PPP2: Interdisciplinary Simulation

One of the more visceral slides from the speech

Although yesterday's session seemed quite unnecessary and bothersome at first, it proved to be quite an experience that enveloped the manner in which interdisciplinary creative practitioners work together towards a synthesized goal. In other words, the session gave me a taste of how the industry functions as well as introducing the solidarity within the atmosphere of professional, interdisciplinary studios. Structured in a well progressing way, first we wrote down (in quite a self-evaluative manner, I might add) our creative skills and experiences, as well as our interests in hopes of encompassing and solidifying what we felt comfortable in knowing. Then, we paired up and brainstormed ideas with our assigned partner on a pitch for a product and then proceeded to compete with the rest on which product and pitch would be the most efficient one to candidate against 3 others (comprised of the best idea on the table and all the creative practitioners on it). By forming a presentation about our product, we competed for the best idea that was going to go against 2 other groups of illustrators, graphic designers, and fellow animators alike in a commercial pitch. This was where the simulation of the industry's busy working day within a studio began, where we pragmatically divided ourselves into sections of craft, me doing the After Effects layout and vignette, another group doing the voices of the commercial, yet another animating annotations, and yet another creating logos and images. However, it was all brought down by a leader from the group that won the main pitch, which was something I found extremely effective and NOT patronizing or demeaning in any way. Quite on the contrary, this gave me effective insight on the necessity of a leader (not a boss, mind you) within a project, one that pertains the idea and disseminates it to the rest of the creatives in a intertwining spectacle of mixing individual skills and strong points for one unanimous resolution. With the division of the huge group, we were able to coherently produce a 30 second commercial for Dog Latex (the outcome being hilarious and lampooning, but the practice effervescent and articulate), which won at the end of the day when all 3 groups presented their products through different manners of pitching. I was amazed to see a full studio with busy heads, all working on separate minor tasks that formed the main effigy of our practice - some getting footage of dogs, others animating dogs, where I composited it all together as the final piece. Just as one of the tutors pointed this out during the concluding talk, at time of rush "you find out skills you didn't know you had", as did I with After Effects through trial and error - I even started sweating. Just as this exercise finished, Simon Harrison addressed the issues surrounding the disparity between design education and the "real world" where he confronted issues DNAD have been facilitating. Furthermore, although the award briefs are predominantly vague to enforce creative liberalism where students can best apply their skills to the brief that best suits their style and technique, judges still look primarily for eye-catching solutions that are based on separate biases. Although Simon presented a controversial perspective on this, I took his word and I agree with what he had to say, thus, am going to utilize the maximum feedback I can get from such organizations like DNAD.

PPP2: Character & Narrative Presentations - Synthesis Between Modules

During these past 2 weeks, we had presentations that informed us about the intertwining elements of film connected with animation. Two presentations in total, one about character and short story design, and the other about acting and reference - both containing and annotating important conventions that add finesse, professionalism, and effect in relation to the audience. In other words, the presentations tackled the multitude of notions that an animator is to consider when creating a full-fledged, visceral animation that has the power to relay any message across. During the first presentations the concept of narration was elaborated upon and it structured it all in a list of animation fragments - what can animation be: computer games, film, television. In order to coherently demonstrate the versatility of animation in relation to narrative, we looked at both machinima - machine cinema (Skyrim role-playing within role-playing) and 2D animation (Cordel Barker's "Runaway"). During the second presentation an emphasis was placed on acting and the use of reference, which is essential to development of practice and the capturing of the human essence within animation. Animation is the most free-form art in film where one must take advantage of it's visually descriptive power in relation to the reality that surrounds us - animation forges a vivacious world that broadens our perspective about the actual world before us. Having said that, I need not hesitate to mention the live-action references Disney have used throughout their existence where acting has solidified their character design and behaviour to the limit, which made me think about my own references. After both presentations were done, I started exploring different animations and films for references. Initially, I started using referential images for grasping perspective of scenes for my Character & Narrative animations, such as an overhead shot of the sea and a boat passing through it. However, I believed that watching actors perform would be a lot better for constructing references. Turning over to Jim Carrey, I watched his movies "Liar Liar" and "Ace Ventura" (again, I've seen them before) and started analyzing his acting and behaviour since it's really reminiscent of exaggerated animated character's movements. For example, the faces he makes are excellent reference for facial expressions in characters with taking the main elements from his face and hyperbolizing them (sort of like a caricature). I also tried drawing faces and expressions based on the Jim Carrey faces picture attached above. When it comes to narrative, I believe there can be two points within the spectrum of straightforward narratives and ambiguous narratives, the former being clearly evident actions that produce a story (for example, Charlie Chaplin's films, or ...) and the latter being symbolically phantasmagoric narratives that are quite amenable to interpretations or difficult to understand due to the subtle themes included (one such would be Jan Svankmajer's "Dimensions of Dialogue"). However, the different styles and techniques differentiate massively from creator to creator in order to assert a tone, atmosphere, and aesthetic to the main dispersion of the story, with a soul purpose for it to be both attention grasping and meaningful to the audience.

