1st Semester Reflection

Bonjour mes Amies! I am here writing my reflection over the whole first semester in my animation class. This is my final blog, it is actually my final. I am going to be talking about all my experiences and leanings this year.

  Character Walk Cycle

      One of my favorite projects we did this year was for my walk cycle, the one that looked like Russel from up, I really enjoyed creating everything for it and figuring out how to make him move. I learned a lot from that project, like how humans versus how robots walk and how to correctly do a human walk cycle. I watched a ton of reference videos because I wanted it to look as natural as possible when the character walked. I learned how to create the human walk cycle from watching YouTube animation hep videos and from asking for help after I had failed at creating a human walk cycle. I picked this project to talk about because it was the third/fourth project we did in this class so it was towards the beginning of the year and I really enjoyed coloring it and working on creating this great walk cycle. I think I have improved quite a lot from last year, I think last year the biggest project I made was this Dino thing for my final last year, but this year we started off by doing walk cycles and making worms inch. I think some streets would be my ability to draw, it isn't necessary to be an animator but I think it really helps it creating a story when you can tell what they see. I definitely think a weakness was me not taking enough time to clean up all the layers of Photoshop which resulted in some weird messed up stuff in the walk cycle. I would change the way I made the hands and feet, the feet are at this weird angle so it doesn't look like my character is walking correctly. I would change the hands because they just look awkward and I want to change them. Overall I really enjoyed working on this project, it was fun to try something new and learn how to do a walk cycle. 

Inchworm 

  The inchworm was so fun to do. It was a cute little thing that just inched across the screen. It was to make a cute little inchworm. I learned how to use the puppet pin tool. To learn how I did the puppet in the tool I watched a YouTube turtioal worth the rest of my class and I figured it our further. It was fairly easy to figure out since you are just creating pins on an object and moving it around. I picked this project because it was the first project that we did in here that was different from last year. The first couple projects were reviews from my last year animation class so the inchworm was our first "big" project in this class and it was fun to make the worm move. My strength was how I was able to make the work move but not make him look distorted. My weakness was that I sorta fell behind because I put too much effort into making the worm look good instead of animating him. I improved my skills in photoshop since we learned a lot of new tools that have helped me In other projects. I kinds want to change the way the Worm's underbelly looks, the shading looks rushed and I want to really clean it up, but as far as the anion goes, there isn't much to clean up since it is just icing across the screen. I enjoyed working on this project because it was fun to learn the new things that come with Aftereffects and the other new programs I am using in my animation classes. 

Story

     This was definitely one of my favorite projects to work on because there was a whole bunch of freedom on what we could animate and include in our story. there was so much to earn while creating this, I learned how to piece together a small story animation so that it is interesting for the audience to view. I learned how to piece together things in Aftereffects so I can create whole different competition so I don't have to worry about piecing it together in another program. I learned all these new skills by building off them after each project. Because in project one we had to use puppet pin and I used the same tool in the story animation. I learned how to use a multilane and I used that in my story animation. There were so many new skills o learn and use In this project. I think I grew stronger in learning the ways of Aftereffects and how I can use all the different tools like the Pick Whip tool to parent all my bodily layers so when my character moves they all move with the character. My weakness was time management. I fell really behind because I was putting so much into the project, it still didn't turn out as well as I'd like it to be. I will be going back to aftereffects change and fix all the sliding errors I have in this project because there are so many but I was rushing to get this done. Overall this was one of my favorites to create and all the art was really fun to make. I feel like this project came out ok despite all the errors it has. I hope to carry all the newly formed 2D skills with for next semester/year so I can continue to improve. 

Polything

   The Polything was a challenge to create. I am not the best with 3D animation/modeling because I usually end up losing a fight with the software because it doesn't like to do a certain to a command. It was a fun experience and it was actually really to cool to start learning how to use the software the pros learn. This project was teaching us how to use lighting correctly when we have a subject. I learned how to use the lighting correctly by watching an intro to lighting video on Youtube. I also had to make notes by filling out this sheet and creating examples for different lighting situations. I picked this project because the lighting is important and I think my Polything looks pretty cool. I think one of my strengths in this project was having to rotate things by hand (without the sphere around objects) since mine isn't visible and I don't know how to fix it. I do think I could change the resolution of the rendered picture because it didn't render correctly and here are a whole bunch of ridges around the sides which can be easily fixed in Maya. I am excited to continue learning how to use Maya, even if I prefer to use Aftereffects, the stuff we have made have turned out really cool. Hopefully, these skills will carry with me over to next semester where the hard stuff will begin. 

