Tuesday 15th December

Meeting at 10 in animation room

bring your stuff for show and tell

Sarah

Meeting for Updates

Yo guys!

Since Mike has allowed an extension for the year on 302 Im gonna take tomorrow to tweak my essay before handing in. I cant come in for Friday afternoon, Next Monday or Tuesday Morn.

So when's best for you guys to meet next week as we need to discuss/split up the modeling as well as address our feedback from the 2nd pitch?

Sarah

Meeting for Sound

Were meeting Pip from Sound Design Weds 2nd Dec at 11

Sarah

Animatic

Here for the worlds viewing pleasure, Gnomes Animatic - Woooo.


Took agggggggess to upload onto YouTube.

Meeting for Sound: Dates?

Hey Guys,

what day would be best for people to come into college next week as i'm organising a meeting with Pippa from creative sound design whose interested in working on the film :)

The dates Pippa's available

monday, tues, weds and thurs morning so letme know asap so i can let her know

thanks

Sarah

Hand In Folders: scrap everything i said before!

Hi Chaps

Were making 1 CD for the whole group!

so after speaking to Mike yesterday he suggested if it was easier than you can hand in a group CD.

This is defiantly easier and it will stop us repeating things like the synopsis etc etc AND will show Mike exactly who has done what for the project this term.

We'll burn everything on my Mac this Friday 27th so make sure you have everything ready in its appropriate folders, labeled and presented blah blah blah AND the doc with the link to your blog.

Be in for 1pm

Since the pressure has been lifted eeeeeeeevvver so slightly, i suggest we spend the next couple of days updating our blogs cough cough ADAM....im looking at you in particular.

Keep up the good work :)

Sarah

Pitch

Please could you all email me (rave mail) your:

• environment concepts
• character concepts
• prop concepts
• maya renders
• colour/texture work
• any other pre production images youve done for the project!

to me please so i can fill out our presentation

Adam: don't forget to scan those drawings of mine i did for you please

thanks guys

Deadline Hand in Folders

Hey guys

just been reading Mikes email again as well as the handout that was given last week and looks like were to hand in SEPARATE cds in FRI 27TH NOVEMBER BY 4:30pm

Deadline Change: Hand In Folders / Sound

Hey Guys,

Just read an email from Mike saying were handing our CD Fri 27th no later than 4:30pm.

Therefore, since we need to concentrate on the animatic and stuff for the second pitch am changing the day we burn our CD to thursday 26th November! In the mean time, keep collecting together all your visuals the way Mike has suggested in his mail as well as working on your individual areas for the project.

SOUND : this is for everyone, please start looking for soundtracks that we could possibly use for the film. I know we haven't really discussed this a lot, and i never imagined the film to have a full on soundtrack, more something quite light and playful but any suggestion are welcome.

SOUND EFFECTS: please everyone search for, download sound effects for the animatic, not just the section your working but ones that could be used throughout.

a few suggestions of what we need:

gentle breeze

sounds of leaves - sound of crisp packets (grigsby)

footsteps for the characters

character sounds:

Macho Gnome working out, showing off, lifting, suggestions of strength, anger etc

Hero perhaps humming as he's working? fright from Macho Gnome, sighes at Lady, clever creative impressed sounds at himself when hes wooing her, shock when shes smashed, attention getting noises, Ta da! triumph noise for when Hero rebuilds/reveals the new Lady.

Lady Gnome oos and aahs, giggles/laughs, humming/singing perhaps?

Smashing pottery

Neighbourhood sounds - cars, kids in other gardens maybe?

Heavenly ambiance - of vision of Lady to Hero all the leaves falling etc

Throwing sounds/falling sounds for the stones

Record Scratching sound - when Macho bursts on in and breaks the dream

Clapping

Camera pan movement sound - emphasize the speed of whip rounds

Pulling the fork out of the ground - could be a sword sort of noise - clang of metal?

BOOM! a thud noise for when the pot hits the ground

Sellotape sounds....pulling etc for credit sequence - this should be really manic...like a creative evil genius at work!

Ok thats all i can think of for now guys, feel free to add more

Keep up the good work everyone, were almost there :)

Timing Worries

Right ive just scanned in my half of thumbnailing and done a quick rough time test, and its come out at 1.19 and feels rushed. I'm not sure how reliable these timings are because of the roughness of the thumbnails but its nearly a 50% overshoot. I think what we're gonna have to do on monday is film ourselves acting it out quickly then splice that together into a film and see what that result on that is, cuz if we are overshooting we're either gonna have to cut some of the story or extend the screentime.

New animation studio.

Gotta leave this gap cuz the films are a stupid size.




Saw this a while back.

This was just the teaser and at the time looked quite interesting but i forgot about it after about 20 mins.

Now they've just released an actual trailer for the film and i think the character conflict premise hits pretty close to home for gnomes.



