take 2 from sacha frampton on Vimeo.
Finally filmed my video, the lights worked, the camera worked, the gerbils behaved and didn't try to run away and nothing that I know of went wrong, scoreeee! Now I just need to edit it, and hope my footage is good enough!!!
Thursday, 22 November 2012
SAS
Saturday Art School
As people may or may not know, I am a supporting technician and assistant teacher at Leeds College of Art's Saturday Art School. This group is for children aged 7 to 18 to try and encourage art as a hobby, free from the restrains of school. I am working under the 3D sculpture and mixed media group, however those sessions haven't been as popular and have yet to start running yet. So my first shift was actually working on the open day, where I organised, set up and ran animation workshops for three hours (without any help!). I initially planned on hiring out a rostrum and camera and a laptop with the Dragon Stop Motion software on it, but I ended up keeping it simple and made flip books. I also had a few animations playing in the background, along with bringing a few of my own favourite animation books I own from home (for the children to use as inspiration, and for the parents to read), I had a mirror for people to try and capture their own expressions, as well as loads of colouring and drawing materials. In some points of the day the animation table was the busiest section out of all of the workshops, which was difficult to control as some of the older children wanted one to one talks about their work and the different roles in animation, as well as seeing some of the work I have made; whereas the younger children just needed help with a stapler and general supervision along with explaining how to actually make the flip books. Overall I felt the workshop was successful, and many of the people that attended went away with a little more knowledge or even just a bit more inspiration than they came in with. I also had some lovely feedback from Laura and Sharon who run the Saturday Art School, with how impressed they were that I had everything under control from start to finish, and that every child got the same amount of praise and help. They also mentioned that in the future they are tempted to hold more animation classes, if not a dedicated group of them, where they will keep me in mind to run them! All in all it was a very successful morning!
Here are a few of the images I took (when I actually had time!) of a few of the children's work.
Motion Pro X3 High Speed Camera Induction
Final Cut Pro induction
Sony PMW EX1 Camera Induction
These are my notes from the camera induction. Although I have already had this induction before, and used the cameras for previous projects, I found it really helpful to recap on the bits I never properly understood. I found the checklist really helpful too, just to have to hand so you don't forget a crucial step!
We also had an induction into the other small handy cams, but again the process is pretty similar and in my case I had already been inducted and had use with them.
Wednesday, 21 November 2012
1 min film - storyboarding
From pictures to drawings...
Here I have shown the first photographic image I took, and the process it took for me to create this as a digital piece of art ready for story-boarding. By literally tracing the images of these key frames, it allows me to understand the proportions and movement of the gerbils, as well as letting me have a recreated background which can be replicated and used again in different images.
Photo
Process
Drawing
Before I started this 'fancier' storyboard, I started off with my initial planning, in the form of this small and sketchy thumbnailed storyboard.
My final storyboard sheets are
LIFF
Or better known as Leeds International Film Festival. I have finally done my last shift volunteering at the festival, and boy has it been a mixture of pure stress and then on the other side of the scale brilliant and beyond inspiring. I have seen my fair share of films, and I have since been walking around complaining I have square eyes from watching so much! But here is my experience....
The first film I actually saw at the festival, was the French stop-motion comedy 'A Town Called Panic' in Hyde Park Picture House. I have wanted to watch this film for over a year now, and it's been patiently sat in my Amazon basket for months now, but I have never got around to buying it. So when I saw that it was playing this year at LIFF I was excited beyond belief to get the chance to watch it on the big screen, and for free with my volunteer pass! I have to say, it really exceeded my expectations. The stiffness of the models was perfect and not over played. The story-line was also great and included every emotion you can think of, and managed to execute each one perfectly. I could not sing this film's phrases enough really.
(http://www.atowncalledpanic.tv/)
Later on the Saturday I was working another shift in The Vue, with the first film being 'The Shine of the Day', which I was unable to watch due to a low number of volunteers on that shift. However I was able to watch Wrinkles afterwards thankfully; as the disk with the film wasn't working on the projector as it was the wrong format, meaning there was a half hour delay whilst the technical problems were being resolved. As I was working on the shift, I had to deal with members of the public who weren't overly pleased with the delay, but the majority of people were happy with the film afterwards and most gave it the highest rating.
Wrinkles
Wrinkles was a slow starter, and took a while for the story to develop and really get anywhere, which perfectly reflects a care home (as dull as it may seem to watch to begin with). Throughout the film, more and more small events and changing every day happenings occur, which the characters reflect about with sincere concern. With this story, you half expect the ending, but when it actually comes it really warms your heart and makes you think again about your own life as well as caring for the elderly. With a few unexpected twists and turns throughout, and a beautifully animated style, you can't really go wrong with this film.
(http://www.arrugaslapelicula.com/en/)
Like on the Saturday with 'A Town Called Panic', this was a film I specifically wanted to go and watch, and luckily had the time to see. I have always adored Studio Ghibli's work, but find most other manga/anime animations don't quite grab my interest, or the story isn't really to my taste. When I saw the synopsis for 'Wolf Children', I was really excited by the concept (although done before) and just hoped that the film wouldn't let me down. Like 'Wrinkles' it was slow in parts (the whole film lasted just over two hours...), but without these sections the meaning would be lost, and the emotion would not be portrayed as well. This emotional film was breathtaking, and the scenery was beautifully hand crafted, and the character in the children particularly was so well executed, especially in the transition between them turning from humans to wolves (and vice versa). This was another popular film in the festival and got rave reviews, and to be honest, I am not the least bit surprised!
