Gradfilm WIP Reel 3 (111026)

Canada Line Project animatic test 1 (the other worlds)

Grad film project character design 1

Ethan & Liya

Gradfilm work update (111024)

http://vimeo.com/33710048

no sound yet!

Sky Lantern

For HD version please click: http://vimeo.com/30419984

The above link and video is what I have got as the final version of Sky Lantern. The production cost three weeks, and the number of total hours on this work is around 30 hours or so. I actually would like to take a break from this animation and have some distance from it to be able to feel excited to see it again. Overall, I am happy with the learning experience from this project. To be able to start to use After Effects is a big improvement for me, as before I was quite scared by this program. I still do not know exactly how, but I sense that there could be a day this would really contribute my grad film and later on projects. I am pleased with my story and the fact that I can actually finish it on time.  I am also more than pleased to create a satisfying soundtrack for the animation and get a chance to compose a simple melody again. What I would like to do differently next time for this project is that next time I would like to use some found materials to get some more textures, and I would also like to work with some 3D technique. I am not really a big fan of the CG movements and computer animated 3D technique, and what I would like to learn more is actual hand-made puppet or sets. Anyway, I am glad that I can finally call it as a finished project this time. Hope you would also enjoy watching it.

A Train Ride To Experience Canada Line

At 8:00 p.m., Saturday October 8th of 2011, I went for a ride of Canada Line from Waterfront Station to Richmond Station. The purpose of this ride is to experience Canada Line and to initiate generating creative ideas and thoughts regarding the coming up Canada Line public art project. And below is a short video clip that I took in the sky train using my phone.

When I was waiting for the train, I started to look around the place. The truth is that was my third time actually for taking a ride of Canada Line. Of course the train of Canada line is much more advanced compare to the normal sky train, as the line is very recently built. One big difference that I firstly noticed between normal sky train and this ride is the location set. Canada Line is built up all underground. The ceiling of the platform is very low, which makes everything in this space have a condensed tone. The  wall and floor are made of rock. The color of the floor and the wall is a combination of light brown and yellowish color under the bright yellow lights. The wall on the other side of the train track is a darker brownish color. The weather was a little cold that day, and the air underground felt wet and cool. People were standing in front of the yellow waiting line. It was night time, and probably because of the cold weather, people were not exactly behaving very active. Most of them were just standing there quietly, and once a while moving their legs for a limited range of walk to warm themselves up. The color of people's clothes was more to a darker tone, and from their wearing jackets, thin coats, and shirts you could tell the step of early winter was already slowly approaching to this city. The other fact that I have noticed among the waiting group was that a large percent of them was Asians. It could be caused by the fact that this ride was going to Richmond, where large percent of Asians inhabited. I have only been in Richmond twice. According to my high school classmates, you can almost speak Mandarin in every shop at Richmond. I have a very complicated feeling towards Richmond and the idea of speaking mandarin to other Chinese-Canadians. Many people in Richmond seemed to be quite able to use cantonese, chinese, and english as languages, but I felt weird the last time when I visited. I saw them speaking Mandarin with all different accents, but it felt just not correct. And I saw them, very similar to Chinese people like my hometown, but there was something about their characteristics that made me feel immediately separated from them, like an invisible wall of subconscious feelings that stop me from feeling close or comfortable to talk to them. They were like Chinese, but they were really not Chinese. And that knowledge made me feel even more alone and alienated when I was there.

Anyway, the train arrived, and I stepped into the train. The inner space of the train was much wider compare to other sky train tracks. The light was fluorescent white light. I could see lots of reflections of light reflected from the glass windows, door windows, and light greenish floor. When the train was started, the speed was fast, and the ride was really smooth. I could merely sense a speed change or any loud train track noise. Even people's conversations were quite gentle. The train track carried on driving through a tunnel, which was not that dark due to the bright lights along the walls of the tunnel. The tunnel under the lights had a brown yellowish color. Yet between the lights there were dark shadows. The tunnel felt narrow and long. I started to think what if the train would be under the sea, and the tunnel became transparent to us, would we be able to see all weird deep sea creatures? Even if it was not under the sea, just have the tunnel transparent, would we be able to see the creatures live underground, like mouse, snake, and bugs? What if the creatures were really huge? What if we were actually in an unknown, mystical world underneath the ground? Then the tunnel became wider and brighter. Suddenly I saw more yellowish light and brightness coming through the glass window. The space became much wider, and I saw more colorful advertisement plates on each side of the walls. I then see another group of people waiting at the platform. Then the train stopped. Somehow, the train ride process reminded me of birth, like how a baby was struggling out of the narrow space to meet the outer world. Few minutes later, I heard the bell-like music on the train started; another journey was ready to start. 

Experimental animation: Sky Lantern test 1 review

     Since the deadline for my second experimental animation project has been pushed one week later, I have a bit more chance to polish my work, and I named my previous Sky Lantern video clip as Sky Lantern test 1. The positive fact about this video clip from last week's submission is that, at least I finished building up all the cut out puppets and basic scenes that I wanted to have in this story.
    
