After meeting with Rachel and recording her dance routine, we discussed the reasoning behind her movements. She described the motions in her routine as representations of her life so far; it isn't a move-by-move story about her life, but more an interpretation of how she felt at times.
One of the main feelings she had at a pinnacle time in her life was feeling lost, but she eventually found her way, settled in to her environment and found people to talk to about her feelings. This instantly gave me ideas about how I could animate this film, using faded people in the background to show that she's looking for someone.
I could even ask another dancer to create another routine in response to this, to turn it into a story of how two people - lost in the ways of life - can find each other in the end.
Being lost ironically gives me a clear goal to aim for in developing this project; the colour scheme, staging of the characters, and music will all be influenced by this main concept, so now I can get started on creating the visual style for this piece.
Feeling lost is associated with feeling sad and alone, so using gloomy colours such as blue and grey would be appropriate to use, to give the audience a sense of the sadness the character feels. Blue is meant to be a relaxing colour, so it depends if the dance becomes frantic with a lot of sharp movements, or slow and calm as she steadily tries to find her way, as to if using blue is the best option.
Overall I feel good about the direction the project is going, I have a clear sense of the concept, which is a good start into the development of my film.
Tuesday 23 February 2016
Monday 22 February 2016
Reference Video 1
After working on this dance for two weeks, Rachel was ready for me to record the footage today!
Overall I really like the routine; however it turned out to be 3 minutes 45 seconds long so I had to cut it down, especially if I end up incorporating the aerialist dancer too. There are some sections where she is on the floor and the action isn't quite clear from this camera angle, but I will look closely at those parts as I analyse the film further to see if the should stay in the routine or not.
When asked what the reasoning was behind creating the routine in this way, she explained to me that she used emotions from her own life to express how she felt through dance; using this dance as a general symbol rather than specifically miming her life story.
The overview of her emotions in this piece is representing her feeling lost - in some of the movements incorporated into her routine, she looks behind her or into her surroundings as if hoping someone is there. With little details like this I can use animation to project whats going on in her mind; for example when she turns around I could draw another person in the background, either replicating her dance moves or just watching over her.
The music she used in the background when dancing her routine is called 'Hey There Delilah' by the Plain White Ts. It's an acoustic piece, so it's slow, quiet and relaxing. I want to collaborate with a musician to create an original track for my film, however I'm not sure what kind of music would suit my film the best yet. I'll develop the visual style and make sure I have all of the footage I need, and then I can allow the musician the final month of my project to develop the track whilst I'm animating.
In the edited video there are a lot of jumps where I have cut it, which give me the opportunity for either some nice transactions or for it to fade into the second characters routine - I will establish if I want to use another routine before making any final decisions.
See here for the original 3 minute video.
You can view the edited video here.
Overall I really like the routine; however it turned out to be 3 minutes 45 seconds long so I had to cut it down, especially if I end up incorporating the aerialist dancer too. There are some sections where she is on the floor and the action isn't quite clear from this camera angle, but I will look closely at those parts as I analyse the film further to see if the should stay in the routine or not.
When asked what the reasoning was behind creating the routine in this way, she explained to me that she used emotions from her own life to express how she felt through dance; using this dance as a general symbol rather than specifically miming her life story.
The overview of her emotions in this piece is representing her feeling lost - in some of the movements incorporated into her routine, she looks behind her or into her surroundings as if hoping someone is there. With little details like this I can use animation to project whats going on in her mind; for example when she turns around I could draw another person in the background, either replicating her dance moves or just watching over her.
The music she used in the background when dancing her routine is called 'Hey There Delilah' by the Plain White Ts. It's an acoustic piece, so it's slow, quiet and relaxing. I want to collaborate with a musician to create an original track for my film, however I'm not sure what kind of music would suit my film the best yet. I'll develop the visual style and make sure I have all of the footage I need, and then I can allow the musician the final month of my project to develop the track whilst I'm animating.
In the edited video there are a lot of jumps where I have cut it, which give me the opportunity for either some nice transactions or for it to fade into the second characters routine - I will establish if I want to use another routine before making any final decisions.
See here for the original 3 minute video.
You can view the edited video here.
Sunday 21 February 2016
Conversing with Rachel
It's been nearly two weeks since I met Rachel Nagy in person, and she's ready for me to record the dance routine she's made!
She sent me a rehearsal that she recorded earlier in the week, so that I can get an idea for how it's going to look... Once I've seen the performance in person, recorded it and looked through it a few times I will be able to establish if it's the dance I want to use for my project.