(http://www.ookamikodomo.jp/index.html)
Like the day before, I was actually working a shift in the late afternoon/evening time as well as watching a film in the morning. To my surprise, this shift consisted of three films rather than the usual two. Two of which were documentaries I particularly wanted to watch anyway, and luckily it was my job this shift to sit in all of the films to make sure there were no glitches. Unfortunately during 'Jobriath AD' the film stopped half way through, so I had to run out to alert the technical team, and it was fixed in minutes (luckily!).
King of Comics
This was one of the Documentaries I was hoping to watch, little did I know it was about a openly gay comic book artist (with rather graphic drawings in parts!!!). To begin with, I was slightly uncomfortable watching a documentary of this nature in public, especially as I didn't know if I could laugh along with his jokes as I was working on the shift, but after not that long at all I was laughing like a loon (awkwardly looking back...) and really enjoyed it. His work openly embraces stereotypes and exaggerates them to new proportions. Overall this was a great watch regardless of if you like comics or not!
(http://www.ralf-koenig.com/)
Jobriath AD
Jobriath!? Who? Well exactly, that is what the whole documentary is about. Jobriath was a massive influential figure in Glam Rock, and one of the first musicians to openly recognise his sexuality as gay, without hiding it from the public. This in itself I find truly inspiring. As a child I was never brought up to stereotype or judge people before getting to know them properly, and I find it really and truly upsetting that in this day and age people still have problems with accepting people for who they are regardless of sex, race, religion or this case sexuality. I have family members and close friends who are LGBT, and I can't ever imagine people judging them on these grounds. Although I didn't particularly like all of Jobriath's music, I can fully appreciate what a unrecognised social figure he was. It was a truly inspiring story, and I loved how different view points were shown to give a well rounded view of him.
Better Things: The life and choices of Jeffrey Catherine Jones
This was another of the Documentaries I was dying to see. As a recent lover of comic books (I enjoyed looking at them as a child, but have only recently returned to the obsessive state I was in before), I am really interested in gaining a wider insight into comic book culture, and the legends that made it what it is today. And Jeff Jones really was one of those people. This documentary covered all aspects of his life which he has usually not wished to talk about in depth, such as his sex change to become a woman, as well as the struggles he has had in the past. Before the completion of the film, Jones sadly died, but did see the rough cut before editing and loved it so far. Jones' work is absolutely phenomenal and really nothing like I was expecting at all, which made it even more moving to see the work and link this to his background. For this viewing we were even more lucky to attend, as Maria Paz Cabardo the director of the film, flew over from New York especially for LIFF to make it's first British screening. She talked about the documentary with such pride and joy, and you can see that she did everything she could to reflect this woman and her life truly.
(http://comicsbeat.com/rip-jeffrey-catherine-jones/)
This viewing came slightly out of the blue, when Mike suggested we all went as a year group to see this free showing in the Town Hall. As I had already had a busy weekend with many films, I wasn't too fond of the idea, but I am really glad I went. I don't usually watch silent films, but this one was different as it had a live accompaniment of an organ. As it is such a large hall, the noise really projected, filling the whole place, and it was amazing the timing he had with the film, considering he wasn't able to watch it at the same time. It was off in a few places, but all in all, it was spectacularly timed! The film itself was very over dramatic and staged, but considering it is almost 100 years old, you can't help but be impressed regardless. Although I wouldn't watch it again, I have definitely been inspired, especially by the change in colour which reflects the mood of the scene.
World Animation Award part 1
Later in the day, annoyingly, was another film session I wished to go to see. In this showing, rather than having one main film, they showed a series of short animations which had been chosen to compete against each other for this years award. Sadly in this bunch of animations, I really only liked one, and it was the amazing stop motion (with small elements of 2D thrown in for good measure) animation called 'Fear of Flying' by Connor Finnegan. I had seen the trailer for this a few days before seeing it at LIFF, and this was actually the only reason I went to this showing!! For all 8 minutes of goodness! The characters and narrative was so well thought out and just, ah, words can't even! I won't ruin it for you, but watch this lovely lovely trailer!
FEAR OF FLYING trailer from conorfinnegan on Vimeo.
(http://www.fearofflyingfilm.com/)
Like the Animated shorts shown in Anifest, the British ones didn't really shine much for me. They either had a strong narrative idea or they had a strong visual style, but I felt that none particularly had a mixture of both. Other than the short film 'Belly' by my favourite animator Julia Pott. As mentioned before on my blog, Julia is a god in my eyes, she does everything so smoothly and perfectly. THIS is where I want to be one day. This piece was created for her final project in her Masters in Animation at the Royal College of Art (where I wish to one day study... and follow in her footsteps..).
Belly from Julia Pott on Vimeo.
(http://www.juliapott.com/Belly)
World Animation Award part 2
The next shift I was working on after the British Panorama, was the second part of the World Animation Award. In this showing there was some beautiful pieces, but none again particularly grabbed my attention, and I left feeling a little demotivated, as I see so many well crafted animations on Vimeo everyday which don't get the credit they deserve, compared to some of the animations shown at these sorts of festivals. It did however give me hope, that if these are supposed to be the best in the world, then I have not a lot to live up to!!!
Sunday 4th Nov:
During my first shift I didn't actually go to watch any of the films showing (Here Comes the Devil & Shine of the Day), as I am a girlie wimp and don't like scary films! But I did get a grasp of what my time working at LIFF would be like, and I had a few lovely conversations with other volunteers as well as some staff from The Vue.
