Introduction

This Blog is for my AS Level Animation artwork. Here I shall be posting and working towards something I hope I will really like and enjoy making! I've been given the criterion that my animation must start and end, with a black dot, 100 pixels high by 100 pixels wide. I can see this being an exciting project and I look forward to seeing how it will come out!

Thoughts...

I've recently become fascinated with the old school video games, the old 8-bit pixelated block characters from arcade games by Nintendo etc. I would love to do an animation pixelated, I think it would be unique, in an age where we strive to have our video games lifelike, and as realistic as possible.

One thing I would really like to do is something like Jon Burgerman's animated world, which consists of a 2D scrolling world which includes many peculiar creations from the remarkable artist.

Another thing I would very much like to do would be some work "Motomichi" style. Upbeat music, restricted colours and a high tempo animation would be a very fun project to do!

I heard the song "Message In A Bottle" by The Police recently, and I really liked the story behind it, I would like to do an animation like that, as it also has a link to my photography piece.

First Initial Idea

This is my first storyboard, my "Initial Ideas Storyboard #1".

It has been based on the song "Message In A Bottle" by The Police, as it is an abstract piece, depicting "alone" and "lonliness" with an influence from Shigeru Miyamoto or the company he works for, Nintendo. It has been influenced by Nintendo's earlier works, such as Donkey Kong and Mario, where they were first set out in an old block pixelated shape, with a limited colour pallet. This idea is all about loneliness and despair; How in our modern world people get on with their own lives, regardless of people around them, unlike previous generations where families lived closer and community's were more familiar, intimate and close-knit.

I will explain the storyboard, as you may not be able to read my handwriting as it was writing by a graphics tablet!

It begins with the black dot 100px x 100px, which was our given criterion. The black dot then shape tweens into a pixelated black dot, starting us off on our pixelated adventure! This pixelated circle then divides into 5 little raindrops which immediately start to fall representing tears of loneliness, or at least we are given the illusion of them falling as pixel clouds begin to shoot upwards in the background representing changing of times. Then as the rain drops are falling, we zoom into the centre droplet until it hits the floor, placing us at the first Blockman’s feet. We then zoom out and see our main character for the first time, before he is swamped by masses of more blockmen from the right of the screen, all of whom show no awareness of him. He shortly runs off to the right of the screen and we follow him until he runs to the “edge”, where we see him jump down.

This is Storyboard #2 which picks up from #1.

In this one we see our main Blockman character falling, he falls down from the top of the screen, down to the bottom, where in the next part, we see a paper aeroplane (which is not pixelated, in contrast to the rest of the "world", the paper aeroplane is photographed) swoop in from the left of the screen and snatch the blockman. the blockman then flies around in the sky and we see many other "lonely blockmen" floating around in the sky. Our blockman then flies over many people on the ground, getting on with their lives, oblivious of the lonely blockman floating above. The blockman finishes by being swallowed up by oblivion represented by the black hole, where the animation finishes.

Music for inital idea 1

For my first initial idea I'm going to give it an monotone song, to pay homage to the old mario songs, possibly electric or techno?

Looking back

Looking back on my inital ideas storyboards, I feel it could be too long. I would like to put some "motomichi" into it by: shortening it down, reduce the colours to just black, white and red, and playing upbeat and high tempo music in the background. I also feel that by putting motomichi's influence into the piece I can make it sharper, dynamic and clearer.

Second Inital Idea

This is my second idea storyboard, my "Initial Ideas Storyboard #3".

It has been based on Jon Burgerman's "Animated World". I first saw Jon's visionary world about two years ago, when I first started looking into animation, and it always appealed to me, the apparant simplicity of his characters, yet the complexity of his work created an awe inspiring world, which instantly gained my amazment and approval. This piece has been influenced in that it is "my imaginary animated world", and how I would like to combine simplity with complexity.

I will again explain the storyboard, as my handwriting on these grapics tablets is terrible!

Music choice for inital idea 2

For my imagnary world inital idea, I plan to give it a calm and relaxed tone. Something that is still upbeat and in the game, but mellow, like poppiholla possibly.

Storyboard: Developed Ideas

This storyboard has been adapted from the inital ideas storyboards #1 & #2, it has been shortened and the colours Red, White and black incorperated to give it a motomichi style. It remains based on the song "Message In a Bottle", reflecting the underlying theme of lonliness as well being influenced by Nintendo's earlier works, it still has the pixelated effect..

Music choice for developed idea

To really give it that Motomichi style about it, I need to give it something overwhelming something powerful, but yet still gives us the theme of lonliness. I've looked into various types of music, keeping with the fast pace of motomichi, I've chosen Drum and Bass as a style of music to pick.

I really like works by Chase and Status, so I feel they will influence me in my decision.

Overwhelming.

I've noticed that motomichi tries to give his pieces an overwhelming feeling, so I plan to try and incorporate that idea into my project also. To do this I am going to try and intergrate motomichi's ideas of flashing colours and place rapid White lines moving quickly across the Red background. Hopefully this will create a chaotic and frienzied atmosphere, similar to that of motomichi's whilst maintaing my core theme in mind.