Roughdraft Animatic: Beast Feast

rough animatic for final animation: beast feast. there is a lot to work on, but i believe this is good progress.

UpdatedProgress

Jon's Statement for "Beast Feast"

"Beast Feast" is a short flash animation about a young sibling being taught to do something he doesn't want to do; eat a defensless kitten. Even though his desire for survival is strong, he cannot bring himself to eat the little creature.

This has been one of the most enjoyable projects i have worked on recently. Usually, with a strong desire comes good results.

Final Animation 2d style

Estimated Length of Animation: 1minute

Working Title: Beast Feast

Technique(s) used: flash 2d solid color 15fps


Week of:

Mar 10 - 16 finish character design, finalize story, start storyboarding


Mar 17 - 23 finalize storyboard, short walk cycle for main character


Mar 24 - 30: sound file, rough animatic


Mar 30 - Apr 6: finalize animatic, animate cutscenes 1-2


Apr 7 - Apr 13 animate cut scenes 3-4


Apr 14 - Apr 20 animate final scene


Apr 21 - Apr 27 paint animation, finalize timing, synch up audio file


Apr 28 finalize animation rendering, dvd, add to portfolio

so far i have a few pictures of character designs:

Animation Interests

there are a couple of animations i would like to accomplish.
1) i want to do a frame to frame 2d flash animation. i have not done a self contained short story in flash yet, but i would like to try. i would consider a short narrative or short event.

2) thew frame-by-frame stop motion intrigued me. i wouldn't mind taking a camera and applying the stop-motion to a figure animation or something. i haven't really hammered out the details, but i believe there is some potential with my interest and this stop-motion thing. the brothers quay peeked my fascination with this. i did not consider playing with lighting and various props as they did.

3) the animations where shapes and form dance in rhythm to music, has always been in the back of my mind as a form of animation; and the media used is as varied as the style. i considered taking a music clip and animating via photoshop. but i do not feel as strongly for this as i do with the stop-motion or 2d-flash. but i still consider it nontheless.

There are a few issues impacting the world in which we live. After some recent delving and study i have concluded that something needs to be done. i have an idea or two as to what can be done, should be done as well as perhaps could be done.

this is not just an assignment to me, perhaps it hits deeper. my only concern is the new media that i will be using. pixelation. not very savy on the concept, but apparently i have to get something together in less than a week, so... i suppose i have to learn quickly.

well... part of this is to list 10 critical issues of global warming and 10 things that can help or reslove global warming.

issues/resolution
1. co2 in the atmoshpere is making the atmoshpehere a little more retaining pertaining to the retention of heat the sun sends our way.

resolution: co2 is the product of respiration, we exhale c02, plants breath in co2. so perhaps there needs to be something done about deforestation. more plants means the reduction of some co2. but if that can not be done, perhaps we can all get gas masks with c02 scrubbers so we dont release it into the atmosphere. we need to breathe right?

2. increase in heat retention causes ocean currents to change temperature thus causing flow fluctuations. these currents regulate the dispersal of cool/warm water to thermally stabalize the planet. without the ocean currents or even a change in currents can cause extreme temperature changes on the surface of the planet.

resolution: aside from looking at and limiting co2 emissions from industrialized nations, why not train whales to keep the currents warmer in the cold spots. apprently, whales are mammals. HUGE mammals with HUGE digestive capabilities.

3. global warming is affecting the temperature at the poles. with less white snow to reflect the heat of the sun, this will undoubtedly cause a temperature increase, causing polar caps to melt. this has been studied recently and has been concluded that sea levels are rising in part from ice sheets melting.

resolution: well, a huge fctor in this warmth is the reduction of the ozone over the poles. this is caused in large part by mn's irrespoonsible abuse of cfcs and various aerosol byproducts. even though many cfcs have been radically reduced in industrialized nations, there is still the issue of the ozone collapsing. i decree that in order to repair the ozone over the poles, we should send armies of anti-cfc cells to the poles to devour these pesky cfc's.

4.the worlds dependency on fossile fuels is another HUGE factor in global warming. the emissions from our energy producers, our transportation, even our food production is affecting the atmosphere in detrimental ways.

resolution: some strides have been made recently with renewable resources such as solar energy and wind energy, even hydraulic dams have been made. even though these are great benefitis to the environment, they still affect the ecosystem. these powerplants require a lot of land and water to work to our benefit. some people have taken this a step further by powering their own residences with personal power devices, be it solar or even wind. these people are setting a good example for the rest of us. but what can we do to respond to the issue at hand?

i say everyone should get a hand cranking flashlight or radio and start cranking. all the energy spent on cranking will be reciprocated in an event so grand it will inspire awe to every nation witnessing it. america will be the leader of hand cranked energy that they dont know what to do with. an increased energy reserve.