Saturday 10th Nov:
A Town Called PanicThe first film I actually saw at the festival, was the French stop-motion comedy 'A Town Called Panic' in Hyde Park Picture House. I have wanted to watch this film for over a year now, and it's been patiently sat in my Amazon basket for months now, but I have never got around to buying it. So when I saw that it was playing this year at LIFF I was excited beyond belief to get the chance to watch it on the big screen, and for free with my volunteer pass! I have to say, it really exceeded my expectations. The stiffness of the models was perfect and not over played. The story-line was also great and included every emotion you can think of, and managed to execute each one perfectly. I could not sing this film's phrases enough really.
(http://www.atowncalledpanic.tv/)
Later on the Saturday I was working another shift in The Vue, with the first film being 'The Shine of the Day', which I was unable to watch due to a low number of volunteers on that shift. However I was able to watch Wrinkles afterwards thankfully; as the disk with the film wasn't working on the projector as it was the wrong format, meaning there was a half hour delay whilst the technical problems were being resolved. As I was working on the shift, I had to deal with members of the public who weren't overly pleased with the delay, but the majority of people were happy with the film afterwards and most gave it the highest rating.
Wrinkles
Wrinkles was a slow starter, and took a while for the story to develop and really get anywhere, which perfectly reflects a care home (as dull as it may seem to watch to begin with). Throughout the film, more and more small events and changing every day happenings occur, which the characters reflect about with sincere concern. With this story, you half expect the ending, but when it actually comes it really warms your heart and makes you think again about your own life as well as caring for the elderly. With a few unexpected twists and turns throughout, and a beautifully animated style, you can't really go wrong with this film.
(http://www.arrugaslapelicula.com/en/)
Sunday 11th Nov:
Wolf ChildrenLike on the Saturday with 'A Town Called Panic', this was a film I specifically wanted to go and watch, and luckily had the time to see. I have always adored Studio Ghibli's work, but find most other manga/anime animations don't quite grab my interest, or the story isn't really to my taste. When I saw the synopsis for 'Wolf Children', I was really excited by the concept (although done before) and just hoped that the film wouldn't let me down. Like 'Wrinkles' it was slow in parts (the whole film lasted just over two hours...), but without these sections the meaning would be lost, and the emotion would not be portrayed as well. This emotional film was breathtaking, and the scenery was beautifully hand crafted, and the character in the children particularly was so well executed, especially in the transition between them turning from humans to wolves (and vice versa). This was another popular film in the festival and got rave reviews, and to be honest, I am not the least bit surprised!
(http://www.ookamikodomo.jp/index.html)
Like the day before, I was actually working a shift in the late afternoon/evening time as well as watching a film in the morning. To my surprise, this shift consisted of three films rather than the usual two. Two of which were documentaries I particularly wanted to watch anyway, and luckily it was my job this shift to sit in all of the films to make sure there were no glitches. Unfortunately during 'Jobriath AD' the film stopped half way through, so I had to run out to alert the technical team, and it was fixed in minutes (luckily!).
King of Comics
This was one of the Documentaries I was hoping to watch, little did I know it was about a openly gay comic book artist (with rather graphic drawings in parts!!!). To begin with, I was slightly uncomfortable watching a documentary of this nature in public, especially as I didn't know if I could laugh along with his jokes as I was working on the shift, but after not that long at all I was laughing like a loon (awkwardly looking back...) and really enjoyed it. His work openly embraces stereotypes and exaggerates them to new proportions. Overall this was a great watch regardless of if you like comics or not!
(http://www.ralf-koenig.com/)
Jobriath AD
Jobriath!? Who? Well exactly, that is what the whole documentary is about. Jobriath was a massive influential figure in Glam Rock, and one of the first musicians to openly recognise his sexuality as gay, without hiding it from the public. This in itself I find truly inspiring. As a child I was never brought up to stereotype or judge people before getting to know them properly, and I find it really and truly upsetting that in this day and age people still have problems with accepting people for who they are regardless of sex, race, religion or this case sexuality. I have family members and close friends who are LGBT, and I can't ever imagine people judging them on these grounds. Although I didn't particularly like all of Jobriath's music, I can fully appreciate what a unrecognised social figure he was. It was a truly inspiring story, and I loved how different view points were shown to give a well rounded view of him.
Better Things: The life and choices of Jeffrey Catherine Jones
This was another of the Documentaries I was dying to see. As a recent lover of comic books (I enjoyed looking at them as a child, but have only recently returned to the obsessive state I was in before), I am really interested in gaining a wider insight into comic book culture, and the legends that made it what it is today. And Jeff Jones really was one of those people. This documentary covered all aspects of his life which he has usually not wished to talk about in depth, such as his sex change to become a woman, as well as the struggles he has had in the past. Before the completion of the film, Jones sadly died, but did see the rough cut before editing and loved it so far. Jones' work is absolutely phenomenal and really nothing like I was expecting at all, which made it even more moving to see the work and link this to his background. For this viewing we were even more lucky to attend, as Maria Paz Cabardo the director of the film, flew over from New York especially for LIFF to make it's first British screening. She talked about the documentary with such pride and joy, and you can see that she did everything she could to reflect this woman and her life truly.
(http://comicsbeat.com/rip-jeffrey-catherine-jones/)
Monday 12th Nov:
The GolemThis viewing came slightly out of the blue, when Mike suggested we all went as a year group to see this free showing in the Town Hall. As I had already had a busy weekend with many films, I wasn't too fond of the idea, but I am really glad I went. I don't usually watch silent films, but this one was different as it had a live accompaniment of an organ. As it is such a large hall, the noise really projected, filling the whole place, and it was amazing the timing he had with the film, considering he wasn't able to watch it at the same time. It was off in a few places, but all in all, it was spectacularly timed! The film itself was very over dramatic and staged, but considering it is almost 100 years old, you can't help but be impressed regardless. Although I wouldn't watch it again, I have definitely been inspired, especially by the change in colour which reflects the mood of the scene.
