Conclusion

Now I have completed my sections and had my class crit I am pleased with my final outcomes. I feel that by not using the chalk smear was the right move. The reason that I think this is because I spent a long time searching for brushes that gives an effect and by adding a smear I loose the effect that the brush gives. Also I feel that by not adding buildings behind my Saul bass style sequence I have made a right move because if I went in the style of another person I would be moving away from the style I intended it to be in. but I feel that by adding a floor was the right way to go because it adds depth to the sequence.

By doing this rotoscoping project I have learned a lot more about combining software to created different outcomes. Examples of this are creating a PSD from a MOV through QuickTime. I feel that this will help me a lot in the future. Also I feel that by filming the footage as a group and planning the layout that I have furthered my knowledge of teamwork. Also with the filming of this project I have furthered my knowledge of filming and possible camera angles.

In conclusion I am very happy with my finished outcomes of the rotoscoping project. I have learned a number of new skills that I find very helpful and that will be very useful in the future. And I also feel that I have learned a lot more about filming, tracing and animation.

Testing Crit Suggestions

After getting suggestions from class mates I decided to thest what they would look like. the first being adding buildings to the back of my saul bass style animation. To resemble art work of Anthony gormley.

I think by adding these buildings to my style I would only be moving away from the style of saul bass. Also I feel that I would be confusing the viewers of the show.

But looking at my saul bass style animation I feel that I do need to add some depth to the image so I feel that I should add some depth to the image so I have decided to add a floor with a different tone of grey so that the figures don’t seem as if they are floating.

The other suggestion was that I add a chalk smear to my chalk drawn animation.

But after testing the suggestion I feel that I would loose the texture of the brush I took time to find. Also by using a smear it may confuse the viewers of what the style is.

Class Crit Comments : Glow

· Best animation of your three

· Don’t Do anything to it

My decision

· I feel that this is my best animation and I am not going to edit it in any way

Class Crit Comments : Brushes

Chalk Brush

Fuzzy Edges Brush

· The fuzzy edges brush animation and look is too over the top

· The fuzzy brush looks like tinsel or pipe cleaners

· The chalk brush is the better of the two

· You could add a smudge to the chalk brush

My decision

· I think the chalk is the better of the two aswell

· If I was to add a smudge to the chalk one I would loose the texture of the chalk brush

· I will use the chalk animation but I will not add a smudge

Class Crit Comments : Saul Bass

· Grey is the better colour

· Red is too bright

· Figures look like Anthony Gormley

· Could do a background that looks like buildings to refrencece being an Anthony Gormley figure.

My decision

· I will use the grey colour as my submission

· I feel that red is too bright aswell, this was my way of testing different colours

· If I add a background with buildings I will be loosing the refrence to Saul Bass

Scraped Ideas

While I was creating my Rotos I scraped some ideas. The first was when i was creating my brushes idea i though what would the sequence look like if i represented the whole body.
But as i was creating this i thought that knowing what the brush looks like when it is animated adding stripes might be too much, also by resembling the dancers i am not creating a diffrent style to what the dancers are dressed like.

The second idea that i scrapped was the idea of using textures but two different colours and a brush to create a style.
But as i was creating this style i thought that the colours were too dark and i then though what the style would look like when projected, and by using dark colours it wont be easy to view for the viewers of the show so it might just look like a wallpaper.

Finished outcome - Brushes

After finding brushes and narrowing it down to the ones i liked i have created two diffrent styles of the same video.

The first one is using a brush that gives the movie a style of a chalk board drawing. I say this because the path of the brush has slight tiny holes in it as if it was a chalk drawing.

The second one is using a brush that gives the effect of a scatter brush, also the other reason that I chose this brush was because when it was drawn it gives the style of the brush path being animated when the movie is playing.

The reason that i have done two diffrent brushes is because when i get back to class i can ask people which one they think is better. Then i will choose what one to submit.

Changing Idea - iTunes to Brushes

After looking at my completed ideas for Saul bass and glowing i decided that if i was to do iTunes it would look too familiar. So i looked at the last year completed movie and i liked the ones where brushes were used. Therefore i am changing my iTunes idea to that of using Photoshop brushes. Therefore after previous use of brushes i am going to search for free brushes on the internet.

