Blurred Visions

Jan 14, 2012

Trying to make a Short Animation Film: Part III

What I wanted to write about was this simple piece of advice I came across which suddenly seemed to free me, in terms of the nitty-gritties of making my film.

'Simplify'

I quote from the blog I read it:
""Simplify" is always good advice, and it applies to everything. Simplify your film as much as you can, without making it bland and uninteresting, so that you can spend your time working on the parts that are important. "

Click to read the full article on Temple of the Seven Golden Camels.

It was as if I was liberated all of a sudden, and things began to fall in place in my head.

I was worrying about my need to finish my film on schedule and the restrictions my current amount of animation ability. I wasn't sure if my own doubts have had any effect on my character designs, or story length etc.

In fact the primary reason I had decided to try a minimalist approach for the backgrounds was that I was afraid of the time that might be wasted, not wasted but mis-spent, upon making detailed, extensive backgrounds, which might be better put to use on animation, or improving my animation.
I then, of course, justified this decision with the statement that my film was character-centric!

But reading this post made me realize, that the end ideal is not to have a perfect film, or amazing animation, or beautiful backgrounds/artwork. The point of making a film (or any artwork for that matter) is WHAT I want to convey with that piece of art.
And in the end, what I want my audience to walk away with is the Story. It doesn't matter how I tell it, but the fact that I manage to tell it at all.
So if that means I make minimal backgrounds, or simpler characters, or any other decision, if it works for the betterment of the story, then I should go with it.

Jan 13, 2012

Trying to make a Short Animation Film: Part II

What comes after story?

Well, technically my story is this constantly evolving, morphing monster right now. And nothing happens exactly one after the other like walking down stairs, but rather each step overlaps and affects whatever is right behind or ahead of it.

I have been simultaneously trying to do 3-4 things at the same time. Which may account for some of the confusion one might experience by the end of this post.

Maybe it the wrong way of doing things, and there might be a better way. But right now for me, this is what is helping me move ahead with work atleast in minute degrees.

I am working on my story, storyboard, character design, figuring out the style and treatment of the backgrounds as well as working on my editing, staging, composition and layout skills.

Each pass of storyboard, and feedback received on it is helping me strengthen the actual story. Also principles of composition, layout and staging have to be incorporated in the storyboard as well.
I am also trying to decide how to treat my backgrounds, as I know that if i have detailed backgrounds with a lot of rendering, it will be a whole lot more work, and backgrounds are not my greatest strength. Also, my story is completely character driven, and keeping in mind time constraints, I am considering going with a minimalist approach. So from both viewpoints, artistic and realistic, it makes better sense to spend the time on making clear and simple backgrounds rather than spend more time to get super realistic rendered backgrounds which don't contribute to the story.

So now I'm exploring different styles and treatment for the same.
Artist like Quentin Blake and Ronald Searle come to mind, as well as the animations of UPA, which had such simple and beautiful backgrounds which was perfect for their shorts.

Some of what I've been reading/watching:
http://sevencamels.blogspot.com
http://vancegerry.blogspot.com/
http://animationbackgrounds.blogspot.com/
The 5 C's of Cinematography
The Art of Layout and Storyboarding
Disney's Illusion of Life
Shorts from UPA (watch on youtube)
Thomas Ott's Panopticum (graphic narrative)
Manta Ray's Hush (graphic narrative)

Also, I'm trying to learn about colour in compostion.
Man there are just too many things to figure out! :O

Trying to make a Short Animation Film: Part I

The time has come.
After a year (almost- give or take a few months) of thinking, re-thinking, and waaayy more re-re-thinking.. I have finally come to the point where I am going to take the call to freeze the story for my diploma film.

Short history here- At NID, we come here for a 2 and half yr course, where 2 years are spent on the learning part, and the half (plus another half) are spent on an individual project where we actually apply everything that we learnt in the past two years. In my case, making a short animation film. So.. I'm on my on the last leg of my time here, and I have less than 6 months left to finish said project.

So, back to the topic.

I've decided to make the conscious effort to document (atleast from now on) all that I am doing, reading, writing, thinking and getting feedback on.

