And at last I see the light And it's like the fog has lifted

The final update...

So, now that everything is officially finished, I guess it's time to provide the links for everything.

short film: YouTube

social media: Tumblr page

~

This project has definitely been a whirlwind. I'm not sad it's over, in fact I'm actually glad it's finished. It's a big relief and a weight off my shoulders.

I think I did the best I could with what and I had, and in that respect, I'm proud of what I was able to accomplish. 

I don't know how good my project is as a whole/ I tend to be somewhat of a perfectionist overly critical of myself when things don't turn out exactly how I wanted them to (or just in general really).

A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into making this (okay, there was no blood, maybe a little sweat, but definitely some tears; okay, many tears), so after all this effort, I sincerely hope that you enjoy it.

Anyway, that's all for forever.

There won't be a next time... sad, I know.

~fin~

When Will My Reflection Show Who I Am Inside - Critical Reflection Essay

An update...

It's that time of the project. Time for the critical reflection. 

So, let's get down to business... to defeat... this essay (I'm sorry, I had to).

~~~

The short film, 'ctrl z', is meant to depict the writing process and what authors may go through while writing. Both the actions of the author and the changes to the story being written are reflected through the use of live action and animated sequences. The piece is intended as a short, comedic film that is relatable to those who watch it.

In order to create the best effect for this film, different types of animations were researched. The one selected, an animatic, was deemed as being the best fit for the project. This is due to the fact that it does not require as much time and work as a regular animation. This was seen as beneficial to the project for a couple of different reasons. The first reason being that, since there was a limited amount of time given to complete the project, going with the style of animation that required less time seemed to be the better option of the two available. Also, due to the nature of an animatic, with it essentially being an animated storyboard, it has a certain look and tone that aligns with the idea of the short film. It aligns with the idea of creating something that is still a work in progress, thus the fact that the animatic is not a fully completed animation, works in the favor of the piece.

While researching, there were not many productions that were found to have matched the specific idea of the short film, which is a mixture of animation and live action in one film, but separate from each other. Many productions that include both animation and live action have them intertwined, such as the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Due to the lack of productions available, there was not much to base the short film, ‘ctrl z’, on. Therefore, it was necessary to have to improvise and make things up along the way. However, one production that did somewhat match the idea that the short film was going for was the YouTube video Musical Fiction by Rudy Mancuso; it alternates from the reality of the song writer to the fictional story he is creating through his song. This inspired the structure of the short film, ‘ctrl z’.

As the short film, ‘ctrl z’, is meant as more of an observational comedy, and not a traditional comedy, so the conventions used by this short film were taken specifically from the sub-genre of observational comedy. This includes taking an aspect of everyday life and relaying it in a humorous manner that would be relatable to the audience.

In the case of the short film ‘ctrl z’, the target audience includes writers from the ages 13-35, both male and females. The component of the short film would be attractive to the target audience as it features a relatable aspect of their lives/work. It is a situation that they specifically would have the ability and experience to relate to. In spite of the fact that the content itself is relatable to all ages, the addition of animation may not be as appealing to the higher end of the target audience than it would be to the younger teens. The social media page on Tumblr would engage the target audience as it carries the same tone and goal of the short film. It is meant to be relatable to the target audience while also promoting the short film. This is one reason why Tumblr was chosen, because of the fact that it allows for a more informal approach to the target audience. In order to be relatable to the target audience, the social media page contains jokes and inspirational quotes specifically meant for writers; for the times when they need a little extra motivation or get stuck in a phase of writer’s block. It contains tips and helpful advice that is specific to writers and would not apply to any other group. Tumblr already has an established community of writers, thus is another reason for why it was chosen. It would be easier to target them using Tumblr rather than a larger, more broad platform, such as Instagram.