     

Castle 

   This project was so challenging for me. I, of course, made it hard on myself by making this huge castle and trying to fit all the polygons together when this is only their project that I have ever done in Maya. I did enjoy working on it though, I think the castle looks really cool, even if the textures don't look the best and the lighting is a bit off. In this project, we were to focus on creating a whole bunch of different shapes and learning how to use short cute tools like the Snap Align tool to keep things straight, and the Manipulator tool that can make fixing the lighting way easier. I learned these from watching my teacher show us the instructions as he was talking in front f the class. I picked this project because it was very big and it took me a while to figure out how to do. I think my strength was me pushing myself to make things harder then they needed to be. But I think my strength could be my weakness too since I am always rushing to finish projects since they are too big to finish in the time given in class. If I could change anything I would change the texture alignment, it looks really bad in some parts, there are even runs! I enjoyed this project a lot, even if it was huge, I really like creating new things and learning the new skills needed to create cool stuff. 

    In conclusions, this semester has been very productive in terms of all the projects I've done and the time and effort I've put into them all. These are my top 5 favorite projects we did this year and I am very excited to see what I will be working on next semester. 

Until next time, au revor!

SophietheFirst. 

Get a Little Techincal with the Null Object

     Bonjour mes Amies! Recently in my animation class, I made a worm inch across the screen. It was fairly easy with the help of a Null Object to drag the worm across the screen. A Null Object is an invisible layer that can be used to make something move and not have to create a whole bunch of frames in order what is being animated to move. This technique is very useful in the process of animating as it shortens it and makes the whole thing easier and this little trick definitely saves time.

How to find and create the Null

      The Null Object can be used by anyone looking to save time in an animation. It is for people who need a fast and efficient way to move an object around on the screen without having to make too many new keyframes or changes to the current animation.

This is the worm being moved around to create the positional frames
and getting it to move. 

    The first step in using the null object would be to create it. When clicking right on the mouse, or however the options menu appears, find the 'New' option and slide the cursor to the right to show what options here are to create.  Moving the cursor down the list find 'Null Object'. After the Null Object is placed in the timeline make the worm be parented to the null by using the lasso or Pick Whip tool. This will allow the null to move the object without having to change the animated sequence too much since it is on a sperate layer. Next stay at the Null Layer and use the keyframes to set different worms, so there needs t be one keyframe with the worm laying flat and another keyframe with the worm arched. You can arch the worm by using the puppet pin tool and dragging the points around to however you like it. After the keyframes are set on the worm's portions, you can then go back up to the Null Object and use the positional keyframes to get the worm moving around. Simply press the diamond when the worm is one side and move the worm across, another diamond should appear et voila!

These are the keyframes for positioning the
 Null Object from one side of the screen to the other

      I hope this helped in understanding how to use the Null OBject and how to save time and energy in an amazing animation!
Until next time,
SophietheFirst.

Here is a personal example of me using the null object to get my worm to move from one side of the screen to the other.





This is a great tutorial video to get started on working with the Null Object in Aftereffects.

ONW Sophomore Edition

Bonjour mes copains. Comment ca va?
   Hello my friends, how are all of you? I am doing well, it's finals time again so this blog is my intro to film final.We got to create a sophomore version of my school's newscast. It was very fun and interesting and working with the real equipment was also very cool.

