Working on a small story where a woodcutter loses his axe in water and then Poseidon appears and offers him reward......... I've rendered 3 small scenes.
1- http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea ... D=46060724
2- http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea ... D=46060632
3- http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea ... D=46060789
Work in AS
Moderators: Víctor Paredes, Belgarath, slowtiger
Nice colors and mood in the scenes. My favourite is #2, I liked the blurry trees in the distance, and also that you use white as a sky colour, adds alot to the contrast and the depth of the scene I think.
In #3 I think the man has a bit of a jerky movement that makes it easy to spot the loop.
Keep up the good work!
In #3 I think the man has a bit of a jerky movement that makes it easy to spot the loop.
Keep up the good work!
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synthsin75
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Style and light FX are great. But that guy's movement lacks something. You should move his body vertically with each step. After all, he's climbing a hill and walking through a forest, so he's not walking like a rolling skateboard on flat pavement.
Also there seems to be a glitch in scene #2. I have the odd feeling that foreground and background pan in different directions. Sometimes this effect happens with a fixed BG. It might help to move the farthest BG level in the same direction as the foreground level, just a bit.
Also there seems to be a glitch in scene #2. I have the odd feeling that foreground and background pan in different directions. Sometimes this effect happens with a fixed BG. It might help to move the farthest BG level in the same direction as the foreground level, just a bit.
realsnake, one thing you might want to look at apart from animation is the issue of screen direction, I understand you are showing the passing of time , and the animations are work in progress, so not necessarily in any order, there are also many opinions regarding this topic and as with all creative endeavour, no fast rule.
Nevertheless have a look into the subject and watch the sequence as objectively as possible.
Shot sequence can make or break pieces with otherwise top notch production values, it is as much slight of hand as anything else very few have the skill to ' get away with murder' but it is possible.
I'm not saying there is anything wrong with what you are doing realsnake, it looks great, and I will happily accept the call of" shut up and die"
, but if you want to discuss shot sequence in this thread, I have a few cents put aside for the topic.
Nevertheless have a look into the subject and watch the sequence as objectively as possible.
Shot sequence can make or break pieces with otherwise top notch production values, it is as much slight of hand as anything else very few have the skill to ' get away with murder' but it is possible.
I'm not saying there is anything wrong with what you are doing realsnake, it looks great, and I will happily accept the call of" shut up and die"
, but if you want to discuss shot sequence in this thread, I have a few cents put aside for the topic.
wow! replies this quick, thanks everyone!
- Actually the third character was created in macromedia flash in cutout style and was exported to Anime Studio in AI format just for test. I'm going to redo it in Anime Studio.
- Character movement and animation is kinda hard and I still need some time to understand AS camera and bone rig system.
- Screen direction is an issue which can affect entire scene and cannot be neglected however its hard to find help on this topic and please can u explain shot sequence here!
- Actually the third character was created in macromedia flash in cutout style and was exported to Anime Studio in AI format just for test. I'm going to redo it in Anime Studio.
- Character movement and animation is kinda hard and I still need some time to understand AS camera and bone rig system.
- Screen direction is an issue which can affect entire scene and cannot be neglected however its hard to find help on this topic and please can u explain shot sequence here!
Realsnake here are a few tips regarding screen direction and [b]line of action[/b]. I hope this doesn't come across as patronising , I can see you have a natural feel for the medium you are tackling. As I said before I like what you are doing and I know it's a W.I.P. you and other readers here probably know all about this stuff but here goes anyway.....
I guess one of the key issues , without going too far into an almost endless topic, is to consider that shot sequence is story telling.
When you tell a story with words there are similar devices as with pictures in play one in particular is the grammatical person.[url] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_person[/url]
The advantage with telling stories with pictures is that you can more easily change the 'viewer(or person)' and effectively change the perception of a given scenario.
A good and easy example of this which you will be very familiar with from movie cliche is the 1st person POV ( a subjective point of view), which draws attention to the presence of the viewing party or voyeur. This can be effective when creating tension or a perceived threat from a malignant presence. Your shot of the woodcutter from between the trees is a little reminiscent of this POV style ( perhaps from the creatures of the woods), it certainly adds mystery, whether intended or not.
Close ups on the other hand can often (but not always) bring to the fore the internal machinations of the subject, ie their mood or feelings.
Symmetrical shots as in the shot of the woodcutter coming over the rise should be very carefully deployed as they can often create the feeling of an important or iconic moment, such as a revelation or some such. If over used it can have the opposite effect (as can all of these techniques).
A good example of overuse is in the two towers movie where often we are left to wonder what's the big deal here?
Wide shots are establishing shot and are often for exposition.
There are so many different methods but I think that's enough to get you thinking about that.
SCREEN DIRECTION , object or people moving screen left to screen right, up down ore diagonal.
This is basically a simple principal but it's deployment can be far from that.
There are two things to consider foremostly,
continuity and drama.
There is an invisible [b]line[/b] when it comes to camera postion and continuity.
Continuity is important so as not to confuse the audience, consider two armies or football teams. Football is a good example imagine the main cameras mainly on one side of the pitch it is easy to follow the direction of the ball. If you cross the line and record from the other side of the field, it will look like the teams are running in the wrong direction and bound to score an own goal.... yoiks. This can be important in the longer telling of a story where we return to a traveller or vehicle there is no question of where they are going if this is held in mind.
A common place when this is an important consideration is when dialogue or action takes place between characters , when an edit between characters takes place if cameras are deployed on the correct side of the line then they will appear to be facing each even between edits, if not then they may appear to be talking to the back of each others heads , refer here to that football analogy I used earlier.
Also screen right can be perceived as more positive , left as negative or more scary.
Likewise a character travelling upwards through the screen can both literally and metaphorically be ascending, even transcending.
The same is true in reverse , [i]descent[/i] is better illustrated by someone travelling down screen than up.
Of course if you are following a subject it is way cool to have them zig zag, there may be other reason for purposefully disorienting the audience.
I won't get into lenses right now but they can be very important , the difference between a long lens and a wide angle can make for very different perspectives both literally and metaphorically.
This is just the tip of the iceberg but I think these basic principals should help. Know these rules before you break them, you may notice film makers who stick to these rules closely are the likes of Spielberg ,David Lean, Peter Jackson Disney and other proponents of classic film techniques. Michael Bay and others on the other hand are more flexible with 'the line' and achieve a different outcome. I am not praising or criticising either technique here, have a watch of some flicks with these storytelling methods in mind and you will probably be inspired in regards to your own piece.
I hope that helps....
I guess one of the key issues , without going too far into an almost endless topic, is to consider that shot sequence is story telling.
When you tell a story with words there are similar devices as with pictures in play one in particular is the grammatical person.[url] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_person[/url]
The advantage with telling stories with pictures is that you can more easily change the 'viewer(or person)' and effectively change the perception of a given scenario.
A good and easy example of this which you will be very familiar with from movie cliche is the 1st person POV ( a subjective point of view), which draws attention to the presence of the viewing party or voyeur. This can be effective when creating tension or a perceived threat from a malignant presence. Your shot of the woodcutter from between the trees is a little reminiscent of this POV style ( perhaps from the creatures of the woods), it certainly adds mystery, whether intended or not.
Close ups on the other hand can often (but not always) bring to the fore the internal machinations of the subject, ie their mood or feelings.
Symmetrical shots as in the shot of the woodcutter coming over the rise should be very carefully deployed as they can often create the feeling of an important or iconic moment, such as a revelation or some such. If over used it can have the opposite effect (as can all of these techniques).
A good example of overuse is in the two towers movie where often we are left to wonder what's the big deal here?
Wide shots are establishing shot and are often for exposition.
There are so many different methods but I think that's enough to get you thinking about that.
