Wednesday, 25 May 2016

Stop Motion Animation Review

Stop motion Animation Review 




This is my finished stop motion animation with time lapsed make up tutorial. My own opinion on how it turned out was good, I could of been better. When finishing the stop motion I struggled to upload this on to Blackboard as the time lapse pictures didn't work properly. I managed to sort this out by using the original footage I had taken in the first place. I edited this on Adobe Premier pro. I added in a song, title and credits to make it a lot more interesting and because the brief told me that's what it wanted adding it.

Most of the comments I got off people were to maybe have left it a couple of seconds at the end to show the finished product and maybe at the start to show what the difference was when I added the make up to her face. Also other comments that I would of improved on in the video were to may of asked Gemma to stop chewing and stop talking but during in the process of videoing it, its not something you think about at the time until you come to edit it. Courtney suggested maybe another area in the room where I could of placed the camera for better lighting and angles as my back and my head is in the shot quite a lot. The animation itself rounds up to about 3 and a half out of 5 from other peoples feedback. The sound didn't go down to well as the averages out to about 2 and a half out of 5. One of two people said the song doesn't really go with the pace or the kind of video I had produced. As if I had just thrown any song onto the background of the video. Finally the editing itself. The editing averages out to about a 3/4 out of 5. There wasn't really much editing in this video as it was just a basic time lapse I had produced. All I added was a song, title and credits.

Improves I could make next time when I come to doing another stop motion animation I would pick something different to do. Make up is a bit difficult as you need the right lighting and the right angles to get the right look of the persons face which was a bit difficult when I was applying it to her face. I would do another time lapse but more of something like I did here.          



This was easier to make and it was using the college equipment. Instead I used the Sony camera which struggled to fit in the room with the tripod with it, trying to get the best angle and lighting. We had two choses of where to place the camera and we tried both places but the second place is where we stuck by as it looked better on the camera.
I would of filmed the animation part again but we didn't have time to redo it. Especially with make up and Gemma was absent from college so it made it more difficult for me to do this. We did attempt the make tutorial twice as the first time didn't go to well and the second one looked acceptable to use.

Here is the feedback I got off a few people:

Ralph
Animation: 5
Sound: 4
Editing : 4
Other : Gemma was chewing quite a lot. The finished product

Kieren
Animation: 4
Sound: 2
Editing: 3
Other:

Courtney
Animation: 4
Sound: 5
Editing:5
Other: Place camera in a different angle

Angus
Animation:3
Sound:4
Editing:4
Other: Make sure that Sam is not in the room and that I can't see you in the mirror.

Brad
Animation: 4
Sound: 3
Editing: 4
Other:

Zoe
Animation: 5
Sound: 5
Editing: 5
Other: Make sure Gemma doesn't chew or talk during it being recorded

Roy
Animation: 3
Sound: 2
Editing: 3
Other: More editing and maybe leave a picture of up at the end

Celia
Animation:4
Sound: 2
Editing: 2
Other: Need a better choice in music

Paul
Animation: 3
Sound:3
Editing:3
Other: A different song is needed

Oliver
Animation: 3
Sound: 1
Editing: 4
Other: Not much editing has been done apart from the start and end of the video.

After doing my own feedback I then watched others animation to give them feedback from what they did. This is Courtney's animation that I gave feedback for. I left a comment in the comments section for her to use for her stop motion animation review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6oKDnIHWhM



Evaluation


Digital Imaging Evaluation

The project I am working on is a clients brief for Omega Ned. He has asked for a Logo, symbol, T-shirt, CD face and CD cover. He has asked for these to be made specifically using different sizes and different things to be added like the Omega logo.
My final pieces I had made for the client had gone to plan. Although I did receive feedback from all products I had made. The overall feedback was alright, I could of been better. There was no negativity involved just a few adjustments to the CD face and cover. I am going to try and adjust them to meet is requirements.  

The line graphics decoration around the outer edges of the CD work well, although could they have fitted in more closely to the Omega symbol, which seems a bit of a stuck on afterwards. The graphics won’t open properly and parts of the CD cover seem to be missing.

The feedback shows that the CD cover worked well. Just a few adjustments to the logo which runs throughout the whole of the products, which affects all the other products. The spiral I used on logo could of been closer together with the Omega logo to make it look more of a logo than a symbol. Plus if the logo was shrunk or enlarger if may mess up the logo. 
The unsuccessful parts of the CD cover is that when saved and sent off the CD cover wasn't been able to be found. Certain symbols that were used on the logo, I wasn't able to load open.      