The different elements are meant to work together in order to create a certain brand identity. They are meant to facilitate the creation of a community and environment where writers can feel welcomed and relaxed. The short film, ‘ctrl z’, and the social media page work together to create this brand image. The short film creates a piece of relatable content for the target audience of writers while the social media page creates a safe place for them. The final component of the project is the postcard advertisement. This third component is less specific in its approach of targeting the target audience. It can be viewed as more of a general ad that may appeal to and interest anyone who happens to receive it. In spite of the fact that it is more general and less specific, it visually relates to the other two components as they are all cohesive in their appearance.

Overall, I believe the products of the short film, social media page, and postcard advertisement to be successful in representing the community of writers and the process they go through when writing, and their goals of creating relatable content and creating a welcoming environment and community for writers to join and be a part of.

Bella Note

 A not so little update...

It really is a beautiful night, and I am about to tell you why, right now.

The project is finished. It's finally over. (I know, I can't believe it either)

Overall, this project has been pretty stressful. For many reasons. The first being the sheer size of it. It's a large project with a lot of different components. I may have made it more difficult for myself at multiple points, but that's kind of my thing (I don't know why I'm like this either).

I also doubted myself a lot throughout this whole process and considered changing my plan (which definitely went off the rails and had to be thrown away, but we already knew it would) multiple times. I didn't though. I stuck with it and I'm not completely disappointed with the outcome.

I'm definitely glad I decided to do an animatic/live action mix instead of a full blown animation (that would have been awful). It was still a lot of work, but I don't think I was as stressed out by it as I was last year. Or, at the very least, the stress I was feeling wasn't as warranted as it was last year.

This year, I think most of my stress and anxiety was focused around being able to get all three components done on time and to a standard that I would be proud to present. I can be quite a perfectionist and I am always my biggest critic, so I can't say if the final products are actually what I think they are. Personally, I think there is a lot of room for improvement. I'm not really sure if they lived up to my expectations of what I thought it could be, but maybe I'm just biased.

I definitely learned a lot from this project. I learned a lot of new editing techniques using Adobe Premiere Pro. I learned about animatics, how to make them, and the animation feature on Procreate. I learned about advertising/marketing. In summary, I learned a lot (I don't know if that was clear). I don't think I would be able to detail everything I learned.

There were definitely some highs and lows that came with this project. The highs being the times when I thought everything was going well, and that I could possibly, actually pull this off. The lows being the times when i had absolutely no motivation to do this project (none, nada, nil, zip, zilch, zero). But I'm glad I persevered through it all. It really was a step outside of my comfort zone and I'm glad I was able to produce something different from what I may have normally done.

This project really helped me to embrace a more creative idea and approach and got me to think differently about a few things.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time... (which will be the last time)

Did I Mention...

A little update...

Did I mention that I started the animation? No? Well, I did.

I also decided to change the style. I was going to do a cartoony style, but now I'm going with a more realistic style. The cartoony style would have been easier and taken less time and detail, but I couldn't decide on a style that I liked. So, I'm going with something more realistic looking (but not completely realism, it's still going to be somewhat cartoony).

I finished the basic images for what I need. All I have to do is go back in with shading/coloring and possibly add in extra images if I think I need to.

This is the rough sketch of what it's going to look like.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

The World Will Know

 A little update...

Okay, so social media.

I haven't thought much on this previously as I wanted to focus on the film, since it's the largest part of the project. 

I wasn't too sure about which platform to use, but I think I want to use Tumblr. It's popular among the target audience (being older teens/young adults, writers, and people who enjoy comedy/relatable jokes).

Plus, I can be more informal on Tumblr than on other platforms, like Instagram.

It has a lot of features that I could use:

I can upload text or audio posts. I can upload pictures, gifs, or videos. I can uploads quotes or links.

I can reblog (repost) things from other creators.

There's also a feature where I would be able to respond to any questions or messages that are sent from followers and post it.

So I created an account...

I don't know if I like the header image, but at the moment I don't know what else to put, so it's gonna stay for now.

I plan to make posts promoting the film, showing some behind the scenes clips/shots, and other things related to writing/art (like inspirational quotes).