SCREEN DIRECTION , object or people moving screen left to screen right, up down ore diagonal.
This is basically a simple principal but it's deployment can be far from that.
There are two things to consider foremostly,
continuity and drama.
There is an invisible [b]line[/b] when it comes to camera postion and continuity.
Continuity is important so as not to confuse the audience, consider two armies or football teams. Football is a good example imagine the main cameras mainly on one side of the pitch it is easy to follow the direction of the ball. If you cross the line and record from the other side of the field, it will look like the teams are running in the wrong direction and bound to score an own goal.... yoiks. This can be important in the longer telling of a story where we return to a traveller or vehicle there is no question of where they are going if this is held in mind.
A common place when this is an important consideration is when dialogue or action takes place between characters , when an edit between characters takes place if cameras are deployed on the correct side of the line then they will appear to be facing each even between edits, if not then they may appear to be talking to the back of each others heads , refer here to that football analogy I used earlier.
Also screen right can be perceived as more positive , left as negative or more scary.
Likewise a character travelling upwards through the screen can both literally and metaphorically be ascending, even transcending.
The same is true in reverse , [i]descent[/i] is better illustrated by someone travelling down screen than up.
Of course if you are following a subject it is way cool to have them zig zag, there may be other reason for purposefully disorienting the audience.
I won't get into lenses right now but they can be very important , the difference between a long lens and a wide angle can make for very different perspectives both literally and metaphorically.
This is just the tip of the iceberg but I think these basic principals should help. Know these rules before you break them, you may notice film makers who stick to these rules closely are the likes of Spielberg ,David Lean, Peter Jackson Disney and other proponents of classic film techniques. Michael Bay and others on the other hand are more flexible with 'the line' and achieve a different outcome. I am not praising or criticising either technique here, have a watch of some flicks with these storytelling methods in mind and you will probably be inspired in regards to your own piece.
I hope that helps....
Last edited by chucky on Sat Nov 15, 2008 3:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.
It may be just me, or the three shots may not be in order, but it seems that the woodsman does have an axe in the first two shots. But he does have it in the third.
I know, in my own work. I'll post something I'm proud of, for everyone to see and later look at it and say, "Oh crap, she does have any hands!" Or any number of little omissions. I then quickly take it back down and fix it.
Before I forget it, I LOVE your artwork, your backgrounds and your character design. I'm looking forward to to see the completed work and more pieces after that.
FCSnow
I know, in my own work. I'll post something I'm proud of, for everyone to see and later look at it and say, "Oh crap, she does have any hands!" Or any number of little omissions. I then quickly take it back down and fix it.
Before I forget it, I LOVE your artwork, your backgrounds and your character design. I'm looking forward to to see the completed work and more pieces after that.
FCSnow
Precise Planning And Timing
Never Suceeds Like Dump Luck.
Never Suceeds Like Dump Luck.
those r quite handy tips chucky I must say and you caught me, Your statement was correct about 1st person POV as I wanted to make camera look through eyes of an insect or lizard, because of lack of depth and objects it gave viewers a different look 
and for shot sequence i can break each scenario in small parts where 1- woodcutter walks from right side to left 2- then upper view where a bird was sitting on a tree trunk 3- his foot view walk cycle to make it look more natural i could add dust and footprints etc..
the symmetrical change in character face and body according to camera view while he was rising up i can understand that but screen direction is a difficult task which also requires observation esp. when u hav to do it in 2d, thanks for the wonderful tips man and i'll definitely keep them in mind now.
and for shot sequence i can break each scenario in small parts where 1- woodcutter walks from right side to left 2- then upper view where a bird was sitting on a tree trunk 3- his foot view walk cycle to make it look more natural i could add dust and footprints etc..the symmetrical change in character face and body according to camera view while he was rising up i can understand that but screen direction is a difficult task which also requires observation esp. when u hav to do it in 2d, thanks for the wonderful tips man and i'll definitely keep them in mind now.