Coming up with a name...?

I've been struggling to come up with a title for my animation. Therefore I sought some tips from the internet.

http://www.chrisjonesblog.com/2011/07/top-ten-tips-for-titling-your-movie.html

1. The shorter the better.
2. The title should hint at the genre of the film. Do this well and the second question people usually ask (what’s the genre?) is answered implicitly.
3. The title is a sales tool designed to get people to read the script, rent the film or ask for more information. It is NOT an artistic statement (think more craft than art).
4. More often than not, your title will be accompanied by a short pitch or key artwork. This should all work in harmony and feel like a component part of a whole and well rounded concept.
5. You will NEVER be 100% happy with the title. It always feels like a bit of a compromise. And why shouldn’t it? You are reducing 100 pages of story to a single word of phrase.
6. Once you decide on a title, if a better one comes along, use it. You are NEVER wedded to the title until the film is complete (of course this raises social media and online marketing problems). Ideally get it right up front, but DON’T hold on to a poor title if a new and better one comes along.
7. Check the titles ‘Goolgeability’ with the Google keyword tool. How many people actively search for that word of phrase each month? These metrics are important.
8. Don’t be clever. Titles are not something to be figured out. As film makers, we might like the idea of a title being a mystery or ephemeral, but audiences will just move right on by if they don’t ‘get it’ immediately.
9. The title should infer the central conflict of the film… ‘Jaws’ (the shark is going to eat people), ‘The Exorcist’ (there’s going to be an exorcism), or more recently my pal Mike Mindel, who renamed serial killer horror movie ‘The Hollow’ to ‘Don’t Let Him In’.
10. Above all, ‘do what it says on the tin’. The title should honestly and succinctly reflect the story.

I also thought it would be useful to go back to my initial ideas with research into the Trayvon Martin case to see if there were any points that stood out and could be used as a title.

Title Sequence Research

I needed some inspiration for my title sequence as I have approximately 10 seconds to fill.

This is one of my favourite title sequences. I love the range of close up shots which are quite ambiguous but still relate to the theme of the film. I like how the title 'Seven' flashes up much larger than the casts' names. The dark opening fits very well with the twisted thriller genre.

"The typography itself — which would likely break several guild legibility rules in modern times — was hand-etched into black-surface scratchboard and manipulated during the film transfer process to further smear and jitter it. This transfer was then cut up and reassembled during post production to add a final layer of temporal distress."

I could experiment with hand writing my titles to give it a personal touch.

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/se7en/

This is another really iconic title sequence which was inspired by Saul Bass, who we studied briefly in Digital Media last year. I'm inspired by the use of silhouettes. I like that the title itself connects with the rest of the animation. I would like to use kinetic typography for my title.

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/catch-me-if-you-can/

I like how the drawing style has a mixture of techniques - gradient colours, black and white and silhouettes. I think it would be cool to introduce some settings in my title sequence in a similar way to this.

Week 13 Development

I edited the original picture to make it look like Trayvon was carrying his wife. However the background was too small and did not look in proportion. Therefore I had to go back and change it, adding a few more details

I would like to add a voiceover to the beginning of my animation, whilst the titles are shown.This meant that I had to increase the duration  of the song that I already had placed on the timeline.

I edited the sound again so that it fit the piece. I had to edit out a bit in the song when someone swears rather abruptly (I don't think this would go with the tone of the video at that point).

I added the FTT filter in order to create a muffled effect. This helped to transition betweeen where I had made cuts. It also helped the audio sound quieter so that it wouldn't be overbearing when I add a voiceover.

Finally here is the second draft of my animation. I'd say it's about 90% done right now. I still have to create the visuals for the title within the first 10 seconds and add a voiceover. From the last draft I've worked hard to make more things animated, especially making sure the characters blink. I might change the way the title '2012' appears as it looks a bit amateur. Also I think I should increase the speed that Trayvon walks. I also need to add some more sound effects to the second half of the scene so that it's not just the soundtrack.

Week 12 Development 2

I worked on creating the new scenes for the beginning. I drew out Trayvon sat on a bus.

I created the background on a separate document to make it look like the bus was moving forward. I also tried a new technique when making the characters blink.

