I was so close to getting ahead this week, after a super productive weekend, and a great tuesday and wednesday, only to fall behind when my body shut down from lack of sleep. Now I've fallen a bit behind the schedule again, but I'm going to catch up now. First up is the big clean. Today I'm taking on my room, getting it to the point where I can start destroying it again, but this time, FOR THE ART!!! It's going to be a long day, and I'm also trying to start cutting together the sound (To finish by Thursday, the day start prinicipal) update my photo records and start tests. I'm not sure if I'll find time to update my portfolio in all of this, even though I really should, but for now it's all about the building and testing and cleaning and completing. I'm so close now, I can barely stand it, but the real trick is going to be pushing through.
I should really do the animatic today and tomorrow too, but god, it's just all... well it's all a heck of a lot to do. I've just got to be more organized, just got to get things done right... fwoo. This is difficult, I tell ya.
Anyways, will update more soon, but for now I've really got to buckle down and fight through this. PEACE!!!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sets, Recordings, And Puppet Building!
Well, I'm still behind my schedule, but I always am behind it, and as of now, I'm only a shade of a dash behind it. I still need to finish my Boards and Animatic, and I need to start the Animation tests, which means I also need to finish my apartment cleaning, but still, STILL, things are moving quite well. Why do I say that? Cause the record session went great! Basically off without a hitch, giving me more than enough material to get together the first Suspicious Characters short (i.e. my production 1) and probably enough for another episode or two if I get to, as planned, continue it. And not only because of that! Even though My puppets are not completely done, the sculpting work is moving really really well, I'm getting pretty damn good at heads (which is good, since I want to put some sculpting work into my portfolio, which I'm updating again today, but enough on that. Basically, All I have to do now is figure out how to use plumber's epoxy correctly.) ...
Several hours later and Success! Anyway, the other Fantastic thing is that my friend Amy Lee Ketchum finished building some awesome props and set dressing for Jacob's personal set, and they look utterly fantastic. So much so that I can't even stand it. She's got skills. Anyways, Got to keep working and pounding and pounding away at all of it. Will update with pictures later today, and for now, I'll just keep braining this work over the head with a metaphorical mallet until it folds into submission.
... and it will, oh man, it will.
For now, the only picture update is totally gonna be the sweet as awesome set Amy made me, so, you know, I'll have other stuff to post tomorrow.
Several hours later and Success! Anyway, the other Fantastic thing is that my friend Amy Lee Ketchum finished building some awesome props and set dressing for Jacob's personal set, and they look utterly fantastic. So much so that I can't even stand it. She's got skills. Anyways, Got to keep working and pounding and pounding away at all of it. Will update with pictures later today, and for now, I'll just keep braining this work over the head with a metaphorical mallet until it folds into submission.
... and it will, oh man, it will.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Sculpting, Character Design, Scripting.
Well-uh-dee, well-dee-ud, well-a-doo, work has been batting me over the head like a baseball player with a striped sea bass on an LCD trip... or badly, if that simile was too elusive. I've completed the script, assembled my cast of characters, and come up with the interview questions, which I am recording for the first time here, so enjoy:
"Suspicious Characters" ACTUAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS!!
1. What is Art?
2. Do you have any siblings?
2b. When something goes wrong, which sibling caused it, older or younger, brother or sister?
3. Are cartoons art?
4. Are kids responsible for damage they cause?
5. Did you ever intentionally try to get your sibling(s) in trouble.
6. "Making Art is like Raising Kids" What do you think of the preceding statement?
An there you have it! We might not be able to hit all of them in this first run around, but we'll at least have the cast (in and out of character) and some of the crew (myself most definitely included) answer them (looks like we're on target to record this weekend!! I'm EXCITED!). We'll keep them in the vault for future use.
Now character design is going great, with our two leads characters, Penelope and Jacob, pretty much locked down! I should be able to get work of them up soon. Today though, I want to show you what I've spent most of the day doing (after getting up at 12, having given myself a bit extra sleep to get better from a cold, which seems to have been a straight A success).