I told her about wanting to work with an aerialist dancer when we met in person two weeks ago as well - I haven't heard anything from my initial contact since then, but Rachel has given me the contact details for an aerialist in her class who is willing to work with me, so I can potentially combine the two dance routines to make my animation more interesting.
My next step is to go to the studio with Rachel tomorrow morning and record the routine for my reference.
She sent me a rehearsal that she recorded earlier in the week, so that I can get an idea for how it's going to look... Once I've seen the performance in person, recorded it and looked through it a few times I will be able to establish if it's the dance I want to use for my project.
I told her about wanting to work with an aerialist dancer when we met in person two weeks ago as well - I haven't heard anything from my initial contact since then, but Rachel has given me the contact details for an aerialist in her class who is willing to work with me, so I can potentially combine the two dance routines to make my animation more interesting.
My next step is to go to the studio with Rachel tomorrow morning and record the routine for my reference.
Tuesday 16 February 2016
Matt Jones' Blog
One of the main inspirations for my work is Matt Jones; I found his blog in my first year of study, but his life drawings are works of art in themselves.
One particular post, 'Drawing with Force', displays some of his life drawing sketches. He doesn't have any descriptions next to them, but it's easy to tell that he is skilled at drawing basic poses. A guest speaker that inspired him to draw these was Mike Mattesi, the same man who created the book 'Force: Dynamic Life Drawing For Animators'.
Some examples of his work are below; using black to sketch them and then going over them in red marker pens really makes the poses stand out - they look rough but accurate, which suggests he drew them quickly. The line of action in each is clearly arced and dynamic, and it's obvious where the weight is shifted on each pose based on the way the character leans. Despite there not being a definite floor to make it obvious as to where the weight is, you can still tell based on the shape of the figure what they are doing.
After looking at his work, it has inspired me to practice drawing using different materials, such as pens, ink, and graphite pencils. A link to his blog is here:
http://mattjonezanimation.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/drawing-with-force.html
One particular post, 'Drawing with Force', displays some of his life drawing sketches. He doesn't have any descriptions next to them, but it's easy to tell that he is skilled at drawing basic poses. A guest speaker that inspired him to draw these was Mike Mattesi, the same man who created the book 'Force: Dynamic Life Drawing For Animators'.
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| A screenshot of Matt Jones' Blog |
After looking at his work, it has inspired me to practice drawing using different materials, such as pens, ink, and graphite pencils. A link to his blog is here:
http://mattjonezanimation.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/drawing-with-force.html
Monday 15 February 2016
Adobe Kuler
This doesn't mean that every colour it suggests will definitely work together, but it's a good tool to help me understand what shades to use when colouring my work.
Here's an example of each colour rule available on the website:
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| Analogous |
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| Monochromatic |
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| Triad |
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| Complementary |
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| Compound |
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| Shades |
I think for my project, either the monochromatic or shades options would work best, since using more than one or two base colours could become too complicated. Once the concept of my film is decided, I can then figure out which colour will best portray the emotions of the characters.
Friday 12 February 2016
'Thought of You' Analysis
One of my main inspirations for this project is Ryan Woodward's 'Thought of You'. The reason it's so inspirational to me is because it's an expressive hand drawn film that uses body language and creative animation to portray the characters emotions. The sketchy, unfinished lines are what bring it to life, because it gives the viewer a taste of how it's made, and Woodward's process of drawing, which keeps the 3 minute film more interesting to watch.
By only using the basic shapes of the human body, rather than creating detailed character designs, allow the viewer to focus on the actions and relate to the story more, instead of focusing on the image. Even though the story is only basic and not very clear, it leaves the film open to interpretation, which engages a wider audience.
Since the female character is ghostly (a figment of his imagination?) this gave Woodward the opportunity to use creative ways to animate her. For example, in the first three screenshots below you can see the process between the female figure and her disapparating into thin air. The animation in this particular sequence is very loose but captivating and animated very smoothly.
In my animation I would like to involve disapparating and reforming of the human figure, as transactions between movements; however this depends on how the dance routine turns out, and if it requires a smooth animation or a rough film to suit the music.
By only using the basic shapes of the human body, rather than creating detailed character designs, allow the viewer to focus on the actions and relate to the story more, instead of focusing on the image. Even though the story is only basic and not very clear, it leaves the film open to interpretation, which engages a wider audience.
Since the female character is ghostly (a figment of his imagination?) this gave Woodward the opportunity to use creative ways to animate her. For example, in the first three screenshots below you can see the process between the female figure and her disapparating into thin air. The animation in this particular sequence is very loose but captivating and animated very smoothly.