Why? Because, technically I have been working on the story of my diploma film for almost 7 months now, and there isn't an iota of actual moving animation to be seen! and if anyone were to ask me what I have been doing for these months, I have tons of writings and drawings, but explaining them seems just so difficult. And, I do know, that I have to finish my project with a complete documentation report of how I went about making it, justify my time take, the resources spent, the choice of story..everything! So.. to make things easier for me, my blog is about to become my journal.

Where have I reached till now?

I have a story (almost!)

So I've been reading a LOT! blogs, books, library, notes from other students and classes...

And I realized, the biggest challenge for me, personally, in making this film, is making choices.

Just a few months ago, I worked on a project where I assisted in inking for a short animation film.

There I realized that if I sat diligently, from 10 to 6, a LOT could be done! I mean, we did finish a 7 minute long film in 3 months! Granted, the pre-production was completed before, and the animators working on the film were much senior to me with years of experience, but the actual animation was accomplished within this short span of time! It was a revelation for me!

Immediately after this project I was to get back to working on my own film once again, and I made thousands of resolutions to work everyday, make a fixed timetable, and actually follow it etc etc,

and well, its almost 2 months now and I have zilch again. And that is when I finally learnt something about myself.

I could work non-stop when there was someone above me to make decisions or take a call on what worked or what didn't. Even though I did get a lot of freedom to try styles and so on, there was always the security in my mind that if I was wrong someone would call me on it.

Here, with my own project, everything is in my hands. Oh, it sounds wonderful, 'You can do whatever you want!' But then bang! comes the problem with that very freedom.. there are so many things I want to do, to try, some might not be appropriate or suited to my story, or those which I like but know I don't have the skills/equipment/talent/determination etc to do and so many other worries.

As it is, I have a tendency to overthink.. about everything! From what to wear to what to eat to myu choice of buying a tablet and so on.

And when something this big is involved, like an entire film, that will later reflect on months of work and has so much riding on it, its just.. so HUGE an endeavor, that it leaves me reeling everytime I think of it.

There are so many steps involved, thus, so many decisions.

Story, script, style, treatment, colour, tone, character design, storyboard, animatic, sound design, animation, style of animation, I could go on for ages!

But what did I learn so far?

That maybe storytelling was not my forte, after all I have taken months to just develop the story idea. But, its a learning process. It is, after all, my first individual animation film.

And everything I read, I have to stop reading somewhere and start applying those to my work.

But it is still important to keep learning, and keep challenging myself. It is a fine line where I have to decide whether to stick with what I know, which I realize isn't much, or try something new, and broaden my horizons. But when that 'something new' is beyond my scope, or just impractical, I need to stop and decide, and impose some limits somewhere. After all I can't do everything I want to in just the first film.

And this is where I stop this extremely long post, saying that I am trying to learn as much as I can, all the basics, principles, rules... and apply them wherever I can, but in the end, have a complete film.

After all if I have things just in my head and nothing to show for it, what is the point?

Dec 28, 2011

Postcards!!

A few of my friends have shifted abroad for further studies; and one of them was telling me how lonely she used to feel sometimes, so far away from home and family.
I myself have been staying away from home for 3 years now, but its still been in India itself, and its pretty fine compared to going to an absolutely new place where people speak funny and look at you strangely.

One of the things she told me was how happy she would get whenever she got any post, the snail mail kind.
Even if it was just junk mail or bills to be paid, seeing an actual envelope, addressed to you specifically was almost like a parcel from home. It beat email hands down! (or atleast that's what she told me :)

So, this year I decided, I would send some snail mail to everyone, for New Year!
Like many of my self initiated projects, I was not sure if I would actually pull it off, considering how lazy I am, and how much I procrastinate.
But then finally I sat, with 2 season's worth of Psych episodes on the playlist, all my watercolors, palettes and brushes spread out and a new bottle of waterproof black ink !Took some time out of my busy (not) schedule, and made about 20-25 postcards for my friends and family, and sent them all off with nice stamps of Rajiv Gandhi on top.

Mini paintings in the making...