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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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.
Anyway, that's all for today.
Until, next time...
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...
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).
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).
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 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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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| This is an example of a monotone animatic with a pop of color (Twisted by Rajarin Tokairi) |
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| This is an example of a completely monotone/gray scale animatic (Monster by Arianwen44) |
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| This is an example of a completely colored animatic (Little Miss Perfect by Carmenlee) |
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| Hey Brother | OC Animatic by Rajarin Tokairi |
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| Hamilton: the animated musical by DragonBlaze X |
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...
