Books

Reference Sources:

Scott McCloud

"Making Comics," "Reinventing Comics," "Understanding Comics"

4/30

References

Setup default project:  File>Project>New

(Make sure that the source folder is for the appropriate folder)

File>Create Reference

***Be sure to have the entire fileset copied over from yours to the server, and vice versa

XSheet

Speech

Don't over-do the phoneme poses, and don't move too fast.

Don't match completely, nearly all of the time we get partway there

Emotion affects the shape and exaggeration of the mouth

Start by looking at how much the mouth opens/closes (put hand under chin and notice how much things get moved, and timing); the spacing and timing of the opening are crucial, the smaller parts of pursing/etc are the next step, and the teeth/tongue/bottom lip are the more final details.

Muppets are great for viewing references, as far as the open/close and timing

Andy Rig

Don't mess with the gray values

Face Sliders & On Face --> set to 1 and turn on

AutoStretch should probably be off initially.

Stretch can be used if we need a little stretching

For Feet, the Parent setting:

andy_world will keep the feet planted to ground

andy_root will focus on keeping the body together.

FOR NEXT CLASS

Find a photo and frame the Andy face to try and get the image's emotion (DO NOT USE ILLUSTRATIONS)

Art Direction

The model style that I have in mind is essentially detailed (be it exaggerated) geometry with simple textures. By making the geometry much more detailed than the textures we can get more of a realistic feel from a cartoon-like environment. If any of you have played Team Fortress 2, they accomplish this quite well:

Note that, for the most part, textures are solid colors; but in certain areas (the guy on the left's socks, the 'propane tank') the textures are more detailed. By only adding realistic detail where it is absolutely necessary we can get a realistic but cartoon-like feel.

This feel was also done very well in Burning Safari. The character textures consisted of a lot of solid colors put together just right. Even the geometry for the primate was pretty simple:

Note the simple blocky canyon walls as well (again, pretty much one color, and really good lighting):

Accenting a sold color texture with some dirt on a corner or some wear on a flat surface will go a long ways with this style. I posted all of these pictures and a few others on Flickr so please check them out and get a feel for what I am trying to portray.

Squeak Model Progress

I know it looks scary without a head, but I thought I'd throw up what Damon and I have done so far. The head is actually almost done, it just needs to be attached to the geometry of the body. Texture is not final.

Squeak Final Concept

Hey gang, 

While brainstorming this past weekend, Beau had the great idea of adapting the great dane model to make Squak's body, while adding our own modelled from scratch.  Here is the "final"sketch we have been working from for the modelling:

You can see the original great dane model behind the sketch.  The body is nearly done, however the head is still in progress.  I just thought you guys might like to see our process.  

redo storyboards

Hi everyone. If sometime soon you could redraw the storyboard sketches that need to be fixed that would be great because then I could edit the storyreel more. I know everyone is busy with their other tasks. Thanks!

Tasks

Storyboard work

Sketches need to be done today, and submitted on Friday so that we can 

Tactigon

Elements of the 8-bit game - determine what collectibles will be needed.

Modeling Scale: 1 unit = 1 meter

Characters

Ben - done

Squeak - Damon, Beau & Erica

Outside

House - Grant

  Yard [trees/bushes; fence; cameras; traps] - Ruben

Room

Nick & Tati (decide amongst yourselves what you would like)

Roof

RPG

Control Panel

Scale (work in meters)

Work in Meters: Preferences (box in bottom right) -> settings -> Working Units: Linear: meter

Display -> Grid Options -> Length & Width: 10 units; Grid Lines every: 1 unit; Subdivisions: (up to you - 5 or 10 is probably good)

4/23

Storyreel

2:15 - 3240 frames

(Sec [frame])

Sc1

3 sec [-] - Camera sweep -> about right

1 sec [193-311] - Ben walks by;  -> 2.5 sec should be good

4 sec [312-437] - checking on the trap -> maybe short

4 sec [438-524] - come from right; checks box, enters house  (frame in to give better view) -> longer, 7 sec to also account for door

Sc2

10-11 sec [525-771] - Empty room, then Ben enters, sits at desk, wakes up comp, starts game -> about right

Sc3

[772-] - Squeak gets on fence 

[] - Cut intermediate shot

[-1220] - OTS shot to show map

[] - jump from the fence -> select only one of the optional shots (the one that shows more of the yard)

Sc4

[1471-1559] - need to see and start caring about Ben - side view, or even angled side so you see more of Ben, and the glow from screen, but not screen -> OTS of monitor 

5 sec [1560-1682] - -> both shots of Sc4 should be about as long as this shot, maybe both longer even

Sc5

8 sec [1683-1873] - maybe move to close-up  -> seems about right to sneakily progress on the roof

5 Sec [1874-1996] - beware of 180 rule (camera seems to have flipped sides, unless he is running back); move camera focus up a bit higher ->could use some more time: around 10 sec

Sc6

8 sec [1997 - 2210] -> probably will take around 20 sec

Sc7

5 sec [2211-2343] - Ben hanging, seen from window, -> redraw: see the face of Ben, we will see the shock in his face, and squirming, as Squeak gets into the room (off-camera)

[2244-] - Squeak playing game ->closer view of Squeak and monitor

[]Swap the scenes here, so that we see the score change, and then the cable snap[]

[Cable snap scene] - Ben swings about, there's a crash as Ben breaks through the window - shows Ben climbing through window.  We see the RPG hanging down

Sc8

Struggle in room, RPG bends and moves, "Target Acquired"

Sc9

Overhead shot - big jump for the audience (we've pulled them in, and as another conflict has started, so we need 

Sc10

Aftermath

For Thursday

For tomorrow (4/23) - to be done before the start of class

Post any ideas/preferences you have as to the layout of the room/lawn, etc. If you make sketches, please post them to Flickr as well.

Read Nick's post below with material listing and think about anything we may need to add; the comment area is probably a good place for that, rather than a new post.

Grant, please transfer the Scene 6 sketches/info to the server/Flickr so Tati will be able to access them. Email her so she knows where you stand.

The iTeamwork, as well as a lower post here, has further information regarding tasks we should be working towards, which means planning so that we have ideas to discuss and refine so that we can come to a decision.

