Overall, I feel that this project has ended quite well. I had many ideas what to produce for my Third Year Film, and which medium to use to for my film. I was interested in using 3D elements in my film but I decided to play to my strengths and produce a 2D film focussing on layout and environments, using programmes I have a thorough knowledge of. I had no problem using Adobe Photoshop/Adobe Flash throughout First and Second Year, but I can say with full confidence that I have mastered a new software this year: Adobe After Effects, which has been invaluable in the making of my film. From what I have produced, I believe there was no need to create 3D elements using Maya for my film, due to the focus of composition and the detail in my backgrounds.
Before Christmas, I felt that my project had no real direction and I was simply producing lots of sketches and unfinished conceptual paintings to include in my film. However, after producing the Animatic I decided that a simple narrative of different backgrounds effected by destruction, in different environments would be most effective. Restricting myself to 6 backgrounds, in 2 different environments I was able to focus on the composition of each background and how much detail I needed to include. Another vital element was establishing a colour scheme, and when I completed a composition I compared different hues for the scene. (For colour comparisons, see older posts.)
There were some paintings that I redesigned, i.e. I originally painted some buildings in the underwater scene but I was unhappy with their design, so I opted for a rocky, barren landscape with a cave instead. The latest redesign of a background was the castle in the second shot of my film.
I decided to redesign this feature because the previous castle was too basic for the composition and also the style didn't suit the mood of the piece. I believe I have improved vastly over the past months, learning different painting techniques for certain parts of a composition, i.e. clouds, rocky terrains, how compositions can be laid and balanced out, learning how colour can be used to create a sense of depth and in different environments. More importantly I have managed to create a good work ethic: setting myself goals, and challenging myself, accepting constructive criticism and establishing my own style (which was often remarked as quite "illustrative."). I don't regret working alone for this project, as I have enjoyed putting my own stamp on a project, whilst improving my skills with Photoshop and learning new software (Adobe After Effects.)
In the new 2 weeks I will be working on the following for the degree show with my film.
Things to do For Degree Show
- First Background - The blur on the house will be toned down and the camera will not zoom slowly into the City layer.
- Second Background - Some clouds will be added to the sky and animated in After Effects to give the composition some variation.
- Third Background - The camera needs pan slower and linger on the tree for longer. Also, I plan to include another small scene with a well, which will show the connectivity of the underwater scenes. This will be an extension of this scene.
- Fourth Background - the camera will not zoom in on the cave at the end of the scene. Also the light shining through the water needs to be animated a bit more.
- Fifth Background - I might tone down the lighting reflecting through the water. Also, the camera will move slower and not zoom in on the cave. I think it needs some more rocks, and subtle structural features to balance out the composition.
- Sixth Background - Introduce more features into the foreground and the sky. Change camera shot or make camera tracking smoother as it zooms into the background.
- Music/Credits - Need to find a suitable soundtrack that matches all of the compositions and of course, to create credits at the end.
Essentially there should be more variation throughout my film, as the pieces are quite similar, so I aim to do that within the coming weeks.