World Animation Award part 1
Later in the day, annoyingly, was another film session I wished to go to see. In this showing, rather than having one main film, they showed a series of short animations which had been chosen to compete against each other for this years award. Sadly in this bunch of animations, I really only liked one, and it was the amazing stop motion (with small elements of 2D thrown in for good measure) animation called 'Fear of Flying' by Connor Finnegan. I had seen the trailer for this a few days before seeing it at LIFF, and this was actually the only reason I went to this showing!! For all 8 minutes of goodness! The characters and narrative was so well thought out and just, ah, words can't even! I won't ruin it for you, but watch this lovely lovely trailer!
FEAR OF FLYING trailer from conorfinnegan on Vimeo.
(http://www.fearofflyingfilm.com/)
Tuesday 13th Nov:
British Animation Panorama: Animate WildlyLike the Animated shorts shown in Anifest, the British ones didn't really shine much for me. They either had a strong narrative idea or they had a strong visual style, but I felt that none particularly had a mixture of both. Other than the short film 'Belly' by my favourite animator Julia Pott. As mentioned before on my blog, Julia is a god in my eyes, she does everything so smoothly and perfectly. THIS is where I want to be one day. This piece was created for her final project in her Masters in Animation at the Royal College of Art (where I wish to one day study... and follow in her footsteps..).
Belly from Julia Pott on Vimeo.
(http://www.juliapott.com/Belly)
World Animation Award part 2
The next shift I was working on after the British Panorama, was the second part of the World Animation Award. In this showing there was some beautiful pieces, but none again particularly grabbed my attention, and I left feeling a little demotivated, as I see so many well crafted animations on Vimeo everyday which don't get the credit they deserve, compared to some of the animations shown at these sorts of festivals. It did however give me hope, that if these are supposed to be the best in the world, then I have not a lot to live up to!!!
Overall...
I am so thankful that I was chosen out of the 180 odd applicants to be one of the 90 volunteers, as I met some truly lovely and inspiring people of all age groups and backgrounds, as well as obviously watching loads of films which I may not necessarily have gone to see if I wasn't working on those shifts or had got involved with the festival. Most of us are full of good intentions to do or go to various things, and I am guilty of this, as last year I didn't go to any of the major event held in Leeds, but this time around I have really embraced the opportunities available. Saying this I was not able to see half the films I wanted to, due to times clashing with University work and having volunteering shifts in other places at the same time. However I have written a list of the films I would still like to see, and hopefully will have time to see before the next year of LIFF madness!!!
List:
Earnest and Celestine
Robot and Frank
Rust and Bone
Seven Psychopaths
The History of Future Folk
Sightseers
King Kong vs Godzilla
The Art of Negative Thinking
Electric Man + Judge Minty
Five Broken Cameras
As a volunteer I also received an email at the end of the festival with the top 20 most popular films that were shown, voted by the public. So hopefully I will have time to watch these films too if I haven't already! The list was...
Earnest and Celestine
Robot and Frank
Rust and Bone
Seven Psychopaths
The History of Future Folk
Sightseers
King Kong vs Godzilla
The Art of Negative Thinking
Electric Man + Judge Minty
Five Broken Cameras
As a volunteer I also received an email at the end of the festival with the top 20 most popular films that were shown, voted by the public. So hopefully I will have time to watch these films too if I haven't already! The list was...
1. The Hunt
2. In Search of Blind Joe
Death
3. Ernest and Celestine
4. Wolf Children
5. War Witch
6. Morgan Spurlock's Comic
Con
7. Five Broken Cameras
8. Robot and Frank
9. Argo
10. Jason Becker: Not Dead
Yet
11. In My Mother's Arms
12. Amour
13. This Band is So
Gorgeous
14. Seven Psychopaths
15. Laurence Anyways
16. When the Lights Went
Out
17. Yadig? Presents Seven
Signs
18. José and Pilar
19. Back to the Square
20. Berserk: The Golden Age
2
So yeah... That was my hectic time at LIFF 2012. Roll on next year!
Lighting Induction
Here is a small diagram I made to simplify the process of 3 point lighting for me. After this session, I now feel confident that I could light a subject well (maybe not as well as Matt did, but better than I would have been able to before, that's for sure!)
After the Induction, we had the chance to watch a few film trailers and analyse what type of lighting they used in each shot. Underneath are the trailers we watched.
The Hobbit had some interesting lighting, however in some sections not much thought has gone into it, making the image look flat. Some shots on the other hand, are beautifully back lit.
Most of the shots in this trailer are outside or use natural lighting through the windows, so only a few shots use a lighting system.
I also found this website helpful to explain three point lighting, with easy to understand diagrams
http://www.mediacollege.com/lighting/three-point/
Tuesday, 20 November 2012
1 min video - Gerbil video research
After looking on Youtube and Vimeo at various video's around the subject of gerbils, these were the ones which I found had interesting things to either avoid doing, or to include in my video.
Baby Gerbil from Alicia on Vimeo.
