Story from North America by Kriten Lepore
Thursday, September 8, 2011
A New Medium
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Demo Reel and Job Reviews
Demo Reels
I'm really impressed with Celia's demo reels but kind of confused as to why nearly all of them are 3D. I especially liked the snail's face in the Phillipe Davin Reel. Mikey Sauls reel was amazing. His 3D was gorgeous, But the bad demo reels were almost more interesting than the good ones. Especially that naked chick one. Jeez.
Neville and Jesse chose reels that complimented his interest's very well. Jesse chose 2D and stopmotion and neville and all 2D. They seemed the most focused on their medium. I really love Kristen Lepore and her demo reel is outstanding.
Most of the Music in the reels Larry chose was really off putting and the 3D animation left much to be desired. I enjoyed the 2D reel by Richard Clark. His loops were really interesting. That one in particular made more sense considering the style he has suggested.
It's strange that I saw a huge amount of 3D character animation when nearly all of us are doing hand drawn or cut out animation.
Jobs
When looking at the jobs sections I feel like people aren't being realistic. Also, I don't think screenshots and videos count as job offers. Even writing some text or commenting would have seemed more legitimate. Internships are a smart idea for experience but some jobs listed seemed out of left field.
I'm really impressed with Celia's demo reels but kind of confused as to why nearly all of them are 3D. I especially liked the snail's face in the Phillipe Davin Reel. Mikey Sauls reel was amazing. His 3D was gorgeous, But the bad demo reels were almost more interesting than the good ones. Especially that naked chick one. Jeez.
Neville and Jesse chose reels that complimented his interest's very well. Jesse chose 2D and stopmotion and neville and all 2D. They seemed the most focused on their medium. I really love Kristen Lepore and her demo reel is outstanding.
Most of the Music in the reels Larry chose was really off putting and the 3D animation left much to be desired. I enjoyed the 2D reel by Richard Clark. His loops were really interesting. That one in particular made more sense considering the style he has suggested.
It's strange that I saw a huge amount of 3D character animation when nearly all of us are doing hand drawn or cut out animation.
Jobs
When looking at the jobs sections I feel like people aren't being realistic. Also, I don't think screenshots and videos count as job offers. Even writing some text or commenting would have seemed more legitimate. Internships are a smart idea for experience but some jobs listed seemed out of left field.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Model
This character's face is closer to what I will be animating with.
Currently Lalee's face is a little too realistic.
Jobs and Demo Reels
Demo Reels
I'm really falling in love with modeling. His girl looks a little stiff in the hips though.
Victor Vinyal's character here is so well refined. His presentation is also really well done and polished. I find myself watching this one in particular over and over again.
I don't like the character design so much in this one, but the expressions are amazing.
This demo reel is from a girl at Ringling. They seem to be doing a lot of hand drawing, much more than I would think. Something to consider since they're top dog in animation.
Victor Vinyal's character here is so well refined. His presentation is also really well done and polished. I find myself watching this one in particular over and over again.
I don't like the character design so much in this one, but the expressions are amazing.
This demo reel is from a girl at Ringling. They seem to be doing a lot of hand drawing, much more than I would think. Something to consider since they're top dog in animation.
Jobs
Monday, September 5, 2011
Interviews
Technical assessment done by Kevin Andrus (http://www.kandrus.blogspot.com/) a professional animator for Dreamworks After hearing my pitch and viewing my images he suggested I do as much prep work as possible before actually animating. Things such as thorough storyboards, animatics, and scratch tracks to time out sounds to eliminate guess work later. Because animation is so time consuming, he also recommended simplification wherever possible. Streamlining production and blocking out a work schedule will help in the long run. As a professional and as someone who was a student not too long ago, I take Kevin's advice very seriously. He has also supplied me with multiple online resources and 3D communities to gain inspiration from as well.
One that I find particularly helpful is the 11 second club website. It supplies rigs for eager animators to create short films of their own. A contest is held each month to decide a winner. The winning animation is then featured on the home page the following month, a great opportunity for work to be seen.
http://www.11secondclub.com/
For some perspective on my story I interviewed my harshest critic, my boyfriend. His advise was to simplify, omitting my use of props and background to focus on my characters. Keeping my story short and sweet is key with my time limit.
