This is the animatic for my part of the animation. I composed my shots on After effects and edited in Premier Pro.
Group Animatic:
Group Feedback:
Overall good fluidity through out the animatic and good strong narrative. One member of the animation groups said that they really felt a scenes of suspense giving me the impressions that the animatic composition made the audience very responsive.
We also received feedback which was constructive, mainly addressing characters and overall look. It was suggested that simple abstract characters would be a more actionable idea as a posed to figurative characters also for the setting. I will refer back the the film Silence Beneath the Bark as that has both simple but effective character and setting.
The next stage of group development will be to decide on a style which befits the narrative and everyone can animate. after this is completed work on the animated tests and sequences can begin in ernest.
In many group discussions we have discussed the possible colour pallet of the animation. here i've used my mood boards to select possible colours to create colour pallets for the three main visual components: the background; the Snow Queen and the Traveller. I suggest that the scenery and the Snow Queen share a similar pallet of white, blacks and blues where as, to create contrast, the traveller should be mainly composed of warm reds and browns.
Background colour pallet:
Snow Queen colour pallet:
Traveller colour pallet:
Snow Queen Conceptual coloured designs:
Using these mood boards and colour pallets I created some more conceptual art of the Snow Queen and of her moving in her environment. these don't contain any of the textures discussed in the previous post as i wanted to test whether the colours worked will with simple visulas and create a better understanding of the Snow Queens character.
Across much of my visual research I liked the inky look and texture of traditional japanese and the texture look in the film Silence Beneath the Bark which i previously used for some after effects tests. I thought I might carry this look forward into the background scenery for my shots. First I experimented with various mediums, photographed them and manipulated them in Photoshop. then i tested these textures by creating matt paintings for my back grounds based on my story board.
Charcoal Tests:
Charcoal on paper Chorcoal edited on photoshop
Watercolour Tests
Watercolour on paper Watercolour edited on photoshop
I wan't happy with the shot compositions of shot 3A and 5A as the imagery wasn't impacting as much as it could have been. I analysed the composition of shots from Fantasia 2000 the Fire Bird Suite in particular shots where the Fire Bird bursts form the volcano.
Using a similar shot composition I recomposed shot 3A to have the Snow Queen rising form the centre as a-posse to the rising from the right hand side. This composition emphasises the movement of the Snow Queen as she bursts out of the ground in from of the surprised traveller. This gives her a new more powerful standing in relation to the traveller. With the overall changes the narrative and the visual narrative have a greater fluidity and the Snow Queens entrance is a more theatrical and affective one.
After drawing the story board to my section of the music I made a rough animatic to make sure that the images are in sync with the music. The next stage of development will be to put all the member's story boards together to music and asses whether the narrative is carried well through the overall story board and fits the music.
This is a table showing the 6 parts which the music has been divided into all 23 seconds except the last part which is 35 seconds- the last 10 seconds of that piece will be fade out and credits. From this we decided which part of the music and narrative we would animate. I am animating 00:01:32 to 00:01:55 highlighted in white. From my 23 seconds I will create a detailed story board which have composed shots purposely chosen to create a dynamic and engaging chase sequence.
Sc
Hr-min-sec-fr
sec
Musical description
Visual images / plot
01
00-00-00-00
00-00-23-00
(Shade)
23
Intro – starts slow gently
increasing in volume, load notes increasing in tempo, music
returns to mysterious slow tune
Intro: Ink dripping in sync with the load notes creating the setting.
As the mysterious music starts the snow queen (SQ) forms from the
snow and stats to dance around her environment.
02
00-00-23-00
00-00-46-00
(Lloyd)
23
Graceful and mystic with spirit –
slowly intensifying- one note created by a wooden percussion
instrument at 39 sc
Spotting the Stagger: SQ dances around her environment in tune to the music- she
spots a silhouette of a man in the forest- stops and then slowly
moves away.
03
00-00-46-00
00-01-09-00
(Amy
23
Slow graceful music growing- a crescendo of notes- slows and
broadens- a sting instrument plays a some fast notes which are
then repeated- increase in volume and speed
Meeting the Snow Queen: SQ moves towards traveller sneeking up on him- traveller turns-
SQ moves behind a tree leaving behind her a trail of snow flakes-
she then moves in front of him and around him- the traveller is
shocked by her beauty- SQ moves away, luring him.
04
00-01-09-00
00-01-32-00
(Neil)
23
Tempo becomes accelerated- growing and be coming more animated.
The Dance: SQ plays and taunts the traveller- luring him- disappearing and
reappearing.
05
00-01-32-00
00-01-55-00
(Rebecca)
23
Music increases in tempo- 1:39- music explodes- very fast-
vicious- accelerating
The Hunt begins: SQ disappears into the snow and explodes in front of the
traveller- traveller shocked- SQ moves towards him- he turns
running- he approaches a fallen tree- the jumps over it with the
SQ following.
06
00-01-55-00
00-02-30-00
(Adam)
35
Music increase in tempo- becomes more frantic- 2:13- music
slows as last note fades- percussion notes increase in tempo and
ends with a drum beat.
The Icy Kiss: SQ chases traveller- traveller looks over shoulder- SQ isn't
seen- he stops- turns around-nothing is behind him- the turns and
the SQ is in front of him- she kisses him/ blows her cold breath
over his face- his faces freezes over and cracks- he dies.
