E4 Animation

This is my final stop motion animation. I am really pleased with the results of this process. The modelling of the character has really given this film a professional and traditionally created feel. To create this animation I have used a stop motion technique which involves taking many different pictures. This particular clip consists of 280 still photographs that were then sewed together using Window Live Movie Maker. To achieve the fluidity that is evident in this animation I set the duration of each photograph to 1/10th of a second, or 0.10.

The screenshots below the video document the steps and processes I used to complete my animation.

overall I am extremely pleased with the outcome of this animation. I feel that I have captured and communicated the E4 visual style really well through my use of colour and character design.

By utilising media and scenery that is both familiar and memorable to teens and young adults alike I have been able to produce a piece of work that the target audience can relate to. This is emphasised through the use of energetic music to compliment the video and identify with the target audience which in turn creates an emotional response from the viewer. I also think that the actual setting for the video is very appropriate (bedroom/desk/sound system) as most teenagers and younger adults will be familiar with these surroundings thus further strengthening the visual impact and how the audience relate to the character and his scenery. 

Although this video is slightly grainy and of poor quality (this is due to Blogger uploader, the actual film is quite clear and of a good quality) I feel that it communicates it's visual point really well.

The image above shows the character wearing the top hat and the E4 logo is clearly visible, although I feel that I could have got the logo a little more into the frame in this part of the animation but I was unable to due to the fact that this would require repositioning the camera slightly and thus ruining the stillness of the frame.

The screenshot above shows a segment of the animation in which the character disappears into the table leaving only the E4 top hat. The camera then pans into the E4 logo on the top hat, emphasizing and thus concluding the intentions of the animation. I achieved this visual effect by using a very sharp knife to cut away sections of the plaster-cine model from the bottom up. For every slice that was cut away a frame was captured on the camera until the model was completely gone. This created the illusion of the E4 dude vanishing into the table. I learned this technique by watching a number of animations in which the creator makes objects push their way through solid objects by removing sections of them. I really surprised myself with this part of the animation as I was not sure whether it would actually work in a visual manner due to the fact that I had to pick the model up and remove a section and then replace it again before capturing a frame. My concern was that when the animation was stitched together that the model would appear to be moving randomly from side to side and back and forth as it disappeared into the table. Fortunately this did not happen as you can see! And I am very pleased with the results. 

In the above screenshot I have highlighted the duration that I have used for almost every frame of the animation except for the first and last frames and frames in which the character is switching something on or looking at the camera. For these particular frames I upped the duration to 0.50 and sometimes an entire second to both lengthen the film and give the clip a certain rhythm by keeping in time with the music. 

Shooting & character design

Here is the set up for my animation. I have positioned the camera very low and very close to the desk to give the film a more intimate and personal feel. The positioning of the camera also gave me a

really nice depth of field whilst shooting and I was able to capture some really interesting sequences.

 I also positioned the lamp closely to the work top at a slight angle to create some hard light, and some really strong shadows. This really brought out the textures of the model and it's surroundings.
I feel that the use of a sound system and speakers in the animation help the target audience to connect and relate with the film. This is also complimented by the genre of music that I have used as the soundtrack (Dubstep) which I feel is very relate-able to a younger or teenage audience as people that are interested in this type of music feel more inclined to watch the animation.

Here are some images of my animation in the process of being shot. On the left I have shown how I created my model and gave it removable eyes, arms, hat and tongue. I feel that this design really helped me in the final stages of my animation as it made it very easy to manipulate and animate the doll. I have intentionally used purple and white as the main colours for the actual character (minus the hat) as these colours are the colours of E4 and compliment the their logo really well.

Final Character Design.

Here is the character with all of the pieces placed together. I think it has quite a comical/bewildered appearance (due to the wide eyed/glazed look) I decided not to give it legs as this would have been difficult to animate and they would have probably have deteriorated as I moved and animated them. Instead, the bottom of the model is completely flat to help move it more easily and minimize the chance of changing the model's shape and form by accident during the animation process. I feel that this design also gives the character a more simplistic and cartoon-ish look which once again builds on relating to the target audience.

Animation test run for final production.

This stop motion animation is a preview of how my finished film will look. I have used plastercine to create the character. The animation is shot on my bedroom desk and I have used a lamp and my mobile phone flash light for dramatic lighting. I will use this style of animating in my final movie. I will be using this piece of work to promote the TV channel E4. In the final production the character will materialize from the desk in a melting fashion. The top hat will also be replaced by the E4 logo and the back ground will painted white for maximum contrast of colors. I really like the way this animation turned out and I also think the music fits it very well and I am pleased that I was able to get the characters motion and movements to be in time with the soundtrack. Overall this has been a very exciting and insightful process for me and it has helped me build a solid idea of how I want my final film to look.

