Finals time

So here is the final version of the film as of the end of the semester. I really hoped to have it finished, but other class work got in the way. I am planning on definitely having it done by the end of summer, since all I really have to do is complete cleanup animation. Also, I will try to fix the first scene with the bus, since having a moving cutout doesn't really work. Like it's been suggested in class, I'll probably make a Maya model and trace over the animation. Overall, I'm pleased with how far this film has come.

Just Down the Road from Stacy K on Vimeo.

Progress update for March 28

Cleaned up some scenes and composited backgrounds into the film. I like the look of it so far, even though the timing on some scenes is a little bit off still. it goes by too fast in the beginning and some cuts are too quick. Some of the feedback was that the boy accepts the dog too quickly, so I'll maybe add a little quick scene of making the decision.

March 28 progress update from Stacy K on Vimeo.

A finished scene

An example of how the finished film might look like once I....eventually...finish. I'm not sure about the clash of the painterly background with the more stylized and flat animation, I might go back to tweak the background to match the overall look a little bit.

Scene 24 from Stacy K on Vimeo.

Backgrounds, backgrounds everywhere

I think painting these backgrounds is my favorite part of this project. Here's some more, showing the transition from bright sunny day to all cloudy and moody to match the feeling of the film. I believe I've got about two thirds of all backgrounds done now. I may finish all of them by the end of next week. The animation takes way longer :(

More bus stop

I have about a million views of this bus stop in the film.... as fun as it is making these backgrounds, I wish I had something else to draw :) Also, I cannot draw asphalt. The next film will be set entirely in an indoor environment, ha.

Another couple of backgrounds

The large one for when the bus is coming down the road and two smaller ones for closeup shots.

Midterm presentation

Below is the workreel for my movie as it stands so far. The most notable changes from the previous presentation and the animation in the beginning and some dog animation in the middle of the film. I had planned on having a lot more done for this presentation, but I did lose a chunk of time working on my portfolio and other things, so I got just a little of the final animation finished. My original plan was to have all of my final animation done by the end of February but of course I can see that's impossible right now. I will of course make up for this in the future, but I need to make some adjustments to my schedule. I'll probably shoot to have most if not all animation done by mid-March, and of course the break will help a lot with getting that done and coloring some more backgrounds.

I really don't like the run cycle for the boy in the beginning, but I'll leave it as is for now, and if I have a little time at the end of the semester I'll work on it some more.

2/22/11 workreel update from Stacy K on Vimeo.

Some animation

Animation in the first two shots completed last week. The movement in the boy's run is a little jerky, and I might update it after I finish everything else. I feel like I'm still keeping pretty well to the schedule, although I will probably go over by a week or two in order to finish and color all the animation.

2/16 progress Update from Stacy K on Vimeo.

Rough animation

Over the past couple of weeks I have completed all the rough animation for my film. Several of the scenes still need to be worked out in terms of timing, I feel as if it is sometimes rushed, but if I extend several scenes even by a little bit, that will add more length to my film. I'm at two minutes nineteen seconds right now, and would not want to extend it any further. That said, I'll still add more frames where needed now that I'm starting cleanup. The last scene in this work reel is a pan that needs to be worked out, which is why the characters just walk off the screen.

Untitled from Stacy K on Vimeo.

Updated poster

I've tweaked the one-sheet design to reflect some changes I made. I'm sure I'll work more on it before completing the final version at the end of this semester.

Bus stop model

I've built a simple Maya model of the "set" I'm using for my film to help me with perspective issues when doing layouts. I'm taking screen grabs and then drawing over them.

Work reel update

This is my work reel so far. I plan to finish all rough animation by February and then work on final animation.

Updated animatic from Stacy K on Vimeo.

Backgrounds

I've done a couple backgrounds from the first part of the film over the winter break to get the feel of what I want the finished film to look like. While I like the partially realistic style, my finished film will probably look rougher to better match the backgrounds to the animation. Once I do some clean up, I'll know more about how I want the whole thing to look.

Updated character sheets