We’re hearing a new and improved score, I’ve tweaked the lighting and shading in the earlier scenes, and I’ve pushed forward to the 4:30 mark! 6 minutes left for me to animate.
So — this is a work in progress, what do you think? What do you love and hate?
Just keep in mind, things like the eyes being white — that is an actual choice I made, not something I forgot to do. I originally drew this very nice Hanna-Barbera style face for Gustave…and it was completely wrong for this story. I worked to make it a little more primitive and, to my mind, appropriate to this story. The same with the buildings being flat and airplanes casting shadows on the sky. You are witnessing a digital Punch and Judy show, except that it’s a semi-self-reflexive tale about a forgotten aviator.
Work in progress. My thesis. New music is being composed as we speak, and new pictures are being birthed!
At a minimum, I’m animating 30 seconds a night, but I’m reaching for 60 seconds. For a roughly 10 – 11 minute show – I’ll be done before the end of the month. I’ve heard this is ambitious. Well…it is! But deadlines loom large and creativity apparently can be rushed!
I’m so pleased with what I wrote on my “Current Work” page that I’ll quote it here:
I’m making an animated documentary about Gustave Whitehead. He was a flier, and was largely forgotten. The reason why this is interesting is because he made a controlled, powered flight in a heavier-than-air vehicle two years before the Wright Brother’s flew! So, I’m making an animated documentary about him. Perhaps this work will inspire other people to innovate and push the envelope of human discovery, knowing that even if they never achieve fame, even if they die penniless, it’s possible that someone might make an animated documentary about them. Indeed, a chance at immortality.
Yep — I am indeed doing it! I’ve made the bulk of the artwork, which is charcoal pencil on heavy watercolor paper, and I’ve got it into After Effects. The voice track is done and I’m quite pleased with it! An original score is also underway. Exciting things!
Below are some low-res captures from my first renderings. I’ll no doubt do some general color correction and maybe throw a vignette on it and whatever other finishing is needed. Blah blah. Here are some stills!
Since when do airplanes cast shadows on the sky? Since I adopted a puppet show aesthetic for my new documentary! That's when.
Gustave Whitehead exhorts his assistant to stoke the steam engine!
If you are blessed enough to have DISH Satellite TV, then you can watch a TV show that I’ve had a small part in. It’s called Whistle Where You Work, it’s been picked up by Free Speech TV, and it’s an interview/panel discussion show that tells the story of people who had the courage to do the right thing – to blow the whistle on wrong-doing and corruption – even though that integrity can come at a great cost. You can read more about it here at GAP’s website:
For my part, I did the intro graphics, an ad for GAP in the middle of the show, and I edit and do post-production for each show. It’s fun, but the heart and brains behind the show live over at GAP, and they are doing great work.
(above are the opening titles, with music donated to the show by Penmachine.)
I have some good news! My short animated documentary, Pac(hyderm) Attack! is one of the 2008 Official Selections at the Anchorage International Film Festival! This is some welcomed affirmation as I struggle with a fiction script I’m writing.
I’m doing some work this summer for an excellent group called The Government Accountability Project (GAP). They are the people that help men and women of conscience blow the whistle on unethical corporate or governmental practices….which is something that requires courage.
They are producing a television show to air later this summer, and I’ve produced a short ad for them. It was partially shot by me, and was put together in After Effects and Soundtrack Pro. Enjoy!
This last weekend, I had the honor of winning the award for Best Animation: Narrative for my short, “Pac(hyderm) Attack!”. It was also a great evening because I was able to provide all the motion graphics for the awards ceremony — all based on the Visions 2008 Bumper. I worked alongside the talented David Laster, who put together the DVD for the awards ceremony, and Prof. Maher, who gave us technical and aesthetic guidance – generally ensuring that the project went well and that the evening was a success.
There were some other excellent winners, and you can view the work at the American University SOC website. Be sure to check out Brad Lambert’s “Rhinos Rock”. It’s really wonderfully done and extremely funny!
This is a variant of the Visions 2008 bumper for our HD monitors around campus. This is, of course, to promote submissions to the film festival. I was given some great guidance on the visuals, but had a perverse glee in doing the audio without any outside input! Of course, I’ll be happy to amend it if there are problems!
I really enjoyed making this. Too bad YouTube really compresses this sort of thing poorly. The shiny textures and lights really sing at the full HDTV resolution!
I fixed up the reel element, using some fun tricks I learned to simulate 3D (Bevel in Photoshop, Glow in After Effects). This will tie into another bumper I hope to work on soon!
This is a story my parents like to tell from their days traveling and working overseas. I interviewed my folks over Thanksgiving break and put this together.For this project I got to use the 3D (2.5D) functions of After Effects. I think it worked out well! Also, David Stamm came through with an excellent score for me. Thanks!
UPDATE! 4/24/2008
I’m submitting this to a festival, so I made some small fixes on imperfections that were bugging me. Enjoy!
