Project Update WITH CLIP- FINALLY!!

So I guess this is what you've all been waiting for?!

As I'm sure all you regular readers are aware, I have been developing and working on an animation for quite some time now, so I think it's only fair that I show some moving image, rather than just stills. Yes?! YEAH!

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, so please do so in the comments below, whether it be positive or constructive 👍

There's no sound on the clip, so it's not that your computer is broken [incase you were wondering].

Enjoy:

Peace and love xo

Update + 35mm

I've not blogged for almost one month 😱 ...but I have been insanely busy: continuing my animation, writing an essay, attending Cardiff Animation Festival (which was absolutely amazing by the way), started a new part time job as an editor/ animator 👌, bowling, watching football and also trying to squeeze in a social life! So yeah, kind of a lot on at the moment! But still, I know I should be writing on this more frequently.

Anyway, as the title of this post suggests, I have (amongst everything else I've been doing) managed to go out and take more photographs- yay! I like photography, because it's still very creative, but takes a fraction of the time it takes to animate or illustrate something, so it sort of provides a relief, but in a creative manner. Hope that makes sense. Anyone else feel the same?

I nearly always have my camera on me (Olympus Trip) as it literally fits in my pocket. Film and processing isn't too expensive either, especially if you get them straight to disk, like I do- it cuts out a step of scanning and also easily upload-able to my website and social media.

Ps. I'm also obsessed with cooling towers and stadiums. See below 👇

Project Update

Just a little update since my previous post, to basically say it's going pretty well so far and I'm pleased with the progress I've made. I'm moving through it [fairly] quickly and I'm mostly happy with how it looks. I think it's safe to say that choosing to change the style to something I'm more comfortable with and more "me", has definitely paid off and I think it was the right route to go down...

Here are some progress screen grabs, from various scenes/ shots:

Also, TV Paint is such a cool programme, b/c it lets you rotate the workspace (above). I find this really useful, as I find it easier and quicker drawing vertical lines than horizontal ones, so it can basically make every line vertical, which is pretty ace!

Any feedback much appreciated in the comments. Maybe in my next post, I'll put a sneak peak of some of the above animated- we'll see!

Until then, watch this space for more and have a very Happy Easter 😊

Breaking Good

OK, so this blog post title should have really been: "taking breaks are good", but yeah, that's less catchy. Innit.

After having reflected and redesigned my animation ready for it's third draft (and having started animating it), I realised I wasn't happy with the look of it and it just wasn't jelling together. It didn't look like one whole film: the type looked "shoe horned" in and it wasn't a style that was very "me".

After feeling frustrated with how the project was going, I decided to have a day's break to take my mind off it. I HATE HAVING BREAKS THOUGH. But they do work. Like, really. Returning to a project with fresh eyes and a clear head has such a great effect. It's probably because you haven't thought about it for a while and you're not completely wrapped up in it, so on returning, the ideas are often flowing and the productivity levels are high.

I say I dislike taking breaks because it feels unproductive, but sat there just thinking is also unproductive. Ideas aren't often plucked out of thin air. The more you sit there fretting over a project and trying to think of an idea, the harder it becomes and the less likely it will happen. If you feel bad for taking a break, just remember it's part of the natural thought process and it's good to let your ideas breathe. Easier said than done, I know. Also, taking a break doesn't need to mean be unproductive: you can do other productive [but project unrelated] tasks, such as work on a completely different assignment (like I did), do some cleaning/ decluttering, go for a walk, or do that thing which has been needed doing for ages, but you've kept putting off! Just some suggestions there, but there's tonnes of other non-project related things you could do. Let me know some of yours in the comments!

Scary break aside(!), I feel the animation is working a lot better in the way I'm producing it now. I'm using my more natural style and rotoscoping it. I feel it's a technique I've really developed over the last five or so years and I want to continue working in that way, but pushing it further than I've previously done and advancing my style more so. I still am going to incorporate text, but in a more natural way, which will fit better with the animation. This is opposed to the forced, computerised type I was working with.

I think this change of direction is a positive one and the right choice for me. I know I was talking about comfort zones and it's good to be stretching them, but if that is going to compromise the look/ quality of the work, then I don't think it's always a good idea. It just wasn't working for me and I think being honest with myself and redesigning it, is breaking a comfort zone for me anyway. I can't stand admitting a project of mine isn't working!

