Animation Skills: 24th - 30th October 2016: Animate It Briefing and Brainstorming

Not much happened this week in terms of the animation skills module. Most of my efforts have been on the visual language module and trying to finish the 24 drawings task. On monday, we did get our briefing of the next task. This is one that I am very excited for.

We received a choice of 7 words to use as a stimulus for the project. These were surprise, lateness, love, hate, longing, happiness and fear. We must then take one of these words and attempt to communicate the idea of this word through a 10 - 15 second animation, after creating a storyboard and animatic for it first. This is the kind of stuff that really excites me. I instantly had ideas for quite a few of the different themes presented. 

I had ideas for an atmospheric and creepy piece for the 'fear' theme where someone could be trying to escape a spooky house before being caught by some sort of monster and cutting to black in a shocking ending, but after looking at images online and compiling this moodboard, I came up with a few more for the word surprise. 

I like the idea of this story being quite character focused. Below is the file of notes that I wrote and came up with my ideas in. I have then done a more detailed sort of script for my final idea.

Surprise:

1. A robber is sneaking through a museum or bank vault, trying very hard to be quiet. The music starts to build tension as the camera shows the audience he is about to step through a motion detector, but instead, when he turns the corner, he sees another robber and they stare at each other in shock.
2. A kid at a zoo. Looking around inside the cage to try and see the animal inside. Then a tiger jumps out of the bushes at the kid and cut to black.
3. A tired looking man coming home from work. Very down and slow. Monotonous work. He opens the door to his home to find his family waiting to surprise him. It is his birthday.

A man slowly approaching his house. He is wearing a shirt and tie with a jacket thrown over his shoulder. The tie looks scruffy and loosened. He has very baggy eyes and looks incredibly tired. He slowly and wearily walks to the door of the house. He opens the door to a dark room, the light bleeding in around him. He flicks on the lights. There is a big group of people and a big banner across the room saying ‘Happy Birthday’. The people shout “surprise!” and blow party horns. The man jumps in shock and looks around. He smiles. Thankfully, as his eyes tear up.

I can't wait to get started on this but I am trying to finish off this visual language task before I start working properly on this because I know I won't want to go back once I get into this.