Finished outcome - Glowing Idea

here is the image that i got my glowing idea from ...
This was where i would create silhouettes with a glowing / eclipse effect around them. And here is the finished outcome.

Finished outcome - Bass Idea

Here is my finished saul bass idea

I feel that it has a look of the original but with the zoom changing and the still figures changing position it looks a bit odd.

here is the classic in comparason

Changing Idea for Rotoscoping

After deciding to go with the manaking idea I started to draw the components for my idea.

But as I was drawing this I decided to go back on my idea of drawing the different sections and rotating them. Instead of the manakin idea I decided to go with the saul bass idea and this was that I would draw the different sections and rotate like the manakin idea but I went back on that and drew the idea frame by frame.

Walt Disney Uses Rotoscoping

Rotoscoping goes back to one of the most loved animated films of walt disney, this film being snow white. With this film the footage was shot as live action for the characters of Snow White, the Prince and the Queen. This was shot as reference movie for the animators (who disapproved of rotoscoping). not all the film was rotoscoped but only some scenes of Snow White and the Prince were directly traced from the live-action footage.

By talking about snow white as an example and showing you this video I am proving that disney used its first animated film which was snow white, a template was created for movements which then got used in a number of other disney classics.

Looking At Dance

Click here

If i am going to get an idea of what it is like to animate dancers i need to look at animation, rotoscoping and dance sequences. looking at this sequence there is only slight movement of the camera, and even that is so that the dancers are being followed. now looking at the edit that we are using for our rotoscoping i think keeping to one angle might of been the safe option to when it comes to creating the rotoscope. But by adding movement to the class edit it will add an interesting element to the performance projection.

Rotoscop Used In Classic Animation

I would not of thought this but rotoscoping was used in a classic animation. This animation was that of the character of Betty Boop. a footage sequence of a Hawaiian dancer was used to animate a sequence of betty boops dancing.


Click here to view Video


Click Here to view animation

I have also found out that animators such as walt disney used the technique of rotoscoping in the early days of animation in films such as snow white and the seven dwarfs and Cinderella. now some people may look at Disney for being a cheat for doing this but looking at the time period that these films were made they did'nt have the technology that we have today, so rotoscoping was a way of making the animated films seem a realistic as possible.

A-ha - Take on me

a prime example of rotoscoping being used is that in the music video of aha for take on me. This music video was launched in 1985 and instead of drawing over the top of video and not showing any video at all there was a mixture of both video and animation. Another effective way of showing how well the rotoscoping was done was by showing video and animation at a rotating angle throughout the music video.

Chosen Ideas for Rotoscoping

After looking at my ideas and thinking about the ones that will look suitable and thinking about my skills of after effects I have decided on these three ideas…

Eclipse

With this ides I can apply effects to the masks to replicate an eclipse. The reason I have chosen this idea because it is a stylistic way of using the basic colours of black and white.

Wooden Drawing Model

With this idea I can draw separate sections of the drawing model. I have chosen this idea because it will show the basic way that the body moves

Ipod Advert Style

I have chosen this idea because when creating this sequence I can used shapes and textures to create depth perception in the background.

Filming & Editing

Yesterday filming went quite well and we continue today to start editing. As far as filming went yesterday we took about five / six takes of the sequence and as a safety idea we kept the left, right & center. Then about three takes in we moved the left and right to a closer position and a slight different angle. With the cameras that me and Rhys used the movement of the dancers did get chopped off every now and again.

Rotoscop Film Examples

There are a number of films that have used rotoscoping as there style of film and I am going to give you some examples

A Scanner Darkly

Waking Life

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

After looking at the meaning of rotoscoping and knowing of a scanner darkly and comparing it to the meaning of rotoscaping. Also the waking likfe was made by the same person who made A Scanner Darkly, but knowing of the film who framed roger rabit it didnt make me think of it as a rotosciping film because i thought of rotoscoping as a compleate trace of the footage and not just characters placed over live footage but then I remembered the character played by Christopher Lloyd called Judge Doom where near the end there is animation directly over the footage of Judge Doom.