This video wasn't aimed to be instructional, but it shows a gerbil none the less (well that's my excuse for using this video as an example anyway, other than the fact it is extremely cute!), but I have taken away a few vital things to avoid when filming them. For starters the camera isn't stationary and somebody is holding it and moving it around attempting to follow the gerbil, which is distracting and off-putting, especially when it isn't done well! The second thing I found was the people speaking were just having a normal general chat, and again this distracted you from focusing your attention on the gerbil. Other than the poor quality camera, unadjusted lighting, and unplanned filming, this video at the end of the day was only made for a personal reference to look back on how small the gerbil was, rather than trying to instruct or even show a narrative so I can't be too critical!!
This video is very different to the one before, as it is intended to instruct you (on a very basic level) of how to clean out a small rodent cage. There is a mix of shots used, where mid shots show the woman talking about how to do it, close up shots of her actually doing it, and extreme close ups are used to show the animals enjoying themselves. All of these shots vary in length, but the extreme close ups seem to last the shortest amount of time. I have noticed that a tripod wasn't used when filming, as there is small camera movements throughout on all of the footage, which to my surprise wasn't particularly noticeable. There was no added lighting either for this video, as they opted for natural lighting, but again you don't find it off-putting to watch. The sound used was simply the woman's voice over, talking informally about how to best do it. She is not 100% confident when speaking, but makes the video seem more friendly and informal. She explains everything and gives helpful advice to first time owners, even giving out contact details at the end for extra help. What I found strange was the lack of ambient sounds in the footage, and how clear her voice is, when it is obvious that it was recorded on camera, but this helps her sound clear and there are no other distractions to what she is saying. One thing I really liked about the video was that at the end of it, close up footage of several different animals in their cages were shown, displaying how happy they are in their cleaned out cages (which I thought was a lovely touch!)
This video comes from a series of how-to video's all based on gerbil care, by 'Meercatdave'. Like the other video's, this hasn't been filmed using a tripod, but it is taken to the next level, where he is holding the camera whilst doing stuff with the other hand on screen, such as cleaning the cage. I personally find this a little off putting as the camera is moving all over the place, showing a lack of planning for the video, as the lighting also hasn't been planned. There are a few still shots, viewing the tank from the side, where he is filling it up with sawdust, and another one where the gerbils are being put back into the cage. Personally I thought these shots were more visually interesting and caught my attention, compared to the other badly shot and lengthy footage. The content of the video however is interesting, concise and helpful, giving recommendations on how to care for your gerbils on a weekly basis, as well as mentioning diseases they may contract if you don't follow his advice. Unlike the video before, he talks about other items and toys to put into their cage, and how to keep the gerbils interested and to keep their curiosity. Like most of the videos mentioned in this post, in the last shot he has links to his Facebook and Twitter pages for self promotion.
Although this video doesn't look into cleaning gerbil cages, and is a slightly different topic than what I am looking at, I thought that this video is a good example to show (of what to avoid when filming, but what to include when talking about the gerbils). Personally I feel that this is the least professional video (other than the first one, which wasn't intending to be instructional), which some people may argue that she is simply being informal, but the video lasts 9 minutes as she repeats herself and rambles on before getting to a point. She does however give plenty of information on how to care for gerbils as well as how to tame them, whilst giving the gerbils own personal background. She also introduces each gerbil in the beginning, which I really liked, as it makes the video feel more friendly and that they are actually her loved pets. When talking about what foods to give them, and what they enjoy doing, she refers to each gerbils own characteristics and traits, again making the video more informal. One thing I really didn't enjoy about the video was that she had a small nibble by one of them, which she made into a big fuss, which she then proceeded to talk about how you should stay calm if you are bitten, which was slightly contradictory. Regarding the camera and lighting set up, she is using a hand held camera and filming and interacting with the gerbils at the same time, like one of the other videos. As badly shot the footage is, she made sure that the gerbils were constantly on screen. The footage itself is one long uncut or unedited video, which in itself limits the video quality. Like the others she ends the video with self promotion.
I feel that this video is probably the best out of all of the others shows. Mainly because she uses different shots to keep it visually interesting, whilst still giving helpful information about how to set up the cage and keep them interested with toys, their health and well-being, and the variety needed in their habitat. Like the last video she introduced the gerbils, making it more personal. She also included different information than the other videos, such as how to bath the gerbils, and other games you can play with them. Although the first opening slide to the video is rather cheesy, it does introduce the type of video well. After this she uses writing on the footage for the opening title and at the end of the film uses a thankyou title credit. The lighting in this hasn't been considered, but generally is alright. What I noticed that was different to the other videos, is that as well as including a voice over, she also has faint music in the background, which doesn't distract you from the film footage. She also does other pet related video's, which may be a reason why her video seemed to be more thought out perhaps, than the others. At the end of the video she also offers extra help to anybody who wishes to find out more, which I feel is a really nice thing to do (like the second video).
Baby Gerbil from Alicia on Vimeo.
This video wasn't aimed to be instructional, but it shows a gerbil none the less (well that's my excuse for using this video as an example anyway, other than the fact it is extremely cute!), but I have taken away a few vital things to avoid when filming them. For starters the camera isn't stationary and somebody is holding it and moving it around attempting to follow the gerbil, which is distracting and off-putting, especially when it isn't done well! The second thing I found was the people speaking were just having a normal general chat, and again this distracted you from focusing your attention on the gerbil. Other than the poor quality camera, unadjusted lighting, and unplanned filming, this video at the end of the day was only made for a personal reference to look back on how small the gerbil was, rather than trying to instruct or even show a narrative so I can't be too critical!!
