I will be live-stream animating once again Tuesday, July 28th 10pm EST on my channel HERE!
OR
You can just watch below:
Watch live video from davidhfilms on www.twitch.tv
I will be demonstrating my ENTIRE PRODUCTION PIPELINE including the integration of 3d elements within the clean-up animation in ToonBoom Harmony.
I'll chat and field any questions you may have about my animation or the pipeline or life and the wondrous mysteries of the universe...
So come hang out and watch me do a lot of drawing!
Monday, July 27, 2015
ANIMATION ROUGHS DONE! (more or less)
The rough animation stage of the process is completed. There's still a slight bit to tweak here and there including the bulk of the FX animation but I'm calling it!
I'm currently piecing together a rough animation reel and while I see where a few shots need to be slightly re-timed to fit the rhythm of the my edits from the animatic I am hugely relieved to see that the overall cuts and timing works. This is a massive burden off my shoulders--the knowledge I don't have to go back in and figure out how to make everything work differently.
It's coming together however painfully slowly for my taste. FX animation is still stalled and more up in the air than I feel comfortable with but we're working on that.
Here's the last two major shots which I actually had to take out a shot in between and slow these shots down for it to be readable so I'm hoping the change helps.
Things are far from over with this film, in fact it's just ramping up and I wanna thank you all for sticking with us. Sharing the process of making an animated film is a big part of this project and that wouldn't be possible without people to share it with so again THANK YOU!
I'm currently piecing together a rough animation reel and while I see where a few shots need to be slightly re-timed to fit the rhythm of the my edits from the animatic I am hugely relieved to see that the overall cuts and timing works. This is a massive burden off my shoulders--the knowledge I don't have to go back in and figure out how to make everything work differently.
It's coming together however painfully slowly for my taste. FX animation is still stalled and more up in the air than I feel comfortable with but we're working on that.
Here's the last two major shots which I actually had to take out a shot in between and slow these shots down for it to be readable so I'm hoping the change helps.
Things are far from over with this film, in fact it's just ramping up and I wanna thank you all for sticking with us. Sharing the process of making an animated film is a big part of this project and that wouldn't be possible without people to share it with so again THANK YOU!
Friday, July 24, 2015
Getting Through Animation Roughs
It's been a rather lengthy and somewhat arduous journey making our way through the rough animation stage of production. Perhaps one of the more stressful parts of the process. I believe what makes roughs such a feat is essentially that you are creating animation where none had been before. Even in a rough form, it takes a good deal of thought and focus to plan out and execution the movements of lines on the screen. Essentially breathing life into what was lifeless.
Making it through this stage is crucial. Once the animation is drawn out and timed it only becomes a matter of tracing on top of the lines and making everything presentable. I'm very nearly done with rough animation. Working on the very last shot which is both the second to last shot in the film and the most challenging bit of animation in the entire film. It involves a floating camera, 360 degree spin and the hero jumping off the side of the giant to deal his final blow. I've planned out the movement and started the animation in one of the past live-stream sessions:
Once I've tackled the animation in this shot I'm going to construct an updated story reel. This task makes me more nervous than I thought it would. I worry that all the shots, once animated, won't work together rhythmically as the animatic does. This vital step will allow me and you to see the film as it has never been before--with animated characters. It is the closest I've come to bringing my vision to fruition. I'm not trying to wax philosophical or nostalgic, it's simply a lot of stuff happening so fast and yet not fast enough. Oh well, excuse my rambling XD
Making it through this stage is crucial. Once the animation is drawn out and timed it only becomes a matter of tracing on top of the lines and making everything presentable. I'm very nearly done with rough animation. Working on the very last shot which is both the second to last shot in the film and the most challenging bit of animation in the entire film. It involves a floating camera, 360 degree spin and the hero jumping off the side of the giant to deal his final blow. I've planned out the movement and started the animation in one of the past live-stream sessions:
Once I've tackled the animation in this shot I'm going to construct an updated story reel. This task makes me more nervous than I thought it would. I worry that all the shots, once animated, won't work together rhythmically as the animatic does. This vital step will allow me and you to see the film as it has never been before--with animated characters. It is the closest I've come to bringing my vision to fruition. I'm not trying to wax philosophical or nostalgic, it's simply a lot of stuff happening so fast and yet not fast enough. Oh well, excuse my rambling XD
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Slow-motion is HARD!
I've been animating the shot where we first get to see the destructive effects of our hero's sonic blast and this guy right here full of smarts decided that it needed to be in slow-motion without thinking through just how long a process that is for hand-drawn animation.