This is a crude storyboard drawn in response to the music illustrating the main storyline. This allowed me to distinguish the main parts of the narrative which will be useful when dividing the music and narrative between the six members of our group.
In our next group meeting (in week 3) the music and narrative has to be divided into 6 parts and allocated to a member. From there we will compile our own story boards for our section in time with the music; then the group will come together (week 3-4) merging the storyboards ensuring a continues narrative and add their own imputes. Once this is completed finalised storyboards will be made and turned into an animatic (for week 5).
After presenting my idea proposal to the Animation group five students decided to join my group and take my idea forward. I am the Director of this project paying specific attention to the visuals. For our next meeting all members of the group are to listen to the music and draw their initial response to the music, come up with rough storyboard sequences. As well as this further research into the visuals of the animation using mood boards and film research and stills.
Film Research
Film setting and visuals:
A proposed idea for the visuals of the animation was that the surroundings looked similar to traditional japanese paintings taking the form of paper textured background, ink blotches and water marks. This animation is a good example of what our animation might look like in terms of colour, set and scene layout and colour pallet as well as how the characters might interact with the environment.
This mood board is compiled form research images, film stills and my own conceptual drawings. From this research the group can decide on main colour pallet, the atmospheric feel of the setting, surrounding structure and style. A lot of the images are stylised japanese paintings which is a theme I would like to draw from particularly as our animation will most probably done in 2.5D and will be able to carry that style forward effectively. A key element found in my research is that atmosphere and depth is created by having a misty forests with decreasing contrast of the trees as they get further away. This will help strengthen a key part of the narrative as Yuki Onna/ the Snow Queen needs to be able to blend into the back ground and surprise the wondering traveller.
Yuki Onna / Snow Queen Mood Board:
Yuki Onna is a snow spirit/ nymph but acts very much like a Syrian calling sailors to their death. to emphasis this link and empathy with snow is key in understanding and portraying this character. I would like to portray Yuki Onna as a flowing character (as she is described as leaving on foot prints) with only her head, hair and bust being the only solid features and the rest of her form fluid and changing.
Her flowing kimono will form the rest of her and will sometimes morph into snow leaving a trail of falling snow behind her. The mood board and the film bellow (particular the female character) illustrate the proposed movement of Yuki Onna/ the Snow Queen.
Further image experimentation this particular image combining many elements. Yuki Onna is in the foreground made up of the snow coming of the mountain watching a light form a camp, drawn to it's warmth. The aim of this image was to explore the possible environment of the animation, Yuki Onna's interaction in it and suggest as to the atmosphere of the animation. The fact she is made of snow makes the snow another character which can be used in the narrate. the way the snow moves and acts can bring emphasis on the animations atmosphere.
This particular composition could also act well as part of the opening sequence, possibly as an establishing shot.
This and all of the post bellow will form my presentation for pitching my idea to the Animation group.
Following the concept design for landscape and setting I also set about developing my Character design. there are many interpretations to this creature but all with a darker side of killing with her cold breath and also having some vampiric tendencies.
'Until the 18th century, she was almost uniformly portrayed as evil. Today, however, stories often color her as more human, emphasizing her ghost-like nature and ephemeral beauty' (http://en.wikipedia.org./wiki/Yuki-onna)
I imagined Yuki Onna as a trapped spirit needing to survive of her killing, turn between her humanity and her animal hunger. My first concept drawing attempts to illustrate a calm, wistful creature. I also imagined the long tendrils of hair could be curling around her next victim as she lures them.
This design explores her alternate nature inspired by the dramatic change in the music track for this project. Here she turns on her victim preparing to pounce; her icy breath billowing out of her mouth. A dramatic change in the character is crucial as it will give the story depth as well as giving it a dramatic mood and atmosphere to the narrative.
The style the swirls of mist and snow are dipicted in are taken form my pervious conceptaul drawings. They form part of a style which could be carried through out and possibly could work well in a 2D or a 2.5D animation
Initial landscape concept inspired by research collected on my mood board. These are experimental images testing possible atmosphere and look of the animation.
Initial image research focusing on Japanese art and other artists interpretation on the Yuki Onna. This was useful to get an understanding of how my ideas and animation could look. These images will help the next stage of my development which is conceptual art for my character and setting, all of which will be used as part of my pitch.
Here I was experimenting with Toon Boon to make a ball bounce. This was a useful experiment as it introduced me to using onion skin and to draw using vectors as well as experiment with squash and stretch.
This clip is for the film The Memoirs of a Geisha where the main protagonist performs a theatrical dance. The dance has many interpretations or stories one of them is of the Snow Spirit/ Demon; Yuki Onna. There are many different stories and interpretations of this character but she is often said to hunt lost travellers, often seducing weak minded men, in snow storms killing them with her cold breath leaving them as frost covered corpses.
This music could be used to carry this story effectively. The first half is slow and winding: I can imaging Yuki Onna locating and seducing a lost traveler. The music changes in the middle climaxing: the chase begins in unrest as Yuki Onna catches her victim. With the final descending notes her breath freezes her victim killing him.
Theme: Deception, Japanese folk lore, Hunter and Hunted
Mood: Action, Dramatic, Thriller, Seductive
