Evaluation

For my Expressions project I had to develop a scenario for a short animation conveying a change in emotion, e.g joy to sadness, frustration to acceptance. I could either choose to focus on facial expression or body language/gesture.

I felt like my animation was pretty original, I also felt like the change in emotion was pretty evident. I’m also pleased with the way my doctor looks in the scene, he’s mysterious and works well as he has no face to emphasis the emotions on my main character’s face. The style of animation has worked well to portray the way she feels, she is drawn see through to portray that people don’t notice her anymore and they see straight through her.
The sound that I created using the amnesia tracks worked well, it's times well. The uncomfortable noise that happens when the doctor appears seems to create an uneasy feeling for the audience.

However even though I like the art style is seems rushed and not thought through, I’m also aware that the narrative might not be clear enough. However because my performance is set within a mental asylum, I feel like it would be accepted due to the nature of them. I do also like how the audience can portray the reason for her feeling so scared anyway they want due to it not being clear. I felt like I followed the brief, but I could have produced something better. If it didn’t take me so long to get started. I also feel like it cuts off too abruptly at the end. I really found this project hard in terms of getting started and finding inspiration. 

Fixing the pesky sound

I was having issues with getting my sound working, I tried everything I could. And everything seemed fine, I couldn't figure it out. Until I found out that if you start the music on the second frame rather than the first it will work.

Which it did, I was able to finally see what it looked not without it being in the editing stage. I'm satisfied with how the music turned out, I feel like it's timed right and adds more emotion for the audience.

Music editing

I decided to do what I thought would work well, and put together sections of the amnesia track that I felt worked together. I made sure it fit what was going on in the scene, softer music to fit the character crying. the music fades away but you get a shock as an uncomfortable noise returns as she's shocked by the doctor standing by the door.

Slenderman

Gavin and Michael show my feelings for slenderman, another suspence building game through the music used. 

PT

Another game that I have played but will never again, this game also uses music to create suspence for the gamer, along with sound effects.

Amnesia

I have played Amnesia and it's a game I won't be playing again any time soon, the music is purposely there to cause the game player anxiety. It's purposefully tension building, and that's what I'm looking for. I have found two tracks that I think would work well together, I was looking for a sad sound to begin with with a build in suspense when the doctor shows up. 

I felt like both of these track could work well merged together.

Experimenting with Sound

The music from a ice cream van came into my head first as an example of music that makes you uneasy, mainly because I hear an ice cream truck outside my house at 9 o'clock at night in the winter. And that makes me uneasy, but for what my animation is about it doesn't really fit. Although it does inspire me to maybe try that in the future.

The second thing that popped in to my thought processes was the soundtrack from scary games that I have both played and am too scared to play. I decided to think of a few that maybe I could use to create an uneasy atmosphere in my scene, Outlast is a game I will never try and play.

Finalising

2.1

When the monster fades away, he doesn't really fade. I felt like his smoke marks just stay there like I have given up, I wanted to change this.

2.2

I tried to make it fade away but I felt like it happened too fast, it was hard to tell what what going on.

2.3

I slowed the smoke down, but decided I wanted the smoke to look like it was fading away.

2.4

I finally did somthing I felt fit my creative vision, I got it to the right speed with it fading away. But somthing felt missing, to which I decided I wanted to add and explore audio. 

Monsters

I looked in to what my doctor could look like, I already had an idea in my head of what I wanted. i never wanted him to have a face so he can contrast with the main character and her emotions. So I automatically felt like slenderman was a good idea, I also knew that I wanted him to be dressed professinally. So I looked into doctors unforms and white lab coats.

I am very happy with how he turned out, he's incredibly mysterious and hard to read. Which it exactly what I wanted.

Trying Things Out

This Story Board feels better to me, we see a figure enter the room thinking nothing about it. When we see her expression turning from sad to scared and as the audience we're intrigued. We see it's a monster type creature which seems to vanish. As we figure out it was all in head.

Story Board

The more I story boarded this idea, it made me feel like it wasn't completely relevant to the topic I'm doing. Which is creating a scary thought where there shouldn't be. So I've decided to create the man to be a figment of her imagination. Possibly just turn the man into a silhouette.

Finding References For Flash

I had an idea of my animation's composition, but I wanted to find some more references. I found some examples of women sitting against walls. And decided which ones I liked best, for example leaning against the wall but with one leg up. It makes for a more interesting pose. I also needed to look at what her face could look like, along with her straight jacket.

