Minor: Reflective Statement

Reflective Statement

The Minor Project has been a very enjoyable and challenging project for me to work on. From the beginning I knew roughly what style I wanted to use, being the 1930’s style, and I enjoyed developing the story for the two characters, when I first tried to find the right stories for the characters I had hit a bit of a block with the ideas as to where it should be set and scenarios in which the characters would be in, I then settled on the idea of the Catcher hunting for the Fairy in an outside setting rather than in a cottage. Once I started to turn the scenarios I had into animatics I experimented with the movement of the characters and began to establish the character’s personalities through the animatics and storyboards.  I was extremely happy with the feedback of the animatics at the Interim Crit, and feel although not all the animatics were successful, I was very pleased at the reactions to the Door and Tree animatics and consider them a success.

As well as experimenting with the animatics, I too enjoyed in developing the character designs for the Fairy and the Catcher, I produced more development work for the Fairy than the Catcher as early in the project I had an image of roughly how the Catcher would look. During the development of the Fairy I was concerned that I would make a typical ‘lady in a dress’ rather than the more impish and mischievous character I came to for the final design. As well as developing the characters in terms of fitting the character’s personalities, I was worried that I would not be able to replicate the style of 1930’s animation. Again I was extremely happy with the feedback I received for my characters and consider them successful in being influenced by a 30's style as well as showing their personalities.

I did enjoy bringing the character designs into 3D in Maya, spending significantly more time on the Fairy's model as I was unsure of how I would model her hair. During the modelling I ran into problems which I did not expect when designing the character such as the eye and the hair, which I should have considered during the design of the characters. I am quite pleased with the current outcome of the models, especially that of the Fairy.

However, for the Minor Submission I did set out my goals to hand-in two fully modelled and rigged characters but I was unable to. During this project I found that I have lacked in management of the project. I was working frequently and somewhat quickly on the project before the holidays, however I didn't consider or allow time to both model and rig the characters and for the submission was only able to produce two character models with simply bones put in place to pose the characters.

Overall I found most of my project to be successful, and that my strengths were prominent in the developing and designing stage of the project, in which I worked quicker and close to the influence style. I did find that my time management skills were lacking for the project during and after the holidays. However overall I did enjoy this project and look forward into turning this into a full animated short.

Minor Project Submission Post 11/01/2018

Minor Submission Art Of by Danielle on Scribd

Minor/Major: Catcher Progress

Catcher Head Modelling Progress #3

Catcher Head Modelling Progress #2

Catcher Head Modelling Progress #3

Catcher Body Modelling Progress #1

Catcher Body Modelling Progress #2

Minor/Major: Fairy Body Progress

Body Progress

Mock up of what the Fairy would look like, I still need to finalise the teeth and eyebrows, as well as attach the head to the body

Minor/Major: Fairy Head Progress 03

The teeth and eyebrows are not final they are just mock objects so I can see how the face will look overall

Minor/Major: Fairy Head Progress 02

Minor/Major: Fairy Head Modelling Progress

Minor/Major: Fairy Orthograph

Front, Side, Hands and Feet, Back view

Minor/Major: Fairy Final Design

The Fairy's final design

Minor/Major: Interim Crit 24/11/2017

Interim Crit 24/11/2017 by Danielle on Scribd

Minor/Major: Animatic

Minor/Major: Door Initial Designs

Initial designs for the prop of the Fairy Door

Minor/Major: Vintage Colour

To fit more with the vintage and early animation era the brown and black and white designs are more appropriate for the style of the animation.

Brown, Black and White

(Feedback Welcome!) Minor/Major: Colour vs Black and White

After developing the character designs for the Catcher and the Fairy I realised that although I had decided on making the animation in black and white I haven't explored the possibility of making it in colour. These are not final colour designs but an idea of what they could look like, feedback is welcome on whether black and white or colour would be more appropriate :)

Orange, Brown, Red

Purple and the original Black and White

Minor/Major: Wishing Well Animatic (No Sound)

Minor/Major: Tree Animatic (No Sound)

Sounds to be added shortly

Minor/Major: Fairy Design Exploration Sketches

Fairy (more impish) 1 and 2

1, 2 and 3 dress designs

Impish Variations #1, #2, and #3

#4 Impish Variation

influences for mushroom inspired design

Ink Mushroom based Fairy

Mushroom based fairy designs

Minor/Major: Fairy, Influence and Initial Sketches

Influences from Betty Boop, Red Hot Riding Hood, Devils from Hell's Bells

Minor/Major: Scenarios v2

Context: Catcher goes into the woods/forest to catch a Fairy

Scenarios:

Fairy Ring

• Cute Fairy outside the Fairy Ring
• The Fairy leads Catcher into the Fairy Ring
• Surroundings become full of fairies and mushrooms etc. but turns nightmarish
• Fairy waiting outside the Fairy Ring as the Catcher rushes out and away, Fairy waves goodbye giggling

Fairy Door

• Catcher places Door on tree
• Fairy notices, knocks, enters.
• Catcher knocks, Fairy opens door, sees Catcher and closes it quickly.
• Catcher forces way in. There is loud clattering and fighting noises inside the tree that shakes
• Fairy leaves, picks up Door and walks off leaving the Catcher stuck inside the tree.

The Tree

• Catcher approaches tree with bag of equipment. Fairy asleep in high branch.
• Catcher pulls out axe and begins to cut down the tree.
• Fairy awakens, looks down, tree tilts each way Fairy stands each side of the tree.
• Catcher cuts the tree and watches pleased as it falls backwards
• Fairy takes a step onto the other branch and the tree falls forward
• Tree falls downward onto a running away Catcher.
• Fairy as tree fall downs simply steps onto a pass tree's branch. Looks down as clatter is heard, with Catcher's items flying up into the air. Fairy giggles

Wishing Well

• Catcher sees Well, pulls bag out to grab pouch of coins.
• Fairy peers over wall and silently slips into the well.
• Catcher turns, throws in coin.
• Flashing lights from the well, Catcher wounds up the crank
• Bucket rises with a 'caught' helpless Fairy.
• Catcher grabs the bucket and cheers. Put bucket down to get Jar/Net out of bag
• Fairy sneakily grabs his money pouch and jumps on top of the Wishing Well.
• Catcher turns, angry as Fairy jingles his pouch. Catcher runs to grab it, steps in bucket, trips and falls down the well.
• Fairy flips a coin into the Well and giggles.

Picnic

• Catcher sets out a trap of cakes and teas, with a long convoluted rope trap attached to one specific cake.
• Fairy flutters over, sits and drinks tea and takes every cake but the trap cake.
• Catcher pokes out to see in annoyance the trap not set off, Fairy sees and invites the Catcher over.
• He does so and sits down. Fairy offers him tea, he takes. As Catcher puts sugar in tea Fairy puts the rope around the Catcher's foot. Catcher turns back, Fairy offers him the Cake on a plate, As the Catcher takes the trap triggers and the Catcher is pulled back around each of the areas previously visited hitting trees etc.
• Comes to rest as the Catcher dangles from the tree above the picnic, covered in cake, tea, leaves, branches etc. Fairy takes cherry and puts on Catcher before giggling.

Minor/Major: Rubber Hose Animation Development Research

Felix the Cat 1920's





Popeye The Sailor

(1933)

Betty Boop in Snow White 1933




Happy Harmonies 1934-1938


Tales of the Vienna Woods (1934)




Merrie Melodies 1931-1969

A Day at the Zoo (1939)

Chuck Jones


(1942)

Tex Avery


(1945)