Conclusion

  Throughout this project I've met a variety of challenges. This was my first attempt at an animated short film and from the simple storyboard at the beginning, to the final edit at the end, I am proud that I completed it independently. The structure of the course was extremely well managed and the tutors were always available and very supportive. This helped a great deal in keeping my stress levels down.
Towards the final weeks however, I was unable to export my scenes from FlipBook due to the digital watermark present in the demo version. As a result, I was forced to redo the clean up for every frame in Flash. This set me back drastically and I had no choice but to apply for an extension. This also meant that I had less time to edit the video and sound which, unfortunately, shows in the final edit.

   Despite this inconvenience, I have greatly enjoyed this project and have learned a lot about the diversity in both the softwares and techniques used in animation. From this experience I have also discovered that my passion is character designing. I now have a clear idea of what career path I'd like to take and I'm eager to get started on my showreel and portfolio.

Final Edited Film With Sound

Full Film Test No Sound

Final Background Set 2

Final Scene 9 (Viking March)

Final Scene 8 (Conker Toss)

Final Scene 7 (Spoon Catapult)

Final Scene 6 (Jump at Door)

Final Scene 5 (stare at fruit)

Final Scene 2 and 4 (walking to house)

Final Backgrounds Set 1

   I've edited and repainted the backgrounds from before. The textures and colours are more stylized and whilst simpler than the the previous designs, are far stronger and will better compliment the story. The house itself has a stronger shape and colour palette, thus giving it more character. The composition also makes more sense now and has more depth than before.

Flipbook Scene 4 (Spoon catapult)

C:\Users\Joel Clough\Desktop\Uni Stuff\University projects\Short Film\flipbook scenes\scene 4 (spoon throw) gif.gif

Flipbook Scene 3 (Launching at the house door)

Flipbook Scene 2 (staring at fruit)

Walk cycle edit in flipbook

C:\Users\Joel Clough\Desktop\Uni Stuff\University projects\Short Film\flipbook scenes\scene 1 (walking to house) gif.gif

Continued Research

First Set of Backgrounds

I felt my previous environment design lacked any kind of warmth. It felt barren and empty. Having redesigned them, I've tried to create a sense of life to the setting, as the house and other props are as much characters as the snail.

Edited Animatic

After running through it with my tutors, we agreed that some changes were needed, and so I've fixed some of the camera angles, tightened up the pacing and included more establishing shots. Now it should translate better to the audience.

First Attempt Background

Re-evaluated Colour Chart

I've edited the colour chart with softer, warmer and more opaque colours. this, I hope, will make the film more engaging for the audience.

Snail walk cycle

My intention here was to portray slow, sluggish movements. I wanted to give him a jelly-like body, with lots of squash and stretch, to capture the flexibility in his anatomy. I've also given the snail a 'pimpled' texture along with a soft glow to achieve a sense of ambience and transparency.