My time management on this client brief was well thought out. The first two weeks I was getting ideas off other logos I had seen on the internet as I was stuck for what logo and symbol I was going to make. I then decided what I wanted on it. I then went on to Illustrator, then on to their symbols. I then through them all to see which would fit the best for the ideas I had. Overall I think I managed my time successfully as I handed everything in on time. Although i do think i should of put more effort into my logo than anything else as I have used the logo on all of my products.

Personally we weren't able to get in contact with the client but our tutor was able to. Back and forth they sent emails about the client brief and feedback from the pupils work to get an idea of what he likes about the work and what he doesn't.


If I was to do the project again I would change my logo and symbol. I also wouldn't use my logo and symbol on all the products I made which was a mistake as I have experienced that if the logo doesn't work then it can mess up the whole project. Next time I won't be using the symbols that are already on Illustrator. This is because they don't save on other software's after they have been used.

Overall, I don't think the project went well. I could of made a lot of changes to my products but I didn't have time to change anything on it. I think the whole process went fine with the time management and with what I did but what I needed to improve on I didn't manage to do. The other difficult bit I found about it was the fact the problems with copyright issues were there if you used certain pictures from the internet. For example the Omega symbol could only be used if it was GIF image. This is what i struggled with when choosing to put on the outside of the logo. I didn't want it to have copyright issues so I stuck to the symbols on Illustrator and Photoshop.    
Here is a screenshot of all my products I made for the client:



CD face
Symbol












T-Shirt












   

Logo
























Friday, 29 April 2016

Characters and Background development

My character in development would be Gemma Gayle. She will be in the shot at all times, throughout the video. Occasionally there will be sights of me in it. Mostly the back of my hand and arm. I will be putting the products (Make-up) on to Gemma Gayles face to show the difference with make-up on and off. This is the main transformation for the time lapse.


The background development is Gemma's bedroom wall. This is because we filmed in Gemmas bedroom and we have to get the lighting right for the video to look good. Also so you can see the transformaion between each step.


My set audience for the video would be for most teenagers and early 20's. For people who may want to follow a make up tutorial or to show what a difference the make up on someone makes. They may want to use it as
examples for the projects to do with media make
up or creative media.

Stop Motion Resources


Resources






In this stop motion animation ill be using makeup as the main subject in the video. Ill be applying the makeup onto Gemma in the video with the camera on a tripod.












Istopmotion will be used to import my recording onto. This way the video would be able to edit when uploaded onto.
Another alternative is using a time lapse camera or phone to record the time lapse.










This will be the first option I will be using. A camera and a tripod to record the time lapse. If this isn't successful, ill be using my phone with a time lapse app. This would be placed in front of the person thats getting there makeup done and would be set to go off every 2 seconds.  










This would be the alternative of using a phone to record the time lapse as it easier to do and set up overall. It can then be uploaded on to YouTube.


















https://youtu.be/h6l68zrjNt0

At this point of the process I decided to film my own time lapse out of the window just to try and see if I definitely wanted to stick with makeup time lapse. Also to see if the time-lapse on my phone would work.

























Stop Motion Story Board

Story board

Story Board for doing make up on Gemma Gayle. I decided to put together these pictures to give me an idea of what ill be doing for my time lapse. I thought it would of made it easier for me to put ideas into reality.



The video is used to get the screenshots from is https://youtu.be/Y761vTkjcSs

The music I'm going to be using for the background of my video is Prelude by Michael Calfan https://youtu.be/m2aURHHdj7w

Friday, 29 January 2016

Stop motion Animation. Research/Ideas


                            Stop Motion Research and ideas


This is an idea I might do for my stop motion animation. My idea is using the lego figures to create a story that lasts 30 seconds or more. The more frames I use the better the clips will look. If the frames are too small, the clips will look rough and not as good. Using more frames will make it run smoothly throughout.   






Angry Kid
My second choice is model based animation using clay to create the models for the 30 second clip. I would also use mini props to create a better background or something that could be included in the story. I want the story line to be similar to the one above. I like it as it looks clever and cool on how they created something like this. The noises that are made in the background are well created to join up to the clips and well throughout when things aren't in shot which still make a noise, for example the footsteps coming towards the models on the table. 





