Thursday, October 31, 2013

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:


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)

Saturday, October 12, 2013

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

Friday, September 20, 2013

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


Wednesday, May 8, 2013

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

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

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

Sunday, April 21, 2013

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:


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!

Monday, April 15, 2013

All's Quiet on the Blogging Front

Good evening, tiny Readership,

I'm waiting until I get the entire rough animation finished and in one Quicktime before I post it.  As you know, my original goal was to have it finished by this coming Sunday, the 21st.  However, I made a TON of progress this weekend, blessed with a clear mind and a working hand, so I moved the date up to this coming Wednesday in time for our class.  But I'm a little burnt out as I post this, and what with other classwork and responsibilities, I don't anticipate being finished quite that early.  Therefore, the new estimated time of completion for the rough animation of "Thrill of the Hunt" is

WEDNESDAY, 17 APRIL @ 10:45 P.M.

Bold letters intimidate me--they will speed along my progress.

In case you're curious, here's where I stand now:


I changed the "Effects" column to "BG", because to be honest, I'm in-Effect-ive.  Ha.  (I don't have any serious effects.)  Ha ha.

I ought to sleep now.  That goes for you, too!  I'm lookin' at you, SOFA second-year!

Emily

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Now I Know

Hello All,

After this week I now have an idea of what it will take to complete this project.  I love my parents, but they can't visit again; I love time with my friends, but no more can be spared.  It's time to be dedicated--it's time to press on toward the goal.  It's the thrill of the hunt, baby--the hunt for a finished ONE-QUARTER!

Here are Shots 9-13 roughed, with an ALMOST complete Shot 13 (that is, I hurried to finish to submit it for class, but I'm going back and adding a real background/better worm and dirt coloring--will also refine timing).  I hope you like the style.  Below that is a coinciding update on my shot progress.



Don't count me out just yet,

Emily



(c) 2013 ED4G

Friday, April 5, 2013

Shot 13 Rough

'Afternoon,

Thank goodness it's Friday!  Here we have rough animation for Shot 13 of TH--Seth-Bird buries the decoy worm in the dirt and gives his hunting buddies a thumbs-up.  


By this Wednesday, this shot will be the first completed shot of the project.  All feedback regarding style and color will be hugely welcome then.  Stay tuned!

Off to animate,

Emily

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Mission: Commence

Good Evening,

Below, my harrowing, hand-written animation breakdown.  And when I say "breakdown", I mean it in every sense of the word!
Here we go, guys--good luck and Godspeed!  

Emily

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Sorry!

Happy April!

I'm so sorry for the lack of updates this week!  It's the time of year when every internship under the sun has an application due, and I've been busy preparing my portfolio/resume.  Tomorrow morning I will post a color scheme and some character designs for "Thrill of the Hunt."  I've also planned to have ALL my rough animation done by Sunday, April 21st.

Style-wise, I envision either a flat, 90's cartoon-esque graphic style or a sketchy painted-underneath style reminiscent of the Xerox Process used in 101 Dalmatians and The Rescuers.  What do you all think?  Which would be more economic and effective at the same time?

Thank you, as always!  Honest--be on the lookout for more updates in the future.

Emily


Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Shot-By-Shot Schedule

Hello again!  A quick update:  Presenting my shot-by-shot schedule for "Thrill of the Hunt."



(Shot Type indicates the level of difficulty--a green S for Simple/Still, a yellow M for Moderate, and a red F for Full Animation.)

Praying for the diligence to STAY ON-SCHEDULE, and for the success of my classmates!

All the best,

Emily


Monday, March 25, 2013

Another Animatic

Bonsoir!

Below you'll find the link to my second pass at an animatic for "Thrill of the Hunt".  In this version I strove for more humor, better character acting, and clearer staging.  It's still not perfect, but ten weeks makes it tight--please share any comments or suggestions before animation begins!

LINK:  http://vimeo.com/62558907

Thanks again! 

Emily

P.S. Behold--Edible Inspiration!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Rough Animatic - Link

Good morning!