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

With a Smile and a Song

 A little update...

Okay, so now that the rough draft of the film is done, I've started looking for music to insert. I don't want anything too dramatic; just a chill track to play quietly in the background.

I'm going to start by looking up royalty free LoFi music to see what comes up (I listen to a lot of LoFi music when doing work, so it seems fitting). LoFi music has that relaxed tone that I'm looking for.

After googling it, the first thing to pop up was a YouTube playlist. So I searched up some more directly on YouTube to see what I would find.

The playlists are hours long so I'll listen to them later (probably while doing homework) and see if anything stands out to me.

The second thing to pop up was Free Music Archive

I looked under the genre of "Instrumental" and then the sub-genre of of soundtrack. Then I just went down the list of songs and tried to find something that I liked. I didn't really find anything that I liked.

On to option three!

I figured I may have been limiting myself too much by searching specifically for LoFi music, so I searched for "royalty free music".

Bensound was one of the first sites to pop up. I went to the cinematic tab to look for something.

But, alas, I was once again unable to find anything that I liked.

Going back to royalty free Lo-Fi music, I found the website mixkit.commixkit.com. 

It didn't have as large a selection as some of the other websites, but I did find a couple of tracks that I liked, so I'm going to try them out and see how I like them.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride

A little update...

Good news! Fantastic news! Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious news!!!

I got the titles to work!!! This whole thing with the titles has definitely been a roller coaster.

I don't know what was wrong or why it was not working before (probably user error if I'm being honest), but it doesn't matter now because I got it to work and I'm super happy about it.

It was really frustrating me and bringing down my whole mood... so I'm glad it's working now.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

Un Poco Loco

 A little update...

I'm working on the titles in Adobe Premiere Pro, but its... not... working. And I don't know why. It's frustrating me. 

When I add an effect, it is supposedly added, but it doesn't show it doing anything on the playback. So... I'm not really sure what's wrong here.

I tried quitting the program and re-opening it. I tried deleting the clip and re-adding it and the transition. Neither of those have worked. I created a new title clip and it's still... not... working.

So, I'm just going to move on and come back to it later, Because I don't know what else to do.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

Friends on the Other Side

 A little update...

We had another group meeting today.

I didn't have much to ask in regards to the actual film, but I did ask their opinion about the social platform that I should choose.

I have been considering either Instagram or Tumblr.

They thought that Tumblr could be a good idea based on my target audience.

I'll make a blog post (eventually) going more into depth for each to officially decide which I'm gonna do.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

Collision of Worlds

 A little update...

I have started editing. Have I finished the animation yet? No. But I figured if I started editing now, it would be less work later.

I imported the live action parts that I filmed and the audio into Adobe Premiere Pro and have begun to edit those. Thus far, I've created a basic layout of what I want. I separated the clips and put them in order according to the storyboard, leaving little spaces in between so I know where I need to put the animated sequences in the future. 

I've also created the title cards and created a place holder for the credits.

I'm probably going to insert the animated sequences as I create them and edit as I go. That way it should be less work at the end (editing wise, at least).

It's going quite well so far, hopefully that continues.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

What's My Name

A little update...

Okay, so naming the film. This could really make or break the film.

I'm thinking of naming it "ctrl z" because it would fit with the whole writing theme, and it's also what inspired the whole thing.

I think it fits rather well, so that's what I am going to stick with. For now at least. If I think of something better, then I'll change it (but I don't think I will, honestly).

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

Tomorrow is Another Day

 A little update...

Remember when I said we were going out of town? 

Well, turns out we're not doing that anymore. So sorry for giving you false information.

That means that I'll have some extra time to work on the project. Yay.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

Heigh-Ho, Off to Film I Go

 A little update...

Okay, so it's time to start filming (finally).

I'm going to start with the live action parts. Just because it's convenient, I'm going to be playing the role of the author myself. 

I really hope it all turns out alright.

I'm using my old iPhone to record (set to 4k at 30 fps) and a tripod.

(I should probably organize my desk before I start filming though)

