The Animation Thread

[Inaaca]

This thread is dedicated to all things I've created for animation. This includes traditional animation, 3D animation, and 3D modelling.

All of my animations thus far are posted to my Vimeo account here: www.vimeo.com/user1044602/videos

[Captain Galaxy]

Wow, nice work. The snowball one is cool, nicely done and creative. The pillow one is probably my favorite, especially when it does that pelvic thrust, nice touch. Best one though is that Rick Walking one. You always make simple things look awesome. Remember that one you did were all that guy did was just wake up? Genuis!

[Inaaca]

Heheh, thanks man.

I wish I still had that vampire waking animation I did back then, considering how much you like it. I should double check any backup discs I still have.

[Muramasa]

Looks pretty good. The characters have a lot of personality in their movement.

[Inaaca]

This is now been converted to the Animation thead, as opposed to the former Traditional Animation thread, due to the fact that I'll be including 3D material as of now.

Pretty soon I'll put up my 3D animation work, but I'll start off with some stills of the 3D plane I modeled and textured. I designed, modeled, and textured this plane entirely myself from scratch. It was never animated, though.

[Muramasa]

Heh, if you really got into modeling, maybe we can start making Half-Life mods

[Inaaca]

Well, I'm in a year long animation course now, geared toward making my own 60-90 second short film. Medium is my choice, and I'm going traditional on this one, since I'm most comfortable with it.

Anyways, in the first week we were required to come up with five visual concepts to consider and present, out of which one would be chosen. My thoughts aside, it would be nice to get some feedback from you guys on these, too.

I think these visuals/notes should be pretty self explanatory. Most of these don't really have any concrete story as of yet, and are based more around character and theme. If you're curious and want any further details though, feel free to ask. I'm continuously thinking up new ideas for these.



Concept 1:








Concept 2:






Concept 3:






Concept 4:




Concept 5:




Misc:

[You probably can't touch this.]

Hey, when all of your stuff is finished, would you mind doing an animation for me? It's nothing major, to be honest, just a 2d stick figure walking around an Escher square. Super minimal.

[Inaaca]

Heh, I could probably manage that.

Also, Patrick. Considering that you're musically inclined as well, perhaps you and Adrian could team up on making a soundtrack for this project. More than one instrument couldn't be a bad thing, eh?

[Muramasa]

So the 5th concept turned out to be a female version of Calvin?

Whatever you may choose, just remember that the one's that will be the biggest hassles will be Concept 1 and Concept 5. This is because any slacking in detail within the environment will ruin the effect of the animation. Given the domestic nature of Concept 3 and Concept 4, you could certainly spend more time focusing on the characters themselves (which I figured was the point of the animation). As for "David the Gnome", the simplified characters lend themselves to a simplified background if you wish.

[You probably can't touch this.]

Ha ha, this is where I act all prima donna and offended.

Kidding aside, I would love to stop/collaborate/listen but Adrian still hasn't sent me a completely unrelated trip hop track for me to lay down the bass on. Do you just need one score? If you need multiple tracks, I might have an appropriate tune from my written and fragment stuff.

[You probably can't touch this.]

Feb 4, 2010 1:33:33 GMT -8 Muramasa said:

So the 5th concept turned out to be a female version of Calvin?

Sounds perfect to me for a surreal storyline.

[Muramasa]

Huh, I just experienced a wierd form of lost time. I don't remember posting until a few minutes ago, yet you somehow responded to something I said.

[Captain Galaxy]

Whoa, dude, I CAN write for more than just one instrument, I'm pretty proficient in piano and drums. In fact, I wasn't even considering using guitar at all for this project.

[Inaaca]

Feb 4, 2010 7:22:45 GMT -8 Captain Galaxy said:

Whoa, dude, I CAN write for more than just one instrument, I'm pretty proficient in piano and drums. In fact, I wasn't even considering using guitar at all for this project.

