Photography Project

This week we were given a smaller project to go out and photograph references for the shots of our animation. I focused heavily on getting one point perspective shots. But there's some other shots in there two. Obviously I wasn't going to make the trek up to the Giant's Causeway so I did the best I could with the streets of Limerick and the winding paths of the woods near my house it's a  particularly favorite spot of mine I often go up there to photograph for my own enjoyment. This time around however I looked at the area in a different way after learning about some composition techniques in photography.

This will be the introductory shot for the characters. The pair will be standing at the fork.

I was thinking of using this as an establishing shot. Giving an overview of the area.

Imagine these white poles are octagonal pillars. 

This is how I would like to frame the father waiting. 

When the father is waiting at the end point, looking out onto the clearing from the enclosure of the pillars.

I like this shot because it's quite jarring. I'd like for most of the shots to be sort of claustrophobic. 

Like this as well. Got the OPP quite good in my own opinion.

Paprika - Scene Analysis

I chose a scene where Paprika is travelling between dreams, going deeper into an old abandoned city.

Characters
There \re very little characters bar Paprika in this scene. She has no interactions with any other characters except for a large manifesttation of another character. This character then chases PAprika. She changes costume 3 times. The first being like a superhero outfit, then her regular clothes and finally a fairy outfit.

Setting
As far as I can tell the only way the setting pushes the story forward is that the abandoned city could be suggesting that the parade is getting closer to the real world and the city it will eventually invade. She goes deeper and deepr into the dark recesses of the city where things get more sinister.

Mysien Scene
The space infront of Paprika shattering like glass re-enforces the idea that it's a dream, it's something impossible.
The large statue that's brightly lit is clearly important to the dreamer. It stands out against the dark browns of the rotting city.
At one stage Paprika is lit from behind by a white lit in an angelic way.

Camera
Shot List:

1. character on 3rd
2. character on 3rd
3. close up
4. establishing
5. pan
6. One Point Persective
7. OPP
8. close up
9. over the shoulder
10. pan
11. wide
12. close up of statue
13. close up
14. zoom
15. pan and freeze
16. moving down one point
17. OPP
18. character on 3rd
19. close up
20. pan
21. pan
22. establishing
23. extreme close up
24. establish
25. close up
26. wide
27. fast moving
28. reveal new character
29. close up
30. extreme close up
31. fast moving

Shots beging in OPP to create tension then move into fast pace when the action picks up and oaorika must escape. Entire scene is solely 3rd person.

Sound

There's a very strong presence of wind. It's suggestive that there's an opening at the end of the tunnel that she's heading towards. 

The tinkling of the fairy costume has a strange technical/ mechanical sound 

Music gradually rises in volume and pace as she reaches the end point.

There's a static sound to raise tension

The final music reminds me of battle music from a video game.

3rd Poster

Set Making

These are experiments in making my set. These are obviously inspired by the odd dreamscape of the Giants Causeway in Antrim and bio luminescence. 

Less Traveled - Description

I’ve changed the ending would like some FEEDBACK if at all possible. the title has also been changed to “Less Traveled”. Which is taken from Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken”

The signpost in front of the pair reads “Homeland” below this are 2 arrows pointing in opposite directions. The road they had been travelling down now forks. The man goes left but is stopped by the boy who then proceeds to go right but is also stopped by his father. They give each other a disgruntle look. They are both tired and frustrated. The man’s face lights up as he gets an idea. He excitedly retrieves a coin from his pocket. The boy calls heads. It’s tails. The boy looks at the man in annoyance and storms ahead.  The man follows behind with a look of self satisfaction. The boy rounds a corner out of sight of the man. There’s a bright flash of orange and red like fire. The man panics and rushes forward to catch up with his son. The boy turns and scowls at his overbearing father. The man breaths a sigh of relief. 

Cut back to the fork in the road. Alone, the boy approaches the fork again. Bemused he continues down the same path to the left to catch up with his father. There’a moment where nothing is happening on screen. The boy approaches the fork yet again. He slumps his shoulders in weariness. He begins to go down the same path but glances to the right. With a smirk he seizes his opportunity to go down the path he chose. Cut again to the father who has come to the end of the road. Athens is visible in the far distance. Before him are wide open plains and his son. He begins to approach his son when there’s another fiery flash. 1 kalpos (Greek gremlin) jumps off the shoulders of another. They tricked the man into thinking they were his son. They scamper over to their master. The God of Sleep. The God strikes the father with his gaze. Their eyes will flash the same colour to communicate some sort of connection has just been made. The father falls to the ground asleep.

The son comes to the same end point, there’s a change in light to show a passage of time. He gently attempts to wake his father and when he stays unconscious he begins to panic. Just before he begins to shout his father’s name it cuts into the father’s dream. There’s a shot of a spiral tower twisting upwards. Camera zooms into the building where the father is drudgingly moving up the spiral path. He hears his sons muffled cries, looks around and continues onwards. Cuts again to the son and god. The God places a gentle hand on the shoulder of the stricken boy and says “Leave here. He belongs to us now.” The boy stays. The God tightens his grip and says “Continue on your path or join him” The boy rises and sets off along his path carrying his father’s belongings. 

2nd Poster

I created a 2nd poster because I was just so unhappy with the first... It was a fun exercise in trying to compose something more interesting to look at and I learned a bit about painting in Photoshop. Win win.

Animated Short Poster, Mood Board and Description

A trusted merchant and his unaffectionate son travel home. The road in front of them unexpectedly forks. Both believe the opposite direction to be the correct one. Stalemate.

                Through an unfortunate and unforeseen replacement the merchant’s son is forced to learn the traps of following his own path, what truly matters to him and what it means to be dead. 

Updated IDI Project

So this is an updated version of the IDI Project I did a while back. Not much has changed really except the following: 

• The size of the end title, “Product Design”, has been changed to fit within the title safe area. 
• The size of the characters at the end frame were increased a little bit to take up a bit more of the negative space dominating the end frame.
• The characters and props have been rasterises so that they are smoother, cleaner and less blurry.

This caused me no end of problems just to render. I’d say this one is attempt No.10 (at least).