SIGH.
It wasn't that bad. Didn't take me nearly as long as other shots that aren't nearly as cool to look at or fun to work on. This film has quickly become a laundry list of shots that would be really cool to TRY and now it's time to deliver. BUT IT LOOKS REALLY COOL AT LEAST:
SIGH.
It wasn't that bad. Didn't take me nearly as long as other shots that aren't nearly as cool to look at or fun to work on. This film has quickly become a laundry list of shots that would be really cool to TRY and now it's time to deliver. BUT IT LOOKS REALLY COOL AT LEAST:
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Shot 80 - Deceptively Challenging
Thought I could just bust this out - NOPE. Good deal of overlapping and secondary animation. Not the best roughs but I can't look at it anymore and it looks good enough to clean up later. Enjoy!
Oh, added bonus here's the shot that comes right after:
Oh, added bonus here's the shot that comes right after:
Collaborating Musicians With New Album Demo
As you may have noticed, music plays a slight role in this film
Every so slight.
So, when we went to record the climax music I turned to my friend Jacob Hunt and his drummer Brett Clanton to help me figure out/fill out the sound. These fine musicians are members of the band playing that there rock'n'roll muzac called Tracer Metula and they've got a demo off the new album they've been working on!
So, feast your listening holes on these juicy tunes below or HERE
Every so slight.
So, when we went to record the climax music I turned to my friend Jacob Hunt and his drummer Brett Clanton to help me figure out/fill out the sound. These fine musicians are members of the band playing that there rock'n'roll muzac called Tracer Metula and they've got a demo off the new album they've been working on!
So, feast your listening holes on these juicy tunes below or HERE
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
NO TWITCH TUESDAY--NEXT WEEK: BACK WITH A VENGENCE!
Won't be live-stream animating tonight BUT NEXT WEEK I will be streaming my entire process from roughs through linework and demonstrating my incorporation of the 3D bass. SO, STAY TUNED!!!
Friday, July 17, 2015
WHA-BAAMM(bass)
I just had to post this because I can't stop laughing when he whips that bass around XD
Monday, July 13, 2015
Shot 91
This shot was far more complicated than I realized so I'm just glad to have made it through. Enjoy!
TWITCH ANIMATION TUESDAY
Last week wasn't bad (glowing review) SO WE'RE DOING IT AGAIN!!!
I'm gonna be live-streaming my animation TUESDAY @ 10PM!
COME WITH YOUR QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, TALK TO MEEE.
I'm also going to be talking about the upcoming Patreon and what kind of rewards you are interested in.
SO TUNE IN!!!
(here)
I've also embedded the stream below....but you should really stop by the site and chat a bit!
Watch live video from davidhfilms on www.twitch.tv
I'm gonna be live-streaming my animation TUESDAY @ 10PM!
COME WITH YOUR QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, TALK TO MEEE.
I'm also going to be talking about the upcoming Patreon and what kind of rewards you are interested in.
SO TUNE IN!!!
(here)
I've also embedded the stream below....but you should really stop by the site and chat a bit!
Watch live video from davidhfilms on www.twitch.tv
Current Thoughts
I don't really write too many of these more personal updates but it felt like at this point in production it would be helpful to those following the process.
It is at this part of the process that I have a weird mix of emotions. Part of me is absolutely ecstatic to see work visible moving along. I'm getting through the animation one shot at a time as well as receiving the finished roughs from various animators on the team. I am literally seeing these drawings come to life and breathing said life into more drawings.
The closest I can come to an analogous feeling to this is how I feel as a director on-set. When I see other artists: cameramen, actors, etc, bringing my story and characters to life on film the only word that can properly describe my emotion is "giddy."
I share that elation at seeing the progress of this film after years of work and fine-tuning. I hope you're feeling at least a fraction of that "giddiness" in following this blog and seeing the progress alongside myself.
With this great feeling come a large helping of anxiety.
I worry.
I worry about everything being completed by the concrete August 27th deadline for my MFA more than anything. I am not as far along as I would like which should come as to no surprise as this is simply the way of things with animation. Animation ALWAYS takes longer than expected. No matter the planning I have come to realize this as fact. The key is planning for it to take longer. In many respects that's exactly what the summer months have been. Even within that contingency I'm later than I'd like.
I worry about other things as well like the reception of the film upon completion. That I'm not generating enough interest in the process. That the film does not resonate with others the way I want. That it will not affect people the way I want. It's a lot to bare for one guy and an animated short film but I can handle the weight.
