Here it is the final trailer for the short film.
Final teaser from Jack Stollery on Vimeo.
Looking back on the production, I really feel that it could have gone alot more smoother. If I had know more about the actual amount of time available then I could have actually completed the whole short perhaps.
Another thing that I could have done was choose a more optimised story such as lured. The lured idea had one character to animate and that would have cut the time animating down by ten fold. I love both ideas but in the Lured idea (which the story could have easily been adjusted) there is only one character and environment and no voice acting. It could have been much more easier to do that than Shorc Film.
However, I'm very happy for the outcome of this trailer. I have had fun animating all the characters especially the character "Scorch" he was the most fun to animate, possibly because he was the most appealing and the easiest to draw. He's very easy to exaggerate and very expressive (which was an intended feature). Im glad to make the choice of creating a 2D produced film as aposed to a 3D produced film. it would have taken at least 3 times long to even get a trailer to create, model, rig, animate and render all the scenes if it had been done in 3D.
But regardless of the medium used, what matters is the animation, the emotion the acting. I would have really loved to have made all the line work really nice smooth, clean and crisp but alas, time prevails.These ideas will never die, but as long as the appeal, attitude and comedy is conveyed in the character whatever its been shown on, then its job done. :)
JS
Monday 27 April 2015
Honours Showcase and Buisness cards
So, were comming to a close with this year and in that time Ive been thinking about the future and the connections I make are very important for securing a job in the industry. So last feburary, I designed some business cards in preparation for the Animex trip last Feburary.
Business Card Design
I typed into google image serach "Buisnes card Ideas" And Alot of awesome designs came up, Even ones that were made of aluminium.
One however got my attention, on one that was like this one, I loved the format So I decided to go along with that.
Designing the cards were hard because its something that people are going o remember you by. I started off by thinking what aesthetic elements appeal to me,I've always loved earthy colours so Ive gone with a yellowred pallet to the design. Then I thought to show that I'm very character driven with my animations and illustrations I decided to show alot of my character designs.
I thought that this was fine for my first business card design. Its got my contact details and everything else that is needed on a business card. Heres the final result:
Showcase Material
For the show case we're only allowed so much space to put up our work and designs. So I'm Going to have to economize and be very frugal on what should be put up to give an overview. I felt that showing a few concept pieces and the construction sheets would be good enough.
I plan on printing more images at the copy shop but I've got to make sure that the resolution of the images are good and there is absolutely no pixelation.
.
We can also put alot more images on the interface that we're using to showcase our images and videos. I'm sharing a single computer with another student so we will have to make arrangements to get the content on the computer and create a shared folder. The interface itself is very easy to use and pretty much explains itself to use.
I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone's projects at the showcase, I'm sure ill get a sense of how much effort and work we've put into all our projects. :)
Business Card Design
I typed into google image serach "Buisnes card Ideas" And Alot of awesome designs came up, Even ones that were made of aluminium.
One however got my attention, on one that was like this one, I loved the format So I decided to go along with that.
Designing the cards were hard because its something that people are going o remember you by. I started off by thinking what aesthetic elements appeal to me,I've always loved earthy colours so Ive gone with a yellowred pallet to the design. Then I thought to show that I'm very character driven with my animations and illustrations I decided to show alot of my character designs.
I thought that this was fine for my first business card design. Its got my contact details and everything else that is needed on a business card. Heres the final result:
Showcase Material
For the show case we're only allowed so much space to put up our work and designs. So I'm Going to have to economize and be very frugal on what should be put up to give an overview. I felt that showing a few concept pieces and the construction sheets would be good enough.
I plan on printing more images at the copy shop but I've got to make sure that the resolution of the images are good and there is absolutely no pixelation.
We can also put alot more images on the interface that we're using to showcase our images and videos. I'm sharing a single computer with another student so we will have to make arrangements to get the content on the computer and create a shared folder. The interface itself is very easy to use and pretty much explains itself to use.
I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone's projects at the showcase, I'm sure ill get a sense of how much effort and work we've put into all our projects. :)
Inspirations for Shorc film
I should have talked about this ages ago, but this video did catch my attention while looking for research on Shorc film.
WWE Wrestling Superstar Kane gets a low pay job in this little sketch. Which is pretty similar to the position of the orcs having to succumb to bosses that have to look up to talk to them.
Just goes to show that inspiration can come from anywhere! Haha
Any way on a serious note, the inspiration for the idea came about when I drew a sketch of a giant orc riding a tiny little tricycle.
I may have mentioned that already in a previous post, but this was the first vision that I had with the idea, It originally was going to be a short skit,
Similar in length to a robot chicken sketch. but this requires a strong discipline in story writing which I dont posess having learned from making this trailer.
