Animation
Having studied mainly illustration before attempting my M.A. it was a substantial learning curve to develop the essential knowledge. The choice for an animation master was out of a keen desire to work as a storyboard and pre-production artist. I have had a lot of experience in my master’s project in creating visual sequences. Finding that I enjoyed research just as much as I enjoyed sketching out my designs. This also gave me the opportunity to practice different industry standard digital drawing software.
I made a 2D animatic based on my own concept which has taught me a lot about linking scenes and the pre-production work that goes into films. My biggest interest is idea development and sequential illustrations which I combined with my passion for nature, it was a way to explore visually communicating an environmental issue. These gave me a greater understanding of using a range of drawing software as well as using editing the animation in Adobe After Effects.
To the left is a rough animated show reel
Working with a small group of science graduates we created a charming and educational interface that won over the judges. It demonstrated an enjoyable teaching prototype interaction to visualise certain DNA mitochondrial data sets to the crew members of the Mary Rose ancestral heritage.
The Royal Archer, Mary Rose DNA topography finder #history #science #dna #animation
The Hedge Ends (M.a. film animation production)
THE HEDGE ENDS - M.A. study animation project
The story begins with a small group of animals going about their lives until the arrival of the construction machines. Their habitat is destroyed but this leads them on even greater adventures and perils as they search for a new home.
I am making a short animatic to show this first part, although it is still a work in progress. Some of the scenes are still just in the linework phase and I’m just starting to work through the scenes to get consistency. I base a lot of subject matter on ethical and political issues and try to turn them into something beautiful. I think it is important to not just show the happy moments but also the tragic ones.
The project’s main aim has been to produce an artefact based on the topic of habitat conservation. This created a need to find the optimum method for communicating the importance of reducing habitat loss and illustrating the human factors that cause this. As not all audience members are aware of such environmental issues or may be apathetic to them the method of delivering such a story needed to be carefully considered.
Does there need to be a balance between the entertainment and informative aspects of the artefact to reach the audience effectively?
Have we successfully delivered that story and to what extent were these aims successful?
Most importantly how do we gauge that success against an audience?
.jpg)
