Poster Boy

The lovely and slightly nasty poster for my BA short animated film "Flytrap" that will be shown as part of the Graduation Shows of LCC (London College of Communication) from June 20th.

Preparation for which has already begun in earnest with only a week or so to go. Tense stuff, lots of discussion, lots of creative differences, but that's what to expect from a collaborative show. All have different visions and all are relevant. 

The poster was originally in my head an homage to the gloriously lurid and campy adverts for the classic Hammer House of Horror franchise from the 50s, 60s and 70s but then as the subject of posters began to get discussed more and more, the idea of going for a more subtle and simple poster seemed more effective and so I opted for a more subdued design based on the title card of the film.

This was made quickly and at short notice by the brilliant Natalie Tood who previously saved my bacon by making the portraits that feature in the film.

Her wonderful DeviantArt: page http://tallytodd.deviantart.com

In the next week or so I shall edit together a small trailer for the film that I shall post about.

So more to come....

Pick Up Sticks

(Above: Getting into the swing of things)

(Above: A frustrating pause and lack of ability)

(Above: Violet freezes)

(Above: Glaring away)

(Above: Focus Pull)

(Above: Violet put aside)

(Above: Wood Grain I)

(Above: Wood Grain II)

(Above: Violet Down)

(Above: Wooden Hills)

So here I am again. 

During the later days of last week I had an extremely helpful tutorial which lead to the discussion of added shots for certain shots to make the continuity flow neater.

Fascinated and excited (if a little deflated at first) by the prospect of more work needing to be done, distracting from the already taxing duties of editing and working on the soundtrack in partnership with my sound design, I went away and drew up a little list of shots I would "pick up" the following week.

And so that was how I spent my day.

Admittedly the day didn't consist of much exhausting animation, just the tedious annoyance of ineffective puppets and props, my fault entirely, I should have built them better.

Anyway, after several frustrated hours working with my First Year Animation student helper (frustration was in no way due to her help, it was purely by my own hand and clumsiness) we managed to get the needed shots to a good standard.

They were nothing major, just little nudges here and there to push the continuity into tighter positions to help the flow.

Plug some of the holes I had left whilst filming the week before.

My main annoyance today was due to trying to make Violet climb a staircase leading to the bedroom in her new house.

I had originally not drawn her going up the stairs in my storyboard, explicitly aware of how time consuming not to mention complicated such a scene would be to make. I had intended to explain her using the stairs through sound.

My First Year Student and I fought to get Violet to at least look like she was going up stairs, but she simply was incapable of it. Violet, not the First Year Student.

So regrettably this little sequence will have to be cut.

I would rather it was taken out than be included and be of bad quality.

Which is a shame, because in individual frames, it actually looked rather convincing, it was the movement that let it down.

So that was it for today. Possibly the final day of the shoot.

I tinkered with the edit soon after finishing filming the bits and pieces and it seems to work very nicely indeed.

All that remains now is the soundtrack from my sound designer, which I wait for with bated breath.

More to come...

The Continuing Continuation of Production

(Above: Picture frame reshoots)

(Above: The set at the start of the day)

(Above: "Swatches" for title card design)

(Above: Production of the title card design that may well change soon enough)

(Above: Violet looks thoughtful)

(Above: Violet goes to pieces as the shoot draws to a close)

(Above: That camera looks into the set but there's no one there to film)

(Above: Wrap. Principle Photography draws to a close)

(Above: Scratch)

(Above: Tension)

(Above: Who's there?)

(Above: End of the Line)

The Fifth and final day of shooting concludes and so concludes the Principle photography. 

The day started slowly as they seem to out of habit nowadays it seems. I blame my great age.

I arrived in the studio and surveyed the set to make sure nothing had been stolen during the night.

All was present and correct.

I set about creating the title card for the film which was terribly interesting, dabbling with paints and stuff. Been too long I think.

A sudden frantic energy and movement came into the shoot towards the end of the day, making the sequence that was shot extremely energetic and fitting, as it is indeed a tense quick-cut scene.

After the set was struck and everything left in readiness for any possibility of reshoots I set about getting a couple scenes edited together and sent over to the sound designer to play with for his deadline on Monday.

This was at 4pm roughly.

I didn't leave the building 'til gone 7pm. This was for good reason.

I left with a complete first edit of the film. All timed (generally speaking) and ready for sound syncing. 

I sent a copy off to Paul my sound guy and felt annoyed that the export quality was a little pixely at times.

No matter though. The raw footage is crystal clear and I'm sure it is simply a problem with the export settings.

I hope and pray that that is all it is.

Feeling extremely accomplished this evening, not to mention tired and want for bed.

More to come very soon...