5. the salinity of the oceans is decreasing. they are becominng increasingly fresh on the sruface from all of the land based ice melting off of greenland and antarctica. this causes the ocean currents to slow keeping the ecuatorial regions warmer and decreasng the atmospheric regularity in percipitation.

resolution: well, polar bears and penguins are not happy with the decrease of their ecosystem and reliance on a solid mass to fish on. this anger is then brought to nations who get upset because they are losing their shoreline. i say there are 2 options:
1: decrease our co2 emissions, in an attempt to stabalize the warming of the planet.
or
2: build a HUGE wall around our shorelines and ignore the rising sea levels and angry bears. we have to retain our beaches at ALL COSTS defending them with bear killing soldiers if necessary.

6: warming is not only affecting bears and penguins and our shorelines. it is affecting our water supplies. how? well... with higher temperatures, regions that rely on snow capped mountains' melt water in the spring/summer for their water are increasingly getting sparse. it has been documented that snow capped mountains around the planet are increasingly having less time with snow capped on them. this causes droughts of cataclysmic proportions. or could be at least.

resolution:
this is a hard one to really remedy. i mean,a lot of people are dependent on the snow capped mountains in the rockies, atlas, himaleyas(sp?), and other craggy mountains around the globe for their water source. aside from trying to decrease the temperature of the planet via careful recycling efforts and ill and irresponsible use of water(ie: watering you lawn for way too long). i mean, who wants a dead lawn? i say, every town buy a snow machine and designate an area, a town park let's say, nd have it perpetually covered in snow. it will make many people happy. water to feed the hungry grass as well as a place to ski if so desired.

7. a trickle down effect from high co2 in the atmoshpere is the increased frequency of wildfires. this is undeniably on the rise around the world.

resolution: we have to come up with a way to keep these places wet, cool or fire retardant. i would venture to guessto make a forest cool or wet is a huge undertaking, esecially getting millions of people to be careful with their resource consumption. i say instead of being reponsible with energy and standard of living, it would be easier to train bears to use a fire extinguisher and place fire extinguisher stations in danger zones.

8. there are natural and man made causes of increased greenhouse gases that destabalize the ecosystem. i have touched on a few. wildfires. energy. transportation. industry. but what about animals? animals respire as well. they release co2 as much as we do. with the decrease of green areas around theworld to stabalize respiration, the earth is suffocating.

resolution:
put animals in camps and only allow them to have 1 offpsring. that wll be a form of population control. to make it more interesting, lets give their offspring a cute name feed them once a day and charge people admission to see Bo-Bo the eagle.

9. our energy production is a creating a HUGE impact on the world's atmospheric stability. with excess and wasted enegry, people are wasting a lot of this and causing the expendiature of the means ot producing the energy. much of it being burning of fossil fuels, a HUGE detrimental factor in eco-stability.

resolution:
there is a HUGE array of good, easy and responsible ways of limiting energy from being such a huge factor in global warming. use florescence bulbs. turn off what you are not using. carpool. take the bus. open a window. very simple things. but are they reallyTHAT simple? i mean, if helping the environment were that easy, why isn't it? i say people simply don't know or are aware of what they can do. i say as a whole we should attach a note to millions of balloons at set them up to the atmoshpere and allow them to pop raining their messages across the globe. this will positivly affect the environment in several ways:
1. the sheer volume of balloons will darken the skies, reducing the sun's penetration and earth's retention of heat. cooling the surface.
2. the gas in the ballons will increase the helium in the atmosphere.
3. the popped baloons will create a safe place for fish to hide from birds.

and finaly

issue 10:
permafrost isnt as "perma" as it used to be. much of the world's permafrost regions are thawing, releasing gases into the atmosphere.

resolution:
drop kegs into the area. this will cause college students to flock to these areas, bringing loads of ice to keep their brew nice and cold. THIS will stabalize the environment.