In my animation I would like to involve disapparating and reforming of the human figure, as transactions between movements; however this depends on how the dance routine turns out, and if it requires a smooth animation or a rough film to suit the music.
Achieving the line of action in an animation (or any film) is important, since it draws the viewers eyes to certain aspects of the film (this is more down to the staging of the scene) but the smooth arcs created by the dancers graceful movements become more appealing to the eye. In this particular example below, both dancers are momentarily paused in this position, and both have a clear line of action.
Another factor to consider whilst animating is the weight of the characters. Woodward managed to use this creatively by exaggerating the size of the limbs as the male dancer tries to move, making it seem as if they're stuck to the ground; whereas earlier in the sequence the female is hovering in the air for a few seconds, before being caught by the man.
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| Heavy weight |
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| Light weight |
A lot of aspects in this film are amazing; with the help of the choreographer and dancers, they have pulled together something to be proud of. I will take this as an inspiration towards my film, considering every aspect as in depth as Woodward has (hopefully).
Monday 8 February 2016
Coffee Meeting
After sending my poster out to the Dance Studio Leeds, my project has gained interest from a student at Leeds Beckett university. She viewed my Linkedin profile, which prompted me to send a message to her to see if she has any interest in my project; it turns out she did, so we decided to meet up in person to talk about the work we could potentially be doing together.
Once in the coffee shop, she told me about a 20 minute piece that she's just about to start making. Her schedule lines up with mine quite nicely; her uni requires her to have 3 minutes of footage ready for the 18th February, which she is happy to let me use. This is earlier than I had expected, so if all goes well I'll have all the reference I need by then, instead of in March.
We discussed what kind of movements I would want to see in the routine, if there should be big motions or little details - since she's allowing me to use part of her 20 minute routine (which she's collaborating on with two other dancers) I'll allow her to develop the concept with the dance partners she works with.
In terms of music, I will consider getting in touch with music students to compose a piece of music to suit the dance, unless Rachel plans to use a specific piece which she'd allow me to use too. I suggested a ballad piece would be better for the animation I want to make.
We have arranged to book a studio space on February 22nd, so that I can see the routine in action and record the reference for myself. From now until then, I'll keep researching and practicing drawing, while she creates the routine and sends me short video updates whenever she can; she's open to suggestions or ideas I might have concerning the routine - for example if I decide to create a background I could see if she can incorporate that into the routine, interacting with objects or props.
It turns out Linkedin is actually a good place to get in touch with specific people; it notifies you when someone views your profile, which is how I found out that Rachel was interested in my project. As well as having a direct messaging system, I could also have published my poster advertising my project, which could have been spread around by anyone who saw it. This would have reached a wider audience, however for now I don't think I need it.
It turns out Linkedin is actually a good place to get in touch with specific people; it notifies you when someone views your profile, which is how I found out that Rachel was interested in my project. As well as having a direct messaging system, I could also have published my poster advertising my project, which could have been spread around by anyone who saw it. This would have reached a wider audience, however for now I don't think I need it.
I'm looking forward to seeing how this collaboration progresses, and seeing if her final routine will be something I want to animate.
Thursday 4 February 2016
Aerial Dancing Practice...
Since being contacted by an aerialist dancer, the idea of using this technique in my animation is very exciting. After watching some videos on Youtube as examples of aerial dancing, I have noticed a lot of it relies on the poses set by the dancer at each stage of the routine, as well as the set up for it. It looks like it takes a lot of physical strength to perform a dance of this kind, so I really need to show the focus in weight and the strain on the silk as the dancer moves in order for the animation to be believable. Here's an example of aerial dancing:
From this I have taken poses to sketch, as practice incase this idea develops further. With these sketches I wanted to practice gaining the 'line of action' in a characters movements, so in my examples I've marked each with what I think represents the action.
I observed the video above to create these drawings, and I think most of them are fairly accurate; I've noticed that all of the positions look arced and smooth, as opposed to a straight line - even when her leg's bent they aren't completely angled.
With this in mind, I will watch the dancer I end up collaborating with to see how smooth her actions are, and after practicing looking for the line of action, I should be able to draw poses more accurately to keep them interesting throughout my animation.
From this I have taken poses to sketch, as practice incase this idea develops further. With these sketches I wanted to practice gaining the 'line of action' in a characters movements, so in my examples I've marked each with what I think represents the action.
I observed the video above to create these drawings, and I think most of them are fairly accurate; I've noticed that all of the positions look arced and smooth, as opposed to a straight line - even when her leg's bent they aren't completely angled.
