animation exercise 2

This is a simple exercise I've taken from the "stopmotion pro" website.

Make a ball go crazy in this tutorial that explores the concept of "replacements". Replacment is basically substituting models between frames.  You can save a lot of time using this technique

 

Make 5 round balls all the same size. Deform 4 of the balls so they end up looking like this. 

The ball on the far left has been slightly squashed vertically, this will give you ball a bit of squash when it jumps around.

Leave one of the balls round, this will be the "normal" position of the ball between movements.  The remaining three balls should be made conical, this is the stretch to give your ball speed.

Use the round ball to start with, shoot a few frames of it stationary. Capture a frame of the ball in the new position.  You can then position the next replacement ball shape.

The image below shows one of the movements overlaying each other.  You can see the relative positions of each of the substitute shapes.

Note how the vertially squashed ball is used the frame before the "normal" ball.  This helps give the ball an elastic effect.

Go ahead and try your own timing, add extra shapes and slow the animation down.  Stretch the balls even further and really make it shoot about.

Tip: A few frames (5 -10) of the ball stationary will give your audience time to catch up

What makes a good short film

 

When you write a short film, think of it as if you’re telling a joke.  “a duck walks into a bar and orders a rum and coke.”  Just as all elements of a joke support the punch line, so should every element of your story support it’s structure – nothing is extraneous; every element leads to an inevitable, yet surprising, conclusion.

When you create a story, you must let the audience know the reality of your story.  “When a joke starts like that, no says its ridiculous, they accept it because its the first thing they are told.  You understand the reality of that world from the start.

Here are some rules to writing a good short film, I know creatives don’t like rules, in fact you’ll probably want to break them and that’s fine if you do, but you need to know them and understand first

Keep it simple

·         Simple single situations
·         One conflict that intensifies
·         A single memorable moment (an adrenaline moment)
·         Slices of life
·         Demonstrations of personality

 

Create conflict

Conflict = drama.  3 types of Conflict
 ·         Character vs character
 ·         Character vs enviroment
 ·         Character vs self

Story is king

Every production element in a film is purposefully designed for the good of the story.  It is through your story that your characters are revealed and that you communicate with your audience.  Without story all you have is technique.  An audience might forgive poor technique, but they will never forgive poor story.

 Know your concept, theme or meaning

This is not the premise or plot of the piece, it is the broader idea the underlying meaning. 

 Create memorable character

An audience loves a good character who intrigues or enchants them.

 Show, don’t tell

The golden rule. Always strive for the most visual way to tell your story.  Don’t have someone say “he’s a miserable old git” show he’s a miserable old git.

 Know your ending

If you write without destination you sure as hell won’t reach it

 Entertain and respect your audience

Intrigue your audience. Take them on a journey that exceeds their expectations and leave them somewhere that made their trip worthwhile. 









For more information along the same lines check out the book
"ideas for the animated short"                            

video tutorial

Here's a short behind the scenes film, from a series called "Raa Raa the noisy Lion" that I worked on.

animation exercise - bouncing ball

A good place to start with your animation is with a simple bouncing ball exercise.  You don't any puppets and it incorporates rhythms, weight, arcs and timing.

Point your camera downwards towards your desk or floor then use a coin and then follow the spacing on the diagram below to make it look like it's bouncing.  The ball should move slower at the top of the arc where momentum turns to gravity.

Try it several times each time try express different weights/types of ball by varying the spacing and the height

If you use plasticine or blu-tack you can include some squash and stretch as the ball impacts onto the ground.

Photography 101 - depth of field

If you’re going to use a DSLR you need to understand the relationship between aperture settings and shutter speeds. 

Aperture settings, known as f-stops, are found on the lens barrel of the older manual lenses, but if you use a modern electronic lens you’ll control it through the capture software.  The largest aperture (when the iris is open widest) is the smallest number - often around f/2.8, and the smallest aperture will be the largest number (say f/22).  Each change in f-stop setting halves/doubles the light reaching the camera sensor.

By changing the aperture setting on your lens you take control over the depth of field.  The smaller the aperture, the more you get in focus.  A wider aperture enables you to soften the background or foreground in your image. 

Each time you adjust the aperture setting you’ll need to adjust the shutter speed to compensate.  The larger the hole in the iris, the more light comes through - so your going to need a faster shutter speed and vice versa.

You should be able to control the shutter speed through the capture software.  The higher the number the faster the shutter speed – so 1/4 is a quarter of a second fast and 1/16 is a sixteenth of a second.  In normal photography a slow shutter speed would blur movement and fast one freeze action, but in stop-motion the camera’s locked down and the puppet will be still, so it’s not going to really matter.

Merry Christmas