Chris' Storyboard Sketches - What I've had to work with ^^

 
Been quite a long time since last time, hasn't it? Anyways, we're up and going on our latest project - Storyboarding. A group project.

I'm grouped with CBeYe and Fused-Designs, and as we were assigned the groups, we were to choose one of our stories, and work on it to a storyboard, which is the task we're currently at.

We went with *Gustav's (Fuse)* story. 

We split the story in three, to draw each our share. At least on sketch-level.
I haven't spoken to Fuse since we split the text, since he wasn't there on wednesday, and disappeared before I got a hold of him on Thursday, but at least I've spoken quite a lot with Chris (CBeYe).
Chris isn't to happy about drawing (though he still did his share), and since camera and positions and such isn't my strongest side, we agreed that I "refine" his drawings, and he eventually help me with the camera positions and stuff :3

And that takes me over to my current task. I seriously can't draw anything, at least not a storyboard (several pictures of the same characters in different positions and poses) without a decent model sheet. So I looked a bit around for refrence. 

The Policeman is my biggest challenge, since I don't usually do a lot of big, bulky, muscly men. Therefor I looked at the first that came to my mind: Superman. And other superheroes, such as Batman, and just random "Superheroes" I tripped over in Google Images.
Even though Fuse mentioned in his post that he pictured the policeman as  somewhat similar to Mr. Incredible, I had problems working with that. So I decided to do my own character designs for the storyboard. 

Oh, and I just couldn't help myself - I just HAD to give him bunny slippers ^^


As for the Thief, I just really started sketching some stick figure with a mask over his head. I liked the style of which he turned out, and figured it was something I wanted to work with. When Chris saw my storyboard sketches, he said he really liked that style too, and that made for Point OF No Return. 
We all had this picture of the Thief being skinny, dressed in black, and obviously rather bendy and atlethic. And since I wanted some ref to work with, who better to be used as a (role) model than the one and only - Your friendly neighbourhood SPIDERMAN!!! <3
Combined with the first "visuals" from my early storyboard sketches...
...that pretty much settles it for our Thief:

As you can see, he's completely black, aside from his hood/mask-thingie, which I decided to leave grey, to enable for expressions (see storyboard-attempt-visuals)
...His pose reminds me of Tim Burton's "9" :3


So now I just have to finish about 2/3 of the storyboard till monday, and we're all good ^^
 
For part 1 (of 3) of this project/oblig, we were to make a Treatment. As far as I've understood that's like a résumé/presentation of a story, without conversation or details (e.g. enviroment descriptions, unless dead important for story plot line)

And before we get to the actual story, there's some explaining/background info you should have.

You know when you can't sleep, people always tell you to count sheep? 
Well, think about the sheep. How they feel about it. What if there's one little sheep that can't jump over the fence. Or maybe it's never jumped over a fence before, and doesn't know whether it'll make it or not?

So here's my Story/Treatment:

[Fence'd Treatment]

Clouds, a large cloud in the middle of the picture, text appearing out of it in a blur (blur -> clear text)

"You know when you can't sleep, 
they always tell you to count sheep?"

(TEXT -> BLUR -> TEXT)

"Well think of the sheep...
(But try not to fall asleep...)"

Text disappears in a blur (same way as it appeared) (clear text -> blur)

picture (video) of sheep jumping over a fence, inside of the cloud, grows larger as one "zooms in on" the cloud 
(camera moves closer, cloudy edges disappear as picture is entirely changed to the sheep
jumping over the fence)

[Clouds, text, picture]

sheep jumping over a fence, 
MOVE CAMERA-> several sheep waiting (in line?) to jump, one SMALL SHEEP in the line, obviously NERVOUS (looking around, shivering), does small practise jumps in the line, when it's the small sheep's turn, it hesitates, starts to run towards the fence, but stumbles on the way, starts over, runs toward the fence, but forgets to jump and runs into the fence (headfirst), starts over again, finally manages to jump, but doesn't jump high enough, and gets stuck on top of the fence. 
(gets down/cut-scene?)-> stands in front of the fence, ANNOYED, sighs/shakes head, CAMERA PAN OUT/BACWARD, reveals that the fence ends right behind/outside the previous camera angles, the small sheep walks around the fence

-turns to the camera, pointing its tongue at?