With this in mind, I will watch the dancer I end up collaborating with to see how smooth her actions are, and after practicing looking for the line of action, I should be able to draw poses more accurately to keep them interesting throughout my animation.
Statement of Intent
Earlier today I had to submit my statement of intent, describing my project in detail and my plans for the next few weeks. Since I don't know who I'm definitely using as reference for my dance or music, I had to be quite vague about most aspects in this form; I have described why I want to animate a dance routine and that I plan to start animating in a months time, but I haven't listed anyone who might help me.
Overall I think I should be able to manage this project quite efficiently, as long as I get the reference from a dancer soon so that I can move on with the rest of the project. For now I can start doing material and animation tests to try and decide how I want my film to look - but I can only do so much of this without knowing the concept of the dance.
Wednesday 3 February 2016
Aerial Dancing
I got a response from the advertising of my project; an email from a dancer based in Bristol who particularly admires the short films 'Thought of You' and 'Duet' that I included as inspirations in my description. She told me that a particular skill of hers is aerial dancing, with silk or with a hoop, which could be an option for me to animate.
I had never considered this type of dance as an option for my film, but now that it has been brought to light and after seeing examples of the positions and movements that can be achieved, I believe it is a beautiful art form.
Since Gemma has shown interest in my project, I will definitely consider this as a type of dance that I can animate - I'll see if she can send me any evidence of dance she has done so far and see if she is a person I can collaborate with.
I had never considered this type of dance as an option for my film, but now that it has been brought to light and after seeing examples of the positions and movements that can be achieved, I believe it is a beautiful art form.
Since Gemma has shown interest in my project, I will definitely consider this as a type of dance that I can animate - I'll see if she can send me any evidence of dance she has done so far and see if she is a person I can collaborate with.
Monday 1 February 2016
Academic Poster
Just like in my other module COP 3, I am required to create an informative poster describing my project - except this time I will be sending it to 'the Dance Studio Leeds' to see if any student at their school is interested in choreographing a routine for me.
After receiving good feedback from my first academic poster for COP, I decided to create one with a similar layout for my idea proposal:
After receiving good feedback from my first academic poster for COP, I decided to create one with a similar layout for my idea proposal:
These first two versions of my poster turned out very text-heavy and bland; I wanted to get the information across, which I have done, but after receiving feedback from a few classmates I realised people might not notice it if it was pinned up on the wall. They suggested I change the font, make the images bigger, put less text, and make the title stand out more.
I agreed with them, so decided to make the alterations, which lead me to create this:
This looks much better then my initial poster, because I removed the subheadings, and split the text up with bigger images. I tried to summarise what I want to say in fewer words as well, so that it doesn't sound like I'm over compensating for anything.
I received much better feedback on this version, because I altered everything they suggested and the text makes sense, short and to the point. One point of improvement was altering the title - maybe changing the colour of it to make it stand out, which lead me to one final edit:
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| The Final Poster |
I decided to use a shade of blue from the bottom image on my poster to edit the title colour, since it looks more colour coordinated and stands out slightly more. I also decided to change the colour of the contact details at the bottom of the page to make them stand out as well, and to make the page feel more symmetrical and finished.
Overall I'm happy with the final result; it gets my point across well and will hopefully attract attention from the Dance Studio Leeds, as well as any other schools I potentially display this poster in, if it's needed. For now I will wait for responses, and start calling the dance schools if nobody gets back to me in a few days.
Emailing Dance Schools
In the end I decided I'd send an email with a brief description of what I want to get out if this project first, and then if no one responded within the week I'll start calling the dance schools.
I sent the email last night to 'the Northern Contemporary Dance School', 'Phoenix Dance Theatre' and 'the Dance Studio Leeds', and have so far received a response from the Dance Studio! It basically says that if I create a poster and send this to her, then she will display it on the noticeboards around the school and online.
It will be a good idea for me to complete this task and send her a poster, since having the information displayed with my contact details should hopefully gain more interest from the students, which is more likely to gain me some contacts. My new task for today is to complete this poster ready to send back to Katie Geddes by tonight/tomorrow morning.
I sent the email last night to 'the Northern Contemporary Dance School', 'Phoenix Dance Theatre' and 'the Dance Studio Leeds', and have so far received a response from the Dance Studio! It basically says that if I create a poster and send this to her, then she will display it on the noticeboards around the school and online.
It will be a good idea for me to complete this task and send her a poster, since having the information displayed with my contact details should hopefully gain more interest from the students, which is more likely to gain me some contacts. My new task for today is to complete this poster ready to send back to Katie Geddes by tonight/tomorrow morning.
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| My Email |
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| An email from the Dance Studio Leeds |
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