Portfolio Relection

Story Animation

     My proudest moment as an animator was finishing something that i'd first seen in my head, now created before my eyes. With this story animation, the obstacles seemed endless and the end, to me, was never in sight. what drove was my determination to see if before me. what I did not expect was that the process of hard work and stress was almost as satisfying as the ending product. tying between technical skills i'd learned and my own artistic instinct, despite the frustration and fast approaching deadline, I was able to finish. i guess the biggest thing i learned from this project was that passion is the strongest drive, and because i wanted to finish so badly, i did. a strong vision definitely helped with drawing and creating all parts of the animation, learning mostly came from past errors.  what i would've changed of this process was its urgency. some shots and layers, to me, appear messy and rushed. this project overall has gotten rid of some self doubt and given me a sense of ability, like saying, if you to do it, do it. Concluding, this is probably my best project. No, it is. no topping this. 

Multi- plane

    For my multi-plane project, the whole concept seemed smart. ahhh. they figured this out. an overall clever trick that made me somewhat sinister while creating it. The way we learned to make layers different lengths and set as different speeds to appear realistically moving, it was just super cool. i think the is a great thing to know as an animator. to the audiences' eyes, it seems effortless, and progressive, to an animator, time consuming but necessary. assembly in AFTER EFFECTS was simple, the creation in photoshop was scenic and meticulous. I wasn't challenging, but it conveys a certain complexity that makes me very proud. what i struggled with was the scenery and having it look the way i want, but also have it work with the scenery around it. those trees were exhausting. if i could change anything, I would try and incorporate a character with in the plane, like an animal or something, just to make moe interesting.  In the end, my favorite project regarding concept and overall look. 

Worm

    As the first animation i did in after effects i was    slightly disappointed for not including the photoshop animation style i was used to. expecting hundreds of layers, we used key frames. a new and frustrating skill. the software was new and almost nothing made sense. looking back at the file now, all the key frames are probably in a jumble. Even if it wasn't the correct way, i found some way to keep my worm in place and have it inch across the screen. what i would change is the absolute cluelessness of my entire process. this project was important, our first intro to aftereffects, and was much needed for the success of my future animations.

Walk Cycle Animation

    The first character we ever created. we scanned in a physical sketch into photoshop and tweaked the image there. it's a cool way to make each individual layer. i personally like creating them in photoshop without any complications from the real world.  as for animating, this is really darn important. almost everything walks. i struggle with cycles, i did then, still do now. i get how to do it. the keyframes, the circular motion. but the timing is very precise, having to move at the right speed and realistically, they're just hard. i would change my character, yeah seemed cute at the time, but i gave it too many layers that served zero purpose, and i should've kept t simple the first time. 

a cool and important project, most things walk. 

Pen Final

      Maya has not been my favorite. yes, it is animating, just not the type i'm drawn to. the reason i liked this one is that we had to create something that already existed. meaning we couldn't connect the dot to make it our own this time. Accuracy mattered. We had made plenty of things in maya by that time, but at that point it was our decision how we got from A to B. to me it was fun to capture the pen's characteristics in what before was just a dumb cylinder. I don't want to make weird boxes and stuff in maya, but if i wanted to make something cool that i had an idea of, it's good to know i could. It was cool to be like, "wow this pen is here in real life... and it's animated, whoa!" . Maya is complicated, but that means it has the power to do a lot.

Proffesional Article Reveiw

http://nofilmschool.com/2015/04/adobe-character-animator-animate-real-time

Professional Article Review

When educating yourself in a field centered around technology, the websites, downloads, and well know software hack are endless. While exploring the animation community online, you're bound to learn something new. this time, it's not an amazing complicated revalation. it's a simplictic, lighthearted addition. 

In this article I learned the importance of revolutionized character animation. 

with new and improving technology, it's easier to create believable and expressive characters to move along the story. The newest preview for the upcoming "creative Cloud" apps.

Using a character already made in photoshop or illustrator , you import in in the software to bring your character to life. although this program doesn't work with all factor of animation, it does tweak and apply details that make the overall project impressive and enjoyable to viewers.  Hopefully this will be a great addition to any animator's story telling process, and help likable connect with any audience .

professional project

Disney Pixar's "MOANA"

As an animation student, i'v learned to appreciate animated feature in a new way. the time consuming, technically  diverse, and precisely thought out stories created from scratch. when watching disney's newest addition to the pixar portfolio, i kept these concepts in mind. 

What i enjoyed about Moana was it's scenic details. the setting, Hawaii islands, isa well known spot notorious for it's beautiful landscaping. the animators captured it's sandy, jungle-y, and tropical demeanor. i was also impressed of their interpretation of water and the ocean. the way story is told, the ocean is almost it's own character. applying movement and interaction between other characters made the ocean have it's own personality.

i have limited education in animation compared to the makers of Monana, but i pick up on a ew thing recognizable to a two year animation student. they did use a muti-plane, as well as walk cycles, squash and stretch, and arcs. 