~~~

Okay... so I finished recording the live action parts (at least I hope so). 

I also recorded the audio separately, using the Voice Memo app on my phone and my AirPods as a mic. I'm not sure if I like how the audio sounds. I'll see what I can do when I start editing though, because I don't want to have to film it again. (I filmed about three times before getting something that I was satisfied with.

I recorded all of the scenes I had planned in addition to a few more that I thought might be good (hopefully I have too much instead of not enough).

With that now done, I can move on to the animation.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

'Bout Time

 A little update...

Okay, so I have finally done the storyboard.

I wasn't feeling very motivated to do it, so instead of doing it on paper with a pen/pencil I decided to do it on a white board. It made it more fun for me, plus I got to use different colors and erase things easily. 

I might have to add more, I'm not sure right now. But this is the basic plan of the shots that I'm going to need. I'll see what happens when I start filming, which should be soon.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

Try Everything

 A little update...

Okay, so the collars arrived today. 

I got three in total: black peter pan, white peter pan, and white traditional. I got plain collars because I really don't need anything fancy.

Then I proceeded to raid my closet for any and all sweaters, and bottoms. I tried on many different outfit combinations....

                       

                        

                         

...I wasn't kidding when I said many (some of the outfits aren't even pictured; these are just the highlights). I feel like I tried every possible combination.

Out of all the outfits, my top two are the ones shown below:

I think I'm going to go with the navy sweater. I think it looks better for this scenario (even though the pink sweater is super cute); plus I like that it has the blue and yellow(ish) stripes going across which could represent the two characters (it's a lucky coincidence that they happen to have the same colors).

I'm very glad that I got the fake collars because it would have been a lot of layers otherwise and extremely warm (plus I've been wanting some anyway, so this was a great excuse in order for me to buy them; I can use them in the future).

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

Jolly Holiday

 A little update...

So, next week is spring break. I plan to start filming then.

I think I want to film all of the live action pieces first and get them done. They should be relatively simple to film and shouldn't take too long. Then I can put all of my focus on the animation and get as much of it done during that time as I can.

We're going to be going out of town for a couple days towards the end of spring break, so I won't be able to do anything then. 

Like I said, I want to get as much done as possible during that week because that it when I'll have the most time off from school to really focus solely on it and not have to worry about work for other classes.

We'll see how it goes.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

Everyone wants to be... well dressed

A little update...

I mentioned in a previous post that I wanted the author to be dressed semi-formally, like business casual. I took to Pinterest for some outfit inspiration (still not an addiction).

I came across two styles.

A collared shirt under some type of dress or a collared shirt under a sweater. I think the sweater option will look more casual and may be the better option.

I have a collared shirt and a sweater that I could use, but that would be very... warm while filming, so I ordered fake collars off of Amazon (beauty doesn't always have to equal pain).

I ordered two types... a peter pan style collar and a traditional style collar.

They should arrive this Saturday. When they do, I'll see which one I like better.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until, next time...

Let's Get Together... again

 A little update... 

So today we had our second round of group meetings.

It really helped to ease some of the concerns and answer some of the questions that I had in regard to my ideas and the project.

The concern that I brought up during the meeting was whether the plot line for the animated section of the film was interesting enough or if it need to be more exciting, so to speak. My classmates assured me that they thought that the idea was good and that it would work out well.

I asked them about whether I should open with the live action or animated aspect. I know I plotted out starting with the animation in a previous blog post, but I was still unsure about it (hence why I asked them). The consensus was that it would be better to start off with the live action and have the animation be the surprise, rather than the other way around. So, that is what I will be doing. It's an easy fix to make.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

I'll Make A Character Out of You

 A little update...

We're finally getting to the characters. There's only going to be three (after last year, I really didn't want to have too many): Author, Character A, and Character B (I will get around to properly naming them soon).

I would like for them all to be female (especially because it's currently Women's History Month). 

Character Personalities

Author

The author, I don't think will have much of a unique personality. She's going to be pretty basic as to be more relatable to the audience. Also, the film won't be focused on her personality.

Characters A and B

Character is is meant to be bubbly and excitable while Character B is more logical (kind of like opposites). Character A is going to have a lot of energy while Character B is going to be quite sluggish (only being there because she has to be).

Character Designs

Author

As mentioned (many times), the author is going to be a live person. For her, I want her to look somewhat professional, but not overly (business casual, if you will). So, nice clothes (maybe a nice sweater), hair done, etc.

Characters A and B

Okay... so, I am unsure if I should make the characters look more realist or more cartoony. More cartoony may make it more fun, visually interesting, and play into the story/fiction aspect of it all. But having them be more realistic may be more engaging for older audience members. (I'll make mock-ups of the characters and decide which I like better, but I'm leaning toward something more cartoony and completely unrealistic)

Character A will have tones of yellow, while Character B will have tones of blue.

I have some people in mind to play these parts, I just have to talk to them and see what they say (I'll make an update about that when I get to that point).

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time... 

A Step in the Right Direction

 A little update...

Now that I have an idea of what I'm doing (thank the heavens), it's time to start writing the script.

I used the website Celtx to write my scripts because it's easy to use and allows me to format it like a real script.

The script follows the same plot that I discussed a couple posts ago. 

I'll outline it here:

It starts with the two characters sitting down to work on a project and having a conversation.

A scene of Author comes next; they add more context to the scene.