Flash Techniques

I decided to research into how to produce hand drawn animation on flash, I felt like i wanted to do this due to my main character emotions. Due to my animation going from sad to frightened I felt like having sketchy lines might make the audience feel sad and uneasy. It was pretty useful.

Story Board

I began to make my story into a properly on flash, but something didn't feel right. That you couldn't see the characters face change since it cuts to the doctor mid way through. I felt like this wasn't portraying the change in emotion well enough. So I decided to change this. 

Frightened Expession

Using my fabulous acting skills again, I decided to try to portray a frightened look. Which was a more noticeable difference then being sad. With wide eyes and a wide mouth in disbelief that the jack in the box just popped up by itself.

Sad Expressions

I decided to examine my own face, to help science *cough*. I looked at what my face would look like if I was sad, I attempted to keep it subtle. But they mostly included my facial features turning down.

Exploring Expression

I decided to look into different facial expressions, and how detailed and undetailed they are. With how much emotion they can portray, if you take the two examples I have found. ABOVE, is a rather detailed drawing of a womans expressions which are very good. But below, there are very simple examples of facial expression which I am very impressed with. I've always loved the idea of 'simplicity', It lets me realise that the facial feature on my character don't have to be amazingly detailed for the audience to understand what she's feeling.

BELOW, is an example of how I feel I would want my character to look, very simple she seems to have quits a malleable face but it's not too over the top.

Anime is an example to me of keeping facial emotions simple but exaggerated, they have very set attributes in anime to resemble the emotions they're portraying which is pretty fascinating.

Straight Jackets

I decided to stick to the psychiatric story line that I essentially decided from the beginning, because of this I decided to research a few different styles of straight jackets for my main character to wear. They're obviously all rather plain looking, but some have buckles that I favour. That I would no doubt use in my final piece. 

Project Proposal

I've decided to stick to 2D for my final animation, this is due to time and creative choice. I feel like I can create both characters (I.E based off my puppet and docor who I will base off the doctors from Alice in Wonderland)the target audience will be my age group, as at this stage I'm just trying to get to grips with what my favourite animation style is. Be it 2D, 3D, stop motion etc. I want to create my animation on flash, and have a pretty sketchy look, since the story is about the characters mental health.

smile emoticon

Had the idea to do stop motion

Because I wanted to use my puppet to create a stop motion animated sequence for my project, But decided not to, I felt like I should carry on using her design but just carry it on to a different form of media. To which I believe I will be making 2D. It will be interesting to see her in a different media.

Alice Madness Returns Art

Here are just a few examples of some concept art related to the topic I want to make my expression project about, I have always loved the art for this game and was reminded if it when I thought about putting my character in a therapists office. Only this area in the game is a lot stronger in emotions than my initial idea, what I mean by this is there are stronger visuals. Less colour and more blood. I think I'm going to take inspiration for my characters from this. 

I feel like I've been making all of this too complicated for myself, I think I'm going to keep the emotions simple. My character will be sad and then feel fear, and at the moment it will be because they see a needle.

Rough Story Board

1- Talking to psychiatrist
2- Close up of sadness
3- Psychologist is gone
4- Close up of sadness
5- Looks up
6- See's Shadow
7- Surprised/Shocked
8- Realised it's not his fear
9- Close up of relief

Trying To Get Started

I'll be honest and say I'm finding it hard feeling inspired with this project, not because I don't like this idea. I think it might just be this time in the year, and I need to get my priorities in check. I did a few sketches of random things I thought of to do with the fears I researched.

Those being:

• Dentists 
• Murder
• Death

My favourite so far being the grime reaper looking character.

 

All happy topics, I will try to develop and maybe visit a few museums to get my drive back. Maybe look back at pictures of museums I took before for inspiration. 

Fears

I just googled what fears were the most common;

• Public speaking
• Heights
• Fear of the dark
• Intimacy
• The end
• Fear of failure
• Rejection
• Spiders
• Commitment
• Flowers
• Driving
• Dogs
• Dentist
• Snakes
• Needles
• Being alone
• Water
• God
• Abandonment
• Long words
• Clowns falling
• Change
• Germs
• Music
• Doctors
• Crowds
• Being touched
• Open spaces
• Engulfment
• Girls
• Thunder
• Flying

It would be interesting to try and ask as many people as I can what there's is, it might spark some more ideas.