Materials List

Here is what I see as the essential objects we need for each scene, comment anything I missed or that you want to see added

Scene 1

Ben (Andy rig)

House

Security camera

Fortified fence

RPG

Control panel

Front door

Scattered traps

Trees/bushes in background

Scene 2

Ben (Andy rig)

Room(window and door)

Desk

Desk chair

Computer( monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, ect)

Bed

Collectibles(posters, games, swords, whatever seems to fit with Tactigon)

Other boy’s room stuff(clothing dresser)

Scene 3

Squeak rig

Squeak map

house

Fortified fence

Scattered traps

RPG

Scene 4

Tactigon game in action

Ben (Andy rig)

Ben's room

Scene 5

Power box

power cables

Squeak rig

house

Scene 6

Power box

Power cables

RPG cord

Ben (Andy rig)

Squeak rig

Scene 7

Ben (Andy rig)

RPG cord

Squeak rig

Ben's room

Scene 8

Ben (Andy rig)

Squeak rig

Ben's room

Scene 8.5

RPG

Ben (Andy rig)

Squeak rig

Ben's room(desk,computer knocked over)

Scene 9

everything from a overhead view

house

Fortified fence

Scattered traps

RPG

Trees/bushes

Scene 10

Ben (Andy rig)

Squeak rig

Burned down house

Particle effects(smoke,fire)

Trees/bushes in background

Storyboard stuff

Just wondering but how long do you think this animation will be? 1 min 30 sec or about 2 min?

Also just a reminder for Grant but when you get the chance could you please post the scene 6 images on Flickr after you've scanned them? Thanks!

Storyboards for Sc7 - Sc8

Storyboards for Sc7 - Sc8. The quality isn't the best because I wasn't able to scan them, but they'll be up as scans soon.

4/21

Look on the iTeamwork site for more information and updates

1.) Story reel - Tati

2.) Materials List - Nick

      From simplest to most complex

      (may include Squeak rig)

3.) Art Direction - Beau

      Color Pallet

      Lighting

      Look/Feel

      Complexity

4.) Schedule/Producer - Ruben

5.) Modeling - Erica

6.) Layout - Grant

Bill: bring in "Acting for Animators"  summary (Ed Hook)

Possible Squeak Rig

Perhaps we can use this Tonga Fox rig for Squeak.

http://www.11secondclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=19747

I think using this pre-made rig can save us a lot of time modeling and rigging and give us more time for animating. In general I like the rig after looking at it and I think that it fits that cartoon like style for the critter we want. We can shift his facial expressions a bit more and make him more menacing looking. We could also probably modify some things on our own to make him more like the evil Squeak we want.

Scene 5, shots 1&2

Scene 5, shots 1&2
Originally uploaded by Tati_mg

Scene 5
Shot 1 >> Long shot (roof)
Squeak scurries along the roof
to get to the power box
Power box is at end of the house
(warning labels on side), opposite
end of the dormer

Shot 2 >> Slightly raised, angle
Down length of roof; box in foreground;
Bens dormer in background
Squeak at box, unplugging power
House lights go out
Squeak plays with the power cable

Scene 4, shots 1&2

Scene 4, shots 1&2
Originally uploaded by Tati_mg

Scene 4
Shot 1 >> Over the shoulder
See the screen, the game,
and the high score

Shot 2 >> Frame-in-frame -
edge of screen is at edge of frame
for context; Ben's POV
Zoom into the game
Tactigon is showcased

Storyboards, Sc2 and Sc3

Here's my current batch of storyboards. I also put these on Flikr. A couple shots have some different sketches, so comment if you like one better than the other. Also let me know if you like/don't like something. I think I'm going to attempt Ludum Dare this weekend, so don't expect any miracles from me on Saturday or Sunday.


Scene 2, Shot 1:
Ben's room, empty at the moment. I realized after I drew these that the dormer-style window would look different from the inside, so I'll probably redo these. But, something like this.


Scene 2, Shot 1:
Ben enters from the rightish, and sits at desk.

Scene 3, Shot 1 and Shot 2:
upper left: shot 1, Squeak on fence with map
middle: shot 2, version 1: Squeak looking at map
lower left: shot 2, version 2: Squeak looking at map, showing more map and less Squeak

Scene 3, Shot 3:
upper left: version 1, Squeak jumping off fence, dotted line shows path around house
lower right: version 2, camera is higher so we're looking down more, again the dotted line shows path around house.

Project Management

In thinking about the project, I looked into some project management resources, and this one seems decent, insofar as it is online, won't require downloading and installation, it's free, and relatively simple to use, it lets us assign tasks to members so we know duties, and keeps deadlines, with email reminders and notifications, and the option to put in the percentage of completion for tasks.  For this weekend we may as well try it, and if it seems sufficient we may keep with it.

If anyone has any other suggestions, please post them, we can definitely explore other avenues, I just wanted something to start with.

Go to the link and register: http://www.iteamwork.com/cgi-bin/cgii/tw.enter

The task I've set up is titled "DMST3650 Advanced Animation" and my nickname is just "Ruben"

Please post your nickname and email in the comments here so I can add you to the group.

Tasks

BY SATURDAY 4/16

Finish up the posts for our refined storyboard ideas

(post up as comments and I will add it into the main post)

Next week we will be:

Scanning updated Storyboards

Putting into movie for timing

Starting on modeling

Think about models:

Squeak

Features: sly, not as cutesy, narrow face

House

Rocket Launcher

Fence

Computer

Toys

Also (Thanks Erica)
Is there anything you guys are really interesting or really not interested in modeling? (This includes you Damon.) We can always hope that it'll work out were everyone wants to do something different.

Storyboard Refining

Sc1 - Ruben

Sc2 & Sc3 - Erica

Sc4 & Sc5 - Tati

Sc6

Sc7

Sc8

Sc9

Sc10

Storyboard

[Naming convention: Sc = scene, Sh = shot]

Setting info

Time: Dusk

RPG on roof - on a track

Scene 1

Shot 1  >>Taken from the security camera perspective

--Wide shot - Crane shot

Looking down

Fortified Fence, visible traps

Ben winding through yard to check on traps

 

Shot 2

--Long/Medium shot.