Here's the URL to my rough animatic:

http://vimeo.com/62228572

After some class discussion and infinitely helpful feedback, there are some changes to be made in story flow/progression and shot clarity, but it will be set in stone before the week is up.  Timing is rough in this animatic, too--but that's why it's called "rough", I suppose.  What a redundant post!

Emily

P.S.: Thanks to Cam (The 3Den) for his convicting ultimatum to actually update our blogs!

(c) 2013 ED4G

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

"Extreme Worm Hunter" - Second Draft

Hello, everyone!

Coming up soon are my storyboards!  For now, I present the second draft of my script.  It's my final idea (still birds, OF COURSE), but this draft of the script is carried by an annoying voice-over that WON'T exist in the final draft.  Feedback from some of my fellow film majors helped me determine what I already knew: that voice-overs/parodies are usually cop-outs, and mine had both, as you will see.  In the final draft, the same action will speak for itself--hopefully without dialogue to boot.

The short follows a group of male birds on the hunt for a worm.  They aren't messing around--they've got orange vests, camouflage, ammunition, decoys, the whole nine yards.  But when they finally lure in a monster earthworm, a female swoops down and yanks the worm out of the dirt without batting an eyelid.  The hunters, accordingly, claim to have let 'im go.

Again, please excuse the formatting issue.  Thanks!

Extreme Worm Hunter
written by Emily DeVault


FADE IN:
ext. backyard - day
A few trees stand enclosed by a white fence.  Flower pots rest at their bases.  A bird feeder sways from one limb.
narrator (v.o.)
It’s that time of year again.
close - grass
A worm lies behind a flower.
narrator (v.o.)
Time to leave the nest in search of big game.
extreme closeup - worm
It faces the CAMERA.
ext. backyard - day
Four robins -- DAVE, CHUCK, ANDY, and ROD -- load up with hunting gear.
rod (narrator) (v.o.)
Dave, Chuck, Andy and I are headed to Mrs. Jones’ backyard, known for its big --
close - worm
Writhing.
rod (v.o.)
Fat --
close - worms
Crawl past the CAMERA.
rod (V.o.)
Juicy earthworms.
close - dirt patch
Four pairs of bird feet tromp over the mud.
rod (v.o.)
With our mates waitin’ for us back at our nests, we bring home the meat that’ll feed our families.
 ext. backyard - day
Rod and Andy trudge INTO FRAME.
rod (v.o.)
It’s almost night when we get there.  Right away we set up roost.
Andy struggles with a makeshift tent.  Rod surveys camp through binoculars.
ext. campsite - night
The four hunters encircle a crackling flame.  Chuck cleans his rifle.
rod (v.o.)
Around the campfire Dave tells some of his legendary stories of the hunt.
Andy and Rod lean in.
dave (o.s.)
He came up outta the dirt -- musta been nine inches long.  I lined ‘eem up in my sights...
Chuck looks on as Dave pantomimes the action.
dave
He wasn’t gonna give me a good shot.  But I waited ‘eem out.
ext. backyard - day
Dripping maple leaves catch the sunlight.
rod (v.o.)
It rains that night.  Next morning there’s mud and puddles
everywhere -- ideal conditions.
Andy lugs a stuffed worm across the grass.
rod (v.o.)
Andy knows there’s a worm nearby.  He brings out our decoy.
Andy crams the worm into a hole in the mud.  He gives a thumbs-up to the CAMERA.
Andy joins the others behind a brush patch.
rod (v.o.)
It’s only a matter of time.
The hunters peer over the brush.
hunters’ pov
The dirt behind the decoy breaks.  Out crawls a beefy earthworm.
andy (o.s.)
(hushed)
Right there --
rod (o.s.)
I see him.
The worm drags itself through the muck.
rod (v.o.)
He’s a monster!
back to scene
Rod raises his rifle.  Takes aim.
rod (v.o.)
I wait for the perfect shot.
The worm crawls on, oblivious.  Rod tenses.  Angling toward the decoy, the worm exposes its side.
close -rod
Rod’s alula squeezes the trigger.
hunters’ pov
A female robin swoops down INTO FRAME.  She snags the worm by the throat, yanks it from the dirt, and flies OUT OF FRAME, all business.
back to scene
Rod and crew gape in her wake.
rod (v.o.)
(beat)
I decided to let him go.
fade out.