Rotoscoping Meaning & Origin

To understand rotoscoping full i have found a full explanation of what it is...


Rotoscoping is an animation technique in which animators trace over live-action film movement, frame by frame, for use in animated films. Originally, pre-recorded live-action film images were projected onto a frosted glass panel and re-drawn by an animator. This projection equipment is called a rotoscope, although this device has been replaced by computers in recent years. In the visual effects industry, the term rotoscoping refers to the technique of manually creating a matte for an element on a live-action plate so it may be composited over another background.

Class Ideas

Since we got our new brief as a class we have been coming up with ideas that will develope as the project goes on. These ideas are ...

• togeather we have five zi8 to use at the filming so there will be a variety of angles when it comes to editing.
• we could split up into groups when it comes to editing and see who is the best
• as a class we can bring in extra equiptment, for example i have a tripod and a gorilapod (a tripod you can attach to things such as poles)

New Project : Rotoscoping Dance

the new brief is that as a class we film a dance sequence at the college then edit it into a sequence to rotoscope over. Then this sequence will be chopped into separate sections that as a class we will animate then stitch back together. The reason for this brief is so the the completed animation can be projected behind the dance performance at the college.

Conclusion

Looking back on my project I feel that I have had a number of situation where I have learned from, as well as situations that did not go well.

First I learned from previous filming with a zi8 to use spotlights when I was filming because when I filmed crash bang wallop and I was in a room with little light intake it made the footage very grainy. Therefore I used some spotlights that I brought when I tried stop motion to create more light in the room

Another part of the project that I felt went well was the filming and creating my dig for victory footage. The reason that I say this is because I used farm grown vegetables from Seaford farm shop to look as if I had grown my own. When it comes round to showing for crit I was complimented on how authentic my grown garden looked.

The other part of the project that I felt went well was the finding of suitable music for my sequences. This was after finding an artist that had the sound that I needed for my style of sequences.

The part of my project that has the most strength is the amount of research I done into finding fonts that looked like the original posters. Also I feel that my ending images have a high resemblance of the posters that I was basing them on.

I am also very pleased with my DVD menus and transitions. The reason that I am happy with these is because I have created a realistic looking globe that spins. Also I have learned some more skills in DVD studio Pro.

The part of the project that I felt didn’t go so well was the ending to my car sharing sequence. The reason tat I say this is because I felt that when I filmed the end shot for car sharing I couldn’t get the right perspective to resemble the original poster. So when it come round to creating the end poster it seemed to loose the idea behind it and I created something nothing like the idea. So I changed it after crit to correct my mistake.

Overall I feel that the project went very well and that I have learned from my mistakes from previous project. Also by creating my DVD menu I have learned some new techniques in after effects as well as developing my skills in DVD studio pro.

DVD Cover

Here i have designed a dvd cover that goes along the same theme as my menus so that there is no confusion when it comes to looking ad the menus and the case

Menu Feed Back

After showing classmates and teaching staff my mockups the favorite seems to be idea 1 with the fly in glob. The main feed back it that it is a realistic globe and that the functions need to be faster because you get bored watching the slow functions.

DVD Menu Idea 2

My second idea still used the 3D globe only i will have fly in Polaroid images to portray what the film or subject is about

Animatic



Mock-up

DVD Menu Idea 1

My first idea for the DVD menu is using a fly-in globe with fade on text. I plan to create the globe in aftereffects and make it realistic as possible, this is after i have found a tutorial on creative cow

Animatic




Mock-up

Just My Luck

With time coming round to share our films my one has a sound level problem. Therefor i have found out that i had accident with keyframes on the sound and i had raised it dramatically, so all i have done is changed the level and re- exported it.

Sequences After Crit

Here are my sequences now i have made my edits. I have made minor tweaks like re-phrasing and big tweaks like main images.

Visual Changes

After reviewing my comments from the class i decided to make some changes. The comments that i decides to take into consideration and change were ...


After finishing my sequences I presented my movies to the class and Nick and here are the comments that I got back…

• Your country needs you poster could be copyright
• Could use a classmate as the image for your country needs you

there for i changed the end image form this ...

to this image of a classmate in the same style

the next comment that i took into consideration and changes was this

• Change the style of imagery at the end of your transport one because it dosent look war like
• Try car sharing today helps the climate

there for i changed the end image form this ...