Week 12 Development

Improved walk cycle
I tried to improve the walk cycle with help from Paul. I followed Eadweard Muybridge's technique:

I used moved the parts of my character's legs to fit the motion that Muybridge had displayed. This created a more accurate appearance of movement.

I then used Photoshop to layer each of the frames.

When pieced together it created the illusion of walking movement.

Alternating Storyboard

I decided to reorder some parts of my storyboard.
Following the feedback I'd got from the mid-term assessment and from talking to my tutors I've decided to cut the ending of my sequence, and finish the video after Trayvon gets shot. This would give me more time to work on the rest of my frames. I didn't think my ending was a very solid idea anyway.
Instead I will create a longer introduction. Paul suggested that I should show the young version of Trayvon at the beginning. This would make the audience aware of his character initially and so they will recognise him when he appears again in the second half of the video. I sketched out (roughly) what I'd like this scene to look like below:

I also decided to add a shot of Trayvon and his love interest as they go on a date. This is so it doesn't look random when they appear to be married. I will show Trayvon giving his wife a rose and then the pair will sit down at a restaurant. Shown very roughly below:

Also, I want to alter the image I used in the mid-term assessment of Trayvon graduating so that there is more movement. I will add some more characters to create more of a communal celebratory atmosphere. I decided to change this because thought that Trayvon and the girl looked too isolated in the scene. Sketch below:

Week 11 Development

Walk Cycle Trial:

I tried to follow the tutorial that was given in 'The Animator's Survival Kit' by Richard Williams.

I used illustrator to position the characters legs in a similar way to each of the frames shown in the image.

I think the effect looked quite weird when put together, so I'll have to improve this.

Development screenshots:

The character appeared to be really pixelated against the background. I think I will correct the PSD image so that the file size is larger and sharper.

I used three different layers here so that I could create depth of field. This will emphasise Trayvon's fear as he will only be focused on the gun pointing at him.

Adding Textures:

Mary suggested that I add textures to settings to make them look more impressive. In the image above I used an old paper texture, however I don't think it looks very good. Instead it just makes the scene look dirty.

Here I used a wall texture which I think works much better as it isn't so obvious.

I experimented with using on of my old images to make it look like it was night time.

 Making Characters blink

I've began making my characters blink so they don't look like such flat images. I don't think the effect looks very good, as you can see the transition between the opacity

Week 10 Development

The screenshots above show how I edited one of the songs I wanted to use in order to fit the timing of my animation. I copied part of the end sequence where it goes quieter, in order to create more of a dramatic impact.

I put together a draft animatic sequence in order to organise the images and animations I've already created. I used two different songs and edited to their beat. This is useful in my subsequent decisions regarding my narrative structure.

There are many gaps in my timeline so far, so there's still quite a bit more work to be done!

During the beginning 5 seconds I would like to add some titles or a basic introduction to my video.
At 0:12-0:20 I would like to add some more images that relate to Trayvon's life as a young adult. I could possibly show his love interest after he graduates from university.
There are many parts of the sequence that I still need to animate, however I will only be including small movements.
At 55 seconds I will rewind all of the previous shots in a flashback style. This will need to be done after I've finished animating everything.
At 1:08 I would like to include a shot of Trayvon walking down the street, however I've been informed that walk cycles are quite difficult to animate. Therefore I need to look into what would be the best way of doing this.

Music Choices

I have taken inspiration from the album To Pimp A Butterfly by rapper Kendrick Lamar. This album is specifically relevant to my topic and Lamar speaks out against racial injustice, even mentioning Trayvon Martin in his song The Blacker the Berry.
I wanted to find a song with a similar beat to the song Complexion (A Zulu Love) as it has a chilled out, old-school hip-hop style that would fit the tone of my narrative.



I found an artist on Youtube who offers copyright free hip hop instrumentals, similar to Kendrick Lamar's style. His name is Yuki Asemota and is known on social media as Chuki HipHop.

https://soundcloud.com/yuki-asemota

For the beginning half of my animation I would like to use a song that's quite uplifting to match the happy memories of Trayvon's life. These are some of my choices:

 This features a pleasant piano rhythm.
  I think this piece might fit the visuals a bit more since it sounds a bit happier and more upbeat.
  I like this of this however I think it's a bit too slow, therefore I would increase the speed if I use it.