This Sketch from robot chicken (again involving wrestlers) has these guys trying not to screw up. The plot of the sketch doesnt really go anywhere, but again the setting was a really good base for comedy. It wasnt when I watched this I immediately got inspired, I't was more a case of remembering back to seeing this sketch and drawing the orcs at the same time. This is usually how i get inspired most of the time.
But after all
Being ambitious is great but never do something like a 5 min long short and expect it to be coloured and polished within 2 whole semesters.
WWE Wrestling Superstar Kane gets a low pay job in this little sketch. Which is pretty similar to the position of the orcs having to succumb to bosses that have to look up to talk to them.
Just goes to show that inspiration can come from anywhere! Haha
Any way on a serious note, the inspiration for the idea came about when I drew a sketch of a giant orc riding a tiny little tricycle.
Similar in length to a robot chicken sketch. but this requires a strong discipline in story writing which I dont posess having learned from making this trailer.
This Sketch from robot chicken (again involving wrestlers) has these guys trying not to screw up. The plot of the sketch doesnt really go anywhere, but again the setting was a really good base for comedy. It wasnt when I watched this I immediately got inspired, I't was more a case of remembering back to seeing this sketch and drawing the orcs at the same time. This is usually how i get inspired most of the time.
But after all
Being ambitious is great but never do something like a 5 min long short and expect it to be coloured and polished within 2 whole semesters.
Previous Honours Idea
Before Shorc film, I was intending to do a completely different idea.
Set in a fantasy japanese forest. A kappa, a creature of Japanese folklore collects, preserves and eats fish. Everyday he would catch the same boring grey fish. One day he discovers an unsual bright colour in the splash pool.
Why not this one?
I would have loved to have taken this idea futher, but what stopped me from pursuing one was the fact that the river character was totally impossible to empathize with. His motiv for moving forward in the story didnt feel right after a few talks with my peers and mentor.
If he somehow learned from the experience he had and learned that he was greedy and that this clouded his vision, then maybe the story and character would work. As with shorc Film is that this is another project I will not let die. It needs some improvement but im willing to make this and shorc film become fully realised things.
I would have enjoyed selling the drama of the story within the animation, also I would have been very happy to animate pure emotion with no dialogue to tell the story.
Its a long shot, Ive already done alot of artwork for it but after some adjustments this thing could go into more development.
I would have enjoyed selling the drama of the story within the animation, also I would have been very happy to animate pure emotion with no dialogue to tell the story.
Its a long shot, Ive already done alot of artwork for it but after some adjustments this thing could go into more development.
Recording sessions
I should go over how we did the voice recordings, back in feburary I contacted a few friends who I thought would fit the characters of my story. So me and my sound producer Willy used the portable recording studio to record voices for the short, I did the voice for Cpt nathgug.
During the recording process the main focus was to fail fast, because we had to make many retakes to get the characters right, usually the actors would say the lines 3-4 times and I chose which ones were to be put into the final cut.
Overall the sessions were very straightforward, the only problems encountered were making sure the scripts were updated before the recording started.
But perhaps the biggest problem was finding a voice actor for scorch. It was discussed in my mentor meetings that a female character would make a good voice track for the character Scorch.
In the final cut, I finally made a choice, but scorch only says one line anyway!
During the recording process the main focus was to fail fast, because we had to make many retakes to get the characters right, usually the actors would say the lines 3-4 times and I chose which ones were to be put into the final cut.
Overall the sessions were very straightforward, the only problems encountered were making sure the scripts were updated before the recording started.
But perhaps the biggest problem was finding a voice actor for scorch. It was discussed in my mentor meetings that a female character would make a good voice track for the character Scorch.
In the final cut, I finally made a choice, but scorch only says one line anyway!
Sunday 26 April 2015
Mrs Middleton character
We're approaching the final submission date and the final production is getting there. MY favorite scene to work on in the last week was Mrs Middleton.
Mrs middleton has a very outgoing and motherly personality and her sequences were a challenge for being a brand new character to animate, however, to keep her on model I created a character sheet to adhear to while animating.
and heres the final outcome, (note: I know that not much of the animation has clean and crisp line work, but im working to a deadline and im concentrating on the feeling and thinking of the character and for me, that comes through more in sketchy lines. Motion and emotoin are at high regards to me when animating.
At first the animation was not going well, I wanted a nice bobbing of the head, but this didnt feel right in the initial run. So remembering what Samy Fecih said in This interview with animator island said that you should shoot video reference if your struggling. So I did and this really helped with the momentum and movements of the character which I hadnt seen before, From this point on I decided that I should always strive to create video acting reference to make the performances more realistic.
Heres the reference and finnished shot.
