Thursday, December 24, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
A Whole New World...
Ok, let's make this official and legal. Welcome to what hopefully will be the shortest "end of the world" film in history. You all have permission to add to any discussion here, provided you don't post any "dancing kitten" videos.
Jim
Jim
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Dancing Reptiles
Life imitates Art in this photo from November 2009 issue of National Geographic magazine. When I saw it, it reminded me of the famous scene in Fantasia. Here's a drawing from Preston Blair's animation book.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Ancient History
When I made my film "Cat & Rat" in the dark ages, it won a student academy award and before I knew this, all the winners were flown into LA for a week for the ceremony. I was living and going to school in Chicago and before I left, I starting working on my next short film called "Once upon a Canvas". It was a story about an artist struggle to paint a canvas and finally in the end it becomes a work of art by mistake.
I had storyboards all done and was starting to begin animating before my trip to LA. I figured people would be asking me, " So, what are you working on now?" And I thought I could show them my idea and someone might say, "Bingo Babe, We want to finance this puppy, sign here." Then I would make the next film and then a TV series would pop up, I would soon be elevated to Superstar statis and have to get hooked on some drug in order to write a book or movie about it in years to come. I had it all planned out, my next film was already to go.
So, I fly to Los Angeles from Chicago and am treated as royality by the Academy's Student Award division. I had two beds in my room, a desk and even a phone in the bathroom, very close to the toilet. Extremely fancy, wealth and fame floated in the air and I felt like a hick from Florida, which I sort of am. But that week, all your personal flaws, your self image, you felt like you were constaintly being watched and I think I got a taste of how it feels to be a celebrity.
The first night was a reception at the Yamashiro in LA where we got to meet the other filmmakers who were up for awards as well. Groups suddenly formed, the screenwriters, the short film directors, the editors, documentary filmmakers and lastly, the animators. It was like a small high school in one room of the Japanese resturant and the animators where the geeks. Some might argue about this fact, but we were labelled, "Oh them, there animators". I felt we were the lower class, although we got along with documentarians. Screenwriters were ok, but you felt like they were taking you in when you talked with them. Some would stop you in midspeech as says, "Hey! That's good, I'll have to use that one." Then fumble to write it down on a napkin, eventually winding up in their next screenplay.
Someone asked me the question, "So, what are you working on now?" And I was ready, calmly I explained my concept to this person. "Hmm, that sort of sounds like Richard's film..." and then walked away to be with the live action people. I met an animator named Richard Quade, kind of shy like me at the time and a little overwhelmed, but he lived in LA, so he knew the lay of the land. He told me a little bit about his film and I tried not to fall over and shatter into a million pieces.
Skip sharply to the next day and we have a screening of everyone's work. And as Richard's film began it was like watching your life pass you by. It was pretty much the same plot that I had of my film, however it was done in a slight experimental style. It was the same idea, different flavor. It also pretty much ended the production on my film since it was so similiar. Which proves that great minds or is it mines, think alike.
Richard went on to make a second film called "Sand Dance" which won him another Student Academy Award and he was soon snatched up by a place called Pixar. Here's a funny drawing he did for me when he was living in Venice Beach.
I had storyboards all done and was starting to begin animating before my trip to LA. I figured people would be asking me, " So, what are you working on now?" And I thought I could show them my idea and someone might say, "Bingo Babe, We want to finance this puppy, sign here." Then I would make the next film and then a TV series would pop up, I would soon be elevated to Superstar statis and have to get hooked on some drug in order to write a book or movie about it in years to come. I had it all planned out, my next film was already to go.
So, I fly to Los Angeles from Chicago and am treated as royality by the Academy's Student Award division. I had two beds in my room, a desk and even a phone in the bathroom, very close to the toilet. Extremely fancy, wealth and fame floated in the air and I felt like a hick from Florida, which I sort of am. But that week, all your personal flaws, your self image, you felt like you were constaintly being watched and I think I got a taste of how it feels to be a celebrity.
The first night was a reception at the Yamashiro in LA where we got to meet the other filmmakers who were up for awards as well. Groups suddenly formed, the screenwriters, the short film directors, the editors, documentary filmmakers and lastly, the animators. It was like a small high school in one room of the Japanese resturant and the animators where the geeks. Some might argue about this fact, but we were labelled, "Oh them, there animators". I felt we were the lower class, although we got along with documentarians. Screenwriters were ok, but you felt like they were taking you in when you talked with them. Some would stop you in midspeech as says, "Hey! That's good, I'll have to use that one." Then fumble to write it down on a napkin, eventually winding up in their next screenplay.
