So i've been thinking...

about simplifying my story and cutting the whole puppet idea, is not really the way i want to go with the project. I think i like the idea that there is a slight fictional element to it. I think it might be because it is personal matter that I'm trying to reflect, i didn't really want to reenact it and that is what is really bothering me. I am already finding it hard to clean up the storyboard already, without the puppet concept, because i already did a rough storyboard with no character designs and it does work fine without the puppet. But it seems that there is going to be conflicting element here... its either make the story to make me happy or make the story so that the audience can understand it. So it seems what i hve to do now is set it in my mind that i want to do the puppet idea and use the non-fictional one as a backup, otherwise i'm not going to get anywhere.
On this topic, i also found an animation that was quiet influential:

From watching this i didnt quite get the whole concept, though it is still visually pleasing.

Tutorial

So I've had two tutorials since the last time i blogged. I also felt like i had a problem with the end of the narrative. To sum up my story; it would start off with a couple of girls playing in the playground. They're huddled up, so you can see what they're doing, but the bell rings and recess is over and you see that they've been playing with a toy/puppet. the puppet is actually the main character and is actually a girl. so the concept is that when she is with the other girls she changes into a puppet. This was influenced by the anime The Wallflower , as Sunako is portrayed as a sweet chibi character when she is herself, when there are serious emotions she would transform into the usual anime characters. In my story the other girls play with the main character constantly and i was planning to portray it as if she was being used. To conclude it, a new student would enter and the other girls would loose interest in the main character. The main character would feel relieved and it would end, however i felt that this ending was very weak. So after a couple of sleepless nights, i eventually came up with the idea that the main character would 'save' the new girl from being in the same position. Though it may change later.

After the second tutorial it was suggested that the puppet concept is fictional and is a little too similar to my previous animation 'Chains dont hold me Down'.
The problem with my previous film was that not alot of people understood the narrative. So at the tutorial it was suggested that i should stick with a simpler narrative, that way i would not be in the same position as i was in my previous film, as that was where it fell down in marks.

Influence

Alma animation.

New Project, New Ideas!

So the dissertation's been handed in and is a lot less stressed. Though that is the case, it seems my new idea that I'm gonna do, goes back to the concept and ideas that were used in my dissertation. However before this idea, I had another narrative which involved a magicians' apprentice who wasn't very good at magic. The apprentice would some how fall in to the magicians hat, inside the hat there would be a maze or problems that he would have to solve. On encountering these problems, he is learning to become a better magician.

After coming with this concept, I came up with a more of a personal concept which also linked with the dissertation. Title Orientalism In Contemporary Western Entertainment: The Use of the Orient and Techno-Orientalism . In my research I noticed that some contemporary animations used Orientalism as a theme or characters, because they were 'different or exotic'. This also links to my personal experience, as I am Chinese. When I moved to new schools for the first time, many people would be interested in me because I looked different, though I was still British.
My classmates would ask me to say things in chinese and try to teach it to them. When there was a new foreign student, their new interest would move on to the new student. Its like getting a new toy in pre-school, everyone would want to play with it. But in my case I want to express that its not a toy, but a human. It is a childish behaviour, however I believe that this concept is a lot stronger than my previous concept.

After drawing a couple of sketches out, I wasn't too happy in setting it in a school environment, though it would be the obvious place. After pitching the idea to the rest of the class, i got quite some good feedback and other ideas, one involving making the character into a puppet or a toy.

I was more happy with this concept incorporated with the setting of the school, because i think it'll be more interesting and it'll express my concept clearer.So next step will be drawing out some concept scenes and the storyboard.

Oh? What do we have here?

Been going through all my old sketch books and I found the first animation I ever did. I did a short animation for my final major project for the foundation course at UCA. I used plasticine for the body and wire for the skeleton to create these creatures. It was really fun in making the characters, mainly because I was designing these characters like a pick'n'mix. I would pick an eye from the bag and then pick the head from another bag. I would then come out with something like this:


And I would make them into plasticine models:


I think it is possible to make these characters from the top of my head, but i think i would have made so many creatures. there were also many problems in making this film, because i didnt have 'dragon'(stop motion software) at that time, i had to use a digital camera, which only ran on batteries. So after every 3hours i would have to wait 30mins to charge it up again. Also other probblems included, the plasticine melting in the lights. From this project, it helped out my other film 'Death's Best Friend'

The narrative, is based on the relationship I have with my sister. She is younger than I am by 2 years, but she tends to act like the older sister most of the time. She also likes to take naps and I tend to bug her alot during those naps.... Also before you watch the short animation try and have a guess what the sound effects is used for the purple creature( answer below)

WAKEY WAKEY!


Well I hope you enjoyed it!!



ANSWER:ʎәʞuop

Kung Hei Fat Choi

Its almost Chinese New Year!! So, its an early Happy New Year from me and my family!