"Suspicious Characters" ACTUAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS!!
1. What is Art?
2. Do you have any siblings?
2b. When something goes wrong, which sibling caused it, older or younger, brother or sister?
3. Are cartoons art?
4. Are kids responsible for damage they cause?
5. Did you ever intentionally try to get your sibling(s) in trouble.
6. "Making Art is like Raising Kids" What do you think of the preceding statement?
An there you have it! We might not be able to hit all of them in this first run around, but we'll at least have the cast (in and out of character) and some of the crew (myself most definitely included) answer them (looks like we're on target to record this weekend!! I'm EXCITED!). We'll keep them in the vault for future use.
Now character design is going great, with our two leads characters, Penelope and Jacob, pretty much locked down! I should be able to get work of them up soon. Today though, I want to show you what I've spent most of the day doing (after getting up at 12, having given myself a bit extra sleep to get better from a cold, which seems to have been a straight A success).
I've been making replacement mouths for Penelope. I decided to try and play up her creepy cute nature by making her have something of a patchwork head, and hang a lantern on her replacement mouths, having one of her "seams" be where they come on and off. Everything, it would seem, is coming together. Got to take some time this weekend, as a I keep working and recording to see if I can get some more work and maybe even a reel together for the upcoming studio day and prescreening. So for now, here's a picture of Jake. Looking all perturbed. PEACE!!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Casting, Scheduling, Arting, and Supplying.
Well, that was one busy-as-hell week I just rammed through, but man, did it bear (bare?) some delectable results. First up, this project is cast! At least, the two essential main characters are. Those roles are Penelope aka "Penny", smart but sometimes pedantic and self righteous younger sister and half finished stop-motion puppet, with an equivalent human age of about 12-13 (teeny bopper?), to be played by Angelica Reeve; and Jacob aka Jake, sarcastic quick witted, and too smart for his own good older brother and 3 steps above a stick figure handdrawn cartoon character, equivalent human age of 14-15, to be played by Ben Lundberg. Ben and Angelica are long time friends and collaborators of mine, both of whom are graduates of the NYU TSOA drama program, having studied at the Stella Adler conservatory and currently based out of NYC (Brooklyn, I think). They are both currently involved with the theater company Organs of State (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Organs-of-State/123215174175), which just finished their latest new show Percival's Big Night, and Ben also heads up the everyman's criticism movement The Orange Hats (http://www.facebook.com/theorangehats?m2w)
They are, in my book, the best class of people.
... And that class is awesome.
Next on the agenda, scheduling! This week I am putting together on actual record, scheduling for my project. I'm moving at a great clip now, final character designs for the two main characters locked, most of a script written (hard when improv and interviews are involved), theme music written and my picture lock set (my goal is the middle of March, slightly before the school deadline). As such, locking down my schedule this week is key.
This update to be continued when I'm not on my phone, cause this sucks! Peace! The rest of this and at least one additional entry coming down later today!AND SO WE DO
Well, Quick late updates here, before we move on. Finishing these thoughts up late, sorry about that.
Anyway, it looks like my friends at Orange Hats and Organs of State are helping out even more with imrpoving, interview participating, and recording and sending. Great news! I've Completed the script and the Schedule, and have the questions and interviews boiled to near perfection.
Right Now, I'm trying to move out of the planning phase and jump on forward. Up next, changing into "Man of Action" Mode. Stay tuned for more updates, amigos!
They are, in my book, the best class of people.
... And that class is awesome.
Next on the agenda, scheduling! This week I am putting together on actual record, scheduling for my project. I'm moving at a great clip now, final character designs for the two main characters locked, most of a script written (hard when improv and interviews are involved), theme music written and my picture lock set (my goal is the middle of March, slightly before the school deadline). As such, locking down my schedule this week is key.