This video is very different to the one before, as it is intended to instruct you (on a very basic level) of how to clean out a small rodent cage. There is a mix of shots used, where mid shots show the woman talking about how to do it, close up shots of her actually doing it, and extreme close ups are used to show the animals enjoying themselves. All of these shots vary in length, but the extreme close ups seem to last the shortest amount of time. I have noticed that a tripod wasn't used when filming, as there is small camera movements throughout on all of the footage, which to my surprise wasn't particularly noticeable. There was no added lighting either for this video, as they opted for natural lighting, but again you don't find it off-putting to watch. The sound used was simply the woman's voice over, talking informally about how to best do it. She is not 100% confident when speaking, but makes the video seem more friendly and informal. She explains everything and gives helpful advice to first time owners, even giving out contact details at the end for extra help. What I found strange was the lack of ambient sounds in the footage, and how clear her voice is, when it is obvious that it was recorded on camera, but this helps her sound clear and there are no other distractions to what she is saying. One thing I really liked about the video was that at the end of it, close up footage of several different animals in their cages were shown, displaying how happy they are in their cleaned out cages (which I thought was a lovely touch!)
This video comes from a series of how-to video's all based on gerbil care, by 'Meercatdave'. Like the other video's, this hasn't been filmed using a tripod, but it is taken to the next level, where he is holding the camera whilst doing stuff with the other hand on screen, such as cleaning the cage. I personally find this a little off putting as the camera is moving all over the place, showing a lack of planning for the video, as the lighting also hasn't been planned. There are a few still shots, viewing the tank from the side, where he is filling it up with sawdust, and another one where the gerbils are being put back into the cage. Personally I thought these shots were more visually interesting and caught my attention, compared to the other badly shot and lengthy footage. The content of the video however is interesting, concise and helpful, giving recommendations on how to care for your gerbils on a weekly basis, as well as mentioning diseases they may contract if you don't follow his advice. Unlike the video before, he talks about other items and toys to put into their cage, and how to keep the gerbils interested and to keep their curiosity. Like most of the videos mentioned in this post, in the last shot he has links to his Facebook and Twitter pages for self promotion.
Although this video doesn't look into cleaning gerbil cages, and is a slightly different topic than what I am looking at, I thought that this video is a good example to show (of what to avoid when filming, but what to include when talking about the gerbils). Personally I feel that this is the least professional video (other than the first one, which wasn't intending to be instructional), which some people may argue that she is simply being informal, but the video lasts 9 minutes as she repeats herself and rambles on before getting to a point. She does however give plenty of information on how to care for gerbils as well as how to tame them, whilst giving the gerbils own personal background. She also introduces each gerbil in the beginning, which I really liked, as it makes the video feel more friendly and that they are actually her loved pets. When talking about what foods to give them, and what they enjoy doing, she refers to each gerbils own characteristics and traits, again making the video more informal. One thing I really didn't enjoy about the video was that she had a small nibble by one of them, which she made into a big fuss, which she then proceeded to talk about how you should stay calm if you are bitten, which was slightly contradictory. Regarding the camera and lighting set up, she is using a hand held camera and filming and interacting with the gerbils at the same time, like one of the other videos. As badly shot the footage is, she made sure that the gerbils were constantly on screen. The footage itself is one long uncut or unedited video, which in itself limits the video quality. Like the others she ends the video with self promotion.
I feel that this video is probably the best out of all of the others shows. Mainly because she uses different shots to keep it visually interesting, whilst still giving helpful information about how to set up the cage and keep them interested with toys, their health and well-being, and the variety needed in their habitat. Like the last video she introduced the gerbils, making it more personal. She also included different information than the other videos, such as how to bath the gerbils, and other games you can play with them. Although the first opening slide to the video is rather cheesy, it does introduce the type of video well. After this she uses writing on the footage for the opening title and at the end of the film uses a thankyou title credit. The lighting in this hasn't been considered, but generally is alright. What I noticed that was different to the other videos, is that as well as including a voice over, she also has faint music in the background, which doesn't distract you from the film footage. She also does other pet related video's, which may be a reason why her video seemed to be more thought out perhaps, than the others. At the end of the video she also offers extra help to anybody who wishes to find out more, which I feel is a really nice thing to do (like the second video).
The lovely Lee and the lovely Lisette
During my time volunteering at the Leeds International Film Festival, I got the chance to meet a load of new and inspiring creative people, one being Lee. During the one shift we shared, we talked loads about our interests and what we want to do in the future, which then led to a discussion about a film group that meet on Sundays, which have a group on Facebook. So we agreed to 'friend' each other, and perhaps when the work load has died down a little, we would finally go together!
But strangely he contacted me far sooner than I was expecting, but about a friend that needed some help, in the form of an animator. As I was the last animator he talked to, he gave me a shout and sent my details onto Lisette, the producer of the project.
After a few emails of correspondence, where I was sent the script, the music used and a video to use as reference for the style they are wanting for the minute long animated introduction for a short series based on an apocalyptic future for the world, made by various members of the Northern Film School (which is part of Leeds Metropolitan University).
(here was the video sent by Lisette)
After around a week of emails, I finally got the chance to meet Lisette in Weatherspoons, where she had her work spread out on a large table, cracking on with various projects. As stressful her life is at the moment, she took the time to speak to me (for over an hour) about the project and what she is hoping for from me, as well as general chit chat about various arty things (and a bit of geography thrown in for good measure). At the end of the meeting we were both buzzing with excitement to start, and Lisette informed me that she had around ten other people applying to take this role, so I feel even more privileged that she has trusted Lee's judgement and feels I would be the right person to do the animation. Now just to crack on with it!!!
