showreel!)
Neo Cos exhibit ネオ・コス展 from shishi yamazaki on Vimeo.
Her blog is a beaut too http://shishiyamazaki.tumblr.com/
Concept art 5/5
Last but not least, the overly over used Disney. How could I miss them. They are the masters and founders of the animation we know today. The first ever film I watched (not that I remember..I was a matter of months old but my Mum used to watch it with me determined that I would like Disney animations) was Bambi, and consequently it has became my favourite Disney film (closely followed by Snow White, who doesn't love her!?).
I have found a fair few images of the concept art for Bambi, however I am still trying to find out who actually did each image, I can only assume that it is one of the talented people listed here: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0034492/fullcredits#cast
These first four images are the very beginnings of the development in character. As you can see in the second image, many different angles and styles have been drawn separately and then brought together and collaged into one piece. The last two images really show the movement and posture of how deers move naturally, but it still doesn't really resemble the Bambi we know and love today.
The next few images are later developments of the character, and show an in-depth depiction of the expressions and movement differences from when Bambi is in his infancy to his adolescence. I particularly like the wrinkles on his noes and how his leg movements still stay uneasy and shaky once he has grown up.
The next major component in the development of Bambi was the size difference between him and his mother. This comparison also leads to them developing his increase in size and change in shape and muscular form as he develops throughout the film.
The most interesting development process they went through though in my eyes, is the spots on his back of all things! They have so accurately measured the positioning of all of his markings, so from whichever angle it won't be inconsistent.
The final two images (I promise I will finish this blog post soon!) are also really interesting. Rico LeBrun produced both of these images, looking at the bone structure of deer, before the animators can even look at the exterior. I love the amount of research that has gone into making the movement realistic.
I have found a fair few images of the concept art for Bambi, however I am still trying to find out who actually did each image, I can only assume that it is one of the talented people listed here: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0034492/fullcredits#cast
These first four images are the very beginnings of the development in character. As you can see in the second image, many different angles and styles have been drawn separately and then brought together and collaged into one piece. The last two images really show the movement and posture of how deers move naturally, but it still doesn't really resemble the Bambi we know and love today.
The next few images are later developments of the character, and show an in-depth depiction of the expressions and movement differences from when Bambi is in his infancy to his adolescence. I particularly like the wrinkles on his noes and how his leg movements still stay uneasy and shaky once he has grown up.
The next major component in the development of Bambi was the size difference between him and his mother. This comparison also leads to them developing his increase in size and change in shape and muscular form as he develops throughout the film.
The most interesting development process they went through though in my eyes, is the spots on his back of all things! They have so accurately measured the positioning of all of his markings, so from whichever angle it won't be inconsistent.
The final two images (I promise I will finish this blog post soon!) are also really interesting. Rico LeBrun produced both of these images, looking at the bone structure of deer, before the animators can even look at the exterior. I love the amount of research that has gone into making the movement realistic.
Concept art 4/5
After watching Paranorman in the cinema, I have become mildly obsessed with Laika the amazing production company behind the film. Before seeing Paranorman, I hadn't actually watched their first feature film Coraline, which at the time I was desperate to watch but just never had the time to. So I brought the DVD soon after my cinema trip, and was equally blown away by the skill behind the animation team. In the DVD extras however, they had a really great and in-depth 'making of' section, where they went into great detail on the processes of illumination they go through to get the perfect character. For the life of me I cannot find this video on line (they have every other section though, how annoying!), but I have found a few of the sketches shown in the video.
Shane Prigmore's character development is the ones I find most interesting. I love the first image as it shows how much her character has developed in style, yet you can still familiarise that that is Coraline. The second image is later development sketches, still by Prigmore, showing her different facial expressions within the same framing of the hair and face structure which doesn't change.
Other sketches he did was ones of Coraline's parental figures. The first of these examples being her real father, and the second her 'other mother' from the other world. I love how just from comparing these two characters you can see the dullness and boring expressions on the fathers face, matched with the tones used to depict him, contrasting with the vibrant colours and postures used to show the over-the-top personality of the other mother.
