Whats going on?
Creating a short 30 second looping animation. This can be in any style i wish, from 2D to 3D but it has to be able to loop on itself. This can then be used again to see if i can create the same idea but with a different technique. Example: If i created an animation in 2D how would i go around creating the same idea in a 3D environment, what would be different?.
Group work video
This video was a great start on how to incorporate colour within my work as well as changing shapes and creating a basic story which can be looped simply.
Week 1
So far i have been coming up with 3 ideas.
The first consists of basic shapes with squares and circles, the idea is having one ball bouncing within a square, then having more balls bouncing within other squares before the camera pulls back to reveal tons of bouncing balls and squares.
I haven’t decided if each square and ball with have its own unique colour or if every time the balls land on the ground they both change colour adding more colourful variety.
My second idea is simplistic but simple. The idea is having a character carrying a bag, he then discovers a light switch and they pull it. once they do they’ll morph and change shape and appear as a Rabbit. The rabbit would then start to hop away before being shot by a hunter, who places it in the same bag from earlier and walk away, before it repeats on its self. Given the dark humour i have added into this one i’m pleased with how simple it is, simplistic and with a shocking revelations are things i love within a story. Compared to my first idea this one seems a lot more manageable, considering the first has a lot more movement and colours my second idea is more minimalist, which to be honest doesn’t push me to try something new and experiment with more outlandish ideas.
My third idea is to create a clay character and have him clap. this sounds simple but with a twist. Every time he claps the background and himself will change colour. This is the best of both worlds for me, this is because i get to create many different coloured versions of my clay character as well as ether create backgrounds with clay which will be placed behind him or i could cut him out of all the scenes and use TV paint to draw in the backgrounds. This is the best of both worlds i get to use claymation and Digital but i can also mix both techniques seamlessly with each other since the character changes every time he claps i could easily and effortlessly add each animation technique with each clap.
So far with my ideas i have i’m more confident with my third idea, this is due to how simple the idea is but it can get complex with how i’m adding colour within the animation. While they second animation i feel to be a bit to simple, even though the story is interesting and i’m a fan on how it could work, i dont see it challenging me compared to the other two. while the first animation is a little to complex to start off with in my opinion.
Week 2
This week was to start creating the looping animation.
I decided to start off with creating it in Stop motion because i wanted to get more acquaint with using that type of animation.
I also decided to mix two of my ideas.
My first idea with the bouncing balls and the character clapping.
Why did i pick these two? more movement honestly.
I was going to go with only the clapping character but that to me showed little to no movement. That’s why adding the bouncing balls adds a constant flow of movement that it takes away from the still movements my clay character would be repeating.
The new idea was every time the character claps they would change colour, but the previous colour the character was escapes from them and becomes 4 bouncing balls. This would continue until most of the screen is covered with bouncing balls, a constant flow of movement.
Then the character would return to its default colour and the balls would be sucked back into the character and the cycle would then repeat.
Planning for next week
So my plan is to possibly make the same basic idea of clapping and colour changing in a new medium, maybe in TVpaint i could create a simple animation of hands clapping, maybe have them be different colours so when a different coloured hand claps the background changes to that colour. or maybe create something in after effects, like a ball bouncing and every time it hits the floor the colour changes or there is a beat of music that makes the colours change within the animation.
Week 3
For my animation on TV paint i decided to create a eye blinking. Every time the eye blinked it would change colour and repeat. I used blue, red and yellow since they are distinct from one another when they change its very noticeable and shocking when it happens.
After that i had to create a way to link both the animations together seamlessly. First by taking my clay character and transforming it into an eyeball which would then blink into they second animation. While the eye would break apart and start to morph into my clay character again.
Final Thoughts
I’ve enjoyed this Brief. Having to create whatever i wished was super relaxing and was nice to try out. Also having the goal of looping the animation was a cool test to see how i’d manage to get from point A to point B. Being able to use 2 different animation styles with stop motion and digital 2D work will always be a plus for me. Love both concepts of animation equally and can be used wonderfully if done correctly.
The Animation Blog 