No no, I wasn't implying at all that you couldn't write it. I was just thinking that Patrick could bring another instrument into the picture. Yet another person would probably be even better. :`

[Captain Galaxy]

Whatever dude, I'm genuinely offended by your preposterous assumption. I'll need sometime to accept the fact that you want someone else also working on this.

[The Dankness]

I really like the wizard one, and the Calvin & Hobbes style one.

[Inaaca]

After considering each one, I believe that I've settled on the Steampunk idea. Perhaps I can use another of these ideas another time.

With that said, I've had some story ideas bouncing around in my head for a while now, and it's time to do a bit of crucial writing/brainstorming.

If I could, I'd like to bounce some ideas off you guys, and any kind of feedback/suggestions/brainstorming, etc would be really appreciated at this point. Just throw out any thoughts or ideas you might have.

So here are the story ideas I've come up with so far, in order of conception:

--------------------------------------------------------------

Steampunk Animation Story Proposals
Note: Brackets contain my criticisms on each of my own ideas.

1) Serious problem arises in the machinery. Animation consists of boy's attempts, failures, and eventual success against the problem.
[Probably too simplistic.]


2) Serious infiltration in the facility. Infiltrator(s) could be a number of things, including gremlin-type creatures, a sludge monster, another person, etc. Animation consists of boy discovering, identifying, and combating the intruder.
[Man/beast fight. Probably overplayed.]


3) Adding a new character(s) to the roster. Possibilities include a partner/coworker, robotic assistant, having the boy be part of a team of workers, etc. Story idea is up in the air depending on these factors.
[Additional character(s) needs to have substantial importance to the animation/story. Superfluous character(s) pointless/not worth it. "Idea" too broad at the moment. On the backburner.]


4) Setting (industrial structure/factory/town(?) in the middle of a vast desert/post-apocalyptic wasteland(?)) is established as empty through a series of shots showing the environment devoid of life. A lone boy is shown going about his daily routine within the factory(?). The time he has been living alone here (several years) is established through a calendar/timekeeper/wall scratches (waiting for someone?). Either as part of his routine, or in response to a mechanical alarm/alert he checks the horizon through a telescope/binoculars. He spots a distant person, likely in a vehicle of some sort, crossing the desert, but headed away from his location. His reaction makes it plain the rarity and significance of the event (expression, double checks, etc). He instinctively waves in futility to get the person's attention. Having no success, the boy immediately kicks into action (goggles down), desperately rushing through the complex to find a way of signaling the individual. Signaling attempts can include sirens/spotlights/flares/cannonfire/overloading the factory, etc.
(Multiple ending proposals from here, as follows.)

4a) Signaling fails to alert the individual as the vehicle disappears over the horizon. After a moment of depression, the boy resumes his routine.
[Likely too much of a letdown ending for the audience.]

4b) After (somehow) alerting the distant person (made apparent by the vehicle's change in direction), the two of them meet at the front door/gate. Stranger is revealed to be a lone young woman. Boy for the first time is broken of his forced maturity and breaks down in joyful tears, rushing forward to clutch her. Woman is taken aback at first, but her expression softens and warmly returns the gesture.
[Currently the strongest consideration. Story engages the audience with mystery and holds a touching/bittersweet ending. Possible concerns with length, but difficult to say this early.]

[Inaaca]

Last night Andrew, Anta, and myself had a 2-3 hour brainstorming session where a lot of good ideas were conjured. I've since developed a story utilizing these new ideas, and wrote it in a more novelistic fashion.

For those of your who are curious, all of this writing is based around the #4 story idea, with ending B. All of this is still very tentative, even this basic concept can still be scrapped in favor of something else, so if you have any ideas, don't be afraid to share them. :`

Also, the main character has been nicknamed Punk for the time being, simply for ease of reference.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!



--------------------------------------------------------------------



Setting:
A small, mechanized town settlement based on steam technology set in a desert wasteland. A wall surrounds the town, keeping the harsh environment out. The town is very industrial, steam powered machinery being a part of everyday life.

