More on After Effects

In our final lesson on Adobe After Effects, we used all the skills we had previously learned - such as key framing - to edit photoshop layers of a cartoon man to make it appear as if he was running. We did this by using the 'pre-compose' tool to group the layers in a sequence, which meant that you could edit all the layers of him running at once to create a smooth workflow.

This lesson proved to be quite valuable to me, as it taught me a bit about walk cycles - I used these skills to create my own ones in my Time Based Narrative Project.

Finished piece:

(Better quality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxZWR7KP_Qg&feature=plcp)

Adobe Bridge, Camera RAW, AE & Premiere Pro

In the previous lesson we were taught about DSLR photography - we learned about ISO settings, aperture and shutter speed, and the effects they produce. We were also shown how to shoot in RAW mode, so that the image and colours wouldn't be compressed.

In this lesson we focused on editing tools, and I was introduced to a great piece of software called Adobe Bridge. We were taught to use Bridge when organising our files - it has a really comprehensive layout and is useful in terms of 'batch-renaming' and seeing multiple files at once. It also links to Photoshop which I found useful, and more importantly, a camera RAW editor where you can adjust pretty much everything - hue, saturation, contrast, curves, exposure, levels, etc.

 Original photo (left), my edited 'sun set' version (right)

We were also taught some Adobe Photoshop basics, but having quite a few years' worth of experience with this software, I didn't find it as valuable as the other elements of the lesson.

Original image (left), my edited 'stormy' version (right)

Later on we went back to using Adobe After Effects. However, instead of editing images we were given some film clips to edit. I had lots of fun in this lesson experimenting with different tools and ways of editing. For example, to solve camera shake we learned to use an effect called 'Warp Stabilizer' - which I had to use a lot in my Time Based Narrative project! I also played around with colour levels and added a mirror effect for some of the clips.

We were also taught the basics of using the compositing software Premiere Pro. This also proved to be very useful for my Time Based Narrative project, especially learning about the dynamic link between Premiere and After Effects - shown by the pink clips below.

The final result:

(Better quality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4Ejl2-Gs8Y&feature=plcp)

More on Maya

In this lesson on Autodesk Maya, we learnt some basics on how to animate within the software; we created a sphere and went on to making it into a bouncing ball.

We learned how to use key framing to create movement, and how to adjust animation and render settings appropriately. The main feature of the lesson, however, was using the Graph Editor.

By using the graph editor and adjusting bezier curves, I found I had huge control over exactly what the ball was doing. I will be sure to use this feature again in future projects!

Squash & Stretch

After Effects

In this lesson, we were introduced to the basics of animating in Adobe After Effects. We were sent a photoshop file and a piece of music to transfer into AE so that we could play around with the layers.

Original image

We were taught many different tools within AE, many of which I ended up using for my Time Based Narrative project. For example, we used key framing to make 'Mickey' swoop over to the other side of the screen, getting larger as he did so. We learned how to use the pin tool to make 'King Kong' move around without having to move his feet out of position. We also learned some basic lighting controls, which I then experimented with to create different hues and a shadow behind 'King Kong'.

Final composition

(Better quality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx7E2RUUxzQ&feature=plcp)

Toon Boom Studio

Unfortunately, due to ill-health I had to miss the lesson on using Toon Boom Studio. However, in my spare time I looked at some tutorials online so I could create my very first bouncing ball!

Despite it being extremely basic, it was a great way to start learning the tools in Toon Boom, and it taught me one of the big principles of animation - squash and stretch.

I then went on to practice more, this time using different spacing in order to create different speeds and weights for the balls.

Onion skinning was a very valuable tool in this process!

Introduction to Maya

At the beginning of term we were given a couple of lessons introducing us to the powerful tool that is Autodesk Maya. We started off by getting to know the interface - which is somewhat intimidating - and learning the actions of a few buttons that we'd be using. We also learned about file management, which will definitely prove to be useful as I start using the programme more often. This lead us on to properly begin with the basics - how to create simple shapes such as spheres and cubes, and how to colour them by using a 'lambert' through the Hypershade window. We utilised these skills by creating our own mini-city.

It was at this stage that we were briefly introduced to keyframing within Maya, how to create a camera, and how to make it move through the scene. I found this quite challenging, however with practice I will become more skilled at it.

I practiced the skills I had learned by creating my own name - I did this by using the 'Extrude' tool, and by using another lambert in Hypershade. I also tried creating other letters in the alphabet, and learned to use 'Booleans' when trying to create letters with holes in, such as 'A'.

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3

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Section 1 - Complete!

Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel! After many hours of work, my section is now complete and ready to put in the final piece.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voQNszMpANg&list=UL

This project has been a big learning curve for me, and a very enjoyable one at that! I've learned new software, created and learned from mistakes, made new friends, and created my first actual animation! Of course there were problems along the way, such as poor attendance from one person in our group, bad time management and general lack of experience - but I'm glad to say that as a group we overcame these problems and created something to be proud of!

Walk Cycles

The most challenging aspect of this project I've found so far is getting 'Sol' to walk. I still don't know the proper way of doing a walk cycle - but the way I did it was by watching youtube clips of people walking, and pausing them to draw very simplified versions using Toon Boom Studio (another piece of software I'd never used before). 