Ben looks up at the security camera.

Security Cam - on corner of house.

Shot 3

Ben checks clamp trap on ground

RPG is visible in the background, not particularly highlighted

Shot 4

Ben checks control panel by door, and enters the house

Scene 2

Shot 1 >> Shot from back

--Long shot/Wider angle

Sits down at the computer

We see wall with collection

Boots up computer

Scene 3

Shot 1 >> level with Squeak

--Wide shot (less than Sc1Sh1)

Squeak and house context; map in hand (reading, not carrying)

Shot 2 >> OTS - over the shoulder

Map lifts into view; house & yard in background

Shot 3 >> backs up even more

Squeak jumps off fence

Lose sight of Squeak briefly, then he is seen briefly as he gets deeper into the yard, following the path on his map

Scene 4

Shot 1 >> Over the shoulder

See the screen, the game, and the high score

Shot 2 >> Frame-in-frame - edge of screen is at edge of frame for context; Ben's POV

Zoom into the game

Tactigon is showcased

Scene 5

Shot 1 >> Long shot (roof)

Squeak scurries along the roof to get to the power box

Power box is at end of the house (warning labels on side), opposite end of the dormer

Shot 2 >> Slightly raised, angle

Down length of roof; box in foreground; Bens dormer in background

Squeak at box, unplugging power

House lights go out

Squeak plays with the power cable

Scene 6

Shot 1 >> From front of the house

--Crane/slightly above level of window

Ben comes out of the window and onto the roof

Squeak isn't in this shot

Shot 2 >> Same/similar camera as Sc5Sh2; reverse shot

Squeak hiding behind power box

Ben spots the plug

Shot 3

Reverse to Ben plugging in

Shot 4

Squeak jumps out - menace

Pounce on head; scratch; bite

Shot 5

Ben backpedals

Squeak runs around and behind

Shot 6 >> Between the leg shot - Ben menacing

Chase

Shot 7

Setup of chord trap

> loop, or pull taut

Scene 7

Scene 8

Scene 9

Scene 10

Scene Breakdown

Scene 1
Checking around the house

Scene 2
Sitting down in desk

Scene 3
Squeak with map in front of house

Scene 4
Playing Tactigon (in room)

Scene 5
Squeak on roof
unplugs power


(Optinal Scene 5b)
**
in room
shows ben getting angry enough, looks out window sees rodent, starts to climb out
starts to climb out window
**

Scene 6
Outside view
Ben stepping out of his window and onto the roof
Still on roof until falls

Scene 7
Ben falling into the ground

Scene 8
Squeak in Ben’s room
Ben coming into the room

Scene 9
Overhead and flash of light

Scene 10
On the lawn

Compiled Story for Storyboards

Ben approaches his house and proceeds to pace around its perimeter, all the while checking what seems to be security cameras and sensors, some sort of perimeter alarm, and (most importantly) anti-Squeak traps scattered all around the lawn. After he seems content with their placement, he enters the house and settles down at his desk.

We see a street view of the house again and Squeak moves into the frame from the right as if he was watching Ben and the house the whole time. He pauses for a second, as if in mid thought. In his right hand is a map with notes and red X's all around a sketch of the house where the security system has seemingly gotten the best of Squeak. He looks very focused and determined. He walks toward the house.

Ben has wasted no time since he ensured his house's security, and is now deeply enthralled in his game of Tactigon. After a bit of intense gaming, we see the that Ben is trying to achieve the top ranking in the 'World Rankings' board, but he is currently second on the list. Just then, the power is cut off.

We see squeak on the roof smiling, with cord in hand. Ben becomes infuriated down below (sounds of furniture colliding with breakable objects. etc.). Squeak plugs and unplugs the power in and out a few more times, amusing himself quite a bit as Ben's frustrations rises exponentially. We see a wide shot of the house where the window to Ben's room is emitting a bright glow that flashes on and off with the power.

Then Ben steps outside of his window and onto the roof. He spots squeak on the roof, still greatly amused by what he is putting Ben through, and still cutting the power in and out. Ben climbs onto the roof and sneaks up behind squeak. There is a moment where squeak realizes that he is in danger and Ben lunges for him, so squeak jumps out of the way untouched. Ben turns around to see Squeak instigating him. Ben again charges at the animal in an attempt to catch him, but he is unsuccessful again as Squeak runs through his legs.

While Ben has his back turned, Squeak grabs the cable attached to one of the X287-XTRME Anti Burglary RPG Launchers with his mouth. The next time Ben tries to lunge for Squeak, Squeak pulls the cord taught and Ben trips on it. As he falls, the cord gets tangled around his foot and he falls off the roof, ripping the cord down with him.

From the window in Ben's room we see Ben flailing around in an attempt to free himself from the cable. He finally does, but he then falls onto the ground. Since the cord to the X287-XTRME Anti Burglary RPG Launcher was torn off, it malfunctions and starts to make odd sounds. Squeak, on the other hand, is safe and sound in Ben's chair starting up Tactigon. As Ben works on getting back to his room., Squeak manages to beat Ben's previous high score, and place himself as the new world champion.

Ben finally gets back inside his room; just in time to see Squeak's name at the #1 spot on the "World Rankings" page. With that, he charges at Squeak with complete disregard for the well being of his computer and lands right in his monitor. They are both stunned for a second in his room, and we hear the X287-XTRME Anti Burglary RPG Launcher say , "Acquiring Target" from above. Ben's face goes from determined to downright frightened.

After some machine sounds, the launcher maneuvers itself so it is pointing straight into Ben's window, directly at the two of them. We see an overhead view of the house from high above and then hear the launcher say, "Target Acquired". Then a flash of light.

Ben and Squeak are now sitting next to each other on the ground in front of Ben's charred house. They both have have blank, devastated stares on their faces.

Storyboarding Tasks

Everyone needs to complete their storyboards by Thurs. The stroyboards should include:

-Camera position and the established shot
-Possibly more than 1 key pose per shot, if necessary
-Lines of action for the characters
-Remember the rule of thirds while composing the shot
-Keep in mind the character's proximity to other objects (and shapes of objects)
-Lines to direct attention to the focus of the shot

Don't:

-Have the character looking at the camera
-Break the fourth wall (imaginary wall between the scene and the audience

Once you have your storyboard, make a materials list for each shot.