My favourite image of all though has to be this one, showing the drastic differences between the usual mother and the 'other mother'. Even with the image on the left having a coloured background, the expressions on her face showing tiredness and unhappiness brings the feel of that character down to a negative. Whereas the well kept hair, rosiness of cheeks and wide smile of the twisted and slightly (in-fact very) scary other mother, makes us perceive her to be the better of the pair, which is very important in the telling of the story.
Prigmore's blog is: http://shaneprigmore.blogspot.co.uk/
Another useful blog if you are interested in the concept art of Coraline is: http://nicocartoons.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/coraline-concept-art.html
Shane Prigmore's character development is the ones I find most interesting. I love the first image as it shows how much her character has developed in style, yet you can still familiarise that that is Coraline. The second image is later development sketches, still by Prigmore, showing her different facial expressions within the same framing of the hair and face structure which doesn't change.
Other sketches he did was ones of Coraline's parental figures. The first of these examples being her real father, and the second her 'other mother' from the other world. I love how just from comparing these two characters you can see the dullness and boring expressions on the fathers face, matched with the tones used to depict him, contrasting with the vibrant colours and postures used to show the over-the-top personality of the other mother.
My favourite image of all though has to be this one, showing the drastic differences between the usual mother and the 'other mother'. Even with the image on the left having a coloured background, the expressions on her face showing tiredness and unhappiness brings the feel of that character down to a negative. Whereas the well kept hair, rosiness of cheeks and wide smile of the twisted and slightly (in-fact very) scary other mother, makes us perceive her to be the better of the pair, which is very important in the telling of the story.
Prigmore's blog is: http://shaneprigmore.blogspot.co.uk/
Another useful blog if you are interested in the concept art of Coraline is: http://nicocartoons.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/coraline-concept-art.html
Concept art 3/5
Fantastic Mr Fox really is fantastic. Wes Anderson did an amazing job to bring such a well loved book and childhood favourite to life, whilst retaining all the character and emotion that Roald Dahl created for the characters. With this being another animation based around a book (but this time not a picture book), it was so important to please all the fans.
I have 'The Making of Fantastic Mr Fox' book, where it outlines the character design process for each character, however, annoyingly my scanner has broken so I have posted images that I have found online from the book instead of the scans I hoped to show.
For this film (as it was a feature), there was a number of character designers, with Wes being one of them. From these three images (although not necessarily character development) you can see his thoughts on how the characters move, and how the props and costumes interact with the characters.
The main character developer, who's work I love, was Felicie Haymoz. The main reason why I love his concept work is that he sketches the said animal first in their natural positions and poses, and then exaggerates and recreates these poses to suit the more 'human like' characteristics that Wes wanted.
My personal favourite of his character developments, is that of Ash, the misunderstood youngest child of the fox family, who is always described as 'a little bit.... different'. Not only is he my favourite character of the film, but Felicie uses human references rather than focusing on fox references to create his personality and character in his facial features.
For more of Felicies's work please visit his website: http://www.feliciehaymoz.com/index.php?/character-design/fantastic-mr-fox/
Fantastic Mr Fox is spot on with character design. I love it. The end.
I have 'The Making of Fantastic Mr Fox' book, where it outlines the character design process for each character, however, annoyingly my scanner has broken so I have posted images that I have found online from the book instead of the scans I hoped to show.
For this film (as it was a feature), there was a number of character designers, with Wes being one of them. From these three images (although not necessarily character development) you can see his thoughts on how the characters move, and how the props and costumes interact with the characters.
The main character developer, who's work I love, was Felicie Haymoz. The main reason why I love his concept work is that he sketches the said animal first in their natural positions and poses, and then exaggerates and recreates these poses to suit the more 'human like' characteristics that Wes wanted.
For more of Felicies's work please visit his website: http://www.feliciehaymoz.com/index.php?/character-design/fantastic-mr-fox/
Concept art 2/5
My second example of concept art is the work Julia Pott (another personal favourite, in fact she is my favourite illustrator/animator of all time) created before her latest short animation 'Belly'.
