Holly Telfer – Ba Animation blog

Here is the link to my final outcome, ‘Daydream’

In my final outcome I was able to create an atmosphere that was calm and thoughtful. I created visually interesting characters which are eye-catching and ethereal in order to bring a beauty to a topic which is otherwise deeper and difficult to discuss without becoming too sad in tone. I wanted it to have an uplifting element to inspire women to keep going along their journeys of self-acceptance and not to shock or provoke a response but to illuminate feelings which someone struggling with femininity may feel. Each shot effectively provides this atmosphere of comfort and warmth with the glowing warm colours I had used for the characters even the blue of the sky is a deeper hue with the delicate clouds that add to the relaxing element in the piece. Working with closely with Tom on the audio meant that the ambient he created matched the visuals beautifully and develops the feeling I am going for in the piece as well as complimenting the visuals. Overall both the audio and visuals work well together in order to create a deeper piece that expresses a brief emotional response to feminist dialogues in a refined and controlled manner that leads the audience into contemplation and consideration of what the piece is saying narrative wise. I believe that my choice to not overcomplicate the piece lends itself to this success and clearly communicates what I intended. Additionally the development I have done of my own animation style has been extremely successful in giving me more confidence in my work and enriching my plans for the direction I wish to take as I continue my practice. However there are elements in this project which needed more attention or have not been done properly. Such as the frame rate of the animation, due to the amount of detail I had put into the characters this meant that I only had time to animate them in a significantly lower amount of frames, therefore the animation is jumpy and not smooth. I usually animate my own transitions because I prefer the way they look more organic, however with the lower amount of frames this meant the transitions I did animate were not smooth and thus had a negative impact on the smoothness of the piece. The flow of the piece was extremely important because of how slow and ambient it is and this lack of time put into the transitions has meant that it missed the mark creating the overall atmosphere I was aiming for. My main weakness lies in my time management and planning skills, if these are not sorted properly there is a knock on affect on the overall quality of the final outcome. This problem was evident from the beginning where my storyboard was not detail and thought out enough which then posed problems for the animatic which then cause issues when animating the final piece. If I had considered problem solving properly at the beginning in these planning stages the final outcome would have the finesse it needs to make the statement I wanted it to. However because of this the narrative of the final outcome is not as clear as it needs to be considering there are no other things such as dialogue to indicate what is happening visually. This lack of time management also meant that the end of the piece seems rushed and it does not come to a clear conclusion, for a viewer they cannot understand what I see and know about the piece, they do not know the narrative I have planned and created. Therefore with this in consideration if I had planned my time better I would be able to communicate what I had wanted to the audience and produce a piece which I am satisfied with. If I had planned the piece better and had more time to make improvements I would focus on getting the narrative clear and developed enough with the visuals so that it would be clearer. I would add more shots that worked better in succession to remove the jumpy nature to the piece so that the audience is able to keep track of what is happening. I would have also refined the narrative and visuals enough so that I could animate with more frames in order to make the movements smoother. Additionally I would include more character movement since the characters are very still since I had focused too much on the scene and not enough on the emotions and movement in the characters and their expression of the emotion. Most of their faces remain flat and unchanging, facial movement is something I need to consider, study and experiment with in my next steps in developing my animation style. My research could also have used with improvement, I was in need of depth and breadth to my research since I found that was lacking when trying to piece together characters and narrative concepts. This would have been useful in developing my visual language, I could have made the landscapes richer through information and inspiration gather from research into symbolism. I enjoy the depth that symbolism brings to a piece by adding layers to a story that need to be understood and decoded, and since I had no dialogue this would have been an important part in communicating in the piece. Therefore I intend to begin this research and create a collection of visual queues that come together as a system that can be used as another form of language. Overall I believe I created a beautiful concept with interesting characters but my execution of the piece was not to the standard it should be in order to showcase my abilities. The main problems lay in my lack of research and time management, I need to refine my process by learning from problems I face when working on a project and weaknesses of final outcomes. By doing so my work will begin to communicate the stories I want to tell to an audience in the most effective manner possible. 

When working on the animatic it helped me understand the logistics of the narrative I had created in my storyboard and whether what I had planned was in my creative capabilities and within the limitations I have with the technology I use to animate. I am still developing my ability in animation therefore creating an animatic is extremely useful since it allows me to break down my ideas and understand what is doable and what is not. This leads to the development of the animatic and storyline in order to make it doable to my abilities, essentially I am streamlining my work in order to produce the best outcome to the best of my abilities.

Here is the animatic. For time reasons it was more sketchy than what I would want it to be. Since the creation of the animatic my ideas have changed yet again due to time constraints and the end of the piece has been changed in order to accommodate the deadline approaching. I have learnt from this the importance of an animatic and how I need to make sure it is finished and done in more detail. This would allow the production fo the animation to go smoother and quicker without stopping in order to solve a problem which I had not done in the animatic. Essentially I have learnt that the animatic is the space for problem solving and therefore when it comes to the final animated piece I am able to produce the clips quicker since I have an exact idea of what I am doing. I have always changed elements and problem solved throughout my work process and not done detailed finished plans, yet in animation this manner of working has its downsides and I am learning how to now change my work style in order to accommodate the needs of animation.

