Let’s Talk Numbers

So Fall Semester will be over in 3 or 4 weeks, and after that, all the time I have left to work on my film is Spring Semester! (And any breaks that happen from now until like, April)

So because of this, the question that’s certainly on my mind, is CAN I GET THIS FILM DONE IN TIME?!?!?!

Well, let’s look at the numbers.

As of today, (Sunday, November 25th) I have 130 DAYS LEFT to work on my film before Picture Lock.

Also, in each shot of animation, I need to do the following:

– Shoot Reference footage

– Animate the main body motions

– Facial animation (both for lipsynch and emotional reactions)

– Hair Animation (if I have time)

– 2D Animations for some shots

– Occasional Special effects

But how many total individual shots are there in my film? (as in, camera cuts): THERE ARE 74. (not counting opening and closing titles)

Oh my god, Max, that’s a lot! You won’t be able to get that all done in time!

Oh but I think I will, brain. After all, those 74 shots can be consolidated together into scenes. And currently, I’ve grouped those 74 shots into 30 different Maya Scene Files.

That’s still a lot!

I know, I know, but calm down! ONLY 17 of those 30 Scene Files include intensively-animated 3D Assets

And if you want to break it down even more, there are 27 different instances of animation in my film (this doesn’t count characters who are standing idly in the background, but this does count each time a character does or says something. So if there’s a shot where one kid rolls a ball and another kid kicks the ball, I count that as two different instances of animation)

OK… But is that a lot?

Trust me, it’ll take time. But I think it’ll fit in the time-frame. After all, I can get a pretty good first rough pass of one character done per day, at least. In fact, that’s the minimum work-rate I’m holding myself to, and I’ve been able to keep that pace up consistently for the last 5 or so days with no problem. So at that rate, I will most CERTAINLY have a rough-layout animated version of my film done by the end of December (which hasn’t started yet). And if I really can follow through with this pace, then I’ll have a rough-animated version of my film before Spring Semester even starts.

Also, to prove it, check this video out:

In this shot are (what I consider) 3 different “Instances Of Animation”:

1) The mean girl saying “Sure! Roll me the ball”

2) The Hero rolling the ball to the girl and then jumping in fear when she kicks the ball

3) The mean girl kicking the ball

And consequently, this shot was completed over the course of 3 days. And this is 3 out of the 27 shots!

So with that said, at this rate it’ll seem that I’ll have all of Spring Semester to get my Final Animation completed. And once that’s completed, then… well, then it’s completed! And of course I have to render, composite, do special effects, bla bla bla, but the main hard work (and the main focus of my work, since I want to be a 3D Character Animator) will be done, and boy will THAT be exciting! ;D

 

But hold on there, cowboy! You’ve completely neglected 2D Animated Assets! Will you have time for that?

 

Nice catch, brain. And while you’re right that I haven’t really factored the 2D assets in, I feel like that will actually not be too much of a problem either. After all:

 

– There are only 2 lines of 2D Dialogue

– There are only 2 shots in which 2D characters do something other than dancing that doesn’t involve any 3D assets

– There is only 1 shot when a 2D character and a 3D character actually touch each other and make contact/interaction

– There is only 1 shot in which 2D characters do something that causes a reaction in some 3D characters (when the monsters all scare the Mean Girl Gang away)

And the rest of the 2D animation, literally, is just monsters dancing. And since I’m not super-focused on making the 2D animation impeccable (in fact I want it to have a somewhat rough look), I’m not stressing myself out too much about it. (yet)

 

So yea. Don’t worry! This project will be completed. And as always, there is lots more to come! And since this post didn’t have any pictures in it, then let me post this picture of Kate Bush I just discovered today, because she’s so pretty in it. 🙂

Thesis Idea Numero Uno

CONCEPT 1 – BROTHER AND SISTER STORY

A brother and sister experience shameful and traumatic experiences at the same time as each other, and that night they have the same dream of a Goddess who tells them that she is watching over them. Despite  this, they decide to leave home in search of reversing the disgrace that’s been put upon them, and restoring their own innocence. As they tread farther and farther from home, however, their path strays farther from reality. As they run further from the truth, the world around them and their own bodies slowly degenerate, until the end when there is nothing left. By the end, their minds, bodies, and souls have degenerated into nothing, and they are on the verge of killing themselves when suddenly the Goddess from their dreams appears to them again, and informs them of their folly. She tells them that there is no such thing as undoing the past, and that the only way to overcome adversity is to grow forward – it is impossible to cut it away. It is too late for the kids at this point, however, and they are devastated at their own self-imposed loss. The Goddess turns out to be forgiving, however, as in the end she takes their souls and returns them into her own aura, leaving them to rest in the happy place they’d always wanted to be in.