The Metamorphosis

well, i suppose i spelled metamorphosis right, considering that it looks properly spelled. maybe not to webster, but to me it looks right. anyways

i would have scanned in the 2 images, if i didnt leave them in the lab this weekend. but regardless i do have a plan as to how i will switch from one image to the next in a reasonable timeframe.

since i dotn have the pics scanned currently, i will describe what they are. be patient, the images will be posted within the next day or so.

image#1: easter island statue head on a hill in a sort of 3/4 shot angled to the left of the card

image#2: elephant with bird on head

both images are fairly simple and easy to make up ideas for.
idea #1: frames: 1-19 the bird flies in and lands on the statues head
20-30 statue flinches as bird lands on head curiously looking around and blinking
31-42 head pauses and realizes it is a bird on its head and takes a deep breath
43-50 statue keeps expanding and starts sucking in the terrain(terrain being the horizon line)
51-58 statue inhales bird, expands to full capacity
59-65 statue holds full air capacity with much effort
66-72 statue blobs out to a round shape
73- 78 blob forms elephant shape, releasing bird
79-85 bird lands on elephant head, proceed to next person

idea#2: frames: 1-10 statue twitches nose
11-20 statue sneezes, bird escapes through open mouth
21-28 statue settles as bird lands on head
29-36 statue looks upward at bird and leans sideways to pull out a buried hand to swat at bird
37-45 bird dodges swipe as statue gets disgruntled
46-58 mass of birds enter to land on statue
59-70 mass chases statues off of frame, hillside pokes head out of ground
71-85 hillside morphs into elephant as bird lands on head, proceed to next person

those are a couple of starting ideas that i am pretty excited about doing. either way, even if these ideas don't stick, i will have a good time with this project.

Updated Story(pre script)

The sun slowly emerges from the horizon casting deep shadows over the hilly terrain. As the light begins to fill the air, the shadows become shallower and shapes start to emerge. Situated in a valley between three converging hills lies a clearing with a shanty looking shack made of various materials. As the light brightens, so does the scenery of hills laden with civilization's refuse of twisted metal and masonary debris. These are not hills of earth and vegetation; but rather that of metal parts, stone work chunks, and other various small objects indicating a sign of civilization.

The dark clouds start to disperse and a figure emerges from the shack. As he steps out, he stretches towards the sky and looks around intently. This figure seems to consist of recognizable body parts, but appear to float between invisible joints. Its forarms are large and hang well below his waste, his fingers detached from an invisible wrist flex nimbly as he reaches for the sky in this seemingly morningly ritual. His feet are small, the toes detached at the joints but held in place by some unknown force. His head is where a head should be, but without a visible neck. The head appears strikingly similar to that of a small lizard, with inset eyes and large snout. As he yawns, some sharp pointy teeth are seen catching the morning's red light. He comes to a rest and leans on the door that was slowly closed behind him.

A loud whir is heard as the figure looks up towards the sound. it is a large hovering object sillouhetted in the early morning light. the whirring stops and several objects are seen being jetisoned from it's belly. it is dumping new debris on the already garbage infested terrain. as the last object falls from the hovering object, a few seconds of silence fill the air. as the silence falls upon the valley a dull and barely discernable air rushing sound is heard. it is the sound of the hovering object kicking up dust in it's wake. the few seconds pass and the whirring commences once more. the hovering object leaves and a shimmer is seen at the crest of the hill as the dust begins to settle.

the figure in the valley notices the glinter and takes a few steps forward to get a closer look at the curious shiny object. As the figure steps forward, a can is seen shifting out of place from the top of his head, sliding down the snout of the figure. he reaches up and re-situates the can on the top of his head in a small fit of frustration. The glimmering object not only caught his attention but it also caught another's attention.

after planting his foot to get a closer look at the object, a low rumbling roar can be heard resonating down the valley. The figure stops moving abruptly and slowly shifts his gaze off to his left at the crest of an adjacent hill. His gaze meets that of a burly growling monstrosity. it stands on four legs, all detached but seemingly attached to invisible joints similar to that of the bipedal figure. it's head is very wide with a long snout full of pointy teeth. it has a small body in relation to the proportions of its appendages. its feet are nearly as large as its head ending in three toes. The beast looks to be missing a few teeth and has a three discernable parrallel scars streaming across it's face in a diagonal fashion form its left inset, missing eye to its lower right mandible.