The animated scene starts from the beginning, but with more detail. The characters possibly comment about deja vu before continuing with their conversation. Character A is getting super excited about the project while Character B becomes skeptical. Character B takes a second to respond (a possible "Line?").

Author is shown thinking about what to write for Character B's next line of dialogue.

The conversation between characters then continues.

Author is shown trying to write a scene, but keeps deleting it (scenes possibly playing out in animation), before ultimately deciding to skip it and write it later. They move on to a later section of the story.

Characters shown wearing the costumes that Character A designed for them. Character B expresses their distaste.

A pause where the characters aren't talking; author shown as having gotten distracted by something and wasn't writing the next lines.

Film ends with Author getting a text/call/reminder and having to go.

This is the basic outline of what the film is going to be (I know it's not exactly the script). I may edit things as I go if I feel the need to.

I'm going to develop the characters more later on.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

A Cover is Not the Book (or is it)

A little update...

It's a little early for this (at least I think so), but I've had an idea for the title/credit sequences. (I think this goes to show that a schedule isn't the end all, be all; although I didn't think I'd be straying from it so early.)

I was talking with a friend about the progress of our projects while working on the script for my film, and they mentioned that they were working on their title sequence. So, naturally... I started thinking about mine. And I got a brilliant idea (well, at least I think it's brilliant) and had to drop everything.

Since it's about an author writing a story, I came up with the idea of having the font be in the style of a typewriter and the title/credits use the typewriter effect (where it looks like the words are being typed on screen).

So, I'm gonna do an example version to see how I like it.

In order to achieve the effect, I watched a video on YouTube from Booker Films to learn how to do it. I used the program Adobe Premiere Pro to create and test the effect.

Here is the tester that I created. I really like it; it came out well (if I do say so myself). I think I'm going to use this effect for the film; it goes well with the idea.

Anyway, that's all for today. (I'll talk about the script in the next blog post, I promise)

Until, next time...

The Bare Necessities

 A little update...

So, plot... is a thing... that I need to develop.

As I learned from last year, a good plot is a necessity to make a good film. It's like the foundation of the film. And to once again quote George B. Hinckley (it has been a year since he made his initial appearance), "You can't build a great building on a weak foundation," (we're still not talking about actual buildings though).

What I know for sure is that there will be two components to the film: the live action author and the animated characters of the story.

The live action parts will be pretty straightforward, the author writing, deleting, editing, thinking, etc. Basically, normal things writers would do. Probably muttering to themself about whatever they're doing/thinking (I can't be the only one).

The animated parts are where I ran into a bit of a road block. I wasn't exactly sure what to do for it (i.e. what the storyline should be). 

So, I took to Pinterest (no, I do not have a problem; it is not an addiction) and searched for some writing prompts for inspiration. I found a few quote prompts that I thought could be interesting:

Character A: Okay, so what if-

Character B: No

Character A: What do you mean no?

~~~

Character A: Don't worry! I'm an expert!

Character B: Watching one video doesn't make you an expert