This story as a whole, however, is wayyyy too long to be done in just one  Senior Thesis project. As a whole it’s more like a feature-length film. Therefore, for my thesis project, I’d break out a small segment from the whole story, and animate that, letting it stand on its own. There are 2 portions that I think would be best for this, however. One of them is when the Brother and Sister join the Circus (and meet a lot of interesting characters along the way). In this portion, the kids find out that in order to grow up, sometimes you have to become the monster you once feared most.

The other portion that would be able to stand on its own well is near the end when the siblings are stranded on a funeral barge that is set across an interminable expanse of Ocean. At the end of this is where the Goddess makes her last appearance to the kids, and the story concludes. Over the course of the Ocean portion of the story, however, the kids reflect (haha, get it? Water reflects!) on their lives, and this would be a good way to have flash-backs onto the rest of the story.

I like this story best for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s hugely autobiographical. Secondly, the way I came about this story was very unconventional and somewhat magical — essentially, it is the result of an endless string of inspiration, whether it came from Kate Bush music, my own life, Tarot Cards, or any other strange pieces of folklore that happen to fascinate me. The story is still a growing one, and is far from being fully developed. However, I feel that at this stage, I could be ready to take on the challenge of making a small portion of it a reality.

An Inspirational Hodge-Podge From Hell

In order of appearance:

– Kate Bush’s “The Kick Inside” segment from her Efteling special

– Maxilla’s debut music video.

– John Kricfalusi Images

– My own attempt at emulating John K’s drawing style

– Robyn’s “Konichiwa, Bitches” music video put alongside my John K drawing attempt.

– Kate Bush’s “Babooshka” music video

– Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” music video directed by Jonas Akerlund

– My animated rendition of Carrie getting pig’s blood dumped on her

– Another portion of Kate Bush’s “The Kick Inside” segment of her Efteling special

– The intro to the “You! Me! Dancing!” music video by Los Campesinos

– The dance portion from Kate Bush’s video for “The Man With The Child In His Eyes” put side-by-side with a keyframed animation version of it that I made.

– Various images being thrown at you at once: A shot from the movie “Bronson,” Gustave Doré’s “Paradiso Canto,” A photo of Kate Bush used for her Hounds Of Love single, another shot from the movie “Bronson,” and the cover of Nina Hagen’s album, “In Ekstase”

– Various paintings by John Everett Millais

– A portion of the “Everlong” music video by Foo Fighters

– The continuation of my animated version of Carrie as with flames rising higher

More Visual Inspirations: A Quick Run-Through

Chad VanGaalen is far from being my only visual/directorial/animatorly inspiration. To be as cheesy as I can be, I’d say that almost everything I see is an inspiration in some form.

 

But to be as realistic I can be, there are still a lot of directors and animators that I suspect are great inspirations to my visual style, artistic vision, and general approach to the moving image. So let’s run through a bunch that I came up with a few nights ago!

 