But strangely he contacted me far sooner than I was expecting, but about a friend that needed some help, in the form of an animator. As I was the last animator he talked to, he gave me a shout and sent my details onto Lisette, the producer of the project.
After a few emails of correspondence, where I was sent the script, the music used and a video to use as reference for the style they are wanting for the minute long animated introduction for a short series based on an apocalyptic future for the world, made by various members of the Northern Film School (which is part of Leeds Metropolitan University).
(here was the video sent by Lisette)
After around a week of emails, I finally got the chance to meet Lisette in Weatherspoons, where she had her work spread out on a large table, cracking on with various projects. As stressful her life is at the moment, she took the time to speak to me (for over an hour) about the project and what she is hoping for from me, as well as general chit chat about various arty things (and a bit of geography thrown in for good measure). At the end of the meeting we were both buzzing with excitement to start, and Lisette informed me that she had around ten other people applying to take this role, so I feel even more privileged that she has trusted Lee's judgement and feels I would be the right person to do the animation. Now just to crack on with it!!!
Setting up ready to film...
Take one...
gerbil timelapse from sacha frampton on Vimeo.
Unfortunately after lugging all the equipment to the flat (single handedly may I add!), I set up everything to find out that one of the power cables for the lights wasn't working. I did test it with both of the bulbs to make sure, but no, trying to do a three point lighting system with one light didn't really work...
So I have had to reschedule myself, so I am able to film all of Thursday when the lights are next available to use. This is a set back of two days, but I can concentrate on finalising my storyboard and create the intro and credits before filming.
...wish me luck!
gerbil timelapse from sacha frampton on Vimeo.
Unfortunately after lugging all the equipment to the flat (single handedly may I add!), I set up everything to find out that one of the power cables for the lights wasn't working. I did test it with both of the bulbs to make sure, but no, trying to do a three point lighting system with one light didn't really work...
So I have had to reschedule myself, so I am able to film all of Thursday when the lights are next available to use. This is a set back of two days, but I can concentrate on finalising my storyboard and create the intro and credits before filming.
...wish me luck!
Monday, 19 November 2012
1 Min Film - Gerbils
I have chosen that the subject matter of my one minute instructional video will be, how to look after your pet gerbils. I have recently got two of my own (a white/grey one named Pancake and a brown one named Crumpet), which I absolutely love to bits. Even though I am still struggling to get them out of the cage, as it takes a long time to build trust with them, we play together every day and I love being in their company. But when I first got them I was really worried (and still do worry) that they aren't happy, so I thought by making this instructional video it would help others that worry just like me. I am aiming this at children or young female adults who are most likely to own small animals.
Here I have taken various photographs of my lovely gerbils, trying to use different positions, and to capture them doing various different things...
Here I have taken various photographs of my lovely gerbils, trying to use different positions, and to capture them doing various different things...
Sunday, 18 November 2012
Environment art 3/5
In-Between is a French animation which tells the charming story of a woman's search for love, but she has one main obstacle... in the form of a pet crocodile (as you do). I adore the styling used for the characters, but equally love the matching style of the environment and how well it really works together. Everything has been really well planned out, the positioning of furniture down to how shots through the doorway would look. Underneath is one of their 'making of' video's, which goes more into the concept art and development of the environments used.
making of inbetween from blopOoO on Vimeo.
To view the final animation (which I strongly recommend you do!) I have posted the video underneath.
In-Between from Team In-Between on Vimeo.
To look at the wonderful makers blogs for more pretty pictures of their work (and more behind the scenes work from In-Between), then here are a bunch of links!
http://inbetweenlefilm.blogspot.co.uk/
http://lenathemaraudeuse.blogspot.fr/
http://turlutuchu.blogspot.fr/
http://sumi-book.blogspot.fr/
http://juliettelaurent.blogspot.fr/
http://smart-katz.blogspot.fr/
making of inbetween from blopOoO on Vimeo.
Below you can see how the character interacts with the environment.
To view the final animation (which I strongly recommend you do!) I have posted the video underneath.
In-Between from Team In-Between on Vimeo.
To look at the wonderful makers blogs for more pretty pictures of their work (and more behind the scenes work from In-Between), then here are a bunch of links!
http://inbetweenlefilm.blogspot.co.uk/
http://lenathemaraudeuse.blogspot.fr/
http://turlutuchu.blogspot.fr/
http://sumi-book.blogspot.fr/
http://juliettelaurent.blogspot.fr/
http://smart-katz.blogspot.fr/
Saturday, 3 November 2012
Environment art 2/5
Paranorman, as mentioned before, is one of my favourite films of all time, which is a steep thing to say seeing as I have only watched it once! The art direction is phenomenal. I was going to post about their character design work in my last set of blog posts, but I was far more impressed with the set design.
The main thing I love about Paranorman is the rooms which are cluttered and messy, such as Norman's bedroom clustered with zombie posters and toys, or his Uncle Pendergast's whole house which is even more cluttered (I especially like his desk with cut outs plastering the wall).
Here is a concept drawing of Norman's room by Ross Stewart and Trevor Dalmer
Now compare this amazing illustration to the fantastic job that the set designers did in creating the bedroom for the film. I really love the 50's horror style of drawing, especially of the 'mondo zombies' poster below.
This video shows how impressive this whole design and making process is.
This little light, was a big task. Every single thing you see on set has been made from scratch to keep the aesthetic all the same. I really like how in this video you see the whole journey it takes just to create one tiny item.
ParaNorman This Little Light from Grow Film Company on Vimeo.