At first the animation was not going well, I wanted a nice bobbing of the head, but this didnt feel right in the initial run. So remembering what Samy Fecih said in This interview with animator island said that you should shoot video reference if your struggling. So I did and this really helped with the momentum and movements of the character which I hadnt seen before, From this point on I decided that I should always strive to create video acting reference to make the performances more realistic.
Heres the reference and finnished shot.
Some late concept art.
Here are some late peices of concept art I forgot to put up, hope you like them.
The first one was a test into what cpt Nathgugs big character costume could looke like, trying out different proportions.
and the lower one is a character turn around on toned background because it looks more appealing than white.
The first one was a test into what cpt Nathgugs big character costume could looke like, trying out different proportions.
and the lower one is a character turn around on toned background because it looks more appealing than white.
Sunday 5 April 2015
Video Demo
Video Blog, Thought Id try something new, with doing blog posts, so heres a video of me talking about a scene that I'm animating and a few other things. If this is a good idea im going to incorporate this format on future posts.
Friday 3 April 2015
Demo Reel and Blue skies internship
Ive been thinking alot about life after University. The most important thing that i want to get out of this last year is to build a strong portfolio of character animation.
Its going to be tough and ive already started iterating on the old Demo reel I showed to Zach at animex! I've complied all what I consider are the best peices of new work into one video here.
Jack Stollery Animation Demoreel 2.1 from Jack Stollery on Vimeo.
Im hoping to really improve upon this current one at the moment, as I still think that it needs improvement. as it stands.
Also, this Demo reel is going to be sent off to blue skies studios, who are looking for interns at thier studio.
Its going to be tough and ive already started iterating on the old Demo reel I showed to Zach at animex! I've complied all what I consider are the best peices of new work into one video here.
Jack Stollery Animation Demoreel 2.1 from Jack Stollery on Vimeo.
Im hoping to really improve upon this current one at the moment, as I still think that it needs improvement. as it stands.
Also, this Demo reel is going to be sent off to blue skies studios, who are looking for interns at thier studio.
March Update
Two recent developments have happend in the last week. Both good and Bad.
Bad.
I've been looking at the progress of the animation. and its looking like I'm not going to make the deadline for the finished film at the rate of the animations being completed. So Ive made the decision to create a short trailer of the film that creates an idea of the story and to showcase my 2D animation skills.
Im both somwhat relieved and slightly annoyed with myself.
But in order to excel in what i want to get good at in the future ive dedicated the time to use this to practice animation.
Good
New scenes. Nathgug looks up at the interviewer just realising hes being spoken to.
inbetweening on this particular scene was a nightmare, every stroke exactly the same as the previous frame. but the end result was worth it.
Jill gets stunned in this next scene when Blazer looses control and without any provocation shouts at Jill for sucking on the pritt sticks.
Primary aim: Make Jill the complete opposite of Blazer; As CUTE, ADORABLE, INNOCENT and SWEET as possible.
And on the last one, scorch being bored and flicking a peice of snot off his fingers without a care and no regards for interview etiquette.
Thats all now, more to come on the progress of the trailer very soon...
Bad.
I've been looking at the progress of the animation. and its looking like I'm not going to make the deadline for the finished film at the rate of the animations being completed. So Ive made the decision to create a short trailer of the film that creates an idea of the story and to showcase my 2D animation skills.
Im both somwhat relieved and slightly annoyed with myself.
But in order to excel in what i want to get good at in the future ive dedicated the time to use this to practice animation.
Good
New scenes. Nathgug looks up at the interviewer just realising hes being spoken to.
inbetweening on this particular scene was a nightmare, every stroke exactly the same as the previous frame. but the end result was worth it.
Jill gets stunned in this next scene when Blazer looses control and without any provocation shouts at Jill for sucking on the pritt sticks.
Primary aim: Make Jill the complete opposite of Blazer; As CUTE, ADORABLE, INNOCENT and SWEET as possible.
And on the last one, scorch being bored and flicking a peice of snot off his fingers without a care and no regards for interview etiquette.
Thats all now, more to come on the progress of the trailer very soon...
Creating the very first Scene
In the very first scene, the orcs have stodged back from battle, dirty and tired. Only to find a huge bill waiting for them. This is the first scene to really make an impression so its got to be striking. The doors burst open to reveal some very angry and tired orcs.
Obviously starting off with a storyboard we have to get the composition right.
Animating a Door opening forcfully is a very difficult task without a guide. So I made a 3D mockup in 3D and tried to line up with the perspective.
It was very challenging but in the end I ended up with this which im using as a frame of reference to animate over the top to save on figuring out the perspective. The reason they are different colours is so that its more clear which door is which
And here we have the plate on top of the already existing sketchy animation. To properly match it up with the background I used a warp tool to fix the points so it match the door in the background. Only problem is that when the red door falls it gets horibbly distorted. This can be easily fixed when comming to the final frames.
Obviously starting off with a storyboard we have to get the composition right.