1. John Kricfalusi — Creator of Ren and Stimpy, this guy is at the top of the list for a reason. I grew up with that show, and his butt-and-breasts sense of humor mixed with his savage treatment of the human condition and canned orchestra music (for emotional effect) have stuck with me ever since I was a little kid. 
2. Whoever made the You! Me! Dancing! music video by Los Campesinos — This is one of the greatest music videos of all time, in my opinion, and I love it mostly for its story and visual aesthetic. The way those flatly-applied colors seem to glow so brilliantly will always amaze me.
3. Jonas Akerlund — The works of Jonas that I love most are the film Spun, and the music video for Telephone with Lady Gaga and Beyonce. His editing style in both of those works is so artfully done, yet perfect for the ever-decreasing attention span of the viewing public of today. Jonas has his finger on the pulse of what people want to see in film. His sense of visual composition is impeccable as well.
4. Melina Matsoukas — The only work of hers that I have seen, admittedly, is the music video for Rude Boy by Rihanna. I love this video, however, for its fearless treatment of color and visual composition, and I’ve emulated the pasted-together aesthetic that Melina employs in my own video work ever since I’ve seen/become obsessed with this music video.
5. Brian De Palma — He directed the original 1976 Carrie, which is one of my favorite movies of all time, and so I will always love him for this. His treatment of the story of Carrie White is amazing — it straddles the line between innocence, ultra-violence, and occasional goofiness.
6. Nicolas Winding Refn — Danish director, I love him best for the movie Bronson, which is also one of my favorite films of all time. I also love it for its treatment of the story of Michael Peterson/Charles Bronson, because he is portrayed as not just an over-violent buffoon, but also as a man with goals, with feelings. Bronson is the violent prisoner with a heart of gold, he’s a diva, a performer, and a complete sociopath. I love him, and I love Nicolas Refn for making me love him.
7. Magnus Carlsson — Magnus is the animator of the “Robin” series, and more importantly (to me) the creator of the Paranoid Android music video for the band Radiohead. This is quite possibly my favorite music video of all time, as its treatment of the human condition in relation to success, sex, and most importantly, innocence (a topic that I plan on tackling in the story of my Senior Thesis film) is brilliantly played out, and wonderfully heartfelt in a way that I’ve never seen in any other piece of film before. His film is so frank and realistic, yet at the same time totally unrelated to the real world. The Paranoid Android music video is that dream you once had that you never totally understood, but always knew was something important.
8. Andreas Nilsson — Nilsson has directed many music videos for bands such as Jose Gonzalez, MGMT, The Knife, and Fever Ray. His visual and narrative style also falls into the dream-realm, leaving my eyes glistening with the widely variant and unpredictable worlds he creates. Such videos of his that I particularly adore are Teardrop, Like A Pen, Heartbeats, Flash Delirium, and most incredibly so, the visuals for The Knife’s Silent Shout tour in 2006.
9. Greedy Hen Studio — Greedy Hen has its own fantastic art style that mixed collage with brilliant color compositions that instill a sense of “old gold” in the human heart. Like that box of jewelry that your grandmother hides better than anything else she’s ever hidden, and holds closer to her own heart than anything else she’s ever held. I know about Greedy Hen Studio through their music video for the song “Blood” by The Middle East, btw.
10. Michel Gondry — I admittedly never used to be a big fan of Michel’s work, since most of it came off as just him trying to seem cool for doings lots of awesome effects “without using any computer” (even though that may or may not be true). But all of this changed when I saw his music video for “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters, “Bachelorette” by Bjork, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. These 3 works are the best examples, in my opinion, of his intricately threaded-together portrayal of the world, weaving stories withing stories, realities on top and underneath other realities. Michel both loses the viewers in his world while also enrapturing them via sheer fascination. A life in the world of Michel Gondry’s directed works would be a confusing life, for sure, but at least it’s beautiful when seen from a 3rd-person perspective.
11. Kate Bush — Kate is predominantly a singer, but she also has done directorial work as well. It’s true that she is faaaar from ever being considered a brilliant director by any means. However, her personal style and vision still comes through in her works, whether or not the actual filmic outcome is impressive or not. Works that she has directed that I particularly love are her music videos for Hounds Of Love and Army Dreamers, as well as her short film, The Line, The Cross, And The Curve. TLTCATC was a failure, but it certainly had some interesting visuals in it that I found innovative in their own right. Also, I worship this woman, so pretty much anything she does is something I’m going to love. Don’t question my motives. 
12. Joel Trussell — Joel has a great visual style, reminiscent of Esurance commerical animations. However, his most impressive work (The music video for “Float (My Electric Stargirl)” by Atomic Swindlers) sticks out for its ability to creates a totally unique and standalone-universe with very little time spent on exposition in the beginning of the video. Holy shit. Now that is inspirational. 
13. Mike Scott — This is the last one (for now), but Mike Scott, to me, is admirable for two things: His drawing style, which is very simple and photoshop-brush-tastic, (yet entirely effective and fucking amazing), and his sense of humor, which embodies an almost sociopathic sense of joyousness. The characters in the worlds that Mike Scott creates are completely fucking manic, and their undying happiness is absolutely infectious. My favorite work of his, also, is his music video for “Get Busy Living” by the band Goldfish. All of this works (whether moving or still) are fantastic in their energetic quality, and I love to see still such innocence in artistic work being made today. 

Story Time

I know we’re supposed to come up with THREE different ideas for our senior thesis film, but for years now, I’ve had a single concept that I’ve wanted to pursue for this very project, and I figure I might as well tell the tale of how this story came to be:

Once upon a time, way back during the Winter Break of my Freshman Year at USC, I was sitting at home, listening to Kate Bush music for the first time in my life. Little did I know that she was soon going to become my #1 favorite musical artist, and to this day I’m still obsessed with her.

Also? In that very same fateful music-listening sesh, a story-seedling was planted in my head, and it has grown and grown ever since, becoming what is most certainly the greatest story I’ve ever come up with in my life.

It’s the story of a brother and sister. Early in their lives, they experience separate traumatic experiences, but at the same time as each other. After these moments-of-pain, the siblings both decide they must redeem themselves by seeking out innocence — basically, they wish to undo the stains that are now on their hearts.

But what does this kind of mission entail? Is it even possible to fully undo something that happened in the past? Is there even a point? Or is this just part of growing up?

Sadly, this story is way too long to be animated in its entirety for my Senior Thesis project. I do, however, wish to visualize — with animation — an excerpt from it. It would be a standalone piece when watched by itself, but in the long run it can be used as a link in the chain that is the journey of the brother and sister.

 

But I won’t give away too much about this concept. After all, maybe I’ll think of a better one before the semester ends.

WAZZUP

I’m excited. I’m verrrry excited.

 

LET’S DO THIS.