Apart from the settlement, beyond the horizon, lies an industrial complex. This complex drills deep below the desert surface in order to procure and generate water and power for the town. These resources are immediately transported via automated systems and surface pipelines to the town as they are produced. The reason for the distance of the complex is due to the location of the underground reservoirs, and also due to the constant dangers the complex imposes on human life.

However, the complex is never left entirely unmanned. One person stays at the complex, constantly making sure that the machinery is maintained and functioning properly. Work shifts are taken, lasting months, possibly years, at a time before changing personnel. Due to the dangers of the complex and the lack of volunteers, only one mechanic is stationed there at any one time.



Punk's Backstory:
Punk was born into a homely family, with a loving father and mother, and his two sisters. The father had a strong sense of devotion to his family, and decided against becoming a mechanic, favoring instead his own family over the good of the town.

At a very early age, a serious malfunction occurred and the distant supply compound was temporarily shut down. During this time, the town entered a state of poverty and depression. Punk's mother was one of the many victims of the times, falling ill and passing away shortly before the complex returned to operational capacity.

The town's wellness returned, but the death of Punk's mother stayed with him. The importance of a mechanic's job was burned into his mind, and he dedicated his life to becoming an engineer. His skill grew quickly, and soon he accepted the opportunity of maintaining the distant complex. For such a young boy, they gave him a mere three month shift before he would be relieved. So Punk left to the complex, leaving his father to care for his two sisters.

Though no one was there to witness it, Punk performed his duties exceptionally.

Three months passed, and Punk was excited to return home and see his family again. The harsh environment and lack of human contact had taken its toll over the long months.

But no one came.

Another month passed, and Punk was still running the complex. Since he passed the three month mark, he added the task of scanning the horizon to his list of duties. Still, it was always the same barren landscape.
Punk had no idea if he had been forgotten, or if the volunteer who was supposed to relieve him was running late, or if something had gone very wrong back home. He had no way of returning home, either. Even if he could, a full day with no maintenance in the complex could prove catastrophic. He was stuck there, and so he tirelessly continued his duties.

Eight months passed...



Story:
Punk is going through the motions, silently carrying out his daily tasks and duties. Climbing up to the lookout, he scans the horizon for the umpteenth time, and for a moment he can't believe his eyes. Someone is out in the desert, on a small transport he can't quite make out. He gets excited, but soon notices that the transport is going in the wrong direction, toward his hometown. He can't afford to miss this opportunity.

Punk moves quickly, desperately searching for a way to signal the desert stranger. Exhausting all possibilities, and left with no alternatives, he makes a desperate move by overloading the core, sacrificing the machinery to send an enormous plume of steam high above the complex.

The transport changes direction. It worked.

Punk rushes to ground level to meet the stranger at the front gate. It turns out to a be young girl, perhaps in her 20s. He doesn't know her. She looks at him as if waiting for him to say something. After a moment, he breaks down in tears, rushing forward to clutch her waist. She's momentarily taken aback, but soon her expression softens and returns the gesture.



Aftermath:
The girl offers to take Punk with her, and Punk agrees. He has a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach as they head for his hometown...



--------------------------------------------------------------------



Everything here is still very tentative and nothing at all is set in stone. This is a time for brainstorming, so if you have any ideas/thoughts/concern/feedback/whatever please let me know. I appreciate the help toward creating a great animation story. Let me know what you think!



Also, here's a slight redesign of Punk in a somewhat more simplified fashion. I'm working on simplifying him as much as I can without losing aesthetic, in order to make animating him as easy as possible.

[Kuat]

That seems like the great start to an adventure. It satisfies the essential questions (who, where, what, why etc) and leaves an opening for the story proper to take place. I wouldn't add nor subtract anything, as it again seems to be a great foundation for a larger story to build upon.

I guess the other thing is that more can be done during his time of isolation, how he spends his days and deals with being alone like that. Indeed, it reminds me of this: