Trap Sheets

monster moon

500 word review of Semester

500 word review of Semester:
Happy with the amount of work that was achieved this Semester, as well as guidance and hands on help received from teachers. Composting, Animating, Color correcting as well as advice on building networks were all appreciated, and without such words of wisdom I feel I would have been left in the dark regarding some crucial aspects of both the film making process, and getting people to see my film.
Publicity was a subject that simply had not dawned on me, and thanks to my teacher we were given opportunities to talk to industry professionals, received positive feedback and constructive criticism on our individual DVD covers and work. We were also shown how to construct a press kit, and without the subject, two years worth of animating would have been for naught, as film festivals tend to look over your art without the publicity aspect of it.
Constructing and maintaining a blog was beneficial as it encouraged me to continually put more hours into my project, as well as providing teachers with speedy updates of problems we had ran into during production. The blog also operated on a publicity level, as it helped establish a fan base, as well as providing opportunities for the older students to see what the younger students were up to.
It was good to see the teachers bind together to help out the animation students, with some even doing over time, or helping students out on their breaks. Stress levels were extremely high towards the final stages of production, but all flared tempers and panics were dealt with professionally.
A lot of work has been put into organizing the screening, and we have been awarded with good career opportunities with some industry names that hopefully will make it down to see the clips. The teachers encouraged both the Screen and the Animation students to combine powers in order to construct invitations, as well as combining networks, which will hopefully be fruitful.
Recommendations were good; such as being encouraged to get business cards and Dl cards to add a professional flare to interactions with possible networks.
Furthermore, getting help from other students was a god send, as the experience directing, and the bonus work load seem to be crucial within the world of animating. All the Students treated each other with a mutual respect, both on a humane level and an artistic one.
No one’s movie was unfairly criticized, and there were no in fights throughout the entire 3 year course. Rumors and gossip tended to be a problem towards the end of the year, with tensions running high, but I suppose that comes with any working atmosphere.
All Equipment was provided, and it was rare to have to wait for Microphones, or the sound library.
The new library was unreal, with plenty of rooms to be booked, as well as allowances for hiring movies. The animation DVDs and books are well stocked, and recommendations towards which books were best for which skill level were given frequently.
A big thanks to ALL of my teachers for helping me out throughout the course.
It was a shame to see that Toon Boom never made it onto the school computers, as I feel the course has mainly catered for Stop-motion and 3d. Extra production classes would have been beneficial, as well as practical and theoretical Acting classes would have been a great help in an Animation stage.
Tutorials should be played in class, with exercises to accompany them.
Future students should be familiarized (or reminded) of the current roles found within the Animation Industry, and they should be encouraged to select one to specialize in.
Future students should also be constantly encouraged to take an active part in other student’s productions, across all year levels. CONSTANTLY. More marks should be awarded for team work, as I felt students who had spent a bulk of their time helping others didn’t receive praise from the teachers often enough.
Social functions or camps should be organized as well; to boost confidence in communicating, directing, and networking, as well as increasing morale and bonding between the teachers and the students. Students were constantly encouraged to be brave and approach industry professionals, but many were too timid to do. The student body, and the skill and duration of the movies presented by Holmesglen’s’ students will be increased dramatically if all year levels are encouraged to interact.
Again a massive Thank you to all of the teachers, for all the overtime, advice, encouragement and patience, as well as the ability to collaborate.

DL Card

He who fights monsters

Nom nom nom

Lil' bit of a critique

Feeling that computer generated realism was no longer accepted with a knee jerk reaction of approval, I opted for more stylised cartoony characters, which seem to be absent within the 3d world. Given the fact that a lot of Pixar’s characters begin to look the same, and other production companies follow its inspiration, everything begins to look somewhat similar. I exaggerated my characters to have enormous heads comparative to their bodies, giving them an infantile appearance. I think it worked well, allowing for the big expressive faces to convey what they were feeling to the audience, as well as equipping them with an innocence in a world that was quite dangerous, adding to the character vulnerabilities.
To compliment the visuals of the characters, I designed the world to be somewhat abstract in ways, wherein the Shepherd’s shack tits atop what looks like a giant gum ball world. Fences line the horizon in jaggard chaotic formations, and debris litter the ground. I didn’t want to design something that looked polished, and tidy, which is sadly what the industry seems to want, but rather I created a world that was ruggard, and believable, and at the same time; out of this world.
Drawing influence from Shane Acker’s 9; and the stitch punk genre I incorporated a nice textured heshen sack look to the Shepherd, both because it gave the character a peasant, poor man feel, and also as a tiny tribute to the short film.
As far as the story went, I always found it difficult to squeeze in some interesting plot points, as well as gags within such a tiny time frame, and with limited resources. But none the less, I feel I created a nice well rounded story.
In a way, I tried to incorporate some religious undertones in the piece, to give it a more complex back-story and to add a little bit of intrigue into the gaps, or parts of the story that aren’t told; such as “how did the monster lose his eyes?”
I tried to craft my characters out of opposing forces. The Sheppard must be both tender and strong. He must utilize traits central to the female, as well as the male. Character’s like reluctant prophets, cowardly fighters, sympathetic monsters, all of these creatures with opposing personality traits fascinated me. They build tension all on their own, because tension and contradiction are inherent within them, breeding obstacles both within the mind and the characters’ world, as well as any other who would dare cross their path.
Using a blind monster gave me interesting tension building opportunities, as the Monster can be allowed to creep incredibly close to the characters, but still there is a chance he might not have cottoned on to them. He was fearsome, and creepy, but I wanted the audience to feel sorry for him, to relate to the fact that he has no choice but to try and find food aimlessly. I used a talented voice actor to portray the monster, who used a bizarre mix of laughing and crying to accurately reveal the two sides to the monster, sympathetic and by making him a sympathetic villain, I gave some room for the audience to hate on the Shepherd a bit more, who would obnoxiously abuse his sheep in comical ways. The hook “He who fights monsters, should look to himself that he does not become a monster” was a hint towards who the real monster of the story is, throwing a nice twist into a generic “hero fights monster” story arc.
I got worried at certain stages that these little hints of character weren’t strong enough, but in hindsight I feel it’s good giving an audience the ability to be intrigued by little details, however hidden they are, to subconsciously soak up information and interpret the story as they see fit.

Brooding away in Darkness

Shep occlusion pass

Sheep throw

I've done multiple renders of the sheep throw, trying to match his lighting and color, but again having a lot of trouble.
I've copied the stats for the lights used in previous scenes, but again it doesn't seem to be matching up perfectly. Might have to adjust the color in post.

Too dark?

Shepherd loads snare

And a dash of occlusion

Finding the right contrast

The Monster cometh

God mode

Not a real guitar

Monster Hand

Bait scene