 [Fence'd Treatment]

The title is Fence'd, with the 'd as in Punk'd (MTV series with Ashton Kutcher) or Zaboo'd (The Guild series, episode 2, season 1)
 
I'm in group 3, so we got "Make 5 surprising twists of stories. (E.g. an earthquake, UFO's appear, a gang of thieves steal everything they've got)

Some of my ideas:
Everything seems really scary, like some sort of a horror setting, and then everything's okay (e.g. a surprise party)
Main character/protagonist seems like a hero, but turns out to really be the bad guy

And something I remember from a Mickey cartoon:
He climbs all the way up the mountain, and when he finally reaches the top, he realizes there was an elevator/ski lift on the other side...

 

Straight on to the next Project - Storytelling and Cinematography

Treatment - max 1 A4 page

Storyboard

Animatic

Act 1 - Plot Point 1 -- Act 2 -- Plot Point 2 - Act 3
Picture
 
 
Mkay
I'll start off with saying I hate being so sick I can't go to school >.<
And this time I had to get sick the last week before deadline x_X
Anywayz... Here we go :3

So... how did it go? Fairly okay, considering I always do things the last week, and this time was no exception :P
That is, I had the lipsync already, but the entire body was left... 
'Cause off course I had to choose the entire body to animate, hadn't I?  -__- *stupid me*
I had a perfectly doable basis for a facial animation, which would've worked perfectly if I'd just worked a bit more on the details this last week, but nooo, I had to go ahead and insist on doing the fullbody 'cause the project details said it wouldn't necessarily be as much focus on the head/lipsync (which was pretty good already).
I chose Project 4 pretty much only 'cause I got scared when Project 3 said "Add a background, employ vfx etc. in order to support the final animation."
I couldn't think of a single background or special effect that could possibly fit into my scene... -.-'
Of course, then I found out that it was only a tip, not something we HAD to have... 
...
Moahahaha x3
I'm cheating ^^
I just zoomed in to the head, and rendered, and now I have a quite nice facial/shoulders-and-up animation ^^

So lets just go ahead, and pretend I always intended to do Project 3 xD


My four animation principles:

#2 - AnticipationAnticipation is used to prepare the audience for an action, and to make the action appear more realistic.
I think I've got a fairly nice anticipation - looking away, all the way through the animation hesitant to see the one he talks to in the eyes, or to even look at them at all...

#3 - StagingIts purpose is to direct the audience's attention, and make it clear what is of greatest importance in a scene; what is happening, and what is about to happen. Johnston and Thomas defined it as "the presentation of any idea so that it is completely and unmistakably clear", whether that idea is an action, a personality, an expression or a mood.
In other, or my, words - to present the feeling of the character, to make it clear that he feels bad about it, etc

#9 - TimingTiming in refers to the number of drawings or frames for a given action, which translates to the speed of the action on film. Timing is critical for establishing a character's mood, emotion, and reaction.
Or, as I would say it (at least in this context) when to move the parts, e.g. the lips to make it look convincing, as if he's actually the one saying it. 
I think I managed that mostly quite well. 

#12 - Appeal - Appeal in a cartoon character corresponds to what would be called charisma in an actor. A character who is appealing is not necessarily sympathetic — villains or monsters can also be appealing — the important thing is that the viewer feels the character is real and interesting.
Well I think I managed that quite well too. I think he's got feel to him, and also quite convincing emotions/regret :3


Next step... Planning stages, eh?

Well I did kind of some planning, so here you go:

And you... And you think that killing people'll make them like you, b- but it doesn't! It just... It just... It just makes them dead...

AN  YU     AN  YU  THIN   AT  KILIN    PIPOL    MEIK  DEM LAIK YU   B  BØR I   DØSN     I JØS      I JØS      I JØS  MEIS   DEM  DED

OC  CC    AN  CC  COC    OC COCOC COCC     COC   COC COC  CC   C  COC O   COC    O COC    O COC    O COC  COOC   COC  COC

Also have some sort of sketch, but don't think I'll be able to include it here, since I haven't been able to scan it in... :/

Now lets see - how and why did I do what I did?
Well, I tend to work through starting with some vague idea, and then end up with something totally different than what I initially planned... Things often change a lot as I work, especially when I'm not entirely sure what I want to do...
Like with the arms - I had NO idea what he should do with them, though I'm frankly rather pleased with the resulkt.


Umh... I just realized I'm actually rather happy with my fullbody animation... 
I know! I'll post both ^^
No wait... we'll only get graded on one of them... *dilemma* >_<

Oh well, I've been working a frikkin' week on my fullbody, what the heck, right? I'll just let it rip, and we'll see how it goes :3