Throughout the process of this animation, numerous skills and
challenges have been encountered and perhaps most surprisingly for me was the diversity of the skill sets required to create an animation. When
provided with the assignment to create a two minute animation, it was likely
that the time and effort required to complete the task well was
overlooked. Given this however, once the planning had commenced, it was realised how challenging and time consuming this process was. Despite this however, it was worth the time and determination
to develop and achieve a solid animation.
What to Avoid next time?
As we know, storyboards are key elements to the planning and designing
of an animation, however despite the knowledge and guidance of how to create a
solid and useful storyboard with suitable and accurate labeling, scenes and
actions, the animation would have been improved if more attention and time was
paid to the storyboard and the importance of this.
In addition, if the animation were to be created for a second time, a
few aspects would be avoided or changed altogether. The use of the character in
this animation was easier than using paper although it was still difficult to
manage and hold for each photo; this was partly due to it being a solid wooden
object that was rather top-heavy and also due to it being too large and
springy. Given this and the impediment of my poor artistic skills, it would
have been beneficial to create a stop-motion animation that avoids the
involvement of real life characters altogether or alternatively the use of Lego
men or Clay as substitutes would have been easier to manage and balance.
Furthermore, the use of space when creating the animation was somewhat
overlooked; as the animation was created in my living room, I was quite
restricted in terms of what could be used. Additionally, the
surrounding/background objects provided endless constraints, as it was
sometimes difficult to mask these objects when imaging each scene. Despite this
however, creating the animation at home, provided benefits when selecting the
props as I had a wide range of materials to choose from which may not have been
available if the animation had been created in university.
Finally, the idea of patience when completing this assignment failed me;
at the very beginning of this module, it was highlighted that patience would be
required when completing an animation as it is time consuming and a delicate
task, which is why planning is so significant. Unfortunately, this was also
overlooked, and is something that would need improving should an animation be
created again.
What tips were considered
Following completion of the Zoetrope and traumatrope, it was evident
that simplicity is key when creating a stop-motion animation; fortunately this
was considered when reflecting the concept and proved to be successful.
Similarly, creating a minimal set and characters can also increase the strength
of the animation, thus only one character was used in the animation. Trying to
overcomplicate the storyline may result in compromising the animation.
Furthermore, setting up a good source of lighting was a recommendation,
which was largely considered which is why the majority of scenes were imaged at
night when it was dark, nonetheless, the few scenes that were completed in the
day are evident in the animation, despite efforts to keep the room as dark as
possible. This is a limitation of the animation and an issue that kept
appearing throughout the production. Unfortunately, as the
animation was created on an ipad, I was limited as to how this could be
rectified.
Overall, the creation and production of this animation was
enjoyable and fun, albeit, challenging and difficult at some points of the
process. I trust that the message was strong and clear, which was the key
aim of the animation.
Presented below is the final version of my animation; unfortunately due to some frustrating technical issues it isn't as clear as had hoped, however I have finally managed to upload this to you tube the best I can.
Thank you for watching!