Unfortunately there are not many concept drawings posted on the internet yet for Paranorman. I do however own 'The art and making of Paranorman' book, so when my scanner is fixed/I next have time I will hopefully post some of the drawings in there. It is well worth buying the book, it is filled to the brim with inspiration. However I did find this one on the internet!
The main thing I love about Paranorman is the rooms which are cluttered and messy, such as Norman's bedroom clustered with zombie posters and toys, or his Uncle Pendergast's whole house which is even more cluttered (I especially like his desk with cut outs plastering the wall).
Here is a concept drawing of Norman's room by Ross Stewart and Trevor Dalmer
Now compare this amazing illustration to the fantastic job that the set designers did in creating the bedroom for the film. I really love the 50's horror style of drawing, especially of the 'mondo zombies' poster below.
This video shows how impressive this whole design and making process is.
This little light, was a big task. Every single thing you see on set has been made from scratch to keep the aesthetic all the same. I really like how in this video you see the whole journey it takes just to create one tiny item.
ParaNorman This Little Light from Grow Film Company on Vimeo.
Unfortunately there are not many concept drawings posted on the internet yet for Paranorman. I do however own 'The art and making of Paranorman' book, so when my scanner is fixed/I next have time I will hopefully post some of the drawings in there. It is well worth buying the book, it is filled to the brim with inspiration. However I did find this one on the internet!
Environment art 1/5
The first environment I thought I would research into was Disney Pixar's Ratatouille as I really loved the French architecture and rustic style of drawing in the concept artwork.
I found it really interesting to watch this video and see how real life still holds such a strong influence when designing any environment.
These are concept drawings by Dominique Louis. I adore his use of colours and understanding of lighting, it makes these images so much more believable.
I also found these concept images for Ratatouille, taken from the 'making of' book.
I found it really interesting to watch this video and see how real life still holds such a strong influence when designing any environment.
These are concept drawings by Dominique Louis. I adore his use of colours and understanding of lighting, it makes these images so much more believable.
I also found these concept images for Ratatouille, taken from the 'making of' book.
Animation post 8- Flip books
Flip books were the suggested form of animation we should use to display our animation. A flip book is a small book of imaged, which when flicked through creates a moving image. What is so loved about this style of animation is the lack of need for any machinery, it isn't digital or doesn't need to be digitalised to work and still get the same effect.
I have struggled to find any flip books that I find inspirational to be honest (other than one). I did however find the history of flip books, and was quite surprised as some of the things mentioned.
History: http://www.flipbook.info/history.php
The one flip book which does stand out in my mind, is one I found when doing animation research last year. A clever young man, Masashi Kawamura, came up with the 'rainbow in your hand' book. Where on each page he simply printed a row of coloured squares, exactly the same on each page. You may wonder how this creates a moving image then? Well, when viewed from the side (rather than from above to see the images) you can see the colour movement creating a coloured curve, like a rainbow, as the pages are flicked. To help me explain a little better, view this video:
I have struggled to find any flip books that I find inspirational to be honest (other than one). I did however find the history of flip books, and was quite surprised as some of the things mentioned.
History: http://www.flipbook.info/history.php
The one flip book which does stand out in my mind, is one I found when doing animation research last year. A clever young man, Masashi Kawamura, came up with the 'rainbow in your hand' book. Where on each page he simply printed a row of coloured squares, exactly the same on each page. You may wonder how this creates a moving image then? Well, when viewed from the side (rather than from above to see the images) you can see the colour movement creating a coloured curve, like a rainbow, as the pages are flicked. To help me explain a little better, view this video:
Animation post 7 - GIFs
This is the first quick animation style I thought I would look at. There is something about a GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) that I have loved for a long time now. As small and simple as they are (to make too), they can still portray the animation principles. To make a GIF all you need is photoshop and a small image sequence to work with. I suppose they are very similar to flip books, but they are just a digitalised form.
I had a long look through my Tumblr account (I used to be a bit of a blogger...) to find some of the best examples of GIFs that I like.
(http://naturalcatastrophe.tumblr.com/post/26097653031)
(http://naturalcatastrophe.tumblr.com/post/21404991145)
(http://naturalcatastrophe.tumblr.com/post/20118073001)
(http://naturalcatastrophe.tumblr.com/post/12481786796)
(http://naturalcatastrophe.tumblr.com/post/12031171516)
(http://naturalcatastrophe.tumblr.com/post/21157264974)
(http://naturalcatastrophe.tumblr.com/post/15030435789)
(http://naturalcatastrophe.tumblr.com/post/22042605478)
(http://naturalcatastrophe.tumblr.com/post/22033720149)
(http://naturalcatastrophe.tumblr.com/post/18996307632)
GIFs have also been made from small sections of Animated films or small animation shorts.
(http://naturalcatastrophe.tumblr.com/post/25952744211)
(http://naturalcatastrophe.tumblr.com/post/25087066197)
(http://naturalcatastrophe.tumblr.com/post/21428382102)
There is also a really good website with professionally done GIFs :http://www.gifparanoia.org/
Some are really well thought out, so it is well worth a look.
I had a long look through my Tumblr account (I used to be a bit of a blogger...) to find some of the best examples of GIFs that I like.
GIFs have also been made from small sections of Animated films or small animation shorts.
(http://naturalcatastrophe.tumblr.com/post/25952744211)
(http://naturalcatastrophe.tumblr.com/post/21428382102)
There is also a really good website with professionally done GIFs :http://www.gifparanoia.org/
Some are really well thought out, so it is well worth a look.
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