Someone asked me the question, "So, what are you working on now?" And I was ready, calmly I explained my concept to this person. "Hmm, that sort of sounds like Richard's film..." and then walked away to be with the live action people. I met an animator named Richard Quade, kind of shy like me at the time and a little overwhelmed, but he lived in LA, so he knew the lay of the land. He told me a little bit about his film and I tried not to fall over and shatter into a million pieces.
Skip sharply to the next day and we have a screening of everyone's work. And as Richard's film began it was like watching your life pass you by. It was pretty much the same plot that I had of my film, however it was done in a slight experimental style. It was the same idea, different flavor. It also pretty much ended the production on my film since it was so similiar. Which proves that great minds or is it mines, think alike.
Richard went on to make a second film called "Sand Dance" which won him another Student Academy Award and he was soon snatched up by a place called Pixar. Here's a funny drawing he did for me when he was living in Venice Beach.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Rough Scene_012
I am starting off this project by animating scenes out of sequence. Beginning with the Farmer and his pig. This helps me get use to drawing the characters and keep them on model.
Here's a rough of Scene_12, featuring the Farmer and his pig. At the beginning of the scene, the Farmer is listening to someone off screen. He looks down at the pig and makes a decision to hand over the pig. The pig starts off listening too, but then realizes he doesn't like what's going on. This might not all come together, but the main thing is trying to get the scene to read, even if its very slight.
Here's a rough of Scene_12, featuring the Farmer and his pig. At the beginning of the scene, the Farmer is listening to someone off screen. He looks down at the pig and makes a decision to hand over the pig. The pig starts off listening too, but then realizes he doesn't like what's going on. This might not all come together, but the main thing is trying to get the scene to read, even if its very slight.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Farmer test Take 02
Here's a little more of refining on the Farmer's lip sync as well as some head movement. His head now shakes slightly as he says,"No, no, no,No.". A double blink at the beginning will help to keep him looking alive and not just tilting forward. The shaking hands should be reduced over time as well to avoid looking like a windshield wiper effect. This reduction of waving hands will help focus the viewer's attention to Farmer's facial expression.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Farmer in my Dell
Here's a scene which I am working on.The Farmer is looking at something which he really doesn't want to see and turns away. I have scanned rough drawings into ToonBoom 4.5 and a soundtrack of myself as the Farmer. This is a pose test to see if this will work and what needs improvement.
The lip sync is off right now, but if you have anything to add, please feel free to let me know.
The lip sync is off right now, but if you have anything to add, please feel free to let me know.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Its Hot .....
It was eight years ago, when an idea I created for a short film was returned to me just before I was laid off after 5 years of employment. Shortly after this, we moved to Los Angeles...
And yet the story has still been floating in my head ever since.
I think good ideas and stories are like fine wines. All really good tales take time to develop and grow and should be picked before the story gets too complicated or confusing. And so, when my idea was just a funny little thought, I let it grow stronger to see if it would be fruitful and still hold up over time. After the first few versions of the storyboards, I put the final versions away for a few months. The time away from the boards allowed me to later see it with fresh eyes and made story problems were easier to see and fix.
A few years ago, I sat down and created an animatic of the final boards along with a temp track of sound. Again, this animatic was filed away and unearthed again to see if the story worked or not. I did find a few shots to improved and I think I've got the film as good as I can get it without medical science issues. And so, here's how it begins....
The story begins near sunset with a Farmer putting up a "For Sale" sign on his old tracker and then calling for his lost pig. He finds him in a nearby corn field and we discover that the pig is his friend and must do this thing all the time. Just then, the pig notices something in the sky and then the Farmer spots it too. A saucer shaped space ship lands nearby, both Farmer and pig stand still not knowing what to do next.
The ship's doors lower to reveal 3 odd looking backlit shadowy figures standing inside the ship. The Ship is hugh as it dwarfs the Farmer and his pig. The Alien visitors slowly approach and begin to speak an unknown language. The Farmer thinks they are talking about the pig he is holding and hands it to the leader of the group. The Alien looks confused and chuckles, he returns the pig to the ground and gestures to something else, something the Aliens really want.
I don't want to spoil it for you, especially the ending, but I will leave it there for now as I begin reveal more production notes along the way. The film will be about 43 shots long and is less than 5 minutes in length.
Since this is my first attempt at blogging, please feel free to ask me any questions along the way as I take you through this process and madness.