Well, Quick late updates here, before we move on. Finishing these thoughts up late, sorry about that.
Anyway, it looks like my friends at Orange Hats and Organs of State are helping out even more with imrpoving, interview participating, and recording and sending. Great news! I've Completed the script and the Schedule, and have the questions and interviews boiled to near perfection.
Right Now, I'm trying to move out of the planning phase and jump on forward. Up next, changing into "Man of Action" Mode. Stay tuned for more updates, amigos!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Let's Get This Sucker Started!
Bem-Vindo! Welcome! Bienvenue! Bienvenido!
This is the journal for my production 1 in grad school, my first (truly) narrative (character) animated short at USC! As part of my general plan of attack, I'm trying to make three character based, narrative animated short films at USC, one use primarily stop motion, one using primarily CGI, and a final one (my thesis) using good old fashioned drawings (though probably a whole bunch of computers as well.
Suspicious Characters is the primarily stop motion film, though it will also use traditional hand drawn animation, a variety of stop mo techniques (puppets and objects being the primary), and some post compositing. It is, of the three films I'm planning, the most usual in terms of plot, themes, and style: A dialogue driven, meta-fictional comedy, hitting on the central topics of creating art, sibling rivalries, and taking responsibility; and built around strongly character based storytelling.
It is inspired by many films, games, and shows, (which I will outline in a near future post) but is most directly inspired by Aardman's Creature Comforts. Like that film series, Suspicious Characters is to be framed as a series of interview with a rather unique set of characters (more on that soon, too).
It's dialogue and vocal performances will consist of a combination of scripted dialogue, unscripted improv, and, hopefully, actual interviews.
With every film I make, I not only want to create a piece of art I'm proud of, that goes somewhere new for me (priority one), but improve my technical skills, and force me to learn new skills (priority two). The visual aesthetic of the film is "Disaster Fallout in an Artist's Apartment" and the sound aesthetic of the film is "Documentary" or "Eyewitness News". Technically, I'm aiming to make a film that's as much under 2 minutes as possible (to keep me sane, possible and alive), and utilizes strong, subtle character acting, lip synced dialogue, scale, and focused set design, layered, dynamic sound design, and speed.
My last goal with this project is this: one new post every two days here. At least. So stay tuned.
This is the journal for my production 1 in grad school, my first (truly) narrative (character) animated short at USC! As part of my general plan of attack, I'm trying to make three character based, narrative animated short films at USC, one use primarily stop motion, one using primarily CGI, and a final one (my thesis) using good old fashioned drawings (though probably a whole bunch of computers as well.
Suspicious Characters is the primarily stop motion film, though it will also use traditional hand drawn animation, a variety of stop mo techniques (puppets and objects being the primary), and some post compositing. It is, of the three films I'm planning, the most usual in terms of plot, themes, and style: A dialogue driven, meta-fictional comedy, hitting on the central topics of creating art, sibling rivalries, and taking responsibility; and built around strongly character based storytelling.
It is inspired by many films, games, and shows, (which I will outline in a near future post) but is most directly inspired by Aardman's Creature Comforts. Like that film series, Suspicious Characters is to be framed as a series of interview with a rather unique set of characters (more on that soon, too).
It's dialogue and vocal performances will consist of a combination of scripted dialogue, unscripted improv, and, hopefully, actual interviews.
With every film I make, I not only want to create a piece of art I'm proud of, that goes somewhere new for me (priority one), but improve my technical skills, and force me to learn new skills (priority two). The visual aesthetic of the film is "Disaster Fallout in an Artist's Apartment" and the sound aesthetic of the film is "Documentary" or "Eyewitness News". Technically, I'm aiming to make a film that's as much under 2 minutes as possible (to keep me sane, possible and alive), and utilizes strong, subtle character acting, lip synced dialogue, scale, and focused set design, layered, dynamic sound design, and speed.
My last goal with this project is this: one new post every two days here. At least. So stay tuned.
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