Questions Answered.
ACT 1 The Setup
A) What is the story's setting?
A little girl named Lalee's bedroom.
1. What epoch?
The miniature T-Rex(Billy) being created.
2. What class or kind of society are we in?
Modern day middle class little girl bedroom in the afternoon.
3. What pressures on the characters does each environment exert?
Lalee's bedroom is her comfort zone. When Billy appears her environment offers no comfort to her.
B) Characters.
Who are they and what does each represent?
1. What are their names, characteristics, and relationships?
Lalee- A little girl playing alone in her room until she accidentally brings a small T-Rex to life.
Billy-A puppy dog-like miniature T-Rex with a sweet demeanor who is created by Lalee and wants her attention.
2. Who is most important and why?
Lalee. She is faced with the challenge of overcoming her fear and stepping out of her comfort-zone.
3. What does each character represent in the work's design?
Lalee is the childlike fear in all of us that shrinks away from the unfamiliar.
Billy is the unknown, the free radical. He is unpredictable and frightening at first.
4. What is the main character's agenda--what must he or she get, do, or accomplish?
(Consider this for the story as a whole, then define agendas for each scene. Do they add up?)
Lalee must overcome her fear and learn to trust Billy and inevitably save his life.
5. Through whose point of view do we mainly experience the story?
(The POV character is the one whose experience we most share. POV can also move from character to character, according to the storyteller's intentions about what the audience should feel.)
Lalee. We experience the world as she does.
C) Conflict. What opposing forces are at work in the story?
1. What minor problem does each main character face?
Lalee
2. What obstacles prevent them from carrying out their agendas?
Lalee is suddenly faced with a strange creature in her bedroom which stops her from continuing as she pleases.
Billy is suddenly brought into existence and would like a friend but the only other living thing around is afraid of him.
3. The main character's conflict is between ____________ and ______________.
(Be careful here that you can name forces in opposition, not just an emotion or tension in the main character.)
Comfort and adventure.
4. At what point is exposition complete and the audience in possession of all necessary setup information?
As soon as Billy begins to behave like a puppy and approaches Lalee. Then we understand the she is afraid and he means no harm.
ACT II Complications
A) How have the obstacles faced by the main character changed?
Billy and Lalee become friends and have some childish fun.
B) What adaptations does he or she make while trying to solve each problem?
There is not so much a problem at this point but the characters both have more invested in the relationship.
C) What new factors raise the stakes? (What developments make the main problem harder to solve?) Lalee and Billy become good friends and therefore have an emotional investment in each other.
ACT III Confrontation, Crisis, and Resolution
A) What drives the situation toward the final crisis point?
Lalee and Billy are suddenly thrown into crisis when Billy evaporates into a dried up sponge toy.
B) Where do opposing forces come into the final, decisive confrontation?
Lalee's desire to keep her friend is directly apposed by her fear of the unknown.
C) How is the apex of the problem resolved, and which of the opposing forces wins?
Lalee loves her friend and decides to venture out and find means to save him.
D) Does anyone learn and grow, even minimally, from this resolution, and if so, how?
Lalee becomes brave and learns to relax.
Meaning and Purpose
What genre is this story and under what rule does its world usually run?
Fantasy.
What patterns can you see that might be significant to the story's meaning?
The cycle of fear and conquering that fear to build character.
Who is the point of view character?
Lalee.
What forces does the story make this character(s) confront, and why?
Fear. Expanding ones world by overcoming fear.
What are the qualities of the main characters and what can we expect of them at the outset?
Lalee is a small toddler who is naturally anxious.
Does anyone in the story develop--learn, change, grow?
Lalee becomes less leery of the world around her.
How does the story want to act on us?
The story shows us that while somethings appear scary at first they are not all bad.
What does it say about the individual in relation to how the world works?
What is the story's premise?
Fear is an obstetrical to be overcome.
What is its theme?
Trust and relationships are necessary to obtain fulfillment from our world.
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