Making a One-minute animation
Our next project is 'Animal Magic'. We were tasked to use or create our own animals, that will be used to tell the story. We are tasked to make a one minute animation. Whether it is on digital or on Claymation. I temporarily chose to do a one minute Claymation (Clay animation) as I was not sure which type of Media (animation) I should go for. And have a comedy drama on Medieval Europe (a spin on Medieval history and on fantasy fiction, the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings). I started my first task which is brainstorming the Themes and Genres. I chose to do a spin on Medieval history and have the story told in a comedy drama. I then did the storyboarding, which helped me build the story around my animal characters.
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The Blacksmith Duckling as the main character. |
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| Making the 'skeleton' for the main characters. |
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Head and legs for the Phoenix, the second main character. |
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A modelling body of the Phoenix No.1
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| A wizard's hat modelled for the Phoenix the second main character. |
The Story behind the claymation
The Phoenix and the Duckling
The Phoenix and the Blacksmith is a comedy drama about a young duckling who spends his everyday life as the blacksmith, making swords and shields in his workshop. He dreamed of becoming a Knight and have quests and adventures to save princesses and ride on wild dragons.Evaluation
The Theme of the Project
The Theme of the Project is 'Animal Magic'. Our task was to explore elements of communication through time based media visual language and the creation of a study into the characteristics, shapes, sizes and form of animals whether living, extinct, or created from your own imagination.
How you have developed or changed your work through the Project
I decided to make a story on fantasy and medieval history (a spin on Knights, Castles and sorcerer's magic) and have the animals play their roles (like they were the characters from a fantasy drama, Game of Thrones). My initial idea was to make a Claymation but my idea to present the characters didn't go well. I had some issues with the models and it took some time to make sure the models are stable enough with added plasticine. And to make sure they won't fall down. This was a learning curb for me as I understood the patience of modelling and making sure the weight of the plasticine supports each other (i.e. adding the legs and feet to the body of the Ducklings, the Phoenix Bird etc.) as this was a learning process when it comes to filmmaking. So I went on to try a digital animation, and after I have spent my time scanning some of the characters from the storyboard, and drawing my character on Photoshop, I immediately went back to Claymation. It was my Tutor Pete who told me he will help me with the scenes of my Claymation as I was forgetful about what we did last week.
How much reference material you looked at, and if you felt it was relevant or sufficient
I looked at the reference of medieval history and how the people were dressed and lived. It gave me an idea of what setting the story would take place whether it's in Ancient History (Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt or Ancient Greece) the Middle Ages (Medieval Europe) or in the Tudors (Henry VII and his six wives, Mary Queen of Scots).
Any Animators, cultures or pioneers which you look at, and how this may have inspired you
While doing the Project, I looked at the history of stop motion and cell animation. I watched the video of Ray Harryhausen's film, Jason and the Argonauts and Disney's most recent film, Frozen. I've also watched the videos of Disney's past animated films, Aladdin, Monsters.inc ,Toy Story, and Sleeping Beauty. It gave me a clear idea of what animation I should use when it comes to telling a comedic story.
How your skills have developed during this project
I've learned that there are other ways to make the plasticine stable. Which is using a special wire that bends metal easily and helps my plasticine models (my animal characters) stay upwards and stable.
Are there any aspects of this project that you intend to explore further? If so what?
If I have the chance to do this Project again, I would do a claymation or a digital animation on Dinosaurs with a James Bond spin (Dinosaurs being secret agents) or Dinosaurs fighting crime with their gadgets (like Power Rangers or the Avengers, Marvel comics' superhero team?).
How have you used any priniciples of animation such as perspective, arc or timing?
I used the technique of claymation. Making the characters in plasticine. In the storyboarding,I have not yet mention the camera views and the background sounds. But they will be used when It starts filming.
What materials did you use,why? Was this successful?
I used the plasticine to show my animation because I was inspired by the animations of Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the sheep, and Chicken Run
What meanings and messages did you want to convey to your audience? Was this successful?
Overall are you pleased with your animation? Are there any elements you like in particular?
Is there anything you
Are there any aspects of this project that you intend to explore further? If so what?
If I have the chance to do this Project again, I would do a claymation or a digital animation on Dinosaurs with a James Bond spin (Dinosaurs being secret agents) or Dinosaurs fighting crime with their gadgets (like Power Rangers or the Avengers, Marvel comics' superhero team?).
How have you used any priniciples of animation such as perspective, arc or timing?
I used the technique of claymation. Making the characters in plasticine. In the storyboarding,I have not yet mention the camera views and the background sounds. But they will be used when It starts filming.
What materials did you use,why? Was this successful?
I used the plasticine to show my animation because I was inspired by the animations of Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the sheep, and Chicken Run
What meanings and messages did you want to convey to your audience? Was this successful?
Overall are you pleased with your animation? Are there any elements you like in particular?
Is there anything you
My film made animation
History of Stop motion and Cell animation
The Lost World 1925
By Willis O'Brien
The film takes place in the Jurassic period when the dinosaurs ruled the earth. It shows Jurassic life of the dinosaurs. It was one of Willis O'Brien's successful achievement as an animator. The type of animation was 2D (not hand drawn) and he used his dinosaur models for stop motion. I think his techniques work, but he might have made many pictures to make the dinosaurs move frame by frame. It might have taken him maybe 20 minutes to make sure his dinosaur models move frame-by-frame. I enjoyed watching his animation and it was interesting to see dinosaurs fight for their survival.
'Suzy Snowflake' 1951
By Rosemary Clooney
'Suzy Snowflake' is a short fairy tale Christmas film. It is a musical animation used in stop motion. It was made in 1951 by Rosemary Clooney. It was a fun Christmas animation to watch. It was made in puppetry with animated backgrounds (i.e. Snowflakes).
Sleeping Beauty is a Disney animated film. It was a classic fairy tale brought to life in a traditional 2D hand drawn animation. The technique they use is Cell Animation (Traditional hand drawn animation). I like the style of the animation but it takes a long time to make a feature length film. I like the style of their drawing, the colours and lighting.
Jason and the Argonauts, 1963 by Ray Harryhausen
Jason and the Argonauts is a greek mythology film made by Ray Harryhausen. It was made in live action with a 2D animation and was also used in stop motion. I like watching the greek myths in the cinema, but in this film, in the scene where the skeletons came to life, it didn't feel a bit real or mix well with the live action filming.
Creature Comforts is a 2D claymation film made by Nick Park (The creator of Wallace and Gromit). It was a comedy about animals being interviewed and what they do in their life. They use the technique of stop motion (Frame-by-frame animation). I enjoyed watching Creature Comforts because it was funny to see the animals share their opinions with humans. The way they model the animals in plasticine. They were very successful because of the interviews they were given.
Aladdin, 1992
Aladdin is a Disney animated film. It was made as a 2D animated film and tells the story of a teenage orphan who grew up in Agrabah, an Arabian-like town. He was also a ''thief'' who falls in love with a princess with the help of the Genie who tries to help him win her heart. Aladdin was one of Disney's successful animated films. It was also made in a cell animation (same as Sleeping Beauty) and it worked. I like this film because it has a lot of humor and heart.
Monsters inc, 2001
Monsters inc is a 3D animated film made by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar. It is a comedy about two monsters who worked in a company as employers. Their job was to scare children so they can generate power to their city known as ''Monstropolis''. The employees James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski accidentally let in a little girl into the monster world. It worked very well as a 3D animated film because it seemed realistic. I also like the humor of the characters.The Incredibles, 2004
The Incredibles is a 3D animated film made by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar (who made Monsters, inc). It was a comedy about a retired superhero who led a normal life raising his own family but misses his old life as a crime fighting superhero. It was made in a CGI animation and it worked very well. I like the visual style and the sound effects to make the film look real and exciting.
Frozen, 2013
Frozen is a 3D Disney animated film. It was Disney's recent film. It was based on a princess with the power to turn things into ice. She doubtedly cursed her home in infinite winter. Her sister, Anna, teams up with a mountain man, his playful reindeer, and a snowman to change the weather condition. It was made in a CGI Animation. I have not yet seen Frozen but it was Disney's successful musical film.
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