Here are some test cycles:

Front view:

Side view:

Diagonal view:

Using these as a guide, I copied the shapes of the legs and drew Sol's legs accordingly. It took a very long time to get them right, but I'm glad with the outcome.

Another method I used to make the walk more realistic was through using shadow - I drew the shadows in photoshop, turned down the opacity levels and transferred the layers into After Effects. In some shots, I'd use keyframing to make the shadow stay under the character. In others, I'd draw the shadows in with the walk cycle according to where Sol's feet were placed - which ended up looking far more effective! I also had to change opacity levels for some of the shadow layers in After Effects, as some turned out darker than others.

First Attempt!

This is my 'draft' of the finished piece:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0TTe0rlXSY&list=UL 

Although it got the point across, it wasn't perfect. The walk cycles needed to be edited and redone, and it was in desperate need of some depth! However I liked the overall look, and I thought that the timing was fitting for the song. I made an effort for the animation to respond to the music - for example, when the piano goes up a key and begins to trill, I thought I'd show the clip with the pigeons. The notes in the music reminded me of the fluttering of wings, and they're positioned far above 'Sol'.

Post Production

When Fran and I were filming, we came across a few problems. It was very windy, so continuity was an issue - we had to film each shot a number of times because the leaves and rubbish kept blowing out of place! Also, camera shake proved to be an issue as we were filming too close to the ground to use a tripod. These problems were all solved, however, by the power of editing!

 I used Adobe After Effects for the majority of my editing; although it was my first proper time using the software, it proved to be brilliant for editing film. For each clip I had to use Warp Stabilizer to stop camera shake - to make it even more smooth, I used Time Stretch to slow down the video, and therefore motion. Also, so I could make the film connect to our colour scheme, I desaturated the colours of each clip by -40%. Although the colours were more appropriate, it had a washed out feel, so for every clip I turned up the contrast by 15%. I told Adam and Fran these figures so that our sections would largely look the same and we wouldn't have any random splashes of colour!

 For animating my section, I used Adobe Photoshop to draw each frame, then loaded the layers into After Effects to create the motion. This took lots of patience! Key-framing proved to be extremely useful - I utitilised it for both scale and position.

Development & Drawings

My drawings of Sol's body:

I had lots of fun trying to make him extra fluffy using a number of different brushes. This character design was largely the same as our old one, except for being less stringy and having the same sized eyes (with pupils).

I also enjoyed drawing these two simple 'pigeons in love':

Around about the same time, I started playing with the film footage to sort out the timing of my section. I cut the clips and selected the most interesting camera angles and shots, arranging them in order of the narrative. Although it was just a basic guideline for what I was going to do, you could easily imagine the little creature walking around in its environment.

Link for the full clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V4AcDr8APw&feature=plcp
Most of the shots in the video went through an editing process, explained in the next post.

Location Filming

After a long search, Fran and I eventually found our location and started filming.

  We thought this place would be appropriate due to it's general length and space. Also there were plenty of leaves, rubbish and general clutter to make it look more interesting.

Although we did have to move the rubbish around to create the perfect setting... which was pretty disgusting!

  The colours were lovely and autumnal, although we knew we'd have to edit it afterwards to appear more grey and washed out.

 Fran filming with her DSLR after we'd put the rubbish in and cleared away excess leaves.

 A test clip I uploaded to youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiPxcWFO8K8&feature=plcp It was a windy day which proved to make things even more difficult for us!

Location Photography

At this point in the project we still hadn't found a location for our little creature. I took these photos around Greenwich, near Cutty Sark - sat on the pavement and confusing passers by!

 I later went out with Fran to take photos around the North Greenwich area, near the O2.

 

Animatic

My final animatic! (For better quality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-D4fkOAr7A&feature=plcp)

Essentially, it's just my storyboard played to music, but I hope it brings out the tone of the piece. I tried to edit it so it actually looked like it was responding to the music, with the shots cutting in time to the various changes in the song.

This is the animatic containing all three sections:

 https://vimeo.com/52454445

 I think Adam and Fran did a great job, and I look forward to getting started on the final piece! In the mean time we have to work harder on getting our character to look exactly the same, so as not to confuse anyone! We also decided to give our piece a proper title - Sol. Which comes from the Spanish, meaning 'alone' or 'lonely'.

Storyboard

 My storyboard for the first section of our piece.

At this stage we hadn't filmed our background yet, so I had to draw in a made-up background. I decided to emphasise the grey colour scheme, and chose the backdrop of a pavement in accordance to the look we were going for. In hindsight, the camera angles & shots look somewhat uninteresting but we were able to experiment more when we actually knew what the background looked like!

Character Design

The finalised character design in preparation for the animatic and the formative, drawn on a wacom tablet. We thought as a group that this design was appropriate for a lonely character; he looks a bit weird, scruffy and awkward...! I was apprehensive about animating limbs, not having the first clue about walk cycles, however I was ready for the challenge!

Sketchbook Work

This was my initial story idea. The final storyline we decided on was largely the same, except for a few details such as changing the puddle for a mirror.

  
Some examples of character design. Having never animated before, I wanted to keep him very simple; preferably without limbs! At the same time I wanted the little creature to be expressive, so I thought that big eyes would be a must. In hindsight, I feel that these designs were almost too simple and clichéd.

Initial storyboarding...

At this point, the storyline had still not been decided, so I developed some ideas for the rest of the piece.