Attempt at using Jim Carrey's faces as reference.

PPP2 - Who Am I Now?

Identify 5 things you have learned so far on the programme:
- Thorough understanding and learning of animation software such as Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, Premiere: with the overarching inductions as well as my continued use of these programs (learning through trial-and-error), I have developed a flexible use of these programs
- Effective time-management: assorting a day to day rhythmic routine of how much work needs to be done in order to get around deadlines with ease and no stress.
- Use of animation conventions of pre-production and their necessity: priorhand I had been utilizing a "straight ahead" technique that posed a lot of problems and complications without thorough planning and organization of animatics, storyboards, considerations, etc.
- Organization in working and research: how to critically assess what needs to be done and how through speculation and research. Furthermore, with research becoming a part of my practice, I have learned how to eliminate mistakes before they even appear.
- 2D Animation drawing skills: I have colossally improved my drawing skills through the adaptation of digital drawing as well as traditional drawing, where I have learned how to create more dynamic characters through the use of primitive shapes as foundations.

Identify 5 things that you want to know more about:
- The creative industry: how the animation industry functions with all its fragments of specialized teams that work on a set of specific tasks.
- Stop-motion armatures: how stop-motion armatures are made, how the sets are composited, the materials used in said process of production.
- Audit animation and networking: I want to know more about the initial and intermediate steps in forming networks and establishing teams of animation based on audit animation.
- 2D rigging: how to rig more complex characters and improve the movement of said characters - to create appealing 2D rigging movements.
- Cinematography: the art of storytelling through camera angles and exposure shots - how characters are laid out on the scene and how they fit within a scene (a hidden but descriptive form of narrative).

Identify 5 skills that you think are your strengths:
- Eclectic resourcefulness: capable of tackling problems through trial-and-error based on the understanding of software interfaces as well as the intertwining of spontaneous ideas through attempts of speculation.
- Stop-motion conventions: the understanding and comprehension of proper lighting techniques, set making, camera angles - eliminating light flicker and frequent problems of stop-motion through years of practice
- Openness to collaboration: amenable to synthesizing ideas with other practitioners and reaching compromises for the sake of the animation.
- Comprehension of 2D animation software and techniques: I fully triangulate between the many softwares that are used in animation and can easily solve a problem with hindsight and trial-and-error as well as animating through different manners.
- Creation of soundscapes: designing soundtracks and compositing (and creating) sound effects based on an animation - helping the animation reach its optimal expression through auditory cues of narration.

Identify 5 things that you want to improve:
- 3D Animation: the creation of CGI sets as well as the rigging of simple characters (mostly interested in low poly), although I am not that into 3D, it is an effective skill.
- 2D Animation: improve drawing skills even further in order to effectively capture a character's pose and perspective through solid drawing
- Creation of armatures: since most of my stop-motion has revolved around Legos and clay figures, I'd like to improve in creating armatures and more complex stop-motion puppets by using household items and tools.
- Motion graphics in AE: to fully understand all the effects prepacked with After Effects in order to fully utilize their power in creating visuals as well as flexible and appealing animation.
- Patience: I need to improve my patience when learning some animation technique through step-by-step, as well as acquiring an even more overarching motivation cue whilst animating.