AnimAtion Technicall turtorial

Using Textures to Make a Realistic Background

In the maya software, the initial background is blank and oblivious. and even if you create a geometric master piece, there's still something missing behind it. In this tutorial you will learn a few tips and tricks to make your maya background more interesting and realistic.

         Start off by creating a simple set on your plane, ideally, a floor and one or more walls. this is the background that will support the object you make.in your search margin, look up the texture you wish to decorate you scene with. once the image file has down loaded, assign new material to each object intended to be textured.

when choosing the color, click on the "file" icon. it will give the option to apply your own materials.

once your texture is applied, feel free to adjust it in scale, opacity, and diffusion.

After getting comfortable with applying materials and textures, you can find new ways to incorporate textures . 

Mimicking a Window Effect

For this portion, I will demonstrate creating a visible background, as if there was window to see through the set. it will give the scene a since of reality and setting. to create the window, place a cube through the plane. select both objects , got "mesh" and then "boolean" next, "union". create a new wall and place it behind the window.

start off by finding an image of a landscape of your choice. follow the same steps to assigns a new material and chose the file. adjust the repeat UV to fit it in on the wall.
play around with distance between the wall and landscape, make it bigger and smaller to find the best balance to seem believable. when rotating the view point, the background should move, similar to real life.

Once it is satisfactory, as you move around your plane, there is an outside world around you!

Story Animation

    After weeks of exposition and introduction to the aftereffetcts software, we were finally tasked to combine all skills in previous projects into one story animation. myself, being an ambitious story teller as well as artist found this demand exhilarating  and terrifying.  It was stressful yet eye opening, and overall a process.

Story Board Outline

having high hopes for myself from the start, there was no easy way I was going to settle on just any plot.  I wanted a strong main character with an obvious motive and problem getting in the way of it. 

It needed to be easy to draw, easy to give life and personality. I made a million, unessesary,  rising actions, that would cut and downsized later.  the writing process was fun, but orignigal ideas were a tad unreasonable for my first story animation. regardless, i stuck with a main charcter and theme i had preped for, and after creating sketches, plot stucture mountain, and story board, i was ready to start animating. "The Paper Cycle" following the life of a notebook piece of paper looking for purpose, but can;t seem to get a break. when all hope is lost, the paper wad is thrown in a recycling bin, and the story optimistically repeats.

Production

       Technical wise, the project was intimidating. while creating a substancial amount of layers, before even  importing to aftereffects, the story seemed unacheivable. Lots of prioratizing took place while producing. i asked questions like, Will this really help story? or How can i make this character's action simpleler? In photoshop, i created each layer drawn with a pen tool. 

in afteraffects , each scene wes placed and perfected in it's own composition. later to be combine all in to one que. I had to include a walk cycle, miltiplane, ball bounce, and basic skillz attained over the course of the class.

Feature Story

       When living in a world obsessed with focusing on the negative actions occurring in the world, it's important to sometimes set aside the hard news and notice the more personal stories. One's without urgency or danger, but still a story of their own.

      With this thought in our minds, this week we take journalism to a personal level,  with feature stories. The class attentively projecting ideals of interviewing in order to connect with the human of interest. 

      We gather information of Who, What,When, Where, and Why? to successfully assemble a story. With the help of B-roll and voiceovers,  students created a representation  of the lead using audio and video while gaining skills technically. Exercising in editing, camera setup, and using microphones. In addition, progressing in areas of writing, project planning, and communicating with clients and everyday people.

      From this became a feature story.

    The first step I took was brainstorming,
    the most important foundation my story needed was a strong lead. without that there would be no where for my story to go or chance it would connect to an audience.
The challenges I faced in this portion included practicality for not only my goals, but who ever I would be interviewing. I of course needed time to set up equipment,  prepare interview questions, schedule a time to sit down with the person, while still leaving me time to edit before the deadline.
       
      Along with the planning portion, it must be remembered that technology is still new. whether it's mics, or SD cards, or a faulty tripod. Something is bound to become a road block. luckily, with trial and error, learning comes after.

     Each video we create gives us experience in every stage of production. during this video I felt more comfortable editing in Adobe Premiere pro and filming with the Panasonic. I still struggle with organization and exporting the media.

    Regarding the content of my feature story,  it included ONW senior, Emerson Riggs, and her involvement in the performing arts electives in the school.  Though i am content with how the story summarized,  the lead was not as strong as it could have been . Due to scheduling and a person's willingness to have a story centered around them, many of better choices weren't an option. The video was missing a second voice, and b-roll tying to conversation being made in the interview.

In the end, the feature story was a positive earning experience, technologically optimistic and frothing.  

Procedure Videos: Exploring Video

ID PROCEDURE VIDEO PROJECT

    The first project our class did in sophomore video was simple, thirty second ONW procedure videos, suggested by our new principle Mr. Zuck.

