Short Film: Update #37 almost there

The visuals for my film are now complete. See, I said this update would be a big one didn’t I?!

I am so proud of what I have achieved so far and so happy to have got my film to this point, after almost a year since starting the animation. It’s been quite the journey- though that will not be news to you if you’ve been following my updates over here!

It’s not finished yet- there are still several outstanding tasks on my to do list, but having got the film to this point is not a landmark to be ignored. I should take a few days to appreciate my achievements thus far (she says, simultaneously fine tuning the edit) and look back over the year and enjoy the fact that I have come out of the other side from the struggles that I’ve faced during the creation of this project. I do feel a little more relaxed, but as I’m quite aware of the fact it isn’t 100% complete, I don’t actually feel that much lighter, because I know there’s still a bit of a hill to climb.

To be honest though, I’m finding it pretty hard not to take my eye off the ball with it, because I’m so excited about all the other creative projects I’ve now got going on (embroidery, zine making [how have I only just discovered this amazing medium??], photography and more animation ideas/ feature film et al). I feel because I’ve been working almost singularly on my film since April 2024 (I’ve not really let myself work on anything other than the film), I’ve got a load of pent up creativity inside of me, and it feels like it’s all coming out now that I’ve kind of allowed it to, if that makes any sense?! Once the actual animation tasks were finished on this film, I’ve sort of gone full force into other bits and pieces, but that needs reigning in for the moment, or at least until I’ve completed my allotted tasks on this film. Which does still need to take priority if I want to hit my 22nd August deadline (which I do)!

Anyway, before I go on too much about all my big ideas, I’ve not yet said anything about the impending extras shoot I was been alluding to in these updates for some time, which was giving me a fair amount of stress. If you haven’t gathered from here, I honestly dislike the ‘producing’ side to filmmaking, such as arranging things like locations/ actors/ casting etc. I have always found it stressful and anxiety inducing, which was why I found myself gravitating towards the post production side of things, then towards animation. So to need to book a location, plus five other people to act as medical staff, alongside purchasing costumes, became somewhat of a challenge for me personally.

But, combining asking people I know (some actors, some filmmakers and some skaters) and a public call out (in which I only got one response- shout out to Najma who became one of the cast!), I secured all five. Who all showed up at the required location, on the required day and at the required time! I think I’ve been haunted by my student days of actors pulling out at short notice, which is likely why arranging this kind of thing is no good for my nerves. But, the shoot went super smoothly and was done in under an hour (without needing to rush anything) and I was extremely happy with the footage. I’ll stick a few pictures down below: the first is me alongside my cast (still in costume) celebrating the end of the shoot. Thanks to Ben for the photo (and also for helping me immensely on the day).

And, below is a grab from the final animation of it:

I also filmed and animated a couple of hand acting shots, both of which I feel strengthened the story a little more. I had delayed the filming of them for the longest time, because they didn’t feel especially important, plus felt like I could animate them really quick (and I did) once they were filmed. Honestly, I just wanted the medical staff shot out the way first (including the animation) before I started work on these. But having done them, I think they add a lot to the film: one being a more creative addition, whereas the other an enhancement of the narrative. Screen grabs below of the latter (off and on)!

I’m now in the process of casting for the third and final voice actor, alongside final tweaks on the edit, as well as about to embark on frame checks for the full film. I think I’ll do three rounds of that- you never know what you might find when going over everything at a painstaking rate! There will likely be another fairly big gap between this update and the next update, because in truth, it won’t make for an especially thrilling read! But hopefully that will be the one when I declare the film complete, and I’ll have a trailer to share. We shall see…

Before I go- amazing stuff from the Lionesses once again, retaining their European Championship crown! So many legends in that team, super inspirational. Hopefully they will leave a lasting legacy (and quite rightly), as well as a well needed injection into the women’s side of the game in this country (and Wales- they too made history in this tournament). There’s so much more I could talk about on this topic, but I appreciate you are here to read my animation musings and I should probably get back to the edit anyway! But first- f*ck the misogynists and the racists: there is no place for you in this game.

Peace and love xo