This is my third choice. This is stop motion of people doing karate while lying on the floor instead of stood up. This is to make it more interesting and more enjoyable. I would do something similar to this.   



Another idea for my stop motion animation is drawing using time-lapse. I will find a suitable picture on the internet for me to draw. I will be sped up either 2/3 times faster depending whether im taking my time. 



This is my final idea for my time lapse animation. Doing a make up time-lapse. I will be putting make up on Gemma and videoing it on I stop motion as a time lapse. A picture will be taken every 2 seconds to get the best look for the animation.   







Friday, 8 January 2016

Kevin Assignment

Stop Motion Animation


Timelapse



This is kiwi during decomposing. This was taken by taking a picture once a day, showing the results that would turn out if you leave a kiwi for a few days. They would place the camera in the same position everyday to make it look like its moving. They would set the camera to a time lapse mode or they would set a timer on when they want the picture to be taken. This would take the picture automatically. The video is taken over 37 days. Eventually you can see the bacteria spreading on to of the kiwi fruit rapidly over the 37 days.






Cell based 

Snow White (Cel animation)


These images show CEL images for the making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. These were produced by Disney. The first thing they did with Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs was that they didn't colour the images in that they had created/drawn. It was kept as a CEL images. All that was included was pencil drawings and the paper behind. The background would stay the same but the image in front, usually the characters, would move.

It is called Cel because they use a Celluloid sheet. They place the Celluloid sheet on top of the background that is usually in a fix position. The Cel sheet is made from plastic. This is so its easier to layer the sheets on top of each other. So if you make a mistake it isn't a much of a deal than if you did use one sheet. The cel technique relies on fixed principles. These principles are:   
  • Keyframes: Which represent the beginning and end of movement.
  • Tweening: Frames that are added between the first and last frame to give the appearance of continuity in motion. 





Cut out animation

Rusalka (Cut out animation)

The cut out technique is using flat character, props and backgrounds to create a scene which looks real. They would use materials such as paper, card or photographs. Cut out can be produced using computers with scanned images or vector graphics.
 South Park (First episode) 


The very first South Park was made with paper cutouts before switching to computer software. Cut out can also include silhouette animation to make a joint product. The characters were pieced together and filmed frame at a time on an animation stand. The show later on decided to use an a computer to make the shows, using Flash to simulate the cut out animation look showing the shadows using the 3D characters. This is rendered to make it looks 3D while trying to retain the cut out look.    

                                                      My own cut out animation
This is my own cut out animation I made using cut outs from different magazines. I cut out more than what I used in the video but they would of been added in later on in the video. This took 30 minutes to make and it only lasts roughly 10 seconds. We used istopmotion to capture the whole video using pictures that are put together. You can the edit them by making the video different speeds. When theres more of a chaotic bit in the video it can be sped up.

Model based animation


This is an animation Wallace and Gromit. This is an model based animation created by Aardman. They have generated 4 mini length films and 1 feature length film. This is a longer process to go through as it take 24 frames to make a second film and an average of 30 frames can get completed in a day meaning over 1 second of the film is made a day. The feature length film took 15 months to make. Some of the in the feature film were done on the computer as it would of been impossible to make them using stop motion.Clay is the most used for model based animation as it is easy to model and easy to make into a 3D object. The movies they make out of these are mostly aimed at children as it reassembles the children's play-doh but most model based animation have adult themes to appear to both children and adults.

This uses clay to create a character and they use pictures for the background. They a shot every time they move something. This would then create a video which would look realistic to the people watching. The characters made would only be mini but the camera angles are crucial. They get close up to the models they have made and then they take a picture. They then move the characters very slightly and take another picture. This would then create a sequence. When the models are moving it gives an illusion of movement.
Ironmania (Forestfire101)

This is also another model based animation. Although this time it uses Lego instead of the usual clay. This was created by a YouTuber Forestfire101. Instead of it targeted to children, its targeted towards adults as it has adults themes throughout. Such as fighting, blood, swearing and jokes aimed towards adults as children wouldn't get them. This would be created through stop motion but they would use computer technology to make their mouths move, to make the ironman move and to make them more realistic.




My own Model based animation

This is my own model based animation. I used clay to produce this. I used Stop Motion camera on the iMac to capture each shot of the video. It took roughly 15 minutes to create this properly but deleting different sections of the video to make it look better. I had to retake a couple shots as they either had my hand in the shot or the camera angle wasn't the same as the shot before. 