For Thursday 4/16

Storyboarding - 

Assign names to the scenes.  Sketch layout, considering shot variables.  Make material lists.

Refer to Storyboarding post above for more specifics

1st Half of story - Erica, Tati, Ruben

2nd Half of story - Nick, Grant, Beau

If you have the time, feel free to give more ideas for the other parts as well.

Story

For this revision I took the best pieces and plot ideas from the most recent story posts and expanded on them. For those of you who doubt the resolvability of my ending, I have this to say to you: I believe in it.

*********************************
Ben approaches his house and proceeds to pace around its perimeter, all the while checking what seems to be security cameras and sensors, some sort of perimeter alarm, and (most importantly) anti-Squeak traps scattered all around the lawn. After he seems content with their placement, he enters the house and settles down at his desk.

We see a street view of the house again and Squeak moves into the frame from the right as if he was watching Ben and the house the whole time. He pauses for a second, as if in mid thought. In his right hand is a scroll-like blueprint and he looks very focused and determined. He walks toward the house.

Ben has wasted no time since he ensured his house's security, and is now deeply enthralled in his game of Tactigon. After a bit of intense gaming, we see the that Ben is trying to achieve the top ranking in the 'World Rankings' board, but he is currently second on the list. Just then, the power is cut off.

We see squeak on the roof smiling, with cord in hand. Ben becomes infuriated down below (sounds of furniture colliding with breakable objects. etc.). Squeak plugs and unplugs the power in and out a few more times, amusing himself quite a bit as Ben's frustrations rises exponentially.

Then Ben steps outside. He spots squeak on the roof, still greatly amused by what he is putting Ben through. Ben climbs onto the roof and sneaks up behind squeak. There is a moment where squeak realizes that he is in danger and Ben lunges for him, so squeak jumps off untouched. Ben, however, falls directly onto his lawn full of Anti-Squeak traps.

From inside Ben's room we see Ben flailing around outside in a world of hurt from dozens of traps attacking his body. Squeak, on the other hand, is safe and sound in Ben's chair starting up Tactigon. As Ben works on getting the traps off, Squeak manages to beat Ben's previous high score, and place himself as the new world champion.

Ben finally gets back inside his room; just in time to see Squeak's name at the #1 spot on the "World Rankings" page. With that, he charges at Squeak with complete disregard for the well being of his computer and lands right in his monitor. Squeak dodges and runs for the door, with Ben right on his heels. As the emerge from the house, Ben's security system detects Squeak and fires on him, turning them both into dust and ending the dispute forever.

Story ideas

Some of these are a mix of what some other people posted with some of my own as well.

Perhaps the beginning can start off with Ben playing Tactigon 2000 in his room obsessively and doesn't even realize what is going on around him. He is glued to the screen and is reaching up to level 999 and is almost at the highest level with the highest score ever. Ben is obsessive compulsive and has to have everything near him in order or else he cannot concentrate on his game. He even throws out perfectly good electronics and things if there is a small scratch on them or dent that he can barely see. He is even wearing his favorite Tactigon 2000 t-shirt with a cape and underwear over his clothes because he is so obsessed. As Ben plays, he is in a trance with a blank stare with his mouth gaping open as he is addicted to this 8-bit sci-fi game.

However, after digging through Ben's family's garbage can, Squeak normally does this as Ben's garbage is a gold mine for various things. Squeak picks out food, can openers, shirts, watches, and anything he can find that fascinates him. He has an eye for bright and shiny things that move and blink. Squeak stops for a moment near the garbage cans and starts to fall into a similar trance as he stares blankly through the window near Ben at the computer screen with his mouth gaping open. Squeak says "Cheee!" He then shakes his head and looks over at the plug near the house.

Squeak then curiously looks around the house as Ben is playing Tactigon 2000 and finds an enormous plug and tugs at it. Ben's computer screen has a pop up and says "Save Game?" and as Ben goes to click on "Yes" Squeak pulls the house plug and everything in Ben's house goes dark. Followed after Squeak's plug pulling is a short pause from Ben and then a high pitched scream shortly afterward. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!" and Ben takes a flashlight with a baseball bat and starts running in the house trying to figure out what is going on. Soon Ben goes outside and shines the light onto Squeak. Ben screams, "What are you doing with that plug??? GIVE IT BAAAACK!"

Squeak, holding the plug in his hands runs from Ben. However, Ben chases Squeak around the yard and tries to hit Squeak. Squeak scurries and deflects some of Ben's hits with a trash can lid as a shield and takes a small gardening shovel as a sword. Squeak tries to poke at Ben with the shovel as he deflects Ben's hits. Leaving the end of the plug behind him, Squeak fends off Ben with his backyard weapons.

However, Ben runs and trips over a garden hose and hits his head into a tree. Ben lays on the ground knocked out cold. Squeak shivering with tense muscles with his trash can lid and small garden shovel walks towards Ben and starts to poke him. With no reaction from Ben, Squeak happily drops his accessories and scurries over to pick up the end of the plug. He then scurries over towards the hole in the tree that he lives and disappears with the plug in his little den.

Ben wakes up shortly with blurred vision and his ears prick up to the sound of Tactigon's main theme song. Ben murmurs with half opened eyes "Tacti...gon.." As Ben rolls over and pears into Squeak's den in the hole of the tree. Ben screams with a high pitched "TAAAACTIGON!!!!" with wide eyes. which startles Squeak as he pauses the game. Ben looks at Squeak and realizes that Squeak has foraged through the garbage and has taken his old computer and is playing the other disc of Tactigon 2000 that Ben had that had a slight scratch on it.

Squeak, scared holding the game controller up into a ball and shakes. Ben then says, "Hey you're really good" as he looks at Squeak's high score. He also looks at Squeak's username which says "Squeak." Ben then asks, "Squeak, can I play with you? I NEED to beat the ultimate magma fire throwing two headed alien with laser cannons at the end!!!" "Squeak nods and hands Ben a second controller.

