more character development....

Because I want my character to be a pinata I need to simplify my design. After researching pinata's on the internet I've experimented with different ways of adding texture to my sketch using mark-making.

Character Development

Now I have my narrative i've started designing characters for my animation. I looked at robots on the internet to get a brief idea of shapes and characteristics before creating several sketches of basic robots.

story board

cell animation workshop

I made this short 2 second, 12fps animation as part of an animation workshop. Working in a group of three we designed separate characters and made them interact through a simple narrative, below are some of my storyboard ideas followed by the final animation which we put together using after effects.

Stop-motion workshop

I made this short animation during a workshop with a group of 3 other people. I enjoyed bringing the characters to life through stop-motion and a short narrative. I'd like to experiment more with this type of animation.

'Better Than Prince' Music Video

This music video for the band Flairs was created by video directors Jonas and Francois. The animation was created at 12 frames per second which along with the sketchy lines gives it a slightly 'jerky' home-made feel.

'She is the new thing' music video

This music video for the band 'The Horrors' first interested me because of the mix of photography and hand-drawn animation. The piece has a very surreal dark theme which fits in with the bands sound and aesthetic. I think the band members were shot in stop-motion then the illustrative parts added on top of each slide which is a technique I would like to experiment with. The explosions of blood also relate to the colour explosions I am intending to create in my animation.

Rayogram Workshop

I produced these prints during the rayogram workshop using string.

The string creates a very wire-like electronic effect which is a theme I have been working with in this project.

 The print below was created by moving the string across the paper while it was being exposed. I think this looks quite atmospheric and would work well used as the background of a piece to portray the sky or an underwater scene.

Although I found this technique interesting and effective I don't think it will suit my plan for my final piece of animation.

Pinata?

I've decided that my animation should link the two things I am reminded of when listening to the piece of music, robotics and carnivals.

To represent carnivals and celebration im going to use a pinata as my character and to bring in the theme of robotics i'm going to make the pinata in the shape of a robot.  When the pinata is hit it is going to smash open releasing explosions of colour, probably in acrylic paint. Because I like the aesthetics of hand-drawn animation I'm hopefully going to use this style for my animation.

Alison Schulnik

'I like to see the material move and breathe and melt. I don't like things to stay static.' - Alison Schulnik

Alison Schulnik created this music video for the band 'Grizzly Bear' to accompany their song 'Ready Able'.  

The animation has an abstract narrative focusing on one yeti-type character whilst he travels through a bizarre world encountering unsettling mutant creatures. 

Schulnik has worked with clay to create a textured, melting effect suggesting mutation. The raw aesthetic of the piece has inspired me to experiment with texture using acrylic paints.

'It just felt right for the characters that they should not be so together. They're falling off their skeleton, they're falling off their own frame.' - Alison Schulnik

Pes

I was shown this animation last year by a friend and have been interested in the work of Pes ever since.

Pes aka. Adam Pesapane creates stop-motion animations using every day objects and this is a classic example of his style,  the ingredients for spaghetti bolognese being replaced with pin cushions, rubber bands, rubiks cubes and post-its etc to create a surreal effect.

'Clicking on a Pes film is to open a safe and suddenly see a million ideas glittering and exploding. The only reason you close the door is to reopen it just after and discover what will pop this time.' - Michel Gondry.

http://www.eatpes.com/

Michel Gondry

'I always hated pretentious commercials and videos before I started directing, not following the typical and saying that people are all fashion. It has always been my goal to make people feel alright when they watch my work.' - Michel Gondry

Michel Gondry has worked on commercials, music videos, shorts, feature films and other media.  I was first introduced to his work from his music video for The White Stripes 'Fell in Love with a Girl'. 

 Gondry's use of lego bricks give the video a child-like aesthetic and also make it appear pixelated. Some parts of the animation look more 3-dimensional than others because of the way Gondry has used the lego bricks. The Red, Black and White colour scheme tie in with the trademark colours of the band and also suggests similarities to russian constructivism.

 The video won Michel Gondry 'Breakthrough Video', 'Best Special Effects' and 'Best Editing' from MTV in 2002.

New Project - 'Print to Pixel'

I've been given a piece of music to select an extract from and interpret into a 30 second animation.
The piece is called 'Solta O Frango' by the brazilian band 'Bonde Do Role'
 I had heard the piece of music before but to begin my research I listened to it on repeat to gather thoughts and ideas for a theme, here are a couple of pages from my sketchbook that I worked on whilst listening to the piece.