For the second half of the piece I want a song that has more of a sombre tone, as I will be displaying the moment when Trayvon is murdered.
 I think that this song is useful in creating a sad tone. I could try decreasing the pitch slightly to create an eerie mood.

Week 9 Development

I continued to draw out the images for my animation. I think I would need to re-colour the image about as it came out in low quality when exporting from Illustrator to a Psd file. I wanted to do this so that I could animate this arm.

I created a wave effect here, however it's in quite low quality.

Here I created some backgrounds for the scenes. I added a focus blur to the second image in order to create depth of field in relation to the characters.

Mark Fiore Animation

In most shots there isn't much movement. The majority of the image is static whilst the character blinks or moves their mouth. I think I will use a similar technique in my animation since it's not too complicated.

"It seems that everyone but Darren Wilson is responsible for the death of Michael Brown. It’s Michael Brown’s fault, black-on-black violence is at fault, it’s a culture of disrespect and lawbreaking that’s at fault, take your pick. Perhaps the best spew of logic came from Rudy Giuliani, who essentially said, if you black people didn’t kill yourselves so much we wouldn’t have to send so many white cops down there to kill you as well."

The video above is very relevant to my topic as Michael Brown's killing was highly profiled in the Black Lives Matter campaign and led to numerous protests in Ferguson, Missouri. Fiore uses humour to question the issues of police brutality and racism. 

This video is also relevant to my topic as it deals with issues of race and injustice, but in a more obscure manner. By using aliens as a comparison, it breaks down the issue into simple points. But furthermore the issue is made to sound surprising and absurd, thus emphasising the absurdity of the racial injustice that occurs in real life.

Practical Workshop 8

Added a layer mask so that the words appeared in a stencil-like effect.

Used key frames to adjust the position of the background, creating a shimmer effect:

• Add shape to layer and it will add mask
• Edit feather and opacity
• Add shape with no layers selected and it will add its own layer
• Mode - stencil alpha
• You will be able  to move it scale position, etc
• To make elipse layer 'feathered' use effects - presets panel to add radial blur
• Decrease opacity to create a fade to black effect

I think I would like to use this effect in my own work as inspired by scenes in Everything Will Be Okay and Persepolis

• Zoom with layers and adjust scale in order to add depth 

Theory Workshop 8

Aesthetics comes from the Greek word for ethos. This means that it has a concern with morals, philosophy and sensory elements.

Wittgenstein "Ethics and aesthetics are one"


The Ducktators

• Nazi symbolism
• German accents
• Using Warner Bros. animation style to show historical figures e.g. Hitler
• Satires World War 2
• Pun on dictator (Hitler, Mussolini)
• Hyperbolic, stereotypical representation of nationality e.g. Japanese, German, Italian
• Was banned due to proaganda used to sell war bonds and stamps
• Using innocuous style to show flaws in the war

Mark Fiore
commentary on everyday events
repetition for emphasis

Project Proposal

Background/Introduction
My chosen theme has stemmed from the Black Lives Matter movement, which began in America in 2013. On February 26th 2012, black teenager Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by white Hispanic man George Zimmerman. Although Zimmerman had admitted to manslaughter, in July 2013 he was acquitted of all charges. His acquittal sparked outrage within the community, leading many to question why this had happened. Did the jury not care that an innocent young man was killed? Or were they just not aware that black lives matter? In my narrative I would like to focus on the Trayvon Martin’s life and death, but also make it clear that there is a wider issue too.

This topic is important to me as a black female because it’s something that I'm directly affected by. Moreover, regardless of one’s race, I think that everyone should be aware of the injustice that’s happening at the moment, in order to help enact social change. Of course all lives matter, but unfortunately black lives are the ones that are in danger at the moment. I think by using animation it gives a more light-hearted approach to the topic; the importance of the topic will be highlighted however in a way that’s easier to digest. I would still like to convey its cultural significance and make sure that the narrative evokes emotion since it is quite a serious topic. My aim is to make the audience aware of the dramatic impact of racial injustice and institutional racism.

Structure
I will be using Dancyger and Rush's 'Restorative Three-Act Structure'.

