Festivities!

These are just a few images I took over the christmas break. I tried to capture the spirt of christmas, the festivities and the good family and friend times we enjoyed on the break. I think my favourite two images are the one of the two Chinese lanterns next to each other in the sky, I'm not to sure why I like this image, I just like the simplicity and the fact they have stayed close to each other as they have flown off! My other favourite is the photo of my dog asleep with only his nose in focus. I like the depth of field and the textures of his nose close to the camera lens.

Sylvain Chomet

Sylvain Chomet talks about animation.

Showreel

This is a showreel i have recently made with all of my animations so far. I used small snip its from them all and placed them together and added music to show what I have completed on the foundation course so far.

Playmobile Animation!

This is the final animation i made over the christmas break. I made it from Playmobile a childs toy belonging to my cousin. This animation took a long time to make as i had to move ever piece every time i took a picture. I really like it and i would like to make a longer one in the future, i love to see an inanimate childs toy come to life through animation and the creative things you can do with such objects.

Monkey Animation

This is another animation i made in the christmas break. These are just a series of images i took of a toy monkey called mojo i have had since i was a child. I dressed him in odd clothing and objects i found around the house, took several photos and made an animation out of these photos. I think the animation is fun and creative and i really enjoyed making it and think it has worked well. 

Lego Animation

This is an animation I made in my spare time, although it is a simple idea i enjoyed among it and think it works well. I chose to put that music to the animation as i thought it suited it well. If i had more time i would introduce more characters and make the middle part of the animation longer. This was just a short stop motion animation i made as a small test and practice for more i will make in the new year.

Metamorphosis Animation

I am very pleased with the final animation. The frame is placed around the prints to show it is like a brain scan, to show the mental change of Gregor. I firstly wanted to show how Gregor changed into a bug using ink printing, however i found it challenging to create prints that looked human like, they all looked very bug like. I decide to collaborate with Connie as we both wanted to use ink and had similar ideas. We discussed our ideas and made the ink prints and realised they look like brain scans, so we decide to change our idea to how Gregor has changed manually instead of physically. We placed a small subliminal message, an image of a beetle, into the animation about half way through, which only flashes up for one frame. The feedback from the crits was mostly positive: good idea, cleverly done, different, good ink prints however they did say they would like it to carry on longer, maybe loop parts or make more ink prints.

Brain Scan

After looked at my complete ink prints I realised they look a lot like brain scans. I decided to change my idea to the mental change of Gregor instead of a physical transformation and make my animation look like a brain scan. They also look very bug like so it does tie in to my original idea of the transformation into the bug. These are some experiments I put into my sketchbook on how to overlap and lay the prints out.

Ideas Generation

In the book it does not explain how Gregor changes into a bug, it just says 'he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin.' I want to make an animation to show this transformation and change. I will make my animation by creating ink blotches that look like a bug transforming and use stop motion to do this. I will use indian ink as that has shellac in it a resin secreted by the female bug. I will use a range of cartilage paper and tracing paper and place an ink blot in the middle of the paper, use a straw to blow it out and fold the paper over to create the shape. These are a few test prints i did to see if the idea work and if they look bug like. I think they worked well and i am pleased with the result, however i am worried as to how i will make them look as though they are transforming into something else.

Metamorphisis Found Imagery

This is some found imagery i found whilst researching metamorphosis, the way different things change and morph into something different. I gathered many good ideas of how i could make my animation for example drawing, projection, paint, ink, stop motion.

Jan Svankmajer Exhibition

I really enjoyed the Jan Svankmajer exhibition, especially his animation based on Alice in Wonderland, showing me that you can take ideas based on books and films and interpret them in your own way. I liked to see the props and objects he used to make his animations in front of you as you watch them on a screen. I liked his sculptures and the way that he used many different objects to create them and the interesting, imaginative outcome they produced. 

After the exhibition we had a walk around Brighton, I really liked the Pavillion and the different shapes and  architecture it creates. I liked taking photos of the seagulls sitting on the pier and the silhouettes they create with the sun in the background of the image. We visited a few shops and collected found imagery from the day used to create ideas and link memories and concepts together to create an idea.

The Metamorphisis

The short story by Franz Kafka tells the tale of Gregor changing into a bug and the challenges he faces. He doesn't focus on his physical change but the difficulty he faces with his parents, sister and his job. It shows that Gregor is the main breadwinner for the family and how much they depend on him, this create a tricky situation for Gregor and allows the reader to choose which side they are on. The table gets turned as Gregor is now dependant on his family who cannot cope with this change and keep him locked in his room, with only his sister visiting him with food. The opinion of the family soon change as they are deciding to kill Gregor which i found quite sad. After Gregor death Kafka concentrates on the change in the family especially his sister Greta, he explains how she has turned into a beautiful young lady and has matured and finding herself a job and someone to take care of her. 

I really enjoyed reading this book and gave me a clear picture and many ideas for the start of this project. I liked the drastic change in characters and the different emotions it created throughout the story.

Life Drawing-Projection

I enjoyed the life drawing class as we worked on movement poses going from the floor to gradually standing up. I also liked the projection images, projecting bugs and insects onto the model and the new shapes and textures this creates. 

The Toy Box Shadows

I am very pleased with my final outcome. Some feedback i got from the crits included: clear idea, the idea is based on form, technically very good, sounds add to the playfulness but are a bit cliche, thinkers before practioners, well made, slight movement of the camera or set, title is a bit overpowering either beginning or the end. I will take all of these comments on board and act upon them for following projects. I enjoyed making a stop motion animation and using plasticine however it takes a lot of patience so for my next projects i will try using computer based programs or drawing.