Here is my first test shot. From what I learnt when doing my commission I chose to use the bubbling affect on the character since it gives the illusion of life and movement, if the character stayed still it would look too lifeless. The bubbling affect brings an ebb of life into the character that makes her stand out against the still background. I enjoy the visual effect that this technique provides in order to create the illustration of movement and life in my illustrations.

For a part of my animation I decided to reuse a clip that I created with Stephen May in his animation workshops earlier on in the year. I had not developed this piece any further than the rough sketches I had done for the workshop, I thought this was a good chance to showcase my technical skills. Therefore I edited the narrative in my piece and used it as the main character getting back to her house. Here is a cleaned up version of the walk cycle that I used as a reference for my final animation.

Whilst developing my concept for uni I also needed to continue working on commission work outside of this for my own personal income. Therefore I used this as an opportunity to experiment with my animation style and how I am able to visually portray it. Considering the artist research I have done I wanted to experiment with brighter colours and how to animate a glow by creating bizarre and ethereal characters. Also because of time restraints on the commission I needed to figure out ways that I could animate in a quicker manner whilst still retaining the same level of quality to my work. Therefore I experimented with the bubbling technique which greatly cut down the amount of time I spent on the animation. Developing both of these elements helped in the production process of my final animation for the exploratory practice unit, it aided in a quicker and more effective production process and a better understanding of how to execute my animated pieces.

Here is the final outcome. – the overlay was produced by another creative (The piece is for instagram therefore it is square format)

Some stills –

When considering the audio I thought of the success of my last piece for the Ivor’s project where the atmosphere portrayed by the visuals was illuminated by the audio. How well these worked in communicating my ethereal world inspired me to work in the same way in this project. Working alongside Tom in order to create an ambient piece that maintains a serenity and a comforting presence to the audience. The visuals are considered and slow paced which would not match with a lively fast paced audio, therefore by keeping both parts relaxed I am able to highlight the mood changes of the characters with the most subtle changes in the music.

By thinking on the dream-like state of the piece and how I want to bring in relaxing qualities, Tom and I discussed the addition of crackling white noise fading in and out in the background of the audio. This has allowed be to bring something recognisable into the piece on top of the visuals, bringing the piece closer to reality since it is stimulating more than just one sense.

We also decided to keep the audio piece simple, if there was too much going on it would overpower and distract the audience from the visuals and offset the atmosphere I am trying to create. Therefore the beginning of the audio is strong yet simple and more layers are introduced when the storyline picks up and the main character begins to move.

When considering artist research, the creators I wanted to consider were those who had created a strong distinct visual style. This style has the ability to create a world and an atmosphere which is distinct to that creator and within this world the audience is drawn in and can understand the story that the creator is telling. The more unique and stylised a piece is with cohesive visuals the more interesting it is for the audience and thus the more effective the piece is at communicating.

Therefore I am going to carry this current fascination with atmosphere into my artist research in order to aid in my own development of my visual language. By understanding how an artist has successfully created their visuals I can use this in order to influence my own understanding and drive to create my piece and develop my own style. Rather than just providing a piece of work I want to also provide a deeper and more gripping atmosphere in order to illuminate the narrative of the piece. By creating my universe where my characters are situated, my audience will be able to begin developing a deeper understanding of my work as a connected whole rather than separate pieces.

My own work is also very much focused around humans, our interactions, emotions and experiences. Therefore developing a more cathartic style in order to compliment the deeper narratives is one of my key aims of this project.

Lobster Studio – Skin – This is a short film directed by Fausto Montanari and animated by Andrea Stragapede, it is narrated by someone discussing discovering the reality of your skin and being comfortable in your being through the experiences of life. The animation also visually represents the story that is being told, the visual language highlights and develops points. The style is simple yet extremely visually interesting, with a cohesive, consistent and simple colour palette which works well in creating the aforementioned atmosphere. The style adds a more playful element to an otherwise deeper narrative that considers body image and acceptance of self.

MUR-O is a short film created by Lili Des Bellons and Ezequiel Torres where they asked the audience or anyone interested to draw out the end of the piece. I adore the ethereal otherworldly atmosphere created by the bright jewel-esque colours, gradients and glow. I’m going to take inspiration from how they incorporate the audience in the telling of their story and work something like this into my own project. Since allowing the audience to become part of the project is something that appeals to me since I do not want to sit on a pedestal above my audience, I wish to be on the same level since I am discussing narratives close to many of their personal experiences.

Nahuel Bardi also creates these gorgeous ethereal landscapes with glowing elements and bright colours. The word ‘ethereal’ is one I was to focus on, I want to inspire my audience and create a sense of awe in them. With topics to do with humans it is easy to become too deep and dark visually which brings a sad topic even further down, and as a result some of the audience may not feel comfortable. I want to approach my topic with care, tenderness and love, I want to evoke emotions in my audience which bring us together in love, discussion and understanding. This would not be as easy if I am providing shocking and blatant imagery.