To this image in the style of a war time car poster

Class Comments

After presenting my movies to the class and Nick and here are the comments that I got back…

• Good quality footage from a zi8
• They have charm to them
• The general one is good
• Your country needs you poster could be copyright
• Could use a classmate as the image for your country needs you
• Change paragraph at the bottom of your general
• Might be easier to use the titles from you films because they are shore and to the point
• Change the style of imagery at the end of your transport one because it dosent look war like
• Spin the message to a positive
• Try car sharing today helps the climate
• Sort out the white on the handle on the spade so the background comes through with dig for victory

Nicks comments

• People might find it hard to understand the topic of your film (general)
• Change phrase to “ Dig for victory, helps fight climate change”

I am now going to review both my comments and sequences and decide on what to change

Finished Sequences

Here are my finished sequences before i present them to the class for crit. There are little things that i think the class will pic up on for me ti think about and change.

Exporting Problem

Now i have finished my sequences i want to export them but i keep having this popup coming up and i dont understand so i am going to research what the problem is and try and solve the situation. But to be on the safe side i am going to go in first thing and ask the staff if they know the problem.

Editing Music With Audacity

After finding tracks that i am going to use in my sequences i used audacity to trim 30 second strips that i thought sound right and exported them as mp3 to use in my sequences.

Finding Music

Now i have done my filming and editing i thought i should look for copyright free music because i thought music will suit my editing more that sound effects. I have found a website that provides free copyright free music. within this site i have found an artists called Chris Doris who provides a large range of diffrent types of music. But he has created a number of tracks that sound like there from the 1940s and sound like they would suite my sequences.

Make Do & Mend : Lifestyle

Today I filmed the footage for my lifestyle sequence. In this sequence i am using a number of different situations to imply how to mend broken products and use household substances for other uses.

Veg Patch Filming: Food

Today I filmed the footage for my food sequence. This footage implies that you grow your own veg. To imply this i have used shots of digging, planting and moving soil. I feel that the footage filming went very well with the use of my mini tripod,

Car Filming : Transport

Today I went out Filming for my Transport sequence trying to promote car sharing. by doing this i use the idea of two people getting in a car, shots of them traveling, then a shot to imply that the journey was over. So that the film was still linked to Eastbourne i imply the journey was being made to Eastbourne

New Sequence Plan

After finding the posters that I am going to base my sequences on I now am going to plan my sequences and the footage that I need.


I plan to use a zi8 on a tripod so that my camera shot are stable

Car Sharing – Transport

• Both get in the car
• Driver door shut
• Passenger door shut
• Driver seat belt click
• Passenger seat belt click
• Drive off
• Drive round corner
• Drive down hill
• Drive past Eastbourne / Brighton sign
• Footage of car going into Eastbourne
• Pulling up
• Park car
• Both walk away
• Remake of poster

Dig For Victory – Food

• Mud Twister
• Shovel dig
• Shovel load move
• Sieve shake
• Mud patch
• Seed spike
• Seed poor
• Whole veg patch with grown veg
• Pull up carrot
• Dig trowel
• Brush off spuds
• Snap cabbage
• Snap cauliflower
• Stand shovel
• Remake of poster

Make Do And Mend – Lifestyle

• Side on mug view
• Head on mug view
• Go to bleach cup
• Hand stops bleach
• Salt poured in mug
• Water poured in mug
• Scrub mug with tooth brush
• Shot of clean mug
• Wide shot of kettle
• Shot of exposed wire
• Pull out plug
• Cut wire
• Pull off wire face
• Fix wire
• Plug back in
• Steaming kettle
• Go to polish shoes
• Stop polish
• Peel banana
• Polish shoes with skin
• Buff shoes with cloth
• Banana and shoes together


Your Country Needs You – General

General will be a blend of footage from each sequence. I plan to use footage of

• Rewire the plug
• Planting & Grown veg
• Car sharing shot

Useful Books

After getting my comments back yesterday i was shown these books and i have had a look through the both of them and have found poster that i think would be interesting to base my sequences around.