Story boarding & mind mapping

here is my initial storyboard that maps out the events and scenes of my final animation. In this storyboard the scene is set upon a desk with a plain block colour background. the sound system is positioned in the far right of the frame and one of the smaller speakers is positioned at the far left back corner of the desk to give a sense of depth. For my final animation I plan to use muted grey tone colours for the scenery to push the colours of the character (purple and white) out of the screen and make the whole thing pop. I think this contrast will work well and help to capture the E4 visual language and style.

The animation will begin with the desk completely empty apart from the sound system and light switch (for the character to turn on) The character will move in from either right or left of frame to switch the lamp on and give some hard light and texture to the scene. In the second scene the character turns the sound system on and this starts the music. the dude then moves out of frame and in the fourth frame you can see that he is dragging a pencil in from out of frame, he then repeats this by moving out of frame once more and bringing in a folded piece of paper. he unfolds this paper and proceeds to draw a top hat (not visible to viewer) After he is done drawing the character picks up this paper and shows it to the camera whilst holding it above his head. As the music drops in the paper hat turns into an actual hat and the paper disappears. Hopefully this will produce some kind of emotional response from the viewer such as humour. the top hat has the E4 logo on the front of it to communicate that this is an E4 I-dent. When the music drops in again the character disappears into the desk and only the hat is left. The camera then pans into the e4 logo and then the screen goes blank.

Here are a few previous e4 E-stings entries that I have taken inspiration from. I like the first one the most as I think it really relates to the target audience and creates an emotional response from the viewer. I also like the us of materials here and the way the artist has used magazine cuttings to collage the background and even create characters. The music also fits very nicely and adds to the character of the clip. The second one is in my opinion the most professionally crafted piece of work here and I love how detailed and smooth the animations are. It really suits E4's visual style and is actually pretty entertaining to watch. 

here are some E4 idents i have found whilst looking through youtube. I have also been able to find the youtube user account of the guy who makes them and he has a

lot of interesting work. My favorite in particular is the motel/hotel room animation as there is a lot going on in this film. The animator has clearly put a lot of effort into creating it and I really love the attention to detail and the fact that there are multiple objects moving around the room all the time and at the same time as each other. This gives the film a really energetic but intriguing atmosphere and it also produces and air of mysteriousness. The E4 visual language is communicated beautifully through the artists use of colors and familiar surroundings. I also admire the use of old retro technology as it gives the film quite a vintage/traditional feel. 

Various animation tests

Max Keily inspired animation test. 

I really love this advert and the way the artist has incorporated real world subjects (hands) and the 2-dimensional world of pen and paper. It works extremely well and i hope to produce something similar to this. 

The videos shown below are purely experimental and are an example of stop motion animation. I carried out these experiments in order to determine the fluidity of stop motion animation and also to test my own animating skills. I feel that they have turned out well for quick knock up stop motions! The hello test is possibly my favourite as it was inspired by the viral E-bay stop motion promotional campaign made by Max Keily. (link below) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP0cSnJDYWE

This video (below) is another example of stop motion that I have used to test out my skills. I used a lit cigarette to create a time lapsed video of it burning down. I could possibly use this as an anti smoking advert? It has a rather dark feel to it, and I also accidentally left the "auto" function on some frames are brighter than others. Mistake noted....

Fluidity motion test.

This is another animation I made to demonstrate the fluidity that can be achieved through using stop motion combined with plastercine. This piece is completely random but was a lot of fun to make. It also showed me how easily an animation can be made using simple and basic software such as Windows Movie Maker. Enjoy.

I have looked at these videos to analyse the quality of the animations that are found in professional stop motion animations as well as the character design. In this animation (Morph) both characters are of a simple yet bold design. They use bright distinctive colours, which help the target audience (young children/toddlers) familiarize themselves with the characters. They also have a very memorable and instantly recognisable shape. The doll's limbs are long but not to thin, I also expect that the plaster-cine is modelled around some kind of thick but bendable wire to keep the models in a fixed and stable position when shooting an animation.  Maybe pipe cleaners?

A quick guide to stop motion...........

Once again in this stop motion the characters are thickly build to prevent droop and bending during shooting. Their colours are also distinctive and bold. The eyes seem to be set in sockets to make adjustments easier and the limbs are short and robust to help support the weight of the body. 

This animation is done completely from plaster-cine on a white board background. The animator has taken inspiration from Alien concept artist and painter H.R Giger. The sculpting skill is particularly impressive and becomes very inter-cut and complex at some points in the film. The animations are also very smooth and rhythmic and really produce an emotional response from the viewer. This work is also a very good example of an excellent use of materials and how they can be use to communicate a visual language through motion.