Animatic Version 2

This is the 2nd version of my animatic and the final version. I took all the suggestions that were given to me from CGCoach, tutors and friends, and tried to compile it all together so it flowed well. Many of the changes were things like moving the horizon line down, making the composition more interesting, adding new shots so it made sense and of course, adding in the origami animals (which I should have added first time round, seeming as they are the main spectacle)!  I hope you enjoy it, and any problems with timing etc will now be addressed in the 3D animation, as time is getting on.

Animatic Version 1

To help get a better idea of how my animation will play out, I have created an Animatic using Photoshop and Sony Vegas to get down the timing. I then showed this to a number of people from my society, CGCoach and various teachers, and got a lot of good feedback from it. Animatic Version 2 will be ready very soon, and then I can move properly onto shader testing and 3D modelling!

Here is the Animatic:

The middle section is the part that needs the most work, and from the feedback I received it was difficult to understand. I also break the 180 degree rule quite a bit, and I have now edited most of the scenes so they have better compositions (this will be in the update).

Environments

The whole animation is about Bea leaving a cold,grey world, and entering a world full of colour and light. I wanted to reflect this in the colour scheme and lighting.

In the beginning of production Bea started in her dull grey room, trying to make origami. The paper plane she threw out of frustration then lead her out into the world. This has changed a little bit now in the Animatic, and I've tried to minimise the amount of time she spends in her room at the beginning. I have also cut out the part of the story where she was making Origami because it complicated the story and meant a great deal more animation would be involved.

Also in the early stages I planned for a chase through a small maze of streets. This involved passing through a giant red Japanese gate, which I found a photo of in reference photographs a family member took on their trip in Japan. The chase has now been moved to an outside area that slowly gets more colourful as time progresses. This takes place along an overgrown path which Bea playfully uses as stepping stones. I also tried to get a sense of scale into the shot, much in the same way Studio Ghibli do with their environments.

Finally the Garden that is the most colourful, vibrant and lightest area of the animation. I originally wanted pools of water with a waterfall, and a big expanse to show. However trying to simulate water in that way doesn't play to my strengths. So I've reworked the scene into layers which can appear to be bigger and further away than they actually are. Are there is still water in the scene, but this can easily be a moving texture or a very simplistic simulation. I tried to get a number of Japanese Garden iconography in there too just to make it a more interesting composition. I will colour the final image once the Animatic is finished.

Now onto the Animatic! It's 80% finished so I will upload it soon.