Sound Effects for Film

   This video about sound effects has tips on how and when to use them. He explains how important subtle sounds are in a film. How things like the flipping of paper can make scenes seem more real. I've been hoping to add simple sound effects into my 2D short and this video has been helpful with ideas. Sound effects can be used to create a mood without dialog, as he shows in his short. Or even without picture; like a deep ringing of a bell to imply a grim scene. I'm using an upbeat tune in my short and I think it gives the perfect mood for what's going on. I always focus on the picture in films, but I think I should start appreciating the sound as well. 

Weekly Comments

   This week I learned how to do the forward walk cycle. It took me a few days just to figure it out but I did get the leg movement down. I think I focused too much on that because now it's difficult to time the bounce in his step. I guess I should have done that while I was animating the legs. Animating is fun and frustrating. I love and hate it. It's pretty fulfilling when you finally understand something. Of course another thing always comes up giving you more to face. I'm looking forward to seeing my finished short and everyone else's. There are a lot of cool ideas I've heard so far. 

This week's link is about the new Disney short, Feast, that premiered with Big Hero 6 in theaters. It talks briefly about the 2D-3D method used in Feast and Paperman and why Disney decided to make another short. 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/disney-feast-animated-short-film-big-hero-6?s=mobile

The Science Behind Baymax

   The new movie, Big Hero 6, focuses on futuristic tecnology; specifically robots. There are many different types of robots in the movie but Baymax is one that brings a whole new idea to robotics. The idea of Baymax came from the co-director, Don Hall, while visiting a robotics instatute that included an inflatable robotic arm. The softness of the robot is meant to be more delicate. In the movie, Baymax is a medical robot meant to help you if injured. Inflatable robots might not be completely fantasy. Some of these robotics are under investigation and could be used for many things requiring caregiving and a soft touch. I was happy to see a whole new concept of robots in a movie. Comparing it to the technology now seems to mean it will be awhile until we can come close to what Baymax does. 

Weekly Comments

   I think I learned a lot this week. Mostly things I've  known already but just improved in. Using the camera is so much easier and makes a big difference. What I want to learn has been the same. To manage my time better. I turned my 6 second club in early to get started on my short but I could have added more facial expressions/movement. Puppet animation is really nice, though. I'll definitely use it in my short along with frame by frame. I felt like I got a lot done so far. Then I played it all and realized how hard I need to work on this. 

   I saw Big Hero 6 earlier today and I loved it. It wasn't one of my favorite movies but I'd definitely suggest anyone to watch it. 

   This is an article about the mathematics behind Pixar. It's interesting, but I'm terrible at math. I should probably work on that. 

http://gizmodo.com/how-pixar-uses-math-to-make-characters-look-perfect-1657339566

Weekly Comments

   I managed to finish the 11 second club on time! That was shocking. Though there's not a lot of movement going on. I learned how to use the camera better, but I hope to learn when to change views and scenes to my advantage. I think the most frustrating thing was aligning the mouth movements with the sounds. Some of it was too muted or just hard to understand while simply scrolling through the frames. I'm having a lot of fun working on my storyboard for the short. I just hope it's not too big of a bite that I can chew. 

   This article gives tips on how to storyboard along with why storyboarding is important. It specifies on live-action film but, of course, the tips can be applied to animation as well. 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=9&ved=0CCEQFjAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.outsource2india.com%2Fcreative-services%2Farticles%2Fstoryboarding-tips-for-short-films.asp&ei=579WVPrLKuvLsASZtgE&usg=AFQjCNHzNUI0ldkTrbdsc3P84JgAQbktRw&sig2=vJ4aOvJK_dySpj03qNLWGw

Weekly Comments

   So this week we started the 11 second club project. Which means we start lip syncing for the first time. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but learning how to lip sync is pretty neat. I didn't know that you have prethought out mouth possitions that cover multiple letters/sounds. I'm pretty behind on it so hopefully I'll catch up fine. 

   I hope to learn to make smoother movements and maybe I can while working on this. I'd also like to work on time management because  I'm not confident with this project on that right now. I haven't turned in anything late yet but I'm cutting it close. 

   Well the most that I'm worried about is time. I can't take my projects home with me so I have to rely on the time I have in class. But I have been able to work on the mouth chart at home and better my ideas. 

Science and Film Working Together

   The more animation and digital graphics evolve, the more it's necessary to involve physics.  Ron Henderson is a physicist who teaches at DreamWorks to help animators bring more realism into their creations. To learn how to create bubbles, the animators were given a demonstration with real bubbles along with a lesson on how they work and react with different things. Physicists, engineers, and even former NASA employees have begun working in the growing film field. Head of digital strategy for DreamWorks, Jim Mainard, said "often we end up at the same place, but from different directions." Which shows how both physics and animation are needed to make a whole. 

   I thought this article was very interesting. I didn't know that companies hired specifically scientists to work on the film along side animators. Or that many do it. It's cool to know just how many possitions are needed to create a quality film. I often forget how much science and math is put into animating.