Pollynor – Her style portrays a more realistic depiction of the female body in a cartoon style and the stories she tells are similar to what I am interested in discussing in my project. the way she portrays women is far from the perfect media standards and this has created a love for her work since it is a new approach to the portrayal of women in mainstream media.

Laura Jayne Hodkin – portrays a strong idea of comfort in yourself. The characters conversations and actions are extremely relatable. Such as in Nailbiter and Haley and Joanna

Chelou – Halfway to Nowhere music video. Pollynor’s illustrations are animated into a piece about a personal journey. This piece is my main influence at the moment, the representation of different emotions such as the feeling of healing and content (above) is communicated so well visually. Emotions are deeper and so it takes thought in order to portray them in the best way possible and I believe this music video did so very effectively. The piece is warm and connects to the heart of the audience creating emotions of happiness and hope for an overall feel good atmosphere through the journey of the main character. This is something I am aiming to achieve within my own piece.

Considering my statement of intent and research I have done the piece will follow a character who is lying in bed daydreaming, she looks at and considers herself in the mirror which leads to her mind setting alight with thick black smoke and her ideas trap her in a suffocating grip whilst they pull her apart. A larger than life figure comes to her bedroom window and looks in on this scene and proceeds to remove he from this darkness. The main character bathes in the goddess’ glory where she is healed and filled with light, and is then returned back to her bed filled with the glowing power of the goddess. The large figure opens her palm to find the flower of a plant which then in the next scene we see floating down to the main character’s windowsill. This storyline represents a journey from sadness to empowerment and contentment, the main character is filled with support, love and power by the red goddess figure when questioning who she is in her own skin. Ultimately providing the positive idea of acceptance and challenging those who associate negative concepts with the feminine form.

The world they are situated in is a fantasy world with surreal elements reminiscent of pieces created by the design firm Superstudio. (below)

The character’s healing will be represented by her submersion in water, water is a life-giving source and thus is giving her the revitalisation which she needs in order to become empowered, essentially healing the emotional and psychological wounds society causes women and those with feminine power. The water will provide a slow and therapeutic atmosphere, helping to refresh her body. She then returns back to her home under the watch of the ‘uncompromising woman’, a character which has been influenced by the likes of Eartha Kitt.

The flower that the red goddess figure will hold and give to the main character will be the flower of the Yarrow plant also known as Achillea millefolium. Throughout history this plant has been used for healing and taking care of a deep wound. The genus name Achillea derives from the mythical Greek character Achilles who carried the plant in order to treat battle wounds. Historically, in the military it was used for healing too, going by names such as Bloodwart, Knight’s Milfoil, Staunchweed and Soldier’s Woundwort. Different cultures also associate the plant with good luck as well as it’s ability to bring second sight and help find love.

Here is the beginning of the storyboarding process, here I am considering the narrative and how I am able to transition smoothly between each frame in a way that is interesting yet clear to the audience.

Over the period of the course I been presenting and discussing the feminist dialogue more in my work. The reality women and feminine ideals face within our society is something I feel passionate about and I intent to present this through my research and development on this project to create visuals that illuminate and comment on this narrative. I will work alongside the musician Tom Dodkins in to create visuals and audio for this piece. In my work I have created and now use a devil figure as my main distinctive part of my style, this character presents the deeper level to negative societal views that have been ingrained into women that control their own perceptions and understanding of femininity. Women should be allowed to explore their femininity as empowered and sexual beings without negative response. This is a natural exploration that the media has become hyper-focused on by portraying femininity as weak and vulnerable. Therefore this drives me to focus on the beauty and power of women by taking these tropes which have painted women in a negative manner and using them on my own terms, through this my main aim is to normalise feminine form such as stopping the censorship of breasts. Therefore I intend to create an animated piece which presents this reality that women have faced and still face, most importantly in today’s climate on social media. My piece will tell the journey of someone who is struggling to understand and embrace the reality of their body and the feminine energy within them by following the development of the character’s mood and experiences through the piece. I want to present a warm piece which brings elements of healing and community where the audience can understand that there are those out there who can help and provide the support necessary to overcome the pressures of society on ‘the feminine’. I shall inform this story with my own emotional drive to become an empowered woman and my own experiences with a society that on a whole hinders female empowerment. However due to the subjectivity of every human experience and existence it is important to widen my scope when considering femininity, today it is a subjective concept that differs from person to person. Therefore I plan to discuss questions regarding this topic with a range of people in order to develop a wider understanding past my own experiences. I want to create a positive space that still questions the aforementioned issues, but still laying emphasis on a light ethereal and engaging piece which leaves the audience thoughtful not confronted and overwhelmed. This means that I need to consider my imagery with care and the atmosphere it creates. I have created characters but I need to think where and how are they situated within their universe and how I am able to create a world around them which is able to enhance the narrative which will ultimately communicate so much more to the audience.