Pixilation




Pixilation is produced by taking a picture with every movement. Its also part of a stop motion technique. It usually made with people which are called live actors are used as a frame by frame in an animated film. They change their pose slightly before taking the next picture. The techniques that are used in Pixilation using computers are Cel shading, motion capture, non-photorealistic rendering, digital puppetry, virtual cinematography and many more techniques. 
Pixilation is similar to time lapse as they both take pictures in a sequence to produce a film/video. 

Angry Kid (Pixilation/stop motion)

In Angry Kid they used pixilation and stop motion animation. They used a mask to pixilate the face and used real people for the character. They used stop motion animation to film the whole video.  


Angry Kid (Pixilation/stop motion/green scree

In this episode of Angry Kid they use stop motion, pixilation and a green screen. He acted as if it was happening in real life by trying to cycle away as fast as he can from the bus behind. the camera would of moved by the Angry Kid would be still but cycling. 


Norman McLaren
Neighbours
Norman McLaren used the stop motion animation to create a film.
He would use multiple of pictures together to create a film. Stop motion is a technique used where live actors are used as a frame by frame animation film. Each picture is taken by a slight change in poses before the next frame is taken. He used the Cine - kodak camera which enabled him to use some trick shots.



Our own pixilation

This is a pixilation I did myself which also includes me , Gemma and Courtney. We took a picture every 2 seconds with one of us always pressing the mouse. We only did slight movement in the shot to create the illusion of movement. This video lasts 30 seconds and roughly has 5 frames per second. Meaning the whole of the video has 150 frames in altogether.  


istopmotion

istopmotion is commonly used to create stop motion animation. It's an easy way of creating this as the tools that you use on the istopmotion are easily spotted. Most people who create things at home or college would use this as it comes with the Apple devices which are commonly used for animations like this one.


Persistence of vision

Persistence of vision is a reinvention of a visual image for a short amount of time. This is an illusion of movement when viewing motion pictures.


Zoetrope


A Zoetrope is a device that produces an illusion of motion by displaying a sequence of drawings put together. The first one that had been made was 1833 or 1834 by a British man called William George Horner. 


Thaumatrope

A Thaumatrope was made in the 19th century made by John Ayrton Paris or Peter Mark Roget. It was a disk with a picture on each side which is attached by two pieces of string. When the strings are twirled together quickly between the fingers the two pictures appear to blend into each other due to the persistence of vision. Gently pulling the strings the image will spin and the motion of the images will become an illusion. 

Phenakistoscope

Phenakistoscope is a device that uses persistence of vision to create an illusion of motion. Phenakistoscope was made in 1832. Joseph invented it but later Simon von Stampfer makes that year independently.


Kinetoscope


Kinetoscope was invented for films to be viewed by one individual at a time through a little peephole window at the top of the device. It was invented by Thomas A Edison and William Dickson which are from the United States. The device was made in 1891. The device works from a strip of film that is rapidly passed between a lens and an electric light bulb. This happens while you peep through the peephole in the viewer. Apparently, it was the first motion picture ever produced on photographic film in the United States. Also was the only surviving film from a cylinder Kinetoscope. 

  Mutoscope


The Mutoscope was an early motion picture device made by Winsor McCay. It was made in 1895 to 1909. It is similar to the Kinetoscope and is also cheaper. It was classed as "A Moving Picture Machine." The Mutoscope worked on the same principle as a flip book. The images were made on conventional black and white, silver based photographic prints on tough, flexible opaque cards. The cards inside the machine were attached to a circular core. A typical Mutoscope held about 850 cards which gives a viewing time roughly about a minute. The machines were coin operated. To view the cards you had to look through a single lens enclosed by a hood. The cards were generally lit electrically. The reel was driven by a geared down hand crank.   




Early Pioneers in animation



George Melies - was a magician. He would use different tricks in the animation to trick the audience, for example using his face twice in one shot. In one film he makes the head zoom in and out by moving closer and further away from the camera because they cant move the camera.  


Winsor McCay - was an American cartoonist and animator. He is best known for the comic strip “Little Nemo” and the animation film Gertie the dinosaur.


Lotte Reiniger - Charlotte Lotte Reiniger was a German film director and the foremost pioneer of silhouette animation. She anticipated Walt Disney by over ten years. She made over 40 films over her career, all using her invention. 1918-1979.