BA Animation

I’ve begun with two different audio options, depending on tutor approval.

Option 1:

My own chosen audio.

Option 2:

Audio 6 of the collection provided by our tutors.

Moodboard concepts for option 1:

Option 1 is a short conversation about a character wearing knives under their shirt, so I was thinking of going for a warrior-like, Rambo appearance for them, contrasting this with the mundanity of airport security.

Option 2 is a conversation about a man complaining about being broke while wearing rich clothing. The higher voice in the clip gave me a specific mental image of a laid back, casual woman, while the other voice would be uptight and swamped by their jacket.

Presentation

We decided to go for a cut out animation approach, taking inspiration from these videos

Planning:

Animatic:

Work was divided up among the group, with me personally handling the frog and mushroom cut-outs and the final sound design.

i chose the song theme, aiming for an explorer type character for hot climates.

the artists behind the song stated in interviews that it was intended to be about the loss of original australian culture, being replaced with stereotypes and americanisms. as such, i tried to incoperate allusions to patterns common in traditional australian art, and the colors of the aboriginal flag, while keeping it simple enough to potentially be animation friendly.

I knew I wanted to create a tight alleyway, something that felt tucked away in a big city.

I started with a moodboard of images gathered online to inspire the architecture.

Progress shots as I slowly built up the environment:

More renders of the final build:

As my first attempt at modelling architecture and texturing/lighting anything I’m very happy with how this turned out.

“Jonathan wasn’t an engineer, nor a scientist of any kind. But he was impulsive, and obsessive, for better or worse. That’s how he ended up here, gift and envelope in clammy hands.

Finding the instructions had been a breeze; you can find anything on the internet with enough perseverance. The ingredients were tricker. Sucrose and table salt were trivial. Sodium Chlorate had been the biggest pain, with most websites only selling it to organizations, not individuals.

The package was lovingly wrapped in baby blue paper. Battery secured within hard tin casing by layers upon layers of tape. A pretty red bow on top. Nylon cord ready to snap and activate the charge the moment the box was opened. 

He could turn around now, but…. It’d be a shame to see all his efforts go to waste, wouldn’t it? 

Jonathan signs the card “Happy Birthday”, and slips the bomb through her mailbox.”

Old version:

Jonathan wasn’t an engineer, nor a scientist of any kind. But he was impulsive, and obsessive, for better or worse. And when he sets his mind on a project, he’ll always see it through.

Finding the instructions had been a breeze; you can find anything on the internet with enough perseverance. The ingredients were tricker. Sucrose was easy. Table salt was trivial. Sodium Chlorate had been the biggest pain, with most websites only selling it to organisations, not individuals.

The package was lovingly wrapped, baby blue paper covered in a repeating cupcake pattern. Battery secured within hard tin casing by layers upon layers of scotch tape. A pretty red bow on top. Loose Nylon cord ready to snap and activate the charge the moment the box was opened. An envelope gently taped to the side. 

He signs the card “Happy Birthday”, and gently slips the bomb through his ex-fiance’s mailbox.

Prompt used: “Sickness.”

Food grows cold, the stomach it was intended for in knots. Why now? You wouldn’t’ve prepared it if you knew your body would betray you just minutes later. Steady your breathing, focus on the cold air, admit defeat. Go to bed hungry, shivering, unsatisfied, full of nothing but unanswered questions.