Production Continues to Continue

(Above: Atmospheric Thursday. The set during a brief reprise from the scald of spotlights)

(Above: The Board of Many Boards)

(Above: Violet comes out of the Closet)

(Above: Don't have nightmares)

(Above: Lights out)

(Above: Hanging around)

(Above: Exploring the Interior)

(Above: Scratched Residue)

(Above: Violet Realises)

A somewhat productive fourth day of shooting. One which went smoothly I felt.

Today was concerned with the wardrobe specifically, that menaces Violet throughout the film.

Cramped conditions, minimal light, clumsy fingers, all were needed to be overcome to get some lovely atmospheric shots, which I think I achieved rather well.

The process of shooting also allowed me to reconsider an element of the story which offers a little more ambiguity. I rather like this tiny bend from what I initially had in the mind for a later scene and look forward to filming it soon.

I feel I'm very much entering the final days of the shoot and the all-too-different world of editing awaits me in a different room.

I feel the soundtrack is going to be a joy to add to the footage, it shall I think pull it all together and give the already rich scenery added depth.

More to come....

Continuing Production Continues

(Above: A not so shady set at the Dawn of Shoot Day Three)

(Above: A very un-shady mock up of the bedroom set pre-filming)

(Above: Violet gets her close up)

(Above: Her new bedroom)

(Above: A mysterious object)

(Above: A curious discovery)

(Above: Violet's close up)

(Above: Radio Days)

(Above: Menaced by a Wardrobe)

A semi-productive third day of shooting. A little frustrating at times, whether it be a shot not working in the ways I wanted it to, camera batteries needing to be charged or a general lack of enthusiasm on my part. We all have "off-days" I suppose.

On the plus side I did have an impromptu discussion with my sound designers who seemed impressed and enthused by what I had created so far, which is always a reassuring sensation to feel. 

Even given this funk I found myself in, I still managed to get some lovely shots and the editing process has already begun. 

I must remember not to start editing footage at the end of a working day, it always leads to disappointment, especially if one has only previously left the set after filming the whole day as the feeling of uploading the footage in its rawest components is not unlike a kind of blow to the stomach, sort of. Although the footage is lovely and in the main does what I wanted it to do, there is still much to be done, many shots that need to be extended in the edit, not to mention fiddling with the filters and getting nice lighting effects to give that tiny bit more atmosphere.

In all a tiring day of ups and downs, (more ups really) which lead to some lovely scenes and plenty to play with.

I feel I'm nearing the homestretch, only a handful of scenes remaining to be shot, but those that remain will be challenging and complicated. But exciting.

More to come....

Production Continues

(Above: A shady set at the end of Shoot Day One)

(Above: I less shady set during the middle of Shoot Day Two)

(Above: Violet's double exposure)

(Curious Violet)

(Odds and Ends)

(Sounds from Above)

(Not point in crying over spilt Tea)

A very productive Second Day of Shooting, got some gorgeous shots under my belt I think, working through the storyboard in a good steady pace.

Tomorrow more shooting scheduled, this time it shall be the interior of Violet's bedroom, wardrobe and bed all on set. Exciting stuff, looking forward to getting some of the key imagery done and dusted.

More to come...

Filming Begins

Right, so, I've been quiet for a while.
But for good reason.
The past week or so has been a whirlwind of building props, finalising the script and scribbling new ideas for the storyboard.

My initial plan was to start shooting on Wednesday 1st May (2013), but alas, after a collected meeting with the other stop-motion productions on the FdA Animation course on the Tuesday, it soon became clear that things were not going to be as smooth.
Complications involving restricted availability of cameras and such made for grim listening and I went away feeling somewhat deflated.
So on Wednesday I went into uni as per usual not entirely sure what to expect. I brought my own measly camera with me as a vain hope of being able to get something shot that day.
Unfortunately this was not forth-coming and so I busied myself in assembling the set that I had brought in the day before to a better standard, set up some lights and got some crude lighting tests to get an idea of what I wanted.

By the end of the day I had booked a camera from the equipment store along with a tripod for Friday and realised I needed to build a bed fast.

(Above: Bed made from Balsa wood, kitchen sponges and a couple handkerchiefs)

Both gave me peculiar comfort, the former giving me the feeling of being in control again, pulling in the reigns, the latter offering me something to busy myself with whilst at home that was productive and prevented me from slipping into worry.
A state of mind that may in some cases offer spontaneous inspiration, but in many other cases lead to headaches, tears and the desire to sleep for the rest of Eternity.
And so Thursday ticked by and nothing happened, apart from me building the bed I required and any other little props I had neglected to make previously. A very satisfying day that made me feel in control once again.

Friday appeared and I awoke determinedly enthusiastic. Today would be the day I put a major dent in my production schedule.
And today, indeed, was such a day as prophesied.

The day soon blurred and by the end of it I had the feeling I had shot perhaps roughly 1/3rd of the film in a raw state (although that is perhaps wildly optimistic).
This day offered me a new found excitement and enthusiasm for the project and I look forward to what the next week brings.

More to come....