Identify 5 practitioners that demonstrate your interest in animation:
- Jan Svankmajer: surrealism in stop-motion with a heavy emphasis on symbolism - the creation of frivolous models and characters from everyday household items.
- Terry Gilliam: the flimsiness and whimsicality of cut-out animation, reminiscent of Dada art - an epoch which ties to my aesthetic.
- Gil Alkabetz: the art of subtle narrative - the actions of characters and how they define the circumstances of the "invisible" environment through visual suggestibility.
- David Firth: eeriness and ambiguity in animation through visual cues - introducing a sense of bleakness in context through the use of desaturated colors.
- Don Hertzfeldt: simplicity in the portrayal of gore - using simple lines and flow in movement as well as carbon textures (watercolor).

Identify 5 websites/online resources that demonstrate your areas of interest within the creative industries:- http://www.lynxanimation.com/ - a Macedonian animation studio that I am heavily considering working for once I graduate
- http://animationresources.org/ - an over-encompassing and brilliant site that provides resources about animation from all perspectives, be it paintings, poses, illustration, reference to live action, etc.
- www.aardman.com - the stop-motion domain that provides me with a visual research on the smoothness possibility of stop-motion animation
- http://www.skwigly.co.uk/ - an online animation magazine that gives me insight on techniques of animation and inspiration based on the films I watch there
- http://everyframeapainting.tumblr.com/ - demonstrating the effective use of cinematography and angles within film that assist me in the composition and effect that different shots have

PPP2 - Engaging With Visualizations

Still from visualization - before the culminating point

Recently, I've been interested in creating visuals for bands to be displayed whilst performances are conducted much more than I have been in the past. Although I have made such a visual on one instance for a friend's ambient project, I wish to venture further into the realm of abstract and atmospheric visuals that grasp and envelop a band's/performer's music genre and tone. I got inspired during Leeds Light Night where I saw auditory sensitive visuals (made by Level 6 student Oscar Barany) controlled through Resolume (an interactive visual effects program) and an APC Mini (hardware device that controls music connected visuals) and will be aiming towards understanding this form of art and actively practicing it once I get the opportunity to buy the necessary equipment. However, with my initial one (one I made last year) being quite noisy and ambiguous, I aimed for this one to be much more organized and annotated to the peak amplitude of the music. Progressively, I contacted the Macedonian recently-formed band "Spectrum" (whose members I personally know) and offered to synthesize a visual for their newest teaser song, to which they agreed. Although I did not ask for monetary remuneration for this, I will for when I make a music video once they release their debut album, which is something I already discussed with them. Since they were not specific about the details of the visuals, I attempted at trying to express their tone more prominently through the visuals, for which I used an asset initially made for my Character & Narrative animation which had a dark and ambiguous demeanor. Thus, once I imported that in Premiere, along with the image they supplied me with (their current cover), I started experimenting with the myriad of effects on Premiere and thus annotated the initial flow based on the rising points of the song (where I chipped off separate frames and tinkered with their position and exposure to give it a "glitch" effect). As for the background, I reverse looped the stop-motion and changed the tint during the reversed sequence to complement the dichotomy presented by the name of the song (context, nevertheless). All in all, both I and the band consider the visuals to be highly satisfying as this paves the positive way for the further development of this technique. Moreover, I am considering spreading the word around in Macedonia (as well as here) advocating my creation of music videos and visuals.

"Spectrum - Empathy" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3StQO6RaHA

PPP2 Presentation - Who are you? Why are you here?

Interconnecting with Responsive's role of developing a standard practice and making connections with the creative industry, today's PPP presentation brought forth some quite metaphysical, but very engagingly pensive questions. The main gist of the presentations was revolving around subjectivity and the stirring of our inquisitive minds. With questions such as "what do I want to achieve?" following up the introductory title, I found myself questioning the very basis of my practice - why am I doing it. Attempting to grasp this notion within and after the presentation, I started answering the main question posed during the lecture in my mind and notebook. I believe that answering these questions structures my path more effectively and induces motivation and confidence within my practice.

