This week was a great one. Why? We got to animate something that wasn't a bouncing ball! YAY! This was our second project this year, and we learned how to use the Puppet Pin tool. So, without further ado, here it is. My inchworm animation.
In this project, we had to create an inchworm and an environment for him to be in using Photoshop, and then make him crawl across the screen using AfterEffects. I made an alien planet covered in thick clouds of gas, some purple grass, and a brightly colored alien worm. The Puppet Pin tool was very easy to get the hang of, and I managed to get it done rather quickly.
I learned how to use the Puppet Pin tool and how to animate something that isn't a bouncing ball. I also learned about subcompositions, parent layers, and how to make shadows.
Overall, I think it turned out nicely! The worm and alien planet both look appealing, the animation is smooth, and the shading looks natural. Overall, I'm happy with how this turned out and am SUPER psyched for the next project- a character walk cycle!
This week in Animation, we worked on our first real project of the year, which was to animate- gasp!- a bouncing ball. As if we didn't haveenough of those already. But this time, we did something a little different than we did the last few times. Instead of animating everything in Photoshop- which is what I have been doing both for school and for the videos I make in my free time- we simply made the layers in Photoshop, then imported everything into AfterEffects and animated it there. Animating in AfterEffects is like animating in Photoshop, but it's a lot smoother. (However, I don't think I'm going to use AfterEffects for my private animations, because a) I don't have it and b) for me, old habits die hard.) Everything was rather simple and moved smoothly, and I enjoyed it.
What did I learn from this? Well, first of all, I learned how to use AfterEffects. AfterEffects was completely alien to me and I had quite a few difficulties trying to figure it out, but in the end, I managed to make something good. I also learned more about squash and stretch as well as how to make something look 3D in Photoshop.
How did it go? Well, I think it went pretty well. I chose to put the ball in a field at night, as opposed to during the day, which led to the use of several dark and subdued colors. These colors created a beautiful contrast with the ball. The movement is fluid as well, and it bounces in an arc like it would in real life. However, if there's one think I could improve on, it's the speed. The ball's bouncing seems a bit slow, so I'll try to make it faster next time.
Ahhhh! After 10,000 years I'm free! (And by 10,000 years, I mean, like 4 months) It's time to conquer Earth- I mean, make videos!
So, in Video Production, we were supposed to make a video about procedures, and my best friend Tate and I decided to do science lab procedures. Here's our video:
The first day we didn't get anything done due to our failure to operate a camera. But on the second day, we filmed everything. Originally, we had dialogue, but since we forgot to turn on the audio while recording, we had to voice over the only line we thought was worth keeping ("Man, forget about this! Let's pour napalm all over the auditorium!") and left everything else to be communicated via our expressions.
Recording day was a blast, I tell you. Not only did I get to mug for the camera and do a thumbs-up on two occasions, I also got to run off with Tate to pour napalm all over the auditorium, watch Tate eat paper and hold up Wilson the Wombat (who is now our unofficial mascot) in the Circle of Life pose, put my hand on a hot plate without flinching, drink sulfuric acid, and play dead on the floor.
I learned, for the most part, how to operate a camera. Before this, we recorded things on iPads, so this was my first experience with a camera. I also learned that my best friend and I can indeed get a lot of things done in 1 class period, and that Wilson the Wombat is the answer to life, the universe, and everything.
Yesterday, we studied the history of animation and watched classic cartoons like Steamboat Willie and Gertie the Dinosaur. Today, we were asked to find something historical from animation online and explainits significance. I chose an old Betty Boop short called "Red Hot Mamma".
The short begins with Betty trying to sleep during a snowstorm, but she can't sleep because of how cold it is and decides to make a fire in the fireplace. However, the fireplace ends up making it TOO hot, and the fireplace turns into a portal to hell. Then Betty falls into the portal, and ends up in hell where a group of demons are doing their usual mischievous things. Then she sings a song, and then the devil himself appears and turns up the heat until she's surrounded by fire. Then, the devil and a group of demons surround her. She freezes the demons by literally giving them the cold shoulder, and freezes the devil by giving him a literal icy glare. This ends up freezing over hell, and soon she ends up in her house, with the fire having subsided. She then gets back into bed and throws a bunch of blankets over herself.
