As much as it kills me, I don’t think I’m gonna be able to film for these DMD projects. What that could entail is plan B.. really high Q animatics, which would make my work look like an animated sequence in the end. Although this isn’t what I wanted to do, it’s not totally devastating. The video’s are only for college submission, the real work is what D&AD want, which I have a week to stick together after the final crit. (Which is my personal deadline for the videos.) So, it all fits. Just means I have a while to make an animation I’m entirely sure I know how to make.

The reason for the lack of filming is I believe I wont be able to get across what I want with the time I have allotted for filming. I have 2 days on Monday and Tuesday for filming, then that Weds till the following Tues to edit and do my After Effects work. The main big ask is I don’t have anyone to film with me, as in star in the video. Also the fact it would be me having to ‘act’ in the piece means I’d need to leave camera work up to someone else. Either way, I dunno where I would shoot, haven’t had any spare time to go book a camera out and that sorta stuff so I think plan B might be a safe alternative to start work on. Also, as it’s an animation, I can do exactly what I wanna as it’s down to what I draw and whatnot. So I could, in essence, have the setting be in Buckingham Palace, or even in NYC. The possibilities are endless really.

They wont just be punnie, static animatics. They will be fully fleshed out ones with nice doodles, details and the likes. I would animate it in After Effects and stitch it all together in FCP, so not totally different to if it was footage anyway.

Anyway, enough of the bad, lets start on the good!

I’ve been working on my 3D paper dude lately. With my lack of modeling/animation skills, I’ve decided to make him like rayman-like. (I would insert my drawings/storyboards here but I just went to scan my doodles to my memory stick and it’s not saved them. :S So will post them in a few days.) Initially I drew Metro with arms, but I though this would be hard for me to animate and whatnot. Jim then told me it wouldn’t be too hard, but I like the rayman effect on him, so might leave him as he currently is. Here is an untextured but rigged render of him. (Basic render I might add.)

His fingers (Yes, the whole one on each hand, ) are animated by blend shapes. As too is his mouth/paper/sheets things. The idea being him being rather happy and bouncy sorta guy.

When it comes to Lastminute.com brief, I got hit with something I hadn’t thought of checking out previously during my crit. I was told it’s essentially like an iPhone app, and I hadn’t checked before hand if there was any iPhone apps. Mike did a lil App Store search and quite a few came back, which is kinda a buzzkill really. If there is an ‘an app for that’ then it makes this rather redundant. But, not everyone has an iPhone, or a smart phone with such capabilities. Plus, what are you more likely to do? Flaunt that you have this app that lets you book lastminute things on, or a credit card sized device with full on touchscreen, data and sexy visuals? I doubt the former would be shown off more than once, the latter would be out at every available opportunity to show off with.

Ignore my crappy keying in the video still. I was using a dull lit room with my iSight. Didn’t go totally to plan really. BUT, the concept is still there!

Both of these concepts I wanna make ‘advertisement’ sorta videos for Uni submission, but plan B might be my course of action as of now.

I’ll get storyboards up asap.