Squeak and Ben resume the game and then go into a trance as the bright lights and moving objects put them into a trance. Their fingers work vigorously as they drool and stare blankly into the screen. Night then become day and they still haven't budged from their gaming positions and postures. However, after a while both of them collapse as their bodies give way to sleep.

Ben sleepwalks and gets his foot caught into the rope of the flag pole and ends up sleeping upside down. Ben's parents come home and see Ben sleeping awkwardly and snoring in his Tactigon 2000 shirt, cape, and underwear hanging upside down by his foot. They look at each other in shock with confused looks as the backyard is a mess with their son sleeping upside down on the flag pole. They then take a pictures and stick it in a pile of other pictures of extremely awkward moments their OCD sleepwalking kid has done.

I tried making this funny and ridiculous as the tone of the story but I'm sure that it needs more revision and flushed out concepts.

Where are the posts?

Erica, Ruben and Nick have all contributed ideas. What about the rest of you? You need to post early and then comment and discuss if this is going to work. Right now I have serious doubts about the project.

Visual Styles - non realistic

Some interesting visual styles. You can all go look these up if you want to see more. I'm not sure any of these are appropriate for what we're doing, but you never know. I'm more interested in non-realistic, maybe just because it's less common.

Azur and Asmar:
Kinda a cartoon/fairy-tail style. The animation itself isn't all that great, but it works with the style.



Okami:
Kinda like a Japanese painting.

Stories with Ben and Squeak

Some variations on the Ben and Squeak story. I'll try to come up with some more, but wanted to get these posted tonight. These ones pretty much follow the basic arc we came up with in class.


*******

Ben is playing Tactigon 2000. He has almost attained the highest score in the world. He is intently focused on the game. Suddenly there is a knocking sound from his right, breaking Ben's focus. Annoyed, Ben looks over towards the window and sees a raccoon pounding on the glass. Ben closes the blinds, puts on headphones and goes back to his game. A few moments later the power goes out. Enraged, Ben stands up and walks three steps to the door, knocking stuff over in the process. He fling the 4 foot high door open to see an angry looking raccoon standing there. Ben yells at the raccoon and the raccoon yells back and points away from the house. Ben storms off and the raccoon shakes his head and walks through the door into his hollow tree, in the backyard of a big, white, house.


********

Squeak is sitting on a tree branch watching people. He sees the Nelson's pull into the driveway with their kids. A few moments later a school bus drops off a load of children on the corner. One among them catches Squeak's eye, Ben, a non-descript boy wearing a Tactigon 2000 t-shirt who is walking quickly home. As soon as the boy opens the door to the big, white, house, Squeak leaps off his branch and onto the roof. From the roof he leaps into another tree near the window of Ben's house. Through the window, Ben comes into the room and sits at a computer. He starts up a game and begins to play. Squeak watches, his eyes riveted to the screen, his paws making the same movements as Ben's hands. Finally Squeak can stand it no longer, he MUST get in there and play that game. But how?

Squeak paces as he thinks. Finally, he has a plan. He scampers down the tree and runs to the side of the house. He finds the power-line into the house and unplugs it. Ben's house goes dork. There is a scream of rage from Ben. Squeak plugs the power back in. The lights come on. Squeak chuckles, and unplugs the house again. The house goes dark. There is a louder scream of rage, and the sound of something heavy being throw. Squeak plugs the power back in. The lights go on. Squeak unplugs the power yet again, and scampers up a nearby tree. The house goes dark, and the sounds of a tantrum echo through the neighborhood. Squeak waits. The door to the house opens, and Ben steps out armed with a flashlight. Ben heads around to the side of the house muttering angrily. Squeak waits until Ben has rounded the side of the house, then bolts for the door. He cleverly opens the door and scampers in. He runs up the stairs and finds Ben's room. He jumps into Ben chair an places his paws on the controls, just as he's practices a hundred times. Just then the power comes back on.

Squeak's eyes almost tear up as he starts playing his beloved game for the first time. There is another scream of rage and pounding on the door from below, but Squeak is lost in his dream come true.

Shot/Scene Exercise

Pair up. Decide on a common concept to attempt to convey. Each person should have the same set, and then each works on their own setup with the cameras/cuts.

Place cameras in Maya. Use step mode to jump from one location to another.

Establish a Room in which to place elements.

5 elements in the room

Static (NOT TO BE MOVED)

Can be simple - sphere, box, cone, etc.

Lighting doesn't have to be used, focus more on the elements

Attributes of the camera should be experimented with

In all, you need to have 5 shots total, using the same room setup. Think about how each should each be presented.

Each person needs to write a few sentences to summarize their approach, and what is going on/what is intended in each shot.

Visual Storytelling - Cinematography

In the comment section you may find notes from the DVD shown in class April 9th

What if...?

Let's keep some of the elements that we're working with now, but throw out different ideas,

• NO MATTER HOW CRAZY

to add to the characters, build up climax, and/or revamp the ending.

(Basically, this comes down to making "What if..." statements)

4/9 - Discussion

Tension and climax aren't strong at the moment.

Think about poetry - pack as much content as possible into the fewest words.

Why do we care about the characters?

• We don't have multiple episodes in which to build up the characters.

Think about jokes in terms of the structure, and then the punchline

Starting in the middle of the action gives some context, can be used to establish relationship between characters.

If the animation can be modestly represented in a 3-panel comic, it could probably use more substance.

Concept Pictures

Some starting concept pictures for some animals and the house

Revised Semi-Final Story

The moon is out in full, and Squeak is standing in the street in front of the house of the greatest Tactigon player in the world. We see Squeak with a large blueprint-like scroll unfurled before him. He rolls it up right before he scurries towards the side of the house.

Ben is sitting in front of his computer staring intensely into his monitor. His room is covered in Tactigon paraphernalia and he is wearing a Tactigon t-shirt. He is determined to prove his skill in the Tactigon universe by completing the 999th level. We see the text “LEVEL 999” pop up on the screen and Ben shifts in his seat to achieve the optimun gaming posture. Then the power goes out. Ben is startled at first, but when he grasps the situation and his lost Tactigon game his left eye twitches as he stares into the darkness of his dead computer monitor. The only light is the moonlight reflecting off his face.