Tim Burton Locations

As I was on a role with Burton I wanted to look at location, to which I found a variety. as I'm planning to essentially do horror. I don't want the location to be generic, I want it to be interesting which helps the story along. I like the idea of going psychological..IDEA.

They're in the doctors office mentioning their greatest fears (like clowns in the photo) - they hear and noise and it turns out to be that exact thing.

Tim Burton Animals

Going back to the way animals react, I decided to find some obscure animals that stood out to me. Naturally they were dogs. All showing a lot of emotions, what I found interesting about the two dogs with weapons in their backs. Was their unusual happy expression, if I went deeper with the pictures I could say it's about animal cruelty, that dogs are always happy and do nothing wrong, yet they're still stabbed in the back and abandoned by their owner.

Tim Burton - Back To My Roots

Going with my idea of going from fear to surprised in a bad way, from my quick sketch of the guy in the jacket. I thought maybe the person they see could be scary but obscure, I have Tim Burton art book that I like to browse for inspiration. I picked out a few 'people' that stood out for me.

Emotions That Interest Me

I realise when thinking about my original ideas that I was making it too difficult for myself, I decided to strip my ideas down to the bare emotions.

I've always enjoyed horror films, so the fear to surprised interests me. whether or not I will have a happy surprise or not is something I need to figure out.

It might not be a smart idea, but as I get scared easily. I had the idea of going around the city finding things that I find scary (while not putting myself in harms way) - to create the ideas going. 

Dogs Reactions to Barking

This video just made me happy, (as dogs do) I had to idea of researching into animals facial expressions and how humans would react instead. Or showing they having the same emotion so you can notice the significant differences in how they look, with their facial strctures.

(POSSIB SKETCHES)

Quick Ideas

• The way a person reacts compared to how an animal reacts
• The way music effects you're mood
• Facial expressions when listening to music
• Seeing through lies - police interviews, hiding their emotions

Mini Task

In groups we had to find different examples representing one of the six emotional states from any media expect film or animation.

Our method was to go around Norwich trying to find things that made us feel emotional, for example: charity shop clothes, racsim/slavery, technology taking over our lives, bare trees, anglia square in general, and animal skin.

We found the art of Alberto Giacometti in our university library, it suck out due to it's sketchy lines and blacked out silhouettes. Silhouettes I feel are often used to show sadness, to portray the darkness you feel within. The sketchy lines I feel portray sadness since it could show anxiety and uncertainty, it's a deeper version of sadness.

Basic Emotions

Paul Ekman and Wallace van Friesen from their research in the 70's said there are six 'basic emotions', these emotions are linked to facial expression. They found them to be universally recognisable, even through different cultures. They are;

                            JOY                                     DISGUST                               SADNESS

                         ANGER                                SURPRISED                                   FEAR

(Spot the odd one out)

Ekin describes the basic emotions as distinct 'emotion families', each category contains a range of different emotions. In 1999 Ekman updated his list of emotions;

 Amusement, anger contempt, contentment, disgust, embarrassment, excitement, fear, guilt, pride, relief, sadness/distress, satisfaction, pleasure and shame.

BA1b - Introduction

This week we were introduced to our project 'Animated Expression' where we have been asked to research into representations of the key emotional states (how are they expressed and symbolised). We need to develop a scenario for a short animation conveying a change in emotion, Eg joy to sadness, frustration to acceptance. I can either choose to focus on facial expression or body language/gesture, the animation can be self-portraiture, character based or symbolic/abstract in context.

This project will run alongside other for the whole of next term, to give us more basics of different animation techniques to create the style of the film,

In summary I will create a short 10-15 second animation which conveys a change of emotion.

For pre- production we need to start to:

• Research examples
• 3 Ideas/ rough storyboards
• Develop board for final ideas
• Try out and experiment with techniques 

I MUST PRODUCE:

• Animated change in mood/ expression of between 10 and 15 seconds and rendered as QuickTime Movie 
• Research Portfolio reflecting on the results of the iterative process used to develop your character and narrative concepts 
• Evaluation of 250 words on the project and achieved outcomes

We can look at paintings, sculptures, illustrations. film and animation etc. 

SUBMISSION: 22/04/16