9-29 Weekly Update

Still no song from Jazzy. I wish I could have gotten a response so I could have an update on the song end of things. I'll try again this week.

I got all the animations I forecasted this week done on time! I kinda got nuts with little details in accurately recapturing Shakespeare & Co. in the 1920s, but I think it looks worth it. I'm starting to connect the dots a little with this movie, which is also really good! Still uncertain about how a few shots will play out, but time will tell. Here's a few screenshots of what I have added this week.

The first shot is  of not only the cafe (the second shot in the movie, also an establishing shot), but also the ever-so vigilant V-Cam in action! This long-time friend of mine allows me to do a large variety of shots and camera movements easily in Flash. The camera doesn't show up in the final product, since it's doing camera work

 The second is of James Joyce and Sylvia Beach in front of Shakespeare and Company. I spent a bit contemplating who would be the one entering Shakespeare and Co., but since Sylvia Beach published Joyce's book Ulysses, I realized he'd be the perfect choice!

Update for the 22nd

Animatic presented, and I must say it wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be. Sadly my computer doesn't like exporting things as formats not known as .swf, so I had to present that and say things as they happened, but other than that it was fine.

The focus is still 1920s Paris, but instead of searching for a protagonist, I just decided that there shouldn't be a protagonist, instead having it change from artist to artist as I show off the lovely city and lovely life, as well as everyone in it. This way is much easier than deciding who should represent it.

A concern the substitute had was if I was going to be able to realistically accomplish my piece on time, which is an understandable concern. Another student suggested puppet animation with cut-outs. Not sure how that would go, but working with lots and lots of motion tweens and drawing from the waist up to avoid walk cycles are for certain good ideas.

This is the first shot, an opening of the city, to show it's about the whole city.

Here's the opening shot!

Review results

I figured I should post an update now that I had my ideas reviewed in class, and it took my idea and completely swiped the rug from under my feet. (Is that the right expression?) with one huge word: RESEARCH.

Research the song:While I had the right idea of the song, I know nothing about the man who wrote it or the context of the song or the hollywood movie it was known for being used in. Research is certainly needed in these areas.

Research Eartha Kitt: Had I only looked at my artist's list a few hours before class, and I would have noticed she was actually an artist there at the time. This means I'll need to look into her life, and consider if the protagonist should be her or Hemingway. Kitt would be more interesting as she's the artist herself, which gives her a huge edge over Hemingway despite me knowing more about him.

Research Paris: What does it look like? Hemingway's stories could come in handy, as cafes are quite different than what we see of them in America, and capturing Parisian life is what I'm really trying to do, and thus is the most important part of the project. This time was lively, and I should really show that somehow, my idea was a little too calm. Makes sense it was calm based on Hemingway's stories, but Parisian life was way more than that.

Basically, I have to go back to the drawing board. Next time, I'll be ready!

More thoughts on the project+concepts

It's been a bit since the blog has been updated. Perhaps I should begin with introductions again. I'm Marc Weidlich, and I am currently going to be creating a 30 second animation for a musician who currently goes by the name Jazzy, who I have been communicating with via email.

Great news, I finally got my song! I will be creating an animation to "C'est si Bon" in the style of Eartha Kitt. This is pretty good, since it's easy to take inspiration from my Les Amis de Paris class, which focuses on the life of the artists in Paris in the 1920s. The book we're currently reading there is called "The Moveable Feast"by Ernest Hemingway, in which he describes in vivid detail what life was like in Paris, as well as all of the artists he met. I figured a day in the life of Hemingway in Paris would be an interesting style to take and show.

While there is no animatic yet, I have two scans showing a little bit of the ideas in my mind, as well as a drawing or two.



 I have recently learned that I'm only animating 30 seconds to be played over a 3 minute song, though, so that just raises questions and confusion that I need to get sorted out.

The animatic should be ready by next week, likely to be accompanied by some progress. Wish me luck!

Initial Thoughts on Project

Upon starting Collab Workshop, my first project will involve working with musicians to make music videos for their songs. This sounds like great fun, and will have plenty of room with creativity. On top of that, I could use more experience in working with others, and this is the perfect opportunity. It's not the first time I'm animating over music, and it's always a fun subject to revisit.

My partner Jazzy seems to specialize in soul, and is making something upbeat. I was thinking of possibly using a brighter color palette and animating in Flash. I'm not 100% on the direction yet, but the opening to Monsters Inc. certainly comes to mind.

All in all, I look forward to this project!