Animating a Door opening forcfully is a very difficult task without a guide. So I made a 3D mockup in 3D and tried to line up with the perspective.
It was very challenging but in the end I ended up with this which im using as a frame of reference to animate over the top to save on figuring out the perspective. The reason they are different colours is so that its more clear which door is which
And here we have the plate on top of the already existing sketchy animation. To properly match it up with the background I used a warp tool to fix the points so it match the door in the background. Only problem is that when the red door falls it gets horibbly distorted. This can be easily fixed when comming to the final frames.
Thursday 12 March 2015
Character sheets and tests
So over the past few days I've been working on final animations for the film, overall going really quite nicely, But what I realised when animating Karen the hair dresser is that I needed frame of reference from this character. So I created a character sheet for her.
Now its much more eaiser to bring her quirky, bright character to life.
Here's the latest animation Test for Karen.
Now its much more eaiser to bring her quirky, bright character to life.
Not only for the face but for the body proportions aswell. Labeling the height in heads will help keeping the character "on model"
Here's the latest animation Test for Karen.
Thursday 12 February 2015
Mid feburary update
The backgrounds for Shorc film are just as important as the actual animation itself so before I start a scene I look at the thumbnails for the animatic and start painting away using that as a guideline.
Luckily, backgrounds are not taking up as much time as thought, this project is about animation yet the backgrounds still need to be done with consideration and thought.
Also I went to the Animex 2015 festival at teeside university. A really really good experience, it was a two day series of talks animation figures in the industry, various visual effects studios and animation studios including Double Negative, Liaka, Disney and NPC. My four favorite talks were from Ed Hooks, Disney, Liaka and Double Negative. I thought it was funny how Ed talked about how BigHero 6 was an hour an 40 long commercial with no acting whatsoever and then the last talk of the whole event was by Zach Parish talking about finding the characters and the acting in Big Hero 6.
During the evening there was a networking session for people to socialize with the studios, I managed to get my work in progress animation demo reel reviewed by Zach Parish, head of Animation at Disney animation studios.
He gave me alot to think about, his comments were to generally clean up and polish the work before it goes onto a demo reel, and make sure that every pose in every frame is solid so that the silhouette reads clearly and further more to not allow the computer to do the inbetweening, going back to the comment that every pose in every frame needs to be realistic in everything, the arcs and follow through.
I do feel much more pumped to get my skills better and I feel that this has helped alot!
The biggest challenge is to keep the colours consistent with the environment in the other shots. Also Some backgrounds will be completely blurred to focus on the characters.
Luckily, backgrounds are not taking up as much time as thought, this project is about animation yet the backgrounds still need to be done with consideration and thought.
Also I went to the Animex 2015 festival at teeside university. A really really good experience, it was a two day series of talks animation figures in the industry, various visual effects studios and animation studios including Double Negative, Liaka, Disney and NPC. My four favorite talks were from Ed Hooks, Disney, Liaka and Double Negative. I thought it was funny how Ed talked about how BigHero 6 was an hour an 40 long commercial with no acting whatsoever and then the last talk of the whole event was by Zach Parish talking about finding the characters and the acting in Big Hero 6.
During the evening there was a networking session for people to socialize with the studios, I managed to get my work in progress animation demo reel reviewed by Zach Parish, head of Animation at Disney animation studios.
He gave me alot to think about, his comments were to generally clean up and polish the work before it goes onto a demo reel, and make sure that every pose in every frame is solid so that the silhouette reads clearly and further more to not allow the computer to do the inbetweening, going back to the comment that every pose in every frame needs to be realistic in everything, the arcs and follow through.
I do feel much more pumped to get my skills better and I feel that this has helped alot!
Tuesday 20 January 2015
Thursday 15 January 2015
Christmas update
Alot has happened over christmas.
I got some expression sheets and construction sheets done for the characters, just to help with animation (the best bit!)
And heres some expression sheets for the character Scorch
The goal was to create an animatic of the entire short. I managed to do only one scene being informed from the script.
After a review with my tutor we came to the conclusion that there was far to much dialogue in the animatic, not enough was being told in terms of visual humour and there was far too much "spoon feeding" of information. And also to keep consistency within the characters was an initial problem.
So Right now im changing the script to bring in more action based humour so that the balance is met.
I got some expression sheets and construction sheets done for the characters, just to help with animation (the best bit!)
And heres some expression sheets for the character Scorch
The goal was to create an animatic of the entire short. I managed to do only one scene being informed from the script.
After a review with my tutor we came to the conclusion that there was far to much dialogue in the animatic, not enough was being told in terms of visual humour and there was far too much "spoon feeding" of information. And also to keep consistency within the characters was an initial problem.
So Right now im changing the script to bring in more action based humour so that the balance is met.
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