     The bad part is this work is very roughly finished due to the fact that I did not check my mail box frequently and had no idea the deadline has been pushed behind. I am really not happy with the soundtrack I have come up with, which is completely unpolished. My computer at home kept crushing the foley sound tracks I did specially for this project. The size of the sound files are just way too huge for my home laptop to process. As a very frustrated result, I put some random music and sound effects with absolute no adjustment regarding any sound perspectives like music, dialogue, sound effects, volume, pitch, EQ, mask, fade in/out and etc. Me myself can not even stand that soundtrack. Yet, like what I have pointed out, I ran out of time and thought at least I should submit something for this project, so I made a very shameful compromise to export a video file with a horrible sound track, and I felt really bad when I presented my work last class. The other part about my project that I really do not like is the transition scene where the two girls were separated, and after ten years or so the girl who left the boarding school comes back for a visit. My animation for the girls separation were roughly made, and they moved on the screen super fast. The transition between the ten years time span happening in the story can barely be noticed as the scene happened way too fast. I have to solve that issue in this week, too. One more thing about this project is that the visuals are flat and blurred out as the fact that I have compressed my drawings too many times for my laptop to be able to process and export the video file.

     Right now, I have finished all the edited scenes in stills. I need to put all the visuals together, but I do not think I would do it at home any more before I get a faster computer. I plan to work late at school tonight and finishing organizing all soundtracks and sound elements at school tonight. Hopefully I would write a happier journal next time after I finished the work today.

Sky Lantern test 1

http://vimeo.com/30082063

Senior Project Proposal

ANIM 410 Senior Animation Project I

Project Proposal

October 4, 2011

Rose (Rong) Luo

0042706

Summary: The goal is to produce a 4-minute animated short called Fish Drops/ Rain Drops about a young Caucasian’s thrilled trip at China. A life lesson is learned through his bittersweet journey.

Synopsis: My film is about delivering a message to the audience that people are deeply connected to each other through heart and kind nature, instead of races, classes, culture groups, social-political status, financial position and so on.

Description: I have had three years of studying aboard as an animator and have witnessed many culture collision and misunderstandings happening between east and west. The aim of this project is to first give a detailed, realistic visual presentation of modern China to the western world. The story starts with a young white male being invited by a very rich Chinese family to China for a short trip. The main character, Ethan, will experience culture shock and intense conflict with this cold-blooded, money-oriented Chinese family. The cold treatment that Ethan receives from his “friend” provokes his journey later in the story to find another safe place to stay. Through his vacation at China, he discovers both “cold” and “warm” aspects about China. The feeling that my project is intended to convey is bitter sweetness from the Ethan’s experience. The film is also intended to educate any group or individual who holds a biased opinion against one another. I expect a recall of the audience’s sympathy and awareness towards the individual who suffers from biased opinions and repression after watching the finished project.

Visual Treatment and method of production: I plan to make this project a 2D short animation, and I would like to explore some experimental 2D techniques. Digital cut-out puppets created in Photoshop will be applied for most part of the animation. Some in-betweens will be created through digital hand-drawn. The overall texture will be a combination of watercolor and traditional Chinese ink painting, and this texture will mostly be shown through layouts. The painterly texture will be created by hand drawing on silk paper and then edited through Photoshop.


Sample Visuals:

Sound Treatment: My project contains a complicated narrative. Dialogue, sound effects and music will be the three main elements of my soundtrack. The soundtrack is aimed to create a believable realm of the story. The recording and editing of the dialogues and sound effects will be the heaviest part of sound editing. The style of music will be mainly traditional Chinese music style providing four main types of mood through film: curiosity, anxiety, sorrow and peace. The music will be structured and evolved along the expansion of the plot line. My younger cousin sister, Wang Jing Yi, studies and plays traditional Chinese music instrument. She has generously offered to work together with me and using a specific Chinese music instrument called Gu Zheng to perform the composition, which I created during this summer.

WIP Reel

http://www.vimeo.com/30008740 

Production Schedule {Fall semester, 2011 (2^nd panel review)}

  

Subject             Stage	October			November			December
	1-10	11-20	21-31	1-10	11-20	21-30	1-6	7-16
Storyboard (With script)	WIP Draft1	WIP Draft2	WIP Draft3	Revision/ editing	done
Character Size Sheet	WIP	3 main characters done	WIP	5 secondary characters done	WIP	WIP	10 side characters done
Character Design/ Expression Sheet	WIP 3 main characters	WIP	3 main characters done	WIP 5 secondary characters	WIP	5 secondary characters done	WIP 10 side characters	WIP
Cut out Puppet 3 main characters,	Heads/ body parts	Heads/ body parts/ cloth	revision	done
5 secondary characters,				Heads/ body parts	WIP	revision	done
10 side- characters							Heads/ body parts	WIP
Layout	Interior, Larry’s family (dinner table+ living room)	Interior, Liya’s family (dinner table) Exterior, Larry’s garden	Exterior, Suzhou City street with tall, building construction	Exterior, Suzhou traditional Garden	Exterior, Larry’s house Interior, Larry’s company	Exterior, Liya’s hometown	Exterior, Train station
Prop Design	Chinese food (all kinds)	Ethan’s camera/ dictionary	Leah’s map/family photo/ panda envelop	Bicycle/ motorcycle/ bus	Taxi/ train/ parts of a plane
Sound Track	Clean up composition	WIP	WIP	Mixing sound effects into music	Clean up sound recorded at China	Foley recording Voice-over	Dec 5th, cut one min soundtrack
1 min footage animation			5 seconds Chinese scenery of traveling	15 seconds Cold Dinner table of Larry’s family, Ethan’s discomfort/ Liya’s help/ Larry’s anger	25 seconds Liya provides Ethan direction to her family, rain drops	15 seconds Larry’s angry speech	Dec 6th, one min animation due

Budget:

Sony PCM D50, Microphone with cable---------------- $ 500

Mini DV tape x 2     ---------------- $ 60

Silk paper x 200 (from China) ---------$ 10

Verbatim 50-Pack 4.7GB DVD-R----- $ 20

Possible Extra cost   -------------------$200

Total               ------------------$ 790