~~~

Character B: We look like idiots

Character A: Yeah, but we're fancy idiots

~~~

I figured, since they all have similar vibes, I could combine them. From there, I got the idea of the two characters having to do some sort of school project together. Character A is very excited and getting ahead of themselves while Character B is trying to be very logical.

After coming up with that idea, I took a bit of a detour...

At first I wasn't sure if this idea was engaging/interesting enough (cue a lot of self doubt and considerations of scrapping the whole thing). I asked a friend and they said as long as I create it and execute it in an engaging way, then the idea should be fine. I'm still a little on the fence about it, but that's what I'm going with for now.

I was also uncertain about whether I should start off by making it known that it's just a story being written by the author. It could be interesting to not reveal it right away. So, the film would open with the animated characters and then the next scene would reveal that the author is actually writing the story instead of the other way around (it probably makes more sense visually). But I don't know which would be more effective.

After a lot of thinking, and doubting, and more thinking, I arrived at my final destination (gotta keep this car metaphor going).

This film kind of has a "slice of life" vibe, but if it was a fictional story being written by an author. I don't hate it. I think this just might work out.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

Make the plan, Execute the plan, Expect the plan to go off the rails, Throw away the plan

 A little update...

From my experience on last year's project, I know that making a schedule or some kind of plan is important if I want to pull this whole thing off. So, this is the tentative schedule that I've come up with:

Week 4 (3/8-3/14):

- keep working on planning

- build a more solid idea, build up characters

- create a storyboard

Week 5 (3/15-3/21):

- start filming

- start animation

Week 6 (spring break; 3/22-3/28):

- continue animating

- start editing process

- start working on social media page

Week 7 (3/29-4/4):

- finish animation

- continue editing

- finish social media page

- start post card advertisement

Week 8 (finale week; 4/5-4/12):

- finish post card

- finish editing

- final touches

- ccr

-reflection

--

So, hopefully all goes according to plan. It's very broad, not many specifics, but I've also learned to be prepared for hiccups and the unexpected. Last year I learned that things will go wrong and curveballs will be thrown regardless of how well I plan everything out; I shouldn't stress too much over everything going perfectly. That probably won't stop me, but it's something to keep in mind.

This is just meant to keep me on task and give me a timeline so I'm not cramming last second (again).

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

We're All In This Together

A little update...

Okay, so today we had a group meeting. I was able to discuss my idea with the rest of the class. Unfortunately, I didn't have much to say (except for the basic concept of what I'm going to do).

Everyone expressed that they liked the idea and thought it was interesting. I'm relieved everyone liked the idea; now I won't have to come up with something new. So, I have that going for me.

One of my peers asked if I was going to be doing lego stop motion again. Like I explained in a previous post, I had been considering it, but ultimately decided to not do it again. There's a few reasons as to why I decided against it. It takes a lot of time to make a good stop motion animation. A lot of time and effort. And space (last year I had commandeered my sister's room while she was at college, but she's home now, so...). Also, I wasn't sure it would fit in well with the rest of the film; I think it would look disconnected. If I have time, I may create a small sample and see how I like it, but for now I'm sticking with my idea of an animatic.

The factor of time was also brought up. As I've mentioned, animation, of any kind, will take a lot of time to complete to a satisfactory level. I'll be creating a schedule at some point next week, so I can plan everything out and keep myself on track (I don't want a repeat of last year; trying to cram a few months worth of work into a few weeks. Yeah, no thank you). Hopefully, I'll have plenty of time to execute what I'm imagining.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

A Whole New World

A little update...

Okay, since I'm relatively new to the world of animatics, I thought I'd look up some examples. So, I searched 'animatic' on YouTube. There's a couple different types and styles of animatics that I found.

Most of the animatics I saw were rough sketches and had little to no color; they were in gray scale or monotone. A few had pops of color here and there to distinguish between characters, add emphasis, or convey a certain tone/emotion. Very few animatics were fully colored.

None were incredibly detailed, as that would defeat the purpose of an animatic, but some are definitely more developed than others.

This is an example of a monotone animatic with a pop of color (Twisted by Rajarin Tokairi)

This is an example of a completely monotone/gray scale animatic (Monster by Arianwen44)

This is an example of a completely colored animatic (Little Miss Perfect by Carmenlee)

There are a few different types of animatics that I noticed:

There was the music video, where a song was chosen and an animatic was created for it. It detailed a story that went along with the song. The characters were either original or from a popular movie/show (a type of fan-fiction). These seem to be the most popular.

Hey Brother | OC Animatic by Rajarin Tokairi

There was also the ones recreating popular scenes, movies, or musicals.

Hamilton: the animated musical by DragonBlaze X

After looking at quite a few animatics, I noticed that everyone had their own style and own way of doing them. There really is no correct way of doing an animatic, it depends on the artist. That gives me a lot of room to work and create my own thing.