By incorporating text into my animation is something I've never done before, plus I'm using a different programme to animate in (TV Paint) than the one I usually use and I'm experimenting with a different rotoscope style. These things are out of the norm for me, therefore not doing something that is completely 'safe'.

Here's a work in progress screen grab of one of the frames:

Watch this space for more updates xo

Completed Animation Tests

You know a while ago, I was talking about some animation tests I was doing? Ok, well I finally uploaded them to YouTube. There is no sound on them and your computer hasn't broken. I'm currently working on a typographic based video for the same project (I'm making three films altogether), so unfortunately haven't developed this idea any further as yet, but in around one month, I'll pick it back up again.

Here they are:

Any feedback/ comments/ critiques etc, let me know in the comments below 👇

xo

35mm | Berlin

Besides the expired film experiment, I've had no 35mm developed since October 2017. How I survived without for so long, still remains a mystery!

The first three below were taken in the UK (I've been wanting to photograph some cooling towers for so long and I'm pretty pleased with the result), after that, Berlin! I experienced my first ever flight at the, urm, ripe old age of 26 and I was quite scared, but excited too. I just found it a weird experience- how it just went up and up and that was that(!), but would happily do it again and already throwing a few ideas around for my next European adventure. If you haven't already been to Berlin, I highly recommend it. The architecture is amazing, the city has such a nice vibe to it and there are some fantastic art galleries/ museums- I especially enjoyed the Photography Museum.

One minus (pun completely intended): the cold!

It's quite touristy in some spots, but we (me and my boyfriend) managed to avoid those. Tourist attractions aren't really our thing unless we have a genuine interest in said attractions. We did look at the Berlin Wall though- East Side Gallery, where there's a fair bit of it still standing. The painted murals on it were fantastic. Berlin Tempelhof (disused airport) was another highlight and really is quite photogenic. It made a brilliant walk, too. I found the East more interesting to look at on the whole. The West was really built up and a little London-esque, so it didn't appeal to me as much as the East did, though I didn't find the West disinteresting at all- plus it hosted the best bowling alley we went to, so no complaints there! Berolina Bowling Lounge, incase you were wondering...

Here are the photographs:

I've been out taking more this weekend, so watch this space for those, including another power station(!), some lower league football and everything in between...

Expired Film Experiments

Towards mid October last year, I finished the last roll of camera film I had (sad times). It was also around (or shortly after) the same time a popular chain of 'pound only' shop discontinued selling it and for a crazy-mad, bargain price of £1 at that! So disappointing, but I knew the day was coming- every time I used to go in for some film, I always used to hope that it was there, though always used to prepare myself for the worst! I now have to source my film in a more costly way... 😢

Rant aside, I came across a roll of expired (1999) film in my boyfriend's room and I was most excited!

I had no expectations or hopes of how they'd come out: I always think if you prepare yourself for the worst possible outcome, then anything else is a bonus. Maybe I should change my outlook on life, but that's for a whole other blog post!

Anyway, the results didn't come out that great, but the outcomes were not all to be thrown away. Some had editing potential, whilst some looked passable as is. I took the opportunity to have a play on Photoshop with a few and by adding and manipulating certain elements, I created some quite interesting results. I look forward to doing more...

A couple of the unedited ones:

Current Project [Update]

Hello and Happy Friday!

I've been fairly quiet on the blogging front recently, but I've been seriously busy: bowling, watching football (groundhopping), walking, taking photographs, film watching and of course, my MA <-- definitely been taking up most of my time!

So, to keep you all updated, I'm currently working on some animations on my chosen topic (helping eliminate the stigma towards males with eating disorders, through graphic design) for my degree.

I don't want to go into too much detail about my project in this post, but the intention of the animations is to look into various creative moving image responses as an answer to my design question (above). I'm hoping to create three films in three styles, each exploring a different way of achieving the same same outcome.

In regard to the graphic novel incase you were wondering: this idea has kind of been binned for now, because after a period of reflection I deemed the medium wasn't right for what I wanted to achieve for this project and I think I can make a much more effective outcome through animation/ film. I found developing it and designing it great fun, so I would definitely like to produce one in the future, but for now, it will unfortunately have to take a back seat.

Here are some super rough screen grabs of some preliminary animation tests in style: