Jar Pixie - Final project submission - Mission being the operative word!

Tradigital walk-cycle showing secondary action

This one was from a while ago - clearing out some projects to make way for the final. I got stuck on processing the images in photoshop - I ran into a funny little thing where any adjustments I made wouldn't apply - it put me off it for a while. Eventually I figured out a work around. So this is a pencil drawn walk-cycle, scanned and imported into photoshop, enhanced, bitmaps brought into Flash and vectorised in flash. Backgrounds drawn in flash.

Max Frenkel kobold - Ushan Boyd walk cycle

This link will take you away from this site. You need the Quicktime plugin to view.

https://www.me.com/gallery/#100050/kobold_walk_loop2

It's Alive!!! harharhar.

This link will take you away from this site. You need the Quicktime plugin to view.

http://gallery.me.com/ushan#100050/line_ani_wings

My first animation job

Is teaching high school students animation. I landed at Applecross SHS under the wing of Liz Rankin, following up an email sent from FTI. Applecross are the "Special Art" school - they have a large program of art encouragement. So they are running animation this year and I lucked in. Following in the esteemable footsteps of Steven Grant :)
It's cool, they have dedicated laptops, and programs. However for the first couple of weeks they didn't have tablets (to draw into the computer with). So I started them with plasticine and found objects, and showed them this cat that I had prepared earlier - my own first attempt at stop-motion animation:


And lo, they were inspired...

First Caveman model

Thats my first proper mouth sans mouthbox. Very entertaining.

Anita Salamanca's Pixie Slug won the day

I should update to the latest for the course. At the FTI Animation Course, there is a process for choosing one script per 4 or 5 people out of however many scripts (1 per student - in our case 4). The pitching process is the method of elimination. This involves pitching your brilliant idea to a panel of adjudicators and a room of peers. Elimination is used because in order to complete a script on time you need to have a coordinated team going hammer and tongs on it.

Each of our ideas had merit, according to the panel. In the end, Anita's idea was more open and accessible -  for instance my idea is fairly locked down - I have a defined a lot of it and it doesn't leave much swinging room. However, Anita's Pixie Slug is cute-as-a-button and with a cast of supporting characters and a wonderland to play in, there is plenty enough for everyone to sink their teeth into.

Heaps, in fact. So much so that we need to focus very hard to be sure of getting the job done in time. I am finding the backgrounds are lingering a bit. They need a bit more work than I initially thought to do a job I am satisfied with. Because this will be shown on a big screen, I need to zoom in while painting in Photoshop ( a skill I'm forever grateful for ) in order to get the accuracy required for smooth lines. And that is just the start.

More updates forthcoming. Animation writers group tonight. I shall make the pilgrimage to Leederville to see what the biz is. Part of the reason why is because I have a few stories I want to develop after this course. I can see one method of gaining experience is to create as many jobs as possible through the funding method - for which you need solid story ideas. But more on that another time.

Backgrounds to complete - horizontal and vertical pans

The backgrounds must be done quickly, and well. They will be the first completed items, along with the character designs.
We are feeling the pressure of having a small group. Everyone will have to haul hard to complete this project in time.

3D's Max hotel fly-through complete render

In this final render I adjusted the lights - turned everything down a little - the bathroom was too sterile, now it is comfortable, I think.
Thanks for looking!

Apologies to Gareth and Steven for typo

I said Steven Grant was from Raging Pixel, but in truth he is from Animation Works, while Gareth Lockett is actually from Raging Pixel.

Of course it was a typo. A research typo...

Thanks to Gazza for pointing it - noice one, m888888888Te[*].

[*] - typo.

Wanimate Life Drawing

Location:TAFE, Aberdeen St.

WAM BAM team "Blue Reggae Love"

(L-R: Danial Watson, Ushan Boyd, Adam Harvey, Andy Ng, Bodie Hartley)
Thats right, Bobble Heads are the new wooden spoon.

Revelation Film Fest Animation Showcase

Animations shown:
"7x3", "An Insidious Intrusion", "The Lost Thing", "Petrol Can Rider", "Hog", "Cockroach", "Nest of Skeletons" and others.

Worthy of mention in a positive light is "Petrol Can Rider". Even though I didn't follow it all the way I loved the trad-animation style - pencil and paper.

"An Insidious Intrusion" and "Nest of Skeletons" were thematically linked stop-motion episodes, and followed the lives of a early-human style hunters - albeit insect sized skeletal with a hive - and wings. The sound scape was so-so, but overall the entertainment value was good. Perhaps a bit serious for such a whimsy - but thats just personal taste.

The outstanding work I thought was "The Lost Thing", "Hog" and "Cockroach". All had good story-telling, characterisations and 3D animation. "The Lost Thing" I have been very eager to see, and aside from a certain lightness to the 3D -almost floaty I thought - I loved it. "Hog" was by contrast weighty, with an entertaining if dark story, and funny. "Cockroach" was an excellent live-action/3D mix, funny and well executed.

3D's Max with Max Frankel - First fly-through incomplete render.

Flash Project - first compile - draft

Wanimates Youtube channel

Go here to see all the WAM BAM entries: http://www.youtube.com/user/wanimate#g/a

This is another 2010 FTI animation student's team's effort - Andrew Patterson: Here

More traditional animation classes please!

What I like about this picture, aside from the nice people, is the 1:1 lecturer to student ratio.

Overall the FTI course is great.

However, we have noticed that industry highly values animation principles in it's new employees.

We know it is important to know programs, but it seems that employers - when asked (re: Steven Grant) value animation know-how over program know-how. And what is the best way to drill animation know-how? The broad consensus is "Traditional animation"! Hand-drawn animation experience teaches animation principles more effectively than learning programs. . We the students have frequently asked for more traditional animation and drawing classes. I feel like at the moment, to properly learn the basic and secondary animation basics I will have to undertake my own study away from FTI. Walks, expressions, anticipation, drag and so many other things are learned by discussion and drawing practice. Learning a program's individual idiosyncrasies is not this practice. More traditional please!

Our teams result for Wanimate this year.

WAMBAM comes to closing

The teams are compiling now, most animation has been done. Adam is working hard for our team, pulling th' pieces together. It's been great so far. Very enjoyable.


Tanya, Gareth from Gate Street High and Peter from the Animation Works team.

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Location:Kendrew Crescent,Joondalup,Australia

WAMBAM 2010 has begun....

Ian and Gareth ( Lockett of Raging Pixel Productions )- WAMBAM support team (and much more).