The camera cuts to Squeak who is on the roof with the power cord to the house that he just unplugged in his mouth. Immediately we hear yelling and rampaging coming from the house under Squeak's feet. At first squeak looks up and raises his ears to hear better, but then he realizes what the sound is, gives a brief satisfied grin and resumes his work. (Possibly a scene here with Ben in the dark flipping switches in a fuse box)

Ben busts through the front door fuming and looks towards the power lines. He spots Squeak sitting on the roof messing with the cord, and gets a confused look on his face. Next we see Ben climbing a ladder to the roof to subdue the unknown creature. Squeak spots him and acts terrified as Ben approaches with a grin. Right as Ben is almost within arms reach and swings at Squeak, Squeak jumps down from the roof after showing a hint of a grin. Ben is confused as to why Squeak didn't just jump down in the first place, but he shrugs and proceeds to the loose end of the power cord to regain power to his house.

Right after the power goes back on we hear the front door slam, and Ben (who is still on the roof) freezes. Then he scurries off the roof, but in the process gets his leg caught on the power cable. He stumbles and then falls off the roof, hitting his head in the fall. He is dazed for a second, then he sees where he is; hanging upside down in front of his room's window, with the critter inside his room playing Tactigon. His eyes go wide for a second, but his head injury gets the best of him and his vision gets blurry as he slowly passes out, unable to return to his beloved game.

------------------------

We now have a solid story base to work on, but in my opinion this is not a resolving ending. Please comment on this and develop it as a group; as I see comments I will edit the story accordingly.

Some Sketches

Here are some sketches that I did of Squeak, Ben, and some Tactigon 2000 t-shirt designs. I made some sketches of Ben heavily based on the Andy rig as it seems like that rig suits the character the best. I think we can add more such as the Tactigon designs on his shirt and maybe some more details (accesories? glasses? hair color? etc.) but for now I have a simple design put up.

For the Squeak sketches - I sort of took facial design aspects from Damon and a bit of his body and posture designs from Beau's. I took out the tail as I think it might be a lot easier to animate because it might get in the way. For Squeak I also like how Beau took a more stylistic/cartoony approach and I don't mind combing some designs or making it look more like Beau's. I think making Squeak look like a combination of animals - rabbit, racoon, fox sort of creature makes him look more interesting. However, I also think that some of Squeak's design will depend a lot on which rig we will use and how much we can modify him.

The Tactigon 2000 shirts are just some designs I tried out. I think an 8-bit design would be kind of cool but I also tried making a sort of insignia, sci-fi helmet design, and sci-fi sword design that could go with the Tactigon 2000 text. If anything I just took a stab at some possibilities and if anyone would like to modify/add on to these designs that would be helpful.

Squeak


Ben


Tactigon 2000 t-shirt designs

Flickr Account

Alright, so I've got the group set up to allow access this time [=

Flickr Group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/dmst3650/

In order to get photos up:
1.) Go to the bottom of the page. Click "Upload," the third item of the "You" category.
2.) Choose photos/videos.
3.) Add descriptions and tags (we've currently got "Ben," "Squeak," and "Tactigon"). Then save.
4.) At the top, click "Groups." Select our Advanced Animation group.
5.) Click "Add Photos/Videos"
6.) Select the videos; the ones to be added appear in the box on the right. Click "Add to Group"
That's it, it will be brought into our pool of reference.

Character Sheets, Round 2

Basic refinements, based on the changes to the story idea. Comment if there's anything more I should add (including more info in certain areas) or anything that should be change/dropped/whatever. Also comment if you like them as-is, so I don't have to keep thinking about it.

Ben
Full Name: Benjamin Johnson
Description: Ben is a boy whose game play is interrupted by a power outage.

Physical Description
Age: 13
Hair: brown
Eyes: brown
Distinguishing Features: freckles
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 103 lbs

Motivation
Goal: Ben wants to be the best at Tactigon 2000.
Plan: He plays Tactigon 2000 any chance he gets, including when his parents think he's asleep or doing homework.

Character Background
Family: Ben is the only child of Steve and Rachael Johnson. Steve is an accountant for a large IT company, and is often out of town on business. Rachael works as a part-time librarian, is active in PTA, and volunteers time for after-school programs for elementary kids. Steve and Rachael's busy schedules often leave Ben home alone, which is just fine by Ben.

Education: Ben attends middle school, where he usually receives mediocre grades. He's never failed a class, but usually puts in just enough effort to pass and no more.

Habits/Vices: Avid gamer, collects anything and everything related to Tactigon 2000, obsessed with Tacticon 2000, he has posters, miniatures/action figures, t-shirts, underwear, and even their name-brand cereal.

Personality: Ben has a somewhat reclusive nature in real life. He'll talk to people, but rarely starts the conversations. Ben's real love is Tactigon 2000, which he will discuss avidly with anyone who will listen (or even pretend to listen). Ben is active in several online discussion boards and fan clubs centered around Tactigon 2000.

Likes: Tactigon 2000, video games, Mountain Dew, pizza,

Dislikes: Math (unless it relates to figuring out the best stats for Tactigon 2000), vegetables, cola, pizza with veggies,

Movement Analysis
Energy Level: High, excited, animated, sudden, as long as Tactigon 2000 is involved. Slow and depressed otherwise. Somewhat clumsy.
Emotional Temperament: Excitable, overzealous, and obsessive about Tactigon 2000.
Power Center: Somewhere between his hands and his head.
Body Tension: Tension in shoulders and neck from so much time hunched over computer.
Weight of Character: light and quick
Physical Disability:
Attitude:
  Before-> Ben has been playing Tactigon for 4 hours (since he got home from school), and is finally almost to the highest ranking.
  Current Mood: Ben is unspeakably excited.


********************************

Squeak
Full Name: Squeak
Description: Squeak is a raccoon-like critter who unplugs the power line to Ben's house.

Physical Description
Age: 3
Hair: reddish gray
Eyes: brown
Distinguishing Features: big ears, prominent teeth
Height: 2'6"
Weight: 40 lbs

Motivation
Goal: Squeak wants to play Tactigon 2000.
Plan: Squeak plans to unplug the power to Ben's house, in order to sneak in and play Tactigon 2000.

