Wiggin' Out!

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your patience!  I present both the finished rough animation for my one-semester film, "Wiggin' Out," AND the finished product!

Final Film: www.vimeo.com/emilydevault/wigginoutdec13
Password: Bigfoot

Finished Rough: www.vimeo.com/emilydevault/wigoutrough2

(The final version is password-protected for the sake of festival entries.)

An unbelievable amount of effort went into "Wiggin' Out." Every day I relied heavily upon the support of my family and friends, the devotion of my professors, the contributions of my classmates, and above all the perseverance and hope God poured out to me.  The film is for all of you!

My dad, who composed and performed the music and conceived the story for "Wiggin' Out" in the first place, is my inspiration; and as you'll note in the credits, I feel most compelled to dedicate the project to him.

In the next few days I'll be uploading a revised version of the film, which is almost wholly some edits in coloring and inking that were ignored during the race to finish on time back in December.  The link to this newer version should be the same as the current one, but I'll let you know either way!

Now try getting the song un-stuck from your head...

Love you!
Emily

(c) 2014 ED4G

R.I.P. (Rough In Progress)

BOO!  Happy Halloween!

Happy progress update on "Wiggin' Out" as well.  So far I'm barely above water as I try to complete my rough animation, but the experience is certainly as rewarding as it is challenging.  I love witnessing the "illusion of life" as I build every shot to completion--how still drawings in sequence are somehow born again as lovable, real characters.

I'm slated to have the entirety of the rough animation finished by Monday, November 11th, so that I might deliver it to my sound designer.  Today I received my music--a fantastic composition written and performed by my dad!--so I can take up my hammer and nail down my timing until it's firmly in place.

Here's the rough animation I have completed so far:

http://vimeo.com/emilydevault/wigoutrough

And so help me, I'll have three weeks in the labs for cleanup once the rough is done!  With Emily, this is impossible--but with God, all things are possible (If He doesn't decide this one really is a hopeless case)!

I hope you like the animation and the new music.  Be sure to go trick-or-treating tonight--just watch out for the kid with the broom if you're wearing an eye-catching wig.

Till November 11th,

Emily

(c) 2013 ED4G

                                                                                                (planetjune.com)

There's a Hair In My Animatic!

Eek!  How repulsive!

Here's the link to the revised "Wiggin' Out" animatic.  I'll be basing all my animation timing and composition off of this model:

http://vimeo.com/emilydevault/wigginoutani2

Thanks to the creative input I've garnered from my dad, classmates, professors, and peers, "Wiggin' Out" has enjoyed wild success throughout the pre-production process.  I've never been so excited about a personal project--I know that I can make it great.

Aye, there's the rub: I have to make it.  Two months from today, "Wiggin' Out" is due for the SoFA film screenings.  Can it be done?  It's up to me to have faith.  Time to fight the fire I started and keyframe some shots!

In the meantime, I need to hire a new cook...

Emily

P.S. Concept Art:

(c) 2013 ED4G

Here I Am!

Good evening!

How have you been these past four months?  Indeed, summer seems to have flown by, and another school year is already in full swing.  This is my third year at RIT, and this semester my classmates and I are producing our second round of student films--deeper, more meaningful, and more skilfully executed than our one-quarters.  The task that lies before us is no less daunting, but now we have a bit of experience under our Super Utility Belts.

Speaking of one-quarters, I neglected to ever post the link to the finished version of "Thrill of the Hunt"!  Sorry about that. *dodges flying tomatoes*

Here you are:  https://vimeo.com/65877542

My second student film--referred to variously as "The BIG Quarter" or "The One-Semester"--is called "Wiggin' Out."  It's based on an idea I had for a little boy sweeping hair at a salon as a sort of day-job.  My insanely creative dad made vast improvements to the concept, fleshing it out into a full story about the little boy at the barbershop, sacrificing a day of play to sweep the hair and ultimately using it to craft a crazy wig for his ill grandmother.

The work I do will be to honor my dad's creativity--who, by the way, might compose the soundtrack for the film, to be sung by an a cappella barbershop quartet!  My own grandmother was diagnosed with cancer twice when I was little, too; so the subject matter hits close to home.

Technically, my focus will be character animation.  I intend to develop my acting and timing skills first and foremost.  The design of this film will be carefully worked out as well--I don't want to fall back on the same rudimentary inking and coloring techniques I used in Thrill.  I plan to use TVPaint again, but not as a crutch--I'll strive to learn and incorporate new features and tools.

Blah, blah, blah, right?  But I'm excited, and I hope you are, too!  Stay tuned for production updates as I delve back into the world of animation, and we'll celebrate the joy of creativity together.

Have a good night,

Emily

Screenings are Coming! Screenings are Coming!

Welcome back,

I was almost ready to declare "that's a wrap" on "Thrill of the Hunt", but I still have about an hour's worth of little tweaks to take care of after some solid feedback in class today.  It's all good--I got time!

What a harrowing and rewarding experience this has been!  And there could scarcely have been a more wonderful group of people to work with than my Animation Production class--dedicated students with finished, good-looking projects; an experienced and sincere T.A.; and a teacher whose dedication to the craft of animation and kindness as a human being in general have been continuously inspiring.  Thank you, Caitlin, Brenna, Cam, Brooke, Evelyn, Steve, and Atia!

Here's my chart, yellow being aforementioned little tweaks:

All glory and praise to God for a fantastic second year at the RIT School of Film and Animation.

I'll never look at a bird again--or a worm, for that matter--without some serious appreciation!

Love you all,

Emily

Home Stretch

Hey,

It's like that point when running a marathon when you're out of water, out of checkpoints; you've burned off the mountain of pasta you ate the night before; you've recited all your encouraging chants until they've become meaningless.  You could care less about splashing through the mud in your $400 shoes.  You've forgotten about all the other runners--now it's just you and the finish line.

This is what stands between me and Screenings signups next Friday:

And here's a sample of where I've been:

Watch me break some tape--and please, press on toward the goal, and win your own race! :)

Go *huff* get 'em *huff*,

Emily

Rough Sans Diamond

Evenin',

Behold, the rough animation for "Thrill of the Hunt"--completed Wednesday night, right on schedule!  That was a blessing from God for sure.  Now I'm doggedly plowing through cleanup, and the talented Ed Foose is mixing my sound.  I love to ink and color, however tedious it can get, so the next week and some odd days will be a "thrill".  Ha.

The rough can be found here:

https://vimeo.com/64426269

Many thanks to my supportive classmates, roommates, family, God, and friends.  But we ain't finished yet.  Let's do it!

Emily

P.S.: Don't let this be you!