Although these are again only rough sketches to get an idea down on paper, it really shows how she has developed her idea (especially when looking at the faint rubbing our marks and her own unique numbering system to help organise herself). There are no T-pose examples which she has created, however you can see that she has experimented with different poses for each character (which can clearly been seen in the first image, and again in the second).
Belly from Julia Pott on Vimeo.
Again you can see the similarities and differences between the concept work and her finished piece.
http://motionographer.com/2012/07/24/julia-pott-belly/ In this article Julia talks about her work in general (not so much the character development side however), and it contains more images taken from her Flickr, of concept sketches, backgrounds and her at work.
Her website is packed with work from the cute to the creepy and is well worth a look: http://www.juliapott.com/
Although these are again only rough sketches to get an idea down on paper, it really shows how she has developed her idea (especially when looking at the faint rubbing our marks and her own unique numbering system to help organise herself). There are no T-pose examples which she has created, however you can see that she has experimented with different poses for each character (which can clearly been seen in the first image, and again in the second).
Belly from Julia Pott on Vimeo.
Again you can see the similarities and differences between the concept work and her finished piece.
http://motionographer.com/2012/07/24/julia-pott-belly/ In this article Julia talks about her work in general (not so much the character development side however), and it contains more images taken from her Flickr, of concept sketches, backgrounds and her at work.
Her website is packed with work from the cute to the creepy and is well worth a look: http://www.juliapott.com/
Concept art 1/5
For the second section of the 'Fundamentals for Film, Games & Animation' module, we are expected to look at creating our own character, in reference to the seven different archetypes. To gain an understanding of character development, we have to show five examples of concept art which inspires us.
The first concept art I wish to show is from Oliver Jeffers' (one of my favourite illustrators) first animation produced by Studio AKA in 2008.
The concept artwork itself is rather simplistic, but still in his distinctive drawing style, taking reference from his pre-produced children's book with the same title 'Lost and Found'.
Lost & Found from Georgina Lloyd Parry on Vimeo.
Here you can see the whole process of making the animated film, but it also goes into the details of how they designed and developed the characters
This has to be one of my favourite short animated films in a long time, and the concept artwork has clearly influenced the final finished piece a considerable amount.
For more of his work (and concept work on this project) visit his website: http://www.oliverjeffers.com/projects/lost-and-found-film
To watch the full animation visit: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmrrbi_oliver-jeffers-lost-and-found_shortfilms Or alternatively support him and buy the DVD!
The first concept art I wish to show is from Oliver Jeffers' (one of my favourite illustrators) first animation produced by Studio AKA in 2008.
The concept artwork itself is rather simplistic, but still in his distinctive drawing style, taking reference from his pre-produced children's book with the same title 'Lost and Found'.
Lost & Found from Georgina Lloyd Parry on Vimeo.
Here you can see the whole process of making the animated film, but it also goes into the details of how they designed and developed the characters
(photo credits to Oliver Jeffers)
For more of his work (and concept work on this project) visit his website: http://www.oliverjeffers.com/projects/lost-and-found-film
To watch the full animation visit: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmrrbi_oliver-jeffers-lost-and-found_shortfilms Or alternatively support him and buy the DVD!
Thursday, 25 October 2012
First post
Fresh start and a clean slate.
A bit about me:
Fav music: Hot chip, Okgo, The Cure, Joy Division. I am a music obsessive to say the least, but these four bands have never failed me.
Fav films: Amelie, Juno, Fantastic Mr Fox, Where the Wild Things Are, Paranorman.
Fav Tv shows: The Big Bang Theory, This is England, Outnumbered, Modern Family, Peep Show.
Fav illustrators: Julia Pott, Gemma Correll, Lizzie Stewart, Tinhead, Scot C.
Pastimes: Drawing, playing acoustic guitar, visiting random places, having fun with friends, going to see live music.
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