Criteria Presentation – 15th May 2012

……thank youuuuuu

Rotoscope Preview Update

So as this rotoscoping has become second nature to me now, I realise that my drawings have been improving as time goes on.

Here is a new step by step using the visuals:

01 – The footage is recorded, then exported as an FLV format, which makes the asset accessible in Flash, ready for rotoscoping.

02 – Using vector drawing in Flash, the rotoscoped frames appear bold and crisp shown as above. Each frame is drawn using my graphics tablet, and each second of film consist of 24 drawings. Once the guides are drawn in, we can fill the colours in accordingly. After which, we can also draw in additional features. In this case we can draw in a different hair style, and eventually as seen in the film, a suit and tie is also drawn in.

03 – The flash file is then exported, bearing in mind a white mesh is present in the background of the frames. This makes the unused areas transparent for when imported into After Effects. The composition in After Effects is then converted into a three dimensional working environment, in which where we can immerse our Flash created characters, ready for tweening and bringing them to life for the film.

City Comparison

After I downgraded from Creative Suite 5 to Creative Suite 4, I had no choice but to recreate the three dimensional environment using After Effects.

 

The new version is a much more managable terrain. The building Douglas works in is now alot smaller, and the surrounding buildings are more in proportion to the last attempt. Below are some snapshots of the two together:

 

Group Catch-up Sesh!

Today the majority of the class all attended one final session before the Easter breakup, in which everyone shared and discussed their projects with tutor Phil and the rest of the class.

Workstation!

Today I have been working on various tasks, so have been using all the equipment at some point or another. Just thought this layout looked pretty neat, so decided to take a picture

Giving the Characters Their Say!!

So it’s nearly March now (time really does fly so fast when you’re busy) and I have yet to gain some contacts to give my characters the right voices!

I have the voice styles in my head for both on screen characters, but not so much for the off screen ones (as they are heard through the phone). I had some methods planned out on how to attain the voices I am after, one of which would be simply to ask friends and family to lend their voice.

Other options, which would be much more rewarding, would be to contact a Talent Agency to borrow somebody’s voice for the day. I have found one specific website whilst hunting, which looks promising. The website contains a library of audio samples from each individual, making it easier to pick out the voice I am after. The agency also has a connection set right here in Bournemouth, which offers great convenience for travel and money for both parties. You can view the site by clicking on the cute little frogcat below:

The other option I had in mind was to go on a quest to find the right voice, using services such as Youtube and Skype. This would give me the opportunity to use voices from all over the globe! With todays technology now in existence, why not make the most of it??

I will update, as always, once I have some exciting news which is worth reporting on the matter!

AE Camera Update

It’s been very tricky getting round these cameras again I must say lol. Spent a few days having near on no sleep, with  lots of coffee, trying to tween and rotate the cameras to get as smooth shots as I can for my film.

It’s still being a little stubborn, but I am seeing improvements in my knowledge with the functionality of the cameras. For example, last year I paid zero attention to the POI (Point of Interest) function in the camera settings. I picked it up the other day, and found the cameras to be much more obedient with positioning and tracking.

Once I have some shots looking presentable, I shall upload some footage to this blog, as I know it’s been a while since I have exhibited any work.

But watch this space, as some is coming!

These Lips Are Made For Talkin’…

…and that’s just what they’ll do, after doing some research on how to make my characters get their speech going with some moving mouths.

I have looked up some tutorials on how to lip sync a character, some lip imagery, plus clips from animated shows:

This sort of research is helpful to me, as I can distinguish which mouth forms fit specific pronunciations of words, simply by looking at this photo. My characters are all rotoscoped, so the mouth movements are already in place naturally, but this works as a guide for say the pieces of footage which are harder to study.

Some animated shows I enjoy, such as Archer (below), use Flash animation. This is how I am accomplishing my visuals. The mouth movements are slightly more wooden in this show, but the system of following a key list such as above is still used.

The other thing I have noticed whilst researching is how there is always a bottom lip line drawn to subtly frame the mouth, but not a top lip line. This is a mistake I was making at first whilst animating my characters lips. The mouth looks too bulky if all the detail is taken into account. It can be done, but it is a delicate and impeccable process.

Below is a tutorial I was looking at earlier. Never mind the content used within the tutorial, as it doesn’t look anything like my style, but the method and points they make during the tutorial are ones t

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