• The first act  will be a flash-forward to show what Martin’s life could have been if he had not been killed. This will feature a few memorable events such as him graduating university, getting married and starting a family. At the climax of the first act, Martin’s wife will reveal to him that she is pregnant. At this point the story will cut and rewind back through the previous events.
• During the second act of the story, 17-year-old Martin will be introduced, on the night of his murder. I will build up the tension by showing him walking down the street, and then suddenly a stranger (Zimmerman) will approach him with a gun. The climax point will non-graphically show the moment that Martin is shot and subsequently killed. 
• The third act will show his family’s reaction and their mourning, which will be contrasted with Zimmerman being deemed not guilty.

Inspiration

• The Simpsons inspired my use of thick weight lines
• Persepolis - flat backgrounds with not much detail
• Up - the montage style used in Carl and Ellie's love story
• Spirited Away - exaggerated facial expressions

Plan of action

• Week 8 and 9: I will continue to draw frame images with detail and begin drawing in between frames.
• Week 10: I will start to piece all the frames together and work on making things move
• Week 11: I will incorporate sound, by searching for what kind of music and sound effects I would like to use
• Week 12: On the final week before the Christmas break, I will aim to have completed the post production stages, leaving the rest of the time before submission to iron out any mistakes. In this time I will also write the description of my animation.

Viewing Log: Spirited Away

Spirited Away (2001) is a Japanese animated film directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki. It is the highest grossing Japanese film and won an Oscar in 2003 for Best Animated Feature.

Animation style:

• Very thin weighted lines. Gives it a sophisticated look
• The characters have quite exaggerated expressions (quite common in Anime)

• Extremely detailed, almost photographic backgrounds

Further research:
The film was created without a script. Miyazaki prefers to create his storyboards first and then sees where the story goes from there.
"The story develops when I start drawing storyboards. The production starts very soon thereafter, while the storyboards are still developing. It's not me who makes the film. The film makes itself and I have no choice but to follow"

10 Second Animation Sample

For my sample I decided to show the some of the opening of my piece. The beginning of my narrative will be in a montage style of images, using the Ken Burns Effect. This sequence was inspired by the 'Married Life' scene in 'Up' (2009). The scenes will animate part of Trayvon's future life, after he had graduated from University, got married and was about to start a family. The sequence shown in my animation sample shows his graduation photograph, then fades into a wedding photo, which is then revealed to be an image on the wall of his house that he enters.

Inspiration:

For me this is one of the moment memorable scenes of any Disney/Pixar film. I love how it shows the ups and downs of life from the happy times (Carl and Ellie getting married) to the sad (Ellie's miscarriage). In less than three minutes, this scene evokes so much emotion from the audience and really connects the audience to the characters. I would like to do something similar with my piece in order to emphasise the tragedy that occurred.

Project Development 2

Here I scanned an image from my storyboard and traced over it on Illustrator. I liked this image because it has a bit more of a cartoon-like style, with the characters having large eyes.

The image above shows how I added a few more details such as textured eyebrows and braided hair.

I used Photoshop to add colour, shadows and highlights.

Project development

I drew out this image on Illustrator and then coloured it in Photoshop.

I also added a few extra details. For example in the screen shot above I used the 'Add Noise' filter to make the dress look slightly sparkly. I also used the paintbrush tool to add shadows and highlights so that the characters looked more lifelike.

I added an effect to make it look like it was an image inside a picture frame. 

On After Effects I zoomed into the image so that it the audience wouldn't be aware that it was just a picture. However it appeared to be a bit pixelated, even though on Photoshop and Illustrator the image appeared to be high resolution.

Storyboard

The scene will open with Trayvon and his friends graduating from university. My research showed that he wanted to go to the University of Miami so I will show this. I will then show him getting a job as a pilot. Next I will show him getting married.

This will transition into a scene where Trayvon is shown coming home from work and greeting his wife. She holds a box behind her back and then presents it to him.

Trayvon opens the box which holds a positive pregnancy test. Him and his wife celebrate with a hug. At this point the story freezes and reverses. Trayvon is then shown in 2012 on the night of his murder.

Trayvon is denoted walking down the street. He is suddenly approached by a stranger with a gun. The scene ends with him being shot.

The conclusion will show how Trayvon's parents and family react to losing him. It will then show how the murderer, George Zimmerman, was found not guilty for the murder. The scene will end with outraged protesters.