It begins to bound down the hill towards the emerged bipedal figure who begins to rattle the doorknob behind him in a futile attempt to re-enter his home. After realizing the futility of the doorknob, the bipedal figure notices a nearby debris pile and dives into it, kicking up dust and debris in his hasty retreat. the beast smashes into the figures home, knocking the door off of it's hinges. It then regains it's balance and sniffs the air, in an attempt to find the hiding figure. As the beast sniffs the cold morning air, its hot breath can be seen spewing vapor into the red sky. After a few snorts, the beast looks up at the hill where the glinting was seen. a few yards up the hill, the object catches the light once again and favoring its right shoulder, the beast limps towards the shiny object.

under the debris pile, the bipedal figues scours the ground nearby to find a small hook. he nimbly wraps his fingers around the hook and pulls out a rope from his left hip pouch. After assembling a crude grappling device, the figure pokes his head out into the clearing to find the shiny object. as he pokes his head out, the can affixed on top of his head falls off and hits the ground. as the can hits the ground, the figure flinches and holds his breath. the beast stops and looks over it's shoulder back at the bipedal figure who has his head poked out of the debris pile. it sniffs the air and scans the area behind it, apparently not seeing the bipedal figure. It resumes its trek up the steep mound looking at the shiny object.

the bipedal figure sighs, and angrily snorts looking down at the ground at the can lying silently in the dirt. His eyes move up to look for the shiny object. he crawls out from the debris pile and notices the shiny obejct and the beast are merely a few yards from his position at the crest of the nearby garbage mound. He sees the object clearly since the sun has quickly found it's position cresting over the hill behind him. the object is another can, a shiny can. the figures face fills with glee as he starts to twirl the hook and rope in an attempt to grapple the new can.

the beast is within a few steps from the can when it notices an object tethered to a rope falls flat infront of it, latching onto the can. the beast snarls as it approaches the can which is now slowly moving down the hill, bouncing as gravity pulls it down. The beats folows the can to a debris pile. the can bobbles its way under the pile and the beast cocks it's head curiously, closing it's mouth and pushing it's nose into the pile; pushing smaller, lighter debris aside.

as the bipedal figure pulls the can under his debris pile, he gleefully places the new can ontop of his head and hastily leaves the sanctuary he has made for himself. he stands up and brushed debris off of him, and notices the old can laying on the ground. he grunts at the can as he quickly turns 90degrees to his left. as he turns to his destination, he is stopped by a solid object that shouldn't be there. the bipedal figure takes a step back as the object he ran into turns to face him. the beast squints it's eyes and draws it's face close to the bipedal figures face. both figures are the same height, the beast's hot breath making the bipedal figure blink. the beast looks up at the can ontop of the others head as the bipedal figure takes another step back, awkardly looking down at the old can. using his right foot, the bipedal figure brings the old can to his right hand and slowly brings it between his face and the beasts face in an attempt to coax the beast. the beast fixes it's gaze on the old rusty can, closing it's mouth and sniffing it curiously.

the bipedal figure tosses the old can towards his shack and the can falls next to the battered unhinged door. the beast turns it's head following the can but doesn't budge. the bipedal figure takes a few steps back as the beast watches the can bounce and come to a rest against the battered door. when the can stops moving, the beast turns its attention back towards the bipedal figure who is now a few steps from the beast. it lifts its front foot and drops it heavily infront of itself, taking a few heavy steps forward. the bipedal figure plants his feet as the beast comes to a rest a few inches from him. it sniffs the shiny can ontop of the figures head. the figure carefully and slowly grabs the can from the top of his head, the beast follwing it intently. the beast lets out a billowing roar, startling the figure. he maintains his grip on the shiny can as he loses his balance and topples backwards, his feet falling out from infront him. the beast lurches forward and leans over the figure, its hot breath causing the figure to flinch his eyes once again.

the figure looks down at the can and appears to think to himself. he then looks up at the lumbering beast bearing down on him. he then looks back down at the can in his grip, his fingers trembling. he then quickly throws his arm back, in an attempt to ready the throw of the can. he pauses and the beast pauses, looking at the can intently. the figure hurls the can past the shack in the valley. the beast quickly turns and leaps after the recently tossed can.

the beast is seen ravenously tearing at the new can as the figure stands up and brushes himself off once again. He looks towards the beast and nods his head shamefully. he then notices the old can laying next to his unhinged door. the figure drags his feet towards his home as the beast swiftly finishes its attack on the shiny can. the beast looks back at the figure then looks up at the crest of the nearby hill. it then bounces up the hill, leaving a shredded can in its wake.

the bipedal figure reaches down for the old can and grabs it slowly, his fingers strumming the rippled edge of the rusty can. he picks the can up and wipes it off with his hand and then brings it to his chest to clean it as well. after removing the majority of the dirt, he then breathes heavily on the can and commences to shine it up to the best of his ability. he approaches the shredded can and stops a pace or two from it. he leans back and places the old can back onto his head. he then folds his arms and kicks loose debris over the shredded shiny object and steps over his dehinged door behind him back into his abode.