Who am I? - I am a animator in training that is aiming to achieve engagement with the industries in order to professionalize my creative practice.

Why are you here? - I am here to understand how the creative industry functions, to develop my animation practice through experimentation and proliferation of work, and to synthesize it with the theory and context of the art form.

Going forward into a simulating practice, the emphasis for developing our personal professional practice was placed on collaborations within this year, where we are expected to micromanage creative networks through the opportunities given to us (MAF, Lectures and Talks, Contests, and Collaborative Briefs). Rejoice, it is the ideal time for synergy and establishing contacts, and so will be done through dedication, a functional practice schematic, and confidence!

Expecting to establish direct contacts and networks, as well as analyze techniques of animations (and its conventions) here.

PPP2: Research into Form - Gil Alkabetz

Scrolling through a book I checked out called "Animation 2D and Beyond" by Jayne Pilling, I stumbled upon Gil Alkabetz's work and focus on the general form of animation. Alkabetz claims that "if you have a particular style, you create a particular world whose rules you know, so you can play with breaking them". However, he also proclaims that "by not being committed to any one style, you somehow have to reinvent the wheel every time", which subscribes to the notion of the style fitting the narrative, and not the other way around. I've always been interested in narrative oriented animation hence I believe that as an animator one must experiment and explore the different and plentiful conventions of the art form and not just stick to one's comfortable style - nothing is learned in that manner. Thus, I shall start utilizing this schematic of animation where the story is created first (be it absurd and defiant to reality or not) by using a phantasmagoric idea, developing the plot, and then choosing the form of animation which will carry the flow of the story through naturally (in order to perpetuate experimentation). Considering this, I was flabbergasted by his film "Swamp" hence it explored the many narrative levels of animation instigated by color, movement, and flow. The film portrays the absurdity of war, however, it does so in a really abstract and minimalist manner, relying on the suggestibility relayed by action and not by visuals. In other words, the film creates tension between the characters and the environment and uses that tension to drive the unique story along. The swamp that sinks the soldiers is never shown, yet we comprehend its existence solely because of the story's descriptive progression - it introduces us to the environment by having the characters interact with the invisible surroundings. This form of storytelling is imperative to the full exploitation of animation as an art form since it's breaking through the film frame of reality. Afterwards, I went on watching more of his films, giving me an inspiration to do an animation that uses watercolor as the main medium hence I really love the aesthetic of the texture.

"Swamp" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWQ5led8BA0

PPP2: Research Into 3D Scene Building - "The Animation Book" and Inspiration

Stop-Motion in Courage

CGI in Courage's "Perfect"

Doing peripheral research about techniques of animation is the most crucial step towards developing an understanding of the conventions of a specific practice. In other words, research is key! Having a brief that explores character narratives and choosing to intertwine several techniques of animation into one final piece (practicing multimedia, as it is the most prevalent notion in the animation industry) purges one into doing research that envelops all of the techniques. I recently checked out several books from the library, one being "The Animation Book" by Kit Laybourne which contains a myriad of introductory and intermediate techniques on all fields of animation. I was interested in 3D atmosphere and scene building hence my Character and Narrative animation shall revolve around a blend of a 3D space with 2D animation, as well as for the sake of personal development where I would like to be able to create masterful scenes in 3D to complement the atmosphere that defines my style (macabre, dark, ambiental atmosphere). Furthermore, I would like to thoroughly get into a mutlimedia technique of hybrid animations where I have an understanding of 3 main techniques - 2D, Stop-Motion, 3D (this being the one I know the least due to my previous aversion). Having said this, I need to mention that I also got inspired by my childhood cartoon "Courage the Cowardly Dog" which blends 2D, 3D, and Stop-Motion in a perfect concoction of animation that instills fear and shocking awe into the viewer as well as a substantial sense of mystery revolving the environment Courage is in. In my research of Courage the Cowardly Dog, I noticed that the cartoon impeccably uses juxtaposition of techniques to drastically change an atmosphere and give the viewer a feeling of uncertainty and perplexity when deducing the context of the scene. One such example would be the episode "Perfect" where Courage goes through a string of disconnected dreams that dwell on his insecurity of imperfection, the dreamscapes being crafted in CGI and paper-style animation. Straying away from this, in my research of "The Animation Book" I found that there is a delicate process of 2D texturing in 3D for scenes. Importing a premade 2D texture (usually through photoshop) onto an object through defining the surface attributes to reflect light IMMENSELY induces atmosphere. It's safe to say that light is the key factor in 3D scene design. Going through, there are 3 stages to building a scene - composition, camera setup, and lighting. With digital lighting (3 types being parallel light, radial light, and spotlight) one can induce an atmosphere and emphasis of something on the scene. However, for this to be mastered only comes "with practice and repeated test renderings", as it is stated within the book. I will apply and continue research as my journey goes on to test out these conventions with the hopes of creating test shots and atmospheric backgrounds.