THE END

(c) 2013 Emily DeVault

Sunday, March 10, 2013

"Nest Egg" - First Draft

Today I put together the first draft of the script for "Nest Egg" (still a working title, but I like it).  Here's a copy--please read and review! (I apologize for the whack formatting--I'll figure out how to attach an actual document eventually, cut and paste for now.)

Enjoy the springlike weather,
Emily D.


NEST EGG (WORKING TITLE)

Written by
Emily DeVault



FADE IN:
ext. forest clearing – day
Early spring.  Budding flowers and tress dance in the breeze.  One sun-streaked, majestic maple dominates the frame.
ext. maple tree - day
The CAMERA TILTS DOWN FROM the top of the tree.  Nestled in piles of new leaves and twigs are several expecting mothers.  Each bird nurses at least two plump, healthy eggs.
Below them all, a ROBIN RED BREAST peers up the twisted trunk.  She looks down at her own nest.
robin’s pov
Her rather scraggly nest sits wedged between two roots.  Barren.
back to scene
She sighs.
ext. forest floor - day
Robin hops through the dirt, pecks here and there.  She lifts her head and freezes, wide-eyed.  A worm dangles from her mouth.
Before her lies a massive blue egg.
Worm abandoned, Robin approaches the egg.  It shines in the sunlight.  With great care she lays her head against its side and rubs it with one wing.  Perfectly intact.
Robin rolls the egg across the clearing. 
ext. robin’s nest - day
She rolls it right into her nest.  Thrilled, she zooms OUT OF FRAME and returns in an instant, clutching a vine.  She drapes it over her egg and flies OUT OF FRAME again.
Robin soars IN and OUT OF FRAME, tossing flowers and decorations.  She pauses to arrange a strand of tiny white clovers in the shape of a heart.
Robin surveys her handiwork.  Satisfied, she ruffles her feathers and settles herself upon her egg.  She pays no mind to its awkward girth -- she is content.
ext. robin’s nest - some time later
A bored Robin gazes into space.  The flowers have wilted.  The grass has grown taller.
Robin shifts to one side and stretches a stiff wing. 
CRACK.
She tumbles backward.  Scrambles to her feet.  Stares at her egg.
robin’s pov
The egg sits motionless.
robin
leans in, anxious.  Gives her egg a nudge.  Still nothing.  Another nudge.  And then --
robin's pov
A small POP.  Robin’s egg splits clean in half. 
Three pieces of penny candy slide out.
robin
doesn’t know what to think.
EXT. forest clearing - day
Robin, silhouetted against a patch of sky beyond the trees, lowers her head.  Slow ZOOM OUT.
ext. maple tree - CREDITS
The seasons change -- autumn, winter, back to early spring.  Robin in her nest silhouetted at the base of the maple tree.
Last credit rolls.  Suddenly Robin pops out a real egg.  Gapes at it, incredulous, then smiles.
fade out.

THE END
(c) 2013 Emily DeVault

Friday, March 8, 2013

THE ONE-QUARTER

Good evening!  Welcome to my very first blog, through which I will be posting progress updates on my very first short animation project (referred to as "THE ONE-QUARTER" until I find a proper title--yes, all caps is necessary) here at the Rochester Institute of Technology.  Make yourself at home!

So far my project is just a rough set of storyboards.  It's about birds--if you ever get to know me, you'll find this is no surprise.  Most of my creativity manifests itself in winged form, regardless of how hard I try to veer away from my feathered friends.

By this Wednesday (13 Mar.) I will post the first draft of the script, as well as any character designs or sets of clean boards I have come up with.  I'll do my best to update at least once per week.  Please share as much feedback as you can with me; collaboration is key, and I want to produce a story that will move and entertain more people than just my mom (God bless her).  Even if all I've got is junk--I gotta know!

I'm blessed to be working alongside a talented group of classmates on THE ONE-QUARTER, and I'm eager to watch all our ideas blossom into what will hopefully be a reel-worthy set of little films.  Prepare for lift-off, guys--it's time to animate!

Emily D.

P.S. - Look out for bird puns.