Inspiration

The last time i was in Wales i visited 'Hells Mouth' beach and a lot of rubbish from people using boats seems to wash up on the shore here! It is such an interesting beach and every time you visit it, its always different. Here are some pictures that i took while i was there of things i found interesting and i plan to go back when i am in wales on the 25th July.

After the statement i have just made above about 'Hells Mouth' being different every time you visit has made me think that each game of Sonic you would play and the different people playing it would be a very different experience. I think this would be a great concept for my sonic piece as i could create a message along the lines of 'Every play is different to every person but we all love it anyway' (this needs some work but i think i am onto something). SO is there away of incorporating this small idea in with the idea i have been developing? I am going to play around with this before i head off to wales and keep it in mind when continuing with my original idea.

Animatics

So after the tests i have put together i have come up with an animatic of how i want the sequence to look like so far, i still need to figure out a start and ending but this is exactly the right speed of how i want sonic to roll across the screen.

This is the second animatic and i have added the beginning and end to it, the beginning is to be an establishing shot of Sonic turning around and the end being the dog running up and taking sonic. I am still very unsure of the ending as i don't think it has any relevance really other than for the comic factor but i am interested to see how it looks. The speed of the ending in this animatic is way too fast so i need to plan how quickly i want the dog to come in and run off and obviously i want it to be clear on what the dog is doing so i am going to capture this before i plan the timing. (See what the dog does natural first).

After this i thought to myself i really need to pin point an ending before i continue, i always seem to think that these things will just fall into place but i have been working on my time management and my planning and my time management has really improved but i need to be more assertive when it comes to my planning. So i did a brain storm of possible endings and i came up with: the dog running off with sonic; someone standing on sonic; sonic rolling towards camera.

This is another animatic i did (still with the same ending) but i added a few parts i had already shot to see how the speed of things would actually work. I thought the speed of this was ok but looking at it again i think it is way too fast, you don't get a clear picture of whats going on SO i am now going to slow it down to the speed i would like! In the final sequence i recon i need to add more frames to make the movement more smooth (less jumpy and blurred) and hopefully it will slow things down a lot more.

Ok i have finally got the speed right! However it is still only 9 seconds long and i planned a 30 second long animation so i need to add different scenes to it. I am going to wales Monday the 25th July and there are a few places i know i want to film there so i am going to develop my story board again now to add these in ... i have a mental picture of the places of which i want to film so from that i will add to the animatic. AND i have scrapped the dog ending and in fact all the ending possibilities i came up with SO as i have come up with a new concept i need to find a more suitable ending.

More Tests

I rebuilt my sonic model and took him back out into the garden to re shoot the successful compositions i had the first time around and try and find more or more ways to make the existing ones interesting. I but them together in a sequence to see if i could get a sense of what they would look like together so i can develop the animation as i go along before i plan out my animatic.

I don't think this sequence works very well .. i think the first part of the sequence where he goes from walking to rolling works and i need that flow but i need an exciting start because it kind of just starts it has no story line. Also i think the last test looks better as sonic is consistent and rolls at the same speed but on different levels of the shot which is exciting and chaotic just like sonic.

Hand drawn animation

I had a go at some hand drawn animation and these were my first attempts --->

This short walk cycle is very basic and not quite accurate as my drawings don't flow together properly but i found it easier this way to pick up the movements of where the feet and arms should be with a basic walk.

The Dog

I really want my dog to end the animation i want him to run towards him pick him up and run away ... so i have been trying to teach him how to do it here is a quick video of my first attempt (not very successful).

I got distracted after this trying to chase a frog around the garden with the camera when i went back to get the model it had gone eventually i found this

So i know he will actually do it but just when i am not watching CANDIT CAM!!!!

The walk

As i mentioned i think it might be slightly boring if Sonic is constantly rolling because in the game he runs first and as he builds up speed and jumps thats when he rolls. So i tested how i think my model sonic should walk/run, i simple just moved his feet up and down and i think it worked fairly successfully.

It is a very simple way of doing it but i think overall i want to show the warmth of the game as in everyone can play it so i don't want to show to much complexity as it would become uninviting. I think my audience will warm more to a piece like that of Sculpey the slug homely and clever.

Test Sequence

These are the tests i did but put into a sequence. I love the chaotic feel as i think this is how the game feels, its fast and almost uncontrollable! I this is small sequence is successful however i think maybe i should start off slow so that the audience are aware of who the character is OR slow it down towards the end so i could start with an enigma and all will be revealed at the end.

I also like the changing of background settings it looks so more interesting and more like an adventure than a plain white background with cut out paper trees. The natural colours of the garden don't clash with the plasticine model, he is still the dominant part of the animation you can see him at all times! I also think that the fact i have positioned sonic in different places within the camera shot to add level and more movement rather than if he just ran straight past the camera at the same level.

I have slowed the start down in the test and i think although its not a huge difference i would like to establish who the character is in the opening shot it saves using text so it is still a small mystery as to what i am trying to show the audience. This gives me more freedom for an ending since i don't have to reveal a million secrets. As the piece goes on i want to reveal where he is so i need some more mid shots so you can still see Sonic but also there are huge hints as to where he is.