Character Background
Family: Squeak was born to fairly normal critter parents, whose primary goal was to find food. Squeak's parents were not supportive of his interest in human entertainment, calling them "uninteresting" and "a waste of time". As soon as he was able, Squeak set out to find his own fortune, and eventually arrived in the neighborhood where Ben lives.

Education: Squeak can open a trash-can with a locking lid in under 3 seconds. He's also very dexterous with his paws.

Habits/Vices: Compulsive collector of junk.

Personality: Squeak is a devious little critter, and will go to great lengths to get what he wants. Once set on a plan, Squeak will pursue his goal with single-minded focus. Squeak is also very curious, and is fascinated by tv and video games. Squeak spends much of his time studying humans, and is very knowledgeable about human behavior. He uses this knowledge to manipulate people so he can achieve his current goal.

Likes: cheese, shiny objects, sugar, human-watching

Dislikes: rat poison, people who leave their trash-cans inside, lawn mowers, corn on the cob

Movement Analysis
Energy Level: high, like a coffee-drinking squirrel
Emotional Temperament: wired, quick, short-viewed, but obsessive and focused on a goal
Power Center: creature of the heart
Body Tension: nervous wreak
Weight of Character: small and quick
Physical Disability:
Attitude:
  Before-> Squeak has been watching Ben play Tactigon 2000 for 4 hours. He is fascinated by the moving characters, and the boys apparent ability to control them.
  Current Mood: Obsessive, interested, goal driven.

***********************

Tactigon 2000

Tactigon 2000 is a science fiction fighting game where player can battle opponents with a variety of weapons, armor, and special moves. Before each match, the player selects the armor, weapons, and special moves based on the options currently available to them and who their opponent is. Some gear/moves are available to any character, and others are restricted to specific characters or are unique to one character. Each battle results in ranking points, which can be spent to purchase new/better armor, weapons, and special moves. The game features many types of weapons and armor styles, including: guns, swords (of various plausibility), thrown weapons, bows/crossbows, sticks, and various others.

Responsibilities

Story Revision: Beau

Character Bios: Erica

Character Development/Sketches: Tati & Damon

Research Setting/Characters/Game Screens: Grant & Nick

      > look into movies, find descriptions, find examples of props (game consoles, computers, tvs, houses, trees)

Flickr Feed for Setting and Character Development/Research: Ruben

Scene Work - 4/7 - Everyone

Comment here to give suggestions about scenes.

Story Arc

Think about 3-act setup, conflict, resolution

Potential streams

1:

> Open with boy playing game, level 998

> Critter looks in through window, observing the game

> Power goes out; blank, horrified, angry stare; boy goes to window

2:

> Unplugging rather than chewing

> Shows the critter with the cable, making its way back to its den

> Boy scrambles outside to the roof (via window, or perhaps runs back to attic and comes out, or grabs a ladder)

> Chase and scramble - dragging on cord, reeling in, scratching, swatting, etc

> Critter lures the boy outside in the scramble, and locks the door. (perhaps without him knowing at first - he goes to fix the power cable)

OPTIONS:

a.) critter motivation isn't revealed until the very end

b.) critter gets the power, and there's theft back and forth to playing the game - perhaps they don't see each other for a little while

c.) house is the setting for the struggles, TV ends up 

3: 

> Compromise: Boy and critter come together to play the game - no resolution

> Competition: house gets ruined and the two go to the stump to play together

> Winner: boy plugs the power back in, and slips, gets caught; while hanging from the cable, he is outside his window and sees the critter playing the game

> Critter gets the boy outside and locked the door, go from the boy banging on the door and running around the house to get in, then to the critter in the room, playing the game

4/7

3-Act Setup 

(Timing)

1st: Setup; start in the middle of an action (especially in shorts)

2nd: Confrontation/complication (i.e. biting the wire - how does it lead up to

3rd: Resolution

Think about the ending, and work the story around to reach that point.

Ideally, run through story in 3 sentences (1 per section), and complete the arc to see how it is.

Cinematography

• Shots: camera framings, and how they change
  
• Shots build up scenes
  
• Common process for the shot progression: Wide for setup --> Medium to show several characters --> Close to focus on an individual

Scenes:

1 - think about location/setting

      Research settings - find reference pictures, descriptions, etc.

2 - tell us about characters in the scene

      think about the rigs, features, traits

3 - think about how we enter/leave the frame (are people already there?  what's going on?)

4 - how does everything exist within the environment?  What effects does it have on characters/objects, and how do they influence it?

      Multiplanar environments - background done in layers (origins - with layers of glass; less movement the farther back the layer is)

Shots:

1 - pacing - think about timing/speed

2 - how are shots cut together - think about connections

3 - what is best to set mood?

4 - what is best to tell story?  how does the shot play up strengths/weaknesses

5 - what's the framing

6 - angles and visual storytelling

7 - depth of field - by default, 3D has no depth of field effect, all parts are equally visible

      >tone down the colors for items not in focus;

For next time:

1) Post finalized story arc: 3 sentence summary; think about full character development

2) Post ideas about scenes.

3) Play with rigs, and make decisions.  If you discover new options, post them to blog.

BILL - bring in quadraped locomotion information for Thursday

Character Sheets: Ben and Squeak

I did my character sheets in Celtx, but here's the breakdown.

Ben
Full Name: Benjamin Johnson
Description: Ben is a boy whose game play is interrupted by a power outage.

Physical Description
Age: 13
Hair: brown
Eyes: brown
Distinguishing Features: freckles
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 103 lbs

Motivation
Goal: Ben wants to be the best at Tactigon 2000.
Plan: He plays Tactigon 2000 any chance he gets, including when his parents think he's asleep or doing homework.

Character Background
Family: Ben is the only child of Steve and Rachael Johnson. Steve is an accountant for a large IT company, and is often out of town on business. Rachael works as a part-time librarian, is active in PTA, and volunteers time for after-school programs for elementary kids. Steve and Rachael's busy schedules often leave Ben home alone, which is just fine by Ben.

Education: Ben attends middle school, where he usually receives mediocre grades. He's never failed a class, but usually puts in just enough effort to pass and no more.

Habits/Vices: Avid gamer, collects anything and everything related to Tatigon 2000.