For now, I think making it monotone/using gray scale would be the best way to go as it would save time and is the most popular method of creating animatics). I might adds pops of color here and there, but I'm not sure yet. If I have time, I may add more color/details, but it's not a priority.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

Be Our Guest

A little update...

I'm still building the foundation of this film. And part of that, is target audience. My short film would definitely be targeted towards authors; all kinds of authors. I think a younger to middle aged audience would be best, due to the nature of the film. 

The target audience of a regular comedy film is both men and female of a wide range of ages. The lower the rating, the wider the audience. Family friendly movies, G-rated movies tend to attract younger kids as well as older adults and everyone in between. While PG-13 and R-rated movies have a smaller audience ranging from older teens to young adults.

The target audience of animated films tends to be children, younger people. Many adults tend to watch animation as well, especially parents with their kids, but they are usually targeted towards kids.

The rating of my film would be quite low, as there will not be anything in it that would be inappropriate for younger viewers.

Taking all of this into consideration, I think a good target audience for my film would be both male and female authors, ranging from teens to more middle aged adults (13-35). I didn't include anyone younger than a teenager because I don't think most of them would have the experience needed to relate to the film. Also, I didn't go older due to the animation that would included. Animation tends to appeal to younger audiences. Older adults may watch my film, but it won't be targeted specifically towards them.

All socioeconomic levels would be included as well. The film would appeal to anyone who is an author as it focuses on the process of writing a story.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

Into the Unknown

A little update...

I mentioned when discussing the idea for my film that I wanted to incorporate some type of animation into the piece. I think an animatic would be the best choice; I think it would give that "work in progress" feel that the film is about rather than any other type of animation.

I considered doing lego stop motion again, but I don't think it would really fit in with this idea. I also considered doing a full animation, but that would require a lot of time. I believe that an animatic would work well for what I'm trying to do.

First of all, what exactly is an animatic?

Well, an animatic is a preliminary version of a movie. Basically, it's a story board turned into a video with an added soundtrack (an animated storyboard). 

The goal of an animatic is to define the timing of a piece. So, the frames of the storyboard have been timed to provide a basic idea of what the finished video is going to look like.

Animatics are used mainly in the pre-production stage of a film or animation. This is part of the reason why I think an animatic would work best for my film, as it conveys that the story isn't finished; it's a rough draft that's still being edited. 

Animatics are quick to produce since they are derived from the story board and don't require a smooth or completed look.

This is an example of an animatic (left) and an animation (right) from Boords

Despite the fact the animatics are quick to produce and don't require as much as a full out animation, I'm still going to be doing my best to make it look good (so no stick figures).

I'm still not 100% sure what the characters are going to look like (I know I want there to be 2) or what they're going to be doing.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

Dig a Little Deeper

A little update...

As promised, I'm back with a more in depth look at observational comedies. Honestly, I didn't too may details about observational comedies.

Observational comedies are a form of humor based on the more common aspects of everyday life. The humor is derived from the premise of "Have you ever noticed...?" or "Did you ever notice...?" This is followed by something that is (hopefully) universally familiar for everyone, but not so obvious that it has been consciously noticed by people. Anything too obvious or obscure won't have the same comedic effect. The event has to be relatable to the audience. Observational comedy is considered to be "funny because it's true."

It includes long monologues of personal narratives. The punchline is either hard to predict or never comes.

What I've found is that observational comedy tends to be used mainly by stand-up comedians (as they're long monologues and meant to be relatable to an audience), but I think the concept of observational humor (finding humor in everyday tasks) can still be applied to my idea.

My film would be focusing on a common aspect of everyday life as it's about the struggle/process of writing something. It wouldn't consist of monologue; it would be a visual representation of what it's like instead.

Anyway, that's all for today. 

Until next time... 

Once Upon a Genre

A little update...

So, genre.

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what genre my film would fall under. I think it could be considered a comedy, so that is what I'm going to go with.

I researched the genre of comedy to find out more about and see if my film really is a comedy.

Comedy films are described as "make 'em laugh" films; they are meant to elicit laughter from their audience. They are usually light-hearted dramas (although they can have a darker/more serious side) that amuse, entertain, and provoke enjoyment. Films under this genre usually have a happy ending

In a comedy, the situation, language, action, and characters (so pretty much everything) are exaggerated for a humorous effect. It is meant as an escape from day-to-day life.

Some believe that the term of comedy is too broad to describe a film, so I started looking into the different sub-genres of comedy.

Comedies can exist as a sub-genre under other major genres (romantic comedy, horror-comedy, etc.); however for the purpose of my film, I believe Comedy to be the major genre.

There are many different types of comedies:

