TRICK: Test animation #2

So I did my first handdrawn test about a week ago.  It was a walk, which worked out fine except for one thing: the key frames on a walk cycle are basically on fours, so it didn't leave me much room for artistic interpretation within the keys.  So this time I dreamed up a quick sequence to animate (which won't ever be in the film) just to see if the hand drawn angle actually adds anything.  There were things I loved while hand drawing it that I won't go on about here but I will say that I definitely do think it added something extra.  What do you think?  (whoever you are)

I guess the next part of the process should be to animate the same sequence in flash and see if it comes out any differently to compare and contrast... so I think that's the next phase of testing.  Let's see what happens.

TRICK: More Turnarounds

Well tomorrow it's back to working on my pitch full time until I feel it's done, but today I was having too much fun working on turnarounds for my next film.  Check em out and enjoy.

Here's the main characters dog

And here's a handful of Goblins who will be playing music and cooking.  The fat one is the Goblin King.  I'm probably gonna add some more personality and individuality to each one soon, but for now I am jest keeping them simple

 

Wow this whole update is so bland.  No color at all.  I feel like I have to liven it up a bit so here's a  picture of Zooey Deschanel from Elf.

TRICK: Two more turn arounds

Here are two more designs that I've got done for my next film in case you care... who are you?  is anyone reading this?!

There you have it... fairly anti-climactic.  Just a devil and a skeleton.  The skeleton took a while.  I don't typically get into very designy art so finding a way to breath some Ian into the design of something so iconic was tough for me.  But I like him in the end.  He looks sad.

TRICK: First Test

Hello again.  So as I begin to finalize the latest show pitch I've been working on, I've been simultaneously trying to gear up on my next short film tentatively called "TRICK."  It's another Halloween animation.  This one is naraitve however and focuses on a boy dressed as a devil.  This boy in fact:

Oh man I haven't hand animated in years and I gotta tell you it felt great.  There's no guarantee that I'm going to hand animate this thing.  As a matter of fact the above animation wasn't fully done by hand.  It was keyed in Flash to keep everything on model, then tweened by hand to give it that hand drawn feeling you just can't get from the computer.  This may prove too time consuming and paper consumptive in the end, but it's what I'm thinking I'm going to do off the bat and I gotta say I think it looks pretty damned good.  It's hard not to keep watching this over and over.

And again as always if anyone out there wants to help in anyway, I can't pay right now but would love the assistance.  You may think you don't want to waste your time on someones stupid side project that will never get done, but if you know anything about me it's that I do complete my side projects and this one will be no different.  This idea really lights me up and I can't wait to see it completed.  Probably in two-three years.

Okay anyway enjoy your fall and stay tuned to my blog for more updates.

HERMAN BLUE: One Last Reminder!

Hey everyone one final reminder that "Herman Blue: The Pumpkin Comic" will be appearing simultaneously in two different cities at two different festivals tomorrow.  So if you'd to see it in a crowd then go check it out in LA 6 o'clock at the R.I.P. Horror Festival or here in ATL at the Buried Alive Film Festival, 7 o'clock at the Plaza theater.

I'm not gonna link my film on this page because I want you all to go see it.  I'll be at the Atlanta screening and any of my friends who show up will get a very meaningful hug from me whenever they need it in the future.  Just call me up, and where ever I am, I will drop everything and find you and hug you.  Deal?

Now since I'm not adding a link to my film, here's a link to something else:

TRICK: Time for a NEW project

That's right.  I'm still reeling from Herman Blue and still sending it to festivals but that's no reason to stop creating new stuff, right?  And  by the way if you are interested in what you see below, I have a lot of work to do on it.  If you're interested in helping out I'd love to have you.  I can't pay for any help right now, but if you're intrigued and have nothing else, then let me know.  Any help is appreciated.  I'm still not done with my script and I haven't even begun to start my storyboards.  Not even all of my character designs are ready, but I'm still working so hooray for that.  Anyway here's the first glimpse at my main character.

THAT'S RIGHT!  IT'S ANOTHER HALLOWEEN THEMED ANIMATION!

 (God get some new ideas Ian)

I guess I just had Halloween on the brain while working on the last movie.  Oh well this one will be very different anyway.  It's a short narrative about a kid and I think I'm going to hand animate it, then paint it with gouache.  Who knows if that's possible but it's just the early plan.
 I'm not in love with that profile view btw.  Also he totally looks like me as a kid.

SEE!

There's one other thing.  I'm very nervous about uploading this.  At its heart the animation is a story about how we need to be willing to go out on a limb and make friends.  At the end I want to have a song playing over a short montage.  I want it to be a "Muppets/Karen O and the Kids" style song.  Anyway I wrote one and I think it's pretty good and accomplishes that goal.  And it tells the moral I want to impart.  There's no dialogue in the animation so it's important that the song work.  Anyway here it is.  First pass.  I hope you like it.  The recording is crumby, so turn the speakers up.

I feel sick to my stomach uploading that.  Be nice!  Here are the lyrics:

I never thought I needed anyone in my life

I've been alone up until now and I've gotten by just fine

But today when life turned me round, crushed my hopes, beat me down

You came along and showed me friends make bad days feel all right

And days like these are why we make friends

And eventually when I meet my mortal end

I'll look back and I will laugh

Because days like these are why we make friend

Rainy days by your side

Are just eventual sunshine

And days like these are why we make friends

And eventually when I meet my mortal end

I'll look back and I will laugh

Because days like these are why we make friend