Apparently Universal have jumped on the animation bandwagon and started the production house - Illumination Entertainment. Theres very little info about this new company, and fresh new company often means inflation after the first year or two, which means jobs.
The problem - they're based in california....bugger...

After seeing this new trailer im really quite looking forward to this film.

weds 11th nov note

wont be in until half 11 today lads as i got a couple things to sort out here before hand.

we need to discuss the environment - especially grass heights etc as the ratio of grass to character is under constant debate now

go through storyboards - this may have to be left until thursday as i think we all need time to work on our presentations today

see you soon chaps!

Deadline: Hand In Folders!

Everyone met deadline today which is brill, shall make a start on the giant colossal mood board ready for the 2nd pitch so thanks everyone for that

As you know, second pitch is 23rd Nov, we have 2 working weeks left on the project before this date and whilst we all know we needs to be done for this I need you all to START creating your folders of all your work ready to burn our CD for Mike.

This folder should be categorized as your name with a word doc containing the URL of your individual blog and then any seperate folders for concept (rough and neat) colour or textures test, storyboarding, scheduling....basically everything you've done this term for project Gnomes. Start this NOW because its not a 5 minute job and you wanna make sure your credited for everything right?

As the 20th draws closer we'll discuss more about the disc but get those folders ready NOW!

Cheers :)

Deadline: Mood Board

Please create a folder of all your images you've included on your personal mood board.

Deadline to give this to Sarah to compile into final mood board is Thurs 5th November and should be transfered via pen key.

Images to be either psd or jpeg format please

Thanks Guys

Formative looming!

Just incase you haven't seen the email, we have a formative meeting this Monday 26th October with Mike from 10 - 12:30.

Please make sure the following is complete for then...

• your blog is up to date with relevant images/analysis what have you


• any drawings/sketches/reference research/designs/blue prints/layouts etc etc are printed off BEFORE monday i.e printed off and pinned up on the boards for tomorrow

cheers guys!

No idea what the game is about but cool textures. Not your average Pixar 3d colours etc etc..



Also this looks good texture wise.

example

Found this little 3d animation where watercolours have been used, although it has black outlines on so its not the best example buts its something at least. It takes a while for the animation to kick in.

in this world...

a couple of brief points about objects in the world

• no symmetry

• no perfect shapes

these are my big no nos. Theres nothing more boring to look at than boring perfect shapes, the more you play and tweak things to be slightly off the more interest it creates for the audience...

examples!

simples

just seen this advert again and its another good demonstration of using simple characters with interesting textures. Notice how the mums and little girls dress has the frill which is similar to our lady gnomes and hero gnomes beard (currently) - how i imagine it would look in 3d! heres the ad and a few print screens for reference:

Poster

The poster that we had to do for Gareth.

Gnome Eccentricities...

Just stumbled across some info about the Garden Gnomes Liberation Society. A whole society based around taking the piss out of garden gnomes and acting as if they're living creatures that need freeing from their owners.

Examples of the GCLS.
Gnoming: The act of kidnapping gnomes with the intention of releasing them back into the wild. One frenchman was recently charged for the kidnapping of over 170 garden gnomes.

The Traveling Gnome Prank: Popularized by the film Amelie, a stolen garden gnome is given to someone who does alot of traveling (usually and air hostess or pilot) who then take photos of the gnome at various landmarks and sends the photos back to the owner.

In 1998 the GCLS demanded that garden gnomes be given basic human freedoms, when they were ignored a mass suicide took place. Villagers of the town of Briey(eastern france) woke to find 11 gardens gnomes hanging by the neck from a nearby bridge. The suicide note stated: "When you read these few words we will no longer be part of your selfish world, where we serve merely as pretty decorations."

You couldn't make this stuff up!

More UP stuff.

Just browsing around and found some in house footage of the making of UP. Kinda nice to see a more real example of how Pixar works without John Lasseter gushing over everything.

Some more films to look at.

Have been looking at some stuff from Ringling College, some good stuff worth giving the once over.

Oxygen:
Not the best animation or a good stylized film but a really REALLY clever outline and delivered well.


The Enlightened Monk:
Not really a good story (too cute and fluffy with a weak ending) But the monk character face is pretty much how i'm viewing our gnomes looking. This is well within our limits.

stylisation

some images of stylized props/design within animation. There's no use replicating reality...what is the purpose of animation otherwise? Even if its a slight adjustment of height/width or shape it can dramatically add so much more to the piece. These moments all pass us by in seconds in film but its worth considering every element to be styled in order to create consistency and interest in the world we create.

Pixar's Up

Studio A.K.As Lost and Found

just noticed this too in Up. Carl's front door has some interesting textures used to create the look of his old wooden front door, looks like lots of layered up pen scratches.

Creepy Little Blighters

The Gnomes are on the rise!!!

This is some footage shot in Argentina and is (honest to God!) supposedly legitimate footage of a gnome (if u got you're earphones on mind the sound, cause the cameraman shrieks)



This was caught just last year, and sparked a rise of reported gnome sightings in the area.