Situational comedies derive humor from having a group of already established characters and exposing them to different situations.

Slapstick comedies were more popular during the time of silent films since they don't require any sound to be effective. It is considered to be primitive and universal comedy as it uses broad, aggressive, physical, and visual actions (a pie in the face, chase scenes, etc.). 

Gross out comedy relies heavily on vulgar or sexual humor and often contain a lot of profanity.

Observational humor finds humor in the common practices of everyday life.

A parody film satirizes other film genres or classic films.

Straight comedies don't fall into a specific type of comedy; they use comedy in a broad sense, for comedic sake.

Surreal comedy includes behavior and storytelling techniques that aren't logical. It has strange juxtapositions, bizarre situations, and abnormal reactions to normal situations.

There are many more sub-genres and hybrid sub-genres that I found, but I don't think they're too relevant to what I'm doing for my film.

I believe my film would fall into the category of an observational comedy as it focuses on a common task; it's an aspect of everyday life.

In another post I'll look more into observational comedy.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

I Wonder...

 A little update...

When I first started thinking about this project, I had absolutely no idea of what I was going to do. I thought of doing a mystery again, but I wasn't really into that idea. So, I did what I usually do when I need inspiration. I took to Pinterest. I mostly just scrolled through, falling down multiple rabbit holes, trying to find something that would spark an idea, anything really.

And it worked.

As I mentioned in my last post, I have a few ideas for this project (thank you, Pinterest).

I also mentioned that the majority of my ideas were along the lines of a hero vs. villain storyline; I really enjoy comics, superheroes, and supervillains. I had quite of few ideas along that line, but not all of them are very feasible fo this project. So, I narrowed it down to two. 

I also came up with a few different ideas. I had a lot of ideas in general, but I managed to narrow it down to the four that I thought were best.

The first idea is a hero vs. villain storyline. Hero and Villain are friends and unaware of the other's alter ego. The film would chronicle their day. It would be of a similar structure to the movie Last Five Years. Hero's storyline would start at the beginning of their day and end at the end of it. Villain's storyline would start at the end and end at the beginning. The scenes would alternate, with one shared scene in the middle. I was playing around with the idea of doing it with some sort of animation.

The second idea is also a hero vs. villain storyline, but focusing on the villain. Villain would be trying really hard to be evil or bad, but their deeds are seen as good instead. For example, Villain steals candy from a child, but the candy was actually poisoned/toxic, so they end up saving the child's life.

The third idea is an interaction between a personification of death and a guardian angel. They're arguing about whether or not Death should claim the Angel's charge... again. It's a recurring conversation as the charge always seems to be doing something that they either shouldn't be doing or something that could potentially be dangerous to them. In the end, the Angel wins... again.

The fourth, and last, idea is about the process of writing a story. Every time the author makes an edit to the document, it would be reflected in the scenes of the characters (if that makes sense). So there would be two aspects to it: the author (live action) and the characters of the story the author is writing (animated). Every time the author is seen seen making a change, we see the effect that it has on the characters.

I was originally thinking of doing one of the Hero vs. Villain storylines, but I'm not sure I'd be able to do either effectively. The third idea would rely heavily on the dialogue being amazing (it would really make or break the film), and I don't think my writing ability is good enough. 

At the moment, I'm leaning more towards the fourth idea of the writing process. I think it could turn out either really great or potentially really boring. I'm hoping for really great.

I'm kind of excited to explore this idea further, so we'll see how it turns out. There's still a lot to do.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

Start of Something New

An update...

Okay, so I have officially chosen which package I am going to do (cue the confetti canons).

I am going to do a short film.

Of course, I still don't know what I'm going to do for sure, but I already have a few ideas that I'm considering. The majority of them seem to be along the lines of hero vs. villain, so we'll see where that leads.

After all, there are no such things as dumb ideas, right? Right? I guess we'll find out.

I'm going to think about it for a little bit, and get a rough outline of each idea. Then, I'll decide on the final idea for the film.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...

Remember Me (We're Doing a Sequel)

Hello World! It's Chelsea. 

Here with an update...

I'm back... with another project.

This time it's the A Level portfolio project. I have yet to decide what I'm going to do (unfortunately), but I thought I would just introduce the topic as it's been quite a while since we last left off (almost a year now).

There are four different options I can choose from: music promotion package, film promotion package, documentary package, or short film package.

I already know that I don't want to do the music promotion package (I don't know any artists/bands) or the documentary package (I don't have access to anything I think would be interesting enough for a documentary).

That leaves me with the option of a film promotion package or a short film package. 

As seems to be the standard, I have absolutely no idea of what I want to do at this point. I don't know which option to pick, let alone what the idea will be. But I will figure it all out... eventually.

Of course, I'll keep you updated with whatever I decide to do.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Until next time...