Prime reference from "The Animation Book"

PPP2: Iterations of Future Animation Ideas and Experimentation

With the first PPP brief emphasizing the reflection on a body of investigative research through which an individual may strengthen his or her practice and develop it throughout the venture of this college year, I was swept with inspiration and motivation to fully and wholeheartedly engage as a creative practitioner. Thus, I firmly believe that analysis and research is fueled by a keen sense and tendency to experiment with different techniques and ideas in order to solidify one's practice. On the other side, when it comes to professionality, one must develop networks and an awareness of the surrounding opportunities, be they other collaborative practitioners or communicators which can engage us in our exposure to the crowd. Nevertheless, as the briefing presentation was being carried out, I immediately was washed over with a myriad of ideas for personal exploration of animation techniques which I jotted down and shall proceed on carrying out. One such idea was the research into 2D rigging, which is something I have not properly explored before. Alongside me wanting to use and using this technique for my Character Narrative, I will research the conventionalities of this method to further supply my knowledge of animation especially for my collaborative animation. 3D being another technique I want to analyze and research in terms of background compositioning as I really find the juxtaposition of 2D animation in a 3D space (similar to The Amazing World of Gumball in methodology) aesthetically invigorating due to its visual richness. Finally, I thought about heavy ink on paper being scanned in to create a texture-enriched animation with the aesthetic of the traditional aspect still present, although this would be quite difficult to execute. However, the Character Narrative is the perfect opportunity for me to apply new techniques and engage in research thoroughly - all relevant to the ideas I conjured up during the presentation.

The Introduction to Personal Professional Practice 2

The most practical of all modules has emerged from the depths, and this year's overall structure of the module PPP has swept me away in a creative frenzy of motivation. Initially, Personal Professional Practice is about the professionalization of my practice by evoking research that informs the decisions I make. Furthermore, it was presented that this module is to engage us with the creative industries by instilling an interest in collaboration and personal style development and critically reflecting on how it may fit in the animation industry. With the organized structure of this module, all three briefs succumb to our personal growth as creative practitioners by fueling our openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them. I am still finding out and exploring the horizon of my creative practice, as more and more I try to be an eclectic animator that strays away from the narrow-minded path of only applying ONE technique (as I did so at the beginning of my first college year - stop-motion). Quite on the contrary, seeing as how the past year's module shed light on my development as a versatile practitioner, I strongly subscribe to the notion that this year's PPP module will effervescently augment my professionality as well as my openness to concepts, collaborations, and techniques. All quite concisely put - Adapt or Die!

By thoroughly going through the modules at the presentation and the one module presented on eStudio, I feel confident enough and do not fear the outcome of this module for I have shifted my interest towards the core essence of the college's aims: personal development instead of grades. Moreover, I believe that by calmly working through this academic year the grades will righteously reflect my practice at its fullest!

With LCA's "Life After College" program inbound, I believe that I will be able to receive a variety of tips and tricks about the issues of professional development I am mostly insecure of: skills regarding the presentation of my ideas. Luckily, the "Life After College" offers a presentation on this topic which I will be attending and hoping it will instill inspiration for my practice.