   The procedure chosen by my group was Id cards. In our video we demon started everyday procedures that ONW students can use to their advantage.


   We covered activities such as buying lunch and checking out library books, all thing needing a student ID.

    Despite the structured storytelling of this project, us sophomore were faced with technilogical inexperience, using Panasonic ac90 cameras. With the new equipment,  thing such as focus and white balance were now something we were in charge of managing.

   This year, instead of using the Final Cut Pro editing software,
we transitioned into Adobe Premiere. we made the adaptations we needed in order to be successful in building our video and putting the shots together.

As for filming techniques, we took into consideration conceptions such as the rule of thirds, the six shots system, and the 180 rule.


        

e-Communication Reflection

e-Communication Reflection

     The current school year in which I have participated in the e-Communication 21st century program is now coming to a close. over this year, due to these classes i have been allowed to grow creatively as well as gaining technical ability and valuable skills such as teamwork and problem solving.  As we wrap up this freshmen class preparing them to sophomores next school year, In abel for us to truly grow we must reflect on what we've learned.

           Coming into e9 with an 8th grade mindset and the experience of an ipad and cheap family PC, the new exposure to quality technology was extremely valuable to me. I learned the importance of listening attentively to directions... or else you've completed the stereotype of the little lost freshmen. Learning how to maneuver programs such as photoshop and adobe illustrator was a struggle, of course, but thanks to my friend, "Command Z"  I was granted free exploration that got me comfortable with the programs.

        Most of things I learned were directly from the teacher, but also by making a lot of mistakes. For example if you are unaware of how to save your documents correctly, you're going to make sure you know how to save works without loosing them. So, through this, the more things I did wrong was something I learned not to do again. another tip, if you have the inspiration or an outlandish idea, ask an administrator, they might just know how to do it and be able to teach you.

       This education is important, as one of my favorite characters from Parks and Recreation, April said. "Time is money, Money is power, power is pizza, and pizza is knowledge." So it's importance is a bit, obvious.  the more you know, the more you can do.

     My greatest weakness coming in was definitely was technology side, me always being a creative thinker, as an insane little child, I assumed I would be fine. listening and knowing what to do is key. yes, it's great to have your creative juices take over, but sometimes a structure is needed before you actually make your project. I've improved because of previous bad planning, and spontaneous inspiration is okay, but before you take action you need to know what steps you'll take and how.

   I'm going to do a lot with what i've learned, in my future years of this program, my knowledge will only grow, and my ideas will only get crazier . But that's okay because i know i'll have the education needed to properly execute it.

   I would have changed my organization from the beginning of the year, yes the technology was new, the school was new, and most of all I was the newest newbie this freshmen class had ever seen. For my personal logo I just assumed I would fiddle around on the computer, and BOOM! I would have my personal logo. but then I was indecisive and my logo lacked the theory and deeper meaning that we had learned about in graphic design. If I would've gone in with that in mind ,I feel like it would have been a better representation of my ability to create something with significance to something else.

    in conclusion, i messed up a lot, and will probably continue to do so, till the day I die even. But from this program, I am getting the education I need to let my mind be as weird and outlandish it wants, and maybe by looking at my work people can somehow comprehend how it works. a little bit, at least. Next year e-communication will be even better, so,

see you then.

-Courtney Honors

        

         

Summer Sound

      

 Summer Sound Project

  One of the biggest projects of the year in e9 was the was the group final. put into a group of four based on out Meirs Briggs personality types, our goal was to create a product along with a logo, animation, video website. while exercising the new skills we learned throughout the year, we also had to use our leadership and cooperative teamwork  everyday. through healthy collaboration and constructive criticism of our team, we were able to get our product to the professional we aimed to meet.

    the product we made was SUMMER SOUND, sunglasses that have built in headphones, creating a whole new way to listen to music in the summer time. the headphones can play bluetooth, radio, podcast, and personal music that can connect to a phone or ipod.

        It was known from the beginning of our work together that we possessed personal interests in the strands of Ecomm, due to this we were successful in creating the material, the hard part was deciding what to use and where. while we split into our individual strands, in classes like graphic design, we produced many advertisements, logos, and other visuals regarding summer sound.


      The summer sound official logo chosen was the I worked on, but the whole team worked together in deciding exactly what we wanted the logo to look like and make people feel at first glance. overall we wanted a chill and summery logo that included music and the sunglasses. this out of all that we made seemed to say that the most.

For the animation, while of my group member worked on the  sunglasses Model themselves, I constructed the beachy background.

For the summer Sound commercial I collaborated with another one of my group members, using two ipad to maximize our time and shots. Using both of the ipad's footage we both created commercials, with the same overall plot, but stylistically different videos. the video i edited was made to appeal to teen and give off a "summer vibe". made simply I made actors and shots carefree and almost like a party.


This project to me was a success.  all of our group members contributed in the way we decided, giving product the material needed.  we got everything done, the website, animation, video ,and logo.