Here are a few of my animation projects. They are often for personal use, and to expand my techniques. Though similar, I have separated them from my motion graphic projects, which tend to be more commercial.
My Typical Involvement (Prior to AI!)
Until AI stepped in, 2D animation, has been extremely labor intensive! Despite the immense effort though, there is something magical about bringing images “to life” – the literal meaning of animating. It evokes a sense of wonder! Here is a short list of skills I bring to my animation projects:
- Concept, Script & Planning, including Storyboarding
- Finding and/or creating music and sound effects
- Creating or re-working assets; illustrations and/or photo images
- Following the long process off shooting, drawing or moving the assets over time
- Titling
Stop Motion: La Vida Oculta (The Hidden Life)
La Vida Oculta is a simple stop motion film, created using Stop Motion Studio, a simple stop motion app. This can be a tedious technique but the quirky, unnatural outcome is fun and appealing.
Using Simple Skills: Dearly Beloved…
This rather quirky valentine was made for two main reasons: one technical and one personal.
The Technical Challenge
The technical challenge I put before myself was to create an animation using the four SIMPLEST digital techniques: changing scale, opacity, rotation and position. These are the four foundational options in nearly every digital animation tool. I wanted to prove to my students early in their development, that the “basics” can be all that you need at times.
Life Shapes Artistic Endeavors
The more personal reasons behind this piece were due to significant changes in my life at that moment in time. I was pondering love, life, potential marriage…and the ever certainty of death, in a somewhat darkly humorous way. It also occurred to me that the marriage vows reflect on death. Also that “Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here to…” is a phrase used at both weddings AND funerals. Hmmm.
Animation Idols
Beyond that, my love for two artist/animators is showing! Terry Gilliam, of Monty Python fame (not to mention his amazing film career) inspired the use of available imagery – in this case Victorian Valentine’s cards. And the amazing Edward Gorey, whose illustrations and animations (notably the opening sequence for Masterpiece Theatre), aren’t afraid of laughing at the dark side!