Personality: Ben has a somewhat reclusive nature in real life. He'll talk to people, but rarely starts the conversations. Ben's real love is Tatigon 2000, which he will discuss avidly with anyone who will listen (or even pretend to listen). Ben is active in several online discussion boards and fan clubs centered around Tatigon 2000.

Likes: Tatigon 2000, video games, Mountain Dew, pizza,

Dislikes: Math (unless it relates to figuring out the best stats for Tatigon 2000), vegetables, cola, pizza with veggies,

********************************

Squeak
Full Name: Squeak
Description: Squeak is a raccoon-like critter who chews through the power line to Ben's house.

Physical Description
Age: 3
Hair: reddish gray
Eyes: brown
Distinguishing Features: big ears, prominent teeth
Height: 2'6"
Weight: 40 lbs

Motivation
Goal: Squeak wants to build a rocket to go to the moon, because he's heard that the moon is made of cheese.
Plan: Squeak has been collecting materials from people's yards and garbage cans for over a year. He uses these items to craft a rocket made from a hollow tree.

Character Background
Family: Squeak was born to fairly normal critter parents, whose primary goal was to find food. Squeak's parents didn't seem to care about his ideas, or dreams of going to the moon. As soon as he was able, Squeak set out to find his own fortune, and eventually arrived in the neighborhood where Ben lives.

Education: Squeak can open a trash-can with a locking lid in under 3 seconds.

Habits/Vices: Compulsive collector of junk, obsessed with building a rocket to go to the moon.

Personality: Although somewhat simple-minded, Squeak is has the soul of an artist. He is deeply moved by his dreams, and cares little about what others think of him. Squeak is not easily discouraged from his dream, and will go to most any length to build his rocket.

Likes: cheese, shiny objects, sugar,

Dislikes: rat poison, people who leave their trash-cans inside, lawn mowers, corn on the cob

Concept: Critter

Here's a sketch of an idea for the "Electric Fur" critter.  Not to be taken too seriously, I did this mostly for fun to get some ideas rollin'.  It's not a raccoon as described in the story, but it could be easily adapted to one if we really want to stick with that.

Let me know if this is helpful.  If so I would be glad to do more.

Work for next time

Comment on "Electric Fur."

Write down ideas for changes
Add depth to the story
Write about the alternate endings - which are you thinking, and why? Any other suggestions for endings?
Write a couple of paragraphs on characters - backstories, traits, etc

Find & Play with rigs

Electric Fur

The first scene reveals a close up of a hand on a mouse, an eye darting back and forth between seemingly important events with light reflecting off of it, and then a view from behind the boy in which we see a computer monitor. After moving away from the boy we see that his room is lit with light from the monitor and deep moonlight piercing through the darkness of his room from the window.

He is so into whatever is on the screen that he seems to be oblivious to any events that might be occurring around him. You see a shadow in the window, but the boy does not notice. The shadow is like a smaller version of the brief shadow that an airplane casts when flying between you and the sun. A few moments later, the power cuts out. The moonlight still lights half of the room and the boy's head, but the monitor is black. The power flickers on and off a bit, then dies completely.

The boy slowly gets up to look out the window. He sees a few blue-green sparks shower down from the roof, and runs to grab his flashlight. Next we see him stepping onto the roof from a ladder, flashlight in his mouth to light the way up. After a few sweeps of the flashlight he spots a critter (raccoon) nibbling on the power line to the house. The startled critter looks up with the cable between his jaws, pauses in the beam of the flashlight, then bites down. Almost instantly he is engulfed in arcs of electricity, and soon after the rooftop is starting to become electrified as well.

The next shot is from a birds eye view directly above the house in which we see the house glowing blue, and rapidly getting brighter. After a few seconds there is a bright flash and the screen slowly fades from bright white to the last scene: the boy sitting on a burned patch where his house used to be, with a wide-eyed blank stare on his face. Seconds later, the electrified raccoon falls from the above and lands next to him with a thump. The end.


*** I also wanted to add this ending as a less comedic option:

(The following would occur right after the power went out:)

The boy slowly gets up, and starts to tiptoe down the hall with a flashlight. When he is halfway down the hallway, he is pressed against the ground as if he was in an elevator that was just launched upwards at an unsafe velocity. As he regains his balance, there is a terrified look on his face. He continues towards a window in the hallway.

The bottom of the window sill is just below his eye level when he is on his toes, so he can only see what is directly outside of the window, but it is enough for him to realize what is happening; the house is moving through clouds. It seems very stable, and moving at a constant velocity, but there is no doubt that he is inside a flying house. We see the boy's face looking out the window, bewildered and pleased, and the camera seems to stay in one place as the house floats away and the boy's face gets smaller and smaller.

Revised story

The Laboratory

The first scene is of three scientists working in a high security biohazard lab. Two of the scientists are looking serious as they work while one has a cheerful expression on his face, wearing his lab coat open, and whistling as he works. This is the main character and will be referred to as Joe for the rest of this script. As he is maneuvering around the lab, he accidentally knocks over a canister. As he reaches over to pick up a hand towel, he notices that the other scientists are running out of the room screaming. He casually walks over to the door and finds that its been sealed shut. He walks over a single observatory window and has a non-verbal conversation with the scientist looking out from the other side.

Joe makes a smiling face and points to the door, the scientists on the other side shake their head. Joe than makes a “pretty please?” gesture, to which the scientists point to a sign on the wall. The sign has in bold letters “IN CASE OF ACCIDENT” and has a set of pictures under it that show a scientist knocking over a canister, the other scientist running out and locking the door, and the final picture shows the scientist inside dying of plague like symptoms while the other scientist looks on safely though the window. When Joe sees this sign, he facial expression changes to fear for the first time as he proceeds to run around the laboratory in a panic and banging on the door. The next scene shows him after hes calmed down a little and starts looking though a book to find an antidote. When he finds the page matching with the symbol on the canister, he finds the antidote listed as “Fire, and lots of it”. To which he again runs around the room in a panic and banging on the door. *cue sad music* The final scenes are shown from behind the glass window as he gets sicker and sicker and finally dies.

I tried to work in a little more character development into this one and play with the audience expectation that this was going to be comedy.