In this day and age, it is possible to do everything on a computer and not draw anything onto paper. I could accomplish this using a wonderful device known as a "Cintiq" made by Wacom.
If any Wacom representives would like to let me borrow a Cintiq to use on this project, I will greatly sing the praises of all your Wacom products, give you screen credit, name one of my children "Cintiq" or anything you like, to be able to use one and impress other animators in my neighborhood. Otherwise, I can't afford one right now, and so, I will be creating this film by scanning in the final drawings as old school as it can get.
And yet the story has still been floating in my head ever since.
I think good ideas and stories are like fine wines. All really good tales take time to develop and grow and should be picked before the story gets too complicated or confusing. And so, when my idea was just a funny little thought, I let it grow stronger to see if it would be fruitful and still hold up over time. After the first few versions of the storyboards, I put the final versions away for a few months. The time away from the boards allowed me to later see it with fresh eyes and made story problems were easier to see and fix.
A few years ago, I sat down and created an animatic of the final boards along with a temp track of sound. Again, this animatic was filed away and unearthed again to see if the story worked or not. I did find a few shots to improved and I think I've got the film as good as I can get it without medical science issues. And so, here's how it begins....The story begins near sunset with a Farmer putting up a "For Sale" sign on his old tracker and then calling for his lost pig. He finds him in a nearby corn field and we discover that the pig is his friend and must do this thing all the time. Just then, the pig notices something in the sky and then the Farmer spots it too. A saucer shaped space ship lands nearby, both Farmer and pig stand still not knowing what to do next.
The ship's doors lower to reveal 3 odd looking backlit shadowy figures standing inside the ship. The Ship is hugh as it dwarfs the Farmer and his pig. The Alien visitors slowly approach and begin to speak an unknown language. The Farmer thinks they are talking about the pig he is holding and hands it to the leader of the group. The Alien looks confused and chuckles, he returns the pig to the ground and gestures to something else, something the Aliens really want.
I don't want to spoil it for you, especially the ending, but I will leave it there for now as I begin reveal more production notes along the way. The film will be about 43 shots long and is less than 5 minutes in length.
Since this is my first attempt at blogging, please feel free to ask me any questions along the way as I take you through this process and madness.
In this day and age, it is possible to do everything on a computer and not draw anything onto paper. I could accomplish this using a wonderful device known as a "Cintiq" made by Wacom.
If any Wacom representives would like to let me borrow a Cintiq to use on this project, I will greatly sing the praises of all your Wacom products, give you screen credit, name one of my children "Cintiq" or anything you like, to be able to use one and impress other animators in my neighborhood. Otherwise, I can't afford one right now, and so, I will be creating this film by scanning in the final drawings as old school as it can get.
The Door has been opened...
And then there was light! Thru millions of years of human history, man has always drawn out his thoughts onto some material like stone, clay, canvas, paper and today onto Blog. This is a Blog which might change the history of mankind and propel human kind into new thoughts of the dark future ahead. To rethink our values and to change the future, so that future societies will have a planet as good as we have it right now.
"What a bunch of catpoot, I thought I was gonna learn some animation stuff on this thang?"
Ok let's start at the beginning. Decades ago I had an idea for a short film and through out the years I have been debating which medium to create it in. At the time, 3D animation was just starting to be the next big thing and Traditional animation was wondering if these were its final years. Back and forth, tick tock: 3D or 2D, 2D or 3D, round and round we go.
My background is more 2D, using a pencil and paper is like a Chef preparing a new recipe with food. Its fun and I get enjoyment out of the process. I have had to learn the computer and in all the years of learning, I've discovered that it is really just another tool to work on to create with. However I find a lot of technical things that don't make the process enjoyable. I can't get excited by the process of creating particle effects. Sorry, its just me.
So, for me to do a 3D film by myself, I would have to go back to school and learn all the stuff that I don't enjoy. It take time to learn and longer if you don't like that stuff. And so, after years of debate inside my mind and working on the idea for this film, I've decided to go with 2D and add as much computer sprinkles as I can.
And so, to keep myself honest and on track, I thought I would keep a production journal with all the gorey boring details all in one place. I also tend to work better when I have a deadline and a hint of pressure. I hope to also add a few animation tid bits when I find them to keep this blog from becoming a tech manual. I also invite your comments, suggestions, credit card numbers, and anything else you want to send to make this Blog turn into its own TV show, Best Selling Book, Feature film, VideoGame or Celebrity Icon, that is if that is possible??
So enough talk, let's get this idea out of my head and into my computer. Are you ready? Let's Go!
Jimr
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