This short was clever and fun, and I loved it. The concept is genius and the exaggerated animation and visual puns are very enjoyable. Betty Boop was one of the first cartoon icons to go into more mature territory, which is what led to her popularity and iconic nature. Overall, this short was a joy to watch.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
4th Quarter Reflection
My 4th quarter project was exhilarating but fun. My group's product was called the Lingua, and it was a microphone that could translate languages accurately and quickly. Usually, it took us a while to get anywhere with our projects, since CERTAIN members of the group were always lollygagging, but we ended up doing them in the end. One of the big challenges I faced was that I was one of 2 people who were trying to take this seriously, and the one who declared himself the so-called leader of our team was always lollygagging and never got any work done. And while I did make very practical animations and designed the logo, things usually would end up devolving into chaos, as shown by how chaotic our commercial was:
However, I learned along the way that marketing something is pretty easy, and making logos is far easier than I thought. I also learned that making a good commercial is difficult, especially when you have 3 different people to work with (and in the case of one of them, working with him was like trying to herd cats). The feedback we were given was simple. While my work was greatly appreciated, others pointed out that our commercial was far too chaotic or something of that nature. Next time, I hope I don't get paired with people whose ideas clash with my own like that. But I guess that's how group projects are. Group projects are like a game of chance: you roll the dice and see who you get. Sometimes, you get a good group, other times, you get a not-so-good group. However, I believe that my work in 4th quarter was quite phenomenal. Here are some examples of things I did:
In this quarter, I was sure to use my time in class well. I made sure to make every minute count. Only when I was done with all that I needed to do did I look at funny pictures online. When I was done early, I'd look back over what I had and see what else I could add. Outside of class, I tend to use Photoshop a lot in order to explore what it can really do, so I can better my skills in this class.
As a student in e-Communications and as an employee, I have many strengths. One of them is my artistic talent and endless fountain of good ideas. I tend to think outside the box and see things more creatively, which helps me with projects like this. My knowledge of technology is another good point, considering my ability to use computers well is important in this class. I maximize my strengths by using them more and more, and that way, I can get better the more I do these things.
Areas I have in need of improvement include my ability to work as a member of a group. Yes, I CAN work with others, but when having to deal with someone like Mr. Lollygagger, I blew my top one too many times. I'm known to be slightly temperamental, and with him being the "leader" of our group and still not doing anything, I got angry to the point of crying at one point. However, my mom said that learning to deal with people like him is normal, and I think I should work on that.
This semester was an exciting semester. What I loved most was the Video Production we learned in Quarter 3, which was unbelievably fun. What I would do differently is fix the system of grouping used for our group project, because while you said you grouped us via our MBTI personalities, we were of completely different MBTI groups. I know that the intent was to have two introverts and two extroverts, but still. I have learned several things in this semester that I am most definitely using in the future, and I hope that next year, I can create more complex animations. As for my final thoughts? Well, in short, I'm glad I chose this 21st Century Program. It's well worth having to change schools for it, and it's definitely better than taking regular classes at East.
Friday, April 7, 2017
Product Project- The First Rotation
DAWN OF THE FIRST ROTATION
3 ROTATIONS REMAIN.
So for the Product Project, we were supposed to come up with a product and advertise it. My group came up with the Lingua, a microphone that could translate things super accurately. We then split up to do our jobs: Riley and Evan did the 3D modeling, Hannah made the website, and I made the animation. So here is what I made.
I put a lot of effort into this. Like, a lot of effort. I spent several days procrastinating and procrastinating but finally it is complete. I now it's cheesy and all, but it's the best I can do.
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Return of the Dreamweaver
Our project was to make a website using Dreamweaver using instructions on Google Classroom. Now, this time, Dreamweaver cooperated more and didn't hate me. I learned several skills that I could use for future web projects.
There were many different colors for us to use, but they were similar, so they harmonized well with each other. The way the text was laid out also turned out very appealing. And I actually was the first one done, so that speaks volumes of how well I caught on. We had to follow the directions precisely.
Most importantly, I learned how to code for a website. This will likely come in handy in the future. It's surprisingly easy to do it on Dreamweaver.