Screw animating, lets just go to Argentina and bag one of 'em.

pre production to do list

so after reading through the brief, we've already been marked 20% for this unit from our individual pitches at the start of term. For the other 80% we must pitch the idea once more as a team along with the following....

• a final script
• developed storyboards
• working animatic with sound and some colour
• rough and finalised concept art
• model sheets
• character designs
• environmental designs
• mood boards
• colour scripts
• plan/budget/schedule for production.

its a lot to do and those weeks are just gonna fly by so we need to push ourselves more to get this done to top notch quality....but hey....we can do it yeah :)

more inspiration...

Another great short from Gobelins that demonstrates a fully developed story with appealing characters but above all SIMPLICITY. Love the ending twist, definitely something that relates to our film.



p.s where could your animated short film end up.......

More Pixar stuff

Cropped up in convo earlier when talking about it so though i'd post some nemo stuff here. Tis amazing how many different colours you can get under the sea.



And I got loads more if anyones interested.

Also found a link to this website the other day- http://www.penciltestdepot.com/
Its still a relitivly new site so theres not masses on there yet but the stuff that is there is amazing and really shows off the skill some of the more expierianced 2d artists have. (Watch some Milt Kahl stuff, the guy is unbeleivable)

1st team meeting with Mike and Dave

Today was our first meeting with Dave Bull and Mike Smith to discuss the progression with our story.

We received some very positive feedback with the overall development of the piece. Mike and Dave loved the new ending we'd come up which is great as now all we have to focus on are the gag parts before hand and then tweak ready for boarding.

What we need to work on...

Increase the conflict between Macho and Hero Gnome in order to really play at the love triangle scenario.

The gags - moments where we see the Hero try and mimic the villain and fail terribly before the finale/turn about of the story. Hero Gnome would be asking himself:

• why's she going for him?
• whats he got i havent got?

Show that Macho Gnome isnt actually interested in winning Lady Gnomes heart, its just competition for him, sport....he's more in love with himself really.

From point A to B we...

• set the world


• show how the world works (within constrained time limits)


• establish where the action/story is occuring


• Introduce the characters - Hero Gnome and Lady Gnome. We need to see that he is smitten with her (this would be slower pacing to the rest of the story)


• Then she goes off with the Macho Gnome


• We see the series of gags - Hero Gnomes failures


• Need THE pinicle moment to lead to the resolution


• Then...the twist

Bam...now get the film done!!

Great first meeting team, lets keep up the good work :)

Colour Script Inspirations

The art of the incredibles book provides a masssssss of inspiration for concepts, quick sketches but most of all THESE GEMS by Lou Romano. His colour scripts give insight to atmosphere and show the gradual change throughout the entire film. If we could get a few images like this together it would be brilliant to include in our concept work guys! Hope it inspires you :)






I also found Lou Romano on blogspot, click the link to check out some more of his concepts:
http://louromano.blogspot.com/2008/10/more-incredibles.html

the film pledge

to create a short film that demonstrates a stylised aesthetic with a fully developed story with humour for audience enjoyment. Simplified designs that allow for interesting combination of texture and colour palette that give substance and depth.

It goes without saying but please keep a digital copy of all sketches and designs for the blog and for the group wall in the 3rd year room.

Short Story Inspirations

some example animation shorts that i believe deliver fully developed stories with interesting scenarios. First two are taken from smashing magazines list of top 25 animated shorts. I've picked these in particular because they demonstrate nice twists to the end of the story. This unpredictability is a nice smack in the face for the audience and something i wish to emulate in the gnomes film.

In the rough by Blur Studios

Bananas by Zach Parrish (think this was his creation for his final project)

Sticks by the Brothers McLeod

Gopher Broke again by Blur Studios

Style Inspirations

My idea for the film takes inpsiration from volumes and shapes but collates with interesting and unique textures to create a piece that typically doesnt look CG. Objects within the world aim to have great depth and substance. I wanted to create a highly stylised looking film that delivers a developed story with humour for audience enjoyment. My inspiration for the story came from my love of duo character conflict and rivalry and the fun it creates for entertainment.

Studio AKA Lost and Found

Studio AKA Varmints

Blue-Zoo's Those Scurvy Rascals

Stitch up Showdown by Blue-Zoo...can't embed that one unfortunately but follow the link to view 9 episodes of that lil gem!

Studio AKA Bright Top Ups Advert

Pib and Pog by Aardman....supposedly for children but with a smidge of violence...i quite like that balance :)

In the beginning...

Team gnome (working title) is expanding, and it seems thought it would be a good idea to create a team blog to post up videos of inspiration, designs, colours anything you can imagine that will help keep everyone on track about what the films about. Anyone freelancing on this film will be able to look through all the materials in order to get up to speed on things without them having to sit there listening to me go on and on and on and on and on...............and on.

Anyway, if your a contributer, please link yourself to this page and vice versa and check out the team members blogs.

Thanks

Sarah :)