So.
That's where I'm at.
Thank you all for taking this journey with me weather you're new to the site or have been following since the very beginning. I hope this gave you even further insight into the workings of an animated production. If anything else it helps me catalog how I feel right now so that I may one day look back upon it. I promise I won't do too many of this serious an update!
It is at this part of the process that I have a weird mix of emotions. Part of me is absolutely ecstatic to see work visible moving along. I'm getting through the animation one shot at a time as well as receiving the finished roughs from various animators on the team. I am literally seeing these drawings come to life and breathing said life into more drawings.
The closest I can come to an analogous feeling to this is how I feel as a director on-set. When I see other artists: cameramen, actors, etc, bringing my story and characters to life on film the only word that can properly describe my emotion is "giddy."
I share that elation at seeing the progress of this film after years of work and fine-tuning. I hope you're feeling at least a fraction of that "giddiness" in following this blog and seeing the progress alongside myself.
With this great feeling come a large helping of anxiety.
I worry.
I worry about everything being completed by the concrete August 27th deadline for my MFA more than anything. I am not as far along as I would like which should come as to no surprise as this is simply the way of things with animation. Animation ALWAYS takes longer than expected. No matter the planning I have come to realize this as fact. The key is planning for it to take longer. In many respects that's exactly what the summer months have been. Even within that contingency I'm later than I'd like.
I worry about other things as well like the reception of the film upon completion. That I'm not generating enough interest in the process. That the film does not resonate with others the way I want. That it will not affect people the way I want. It's a lot to bare for one guy and an animated short film but I can handle the weight.
So.
That's where I'm at.
Thank you all for taking this journey with me weather you're new to the site or have been following since the very beginning. I hope this gave you even further insight into the workings of an animated production. If anything else it helps me catalog how I feel right now so that I may one day look back upon it. I promise I won't do too many of this serious an update!
Thursday, July 9, 2015
All About That Bass
We've been working hard to get in all the rough animation to start cleanup around mid-July. Which means we're putting out resident 3D animator, Djamila Jean-Charles, to good use. She has been tasked with importing in out 3D bass model and animating the model to fit with the rough animation already in place. I go back in a tweak a few things but she does the bulk of the leg-work bringing this bass to life.
It's somewhat new territory bringing this 3D prop into the pipeline and adding a bit of an extra step to the process but I really can't imagine trying to animate that bass any other way. Here's a couple of the most recent shots with the bass added:
^^^This is actually a newer shot just finished by Jordan Eugene.^^^
These other shots I've shown before but it really adds something when you have the bass. Now we will take the rough animation with the model animation and trace clean lines on top of both for the final effect.
It's somewhat new territory bringing this 3D prop into the pipeline and adding a bit of an extra step to the process but I really can't imagine trying to animate that bass any other way. Here's a couple of the most recent shots with the bass added:
^^^This is actually a newer shot just finished by Jordan Eugene.^^^
These other shots I've shown before but it really adds something when you have the bass. Now we will take the rough animation with the model animation and trace clean lines on top of both for the final effect.
Monday, July 6, 2015
LIVE ON TWITCH TUESDAY!
Okay. So, some of you may have seen my past live-animation streaming sessions on YouTube but I'd like to announce that we are MOVING TO TWITCH.TV!
...WHAT THE HELL IS THAT???
Twitch is a live-streaming platform/website mostly based around gaming with a creative community as well.
WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN????????
I will be live-streaming animating on my very own Twitch channel HERE with our first session taking place THIS TUESDAY(that's tomorrow...July 7th) @ 10pm and we will probably go for 2 hours or so.
Gonna try and make this a weekly thing and see how it goes.
SO TUNE IN!!!
(here...again)
I've also embedded the stream below....but you should really stop by the site and chat a bit!
Watch live video from davidhfilms on www.twitch.tv
...WHAT THE HELL IS THAT???
Twitch is a live-streaming platform/website mostly based around gaming with a creative community as well.
WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN????????
I will be live-streaming animating on my very own Twitch channel HERE with our first session taking place THIS TUESDAY(that's tomorrow...July 7th) @ 10pm and we will probably go for 2 hours or so.
Gonna try and make this a weekly thing and see how it goes.
SO TUNE IN!!!
(here...again)
I've also embedded the stream below....but you should really stop by the site and chat a bit!
Watch live video from davidhfilms on www.twitch.tv
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