Process

   The process was easy but difficult. First, we got split into two teams within our class and then we got put into our jobs within those two teams. I got put on the spot of the reporter which I was very excited for but also nervous seeing as I am not the best at piecing together the stories. After we got r jobs assigned we had to think of the content that would be on our newscast. My group went through man before our producer made the final cut. I was put on the story for the underclassmen play that was currently taking place at my school. I also helped a little bit with my friend's story over the holidays. It took me a while to think of questions and a script for y story but after a while, I had gotten everything figured out with my cameraman. We filmed on a Tuesday and got lots of the bRoll and interviews in a short thirty minutes. Then the following Thursday we filmed again to finish the last interview with a cast member. It took me a few days to edit the story but I definitely think it turned out better than my previous stories. I think I finally figured out how to do voiceovers, hopefully. 

    For the day of filming, I got to help out on the floor and direct the anchors like smiling or fixing a Santa hat. I also got to see the process from behind the scenes since we did a practice run through the following day. 

Learned

   I learned a lot over the course of this project. This one wasn't like the others because it wasn't a base project and adding new things but rather, we put together a newscast. I learned about all the equipment that is used behind the scenes, there is a computer that controls the packages or the stories that have to be played, a computer which is actually filming the whole thing, and another computer with the script from the teleprompter on it.  These computers were in the booth and they all displayed the stuff happening from inside the studio. In the studio, there was a huge greenscreen that created the  "newsroom" and the anchors would sit at a table that would be edited to look like a news desk. There was also the teleprompter which was interesting to see the anchors read of it.
   I also learned how to work with difficult people. Sometimes people would get on my nerves and I would have to just deal with it and not get mad. I learned how to communicate with my team members and how to get a project turned in on time.

Next Time

  I would like to change the overall look of the newscast to make it look better. I could've talked to my teammates better but I think some of the stories we ok, nothing great. I think I would like to edit my story better when we watched it during the newscast it seemed long so I could've shortened it and I also want to change my voiceover. I know I said I liked it better but there could be lots of room for improvement. I wouldn't want to change my story or my team. I liked the topics we did and I felt like my group did a great job with almost everything. My story was good, again a few small changes and I think it could be better than where it's at. My overall experience was pretty great. I became better friends with a lot of my classmates and I got t learn the behind the scenes of something we see every day.  For my next video project, I will try to talk to my team better to try and get the best creative look and I think I will try to be helpful and understanding with my teammates more so than I already am because yelling at everyone never works and getting stressed doesn't work either. 

Overall I had a great time working on the project, even if I am not going into convergence next year, it was a great experience. 

Au revoir mes amies, 

SophietheFirst. 

here is the story I worked on. 

Golf Season Written Story

Olathe Northwest Highschool Finished Golf Season Going Down Fighting 

    A local high school finishes golf season with a strong finish after a hard-fought season to keep themselves on top. The team is from Olathe Northwest high school, teammates came from many different grades all ranging from sophomore to senior. The season started in early September ended on October 18th after their trip to state with a final score of 75 points and finishing in fourth place. 

  

  The Lady Ravens Golf Team has been dominating the playing field for the past four years. This year was a setback on their record last year at state when they placed higher, but making it to state is a pretty big deal. Madi Dalrymple tried out for the team last year and did not make the team, but then this year she kept up her perseverance and made it to varsity after taking up golf lessons just last year.  She said "Being on the golf team was a grand old time" and that "I could put multisport on my college resume". She did end up moving down to JV by the end of the season but that fact didn't really bother as she said: "Even though I didn't do the best, I still had a great time on the team". Kylie Guerrein was also another sophomore that made the varsity team. She wanted to make the team because Madi was doing it and she wanted to have a good time. She also said " The team did terrific, we slay the green". Kylie believes the team did very well and is very much looking forward to next year's season. 

   The Varsity team finished fourth at state and before, placed first at regionals. During the regular season, they placed second and third many times. The JV team finished fourth and fifth for the majority of their tournaments. The only thing the golf team wished was that they had more support from the rest of the school.     

  

Blood Drive Written Story

Blood shortage in KC area, local high school is set to help out.  

   This week at Olathe Northwest HIghschool there is a blood drive to help the community blood center with their blood shortage. This blood dirve will be november 10th from 8-3pm in the main gym with bunches of free food and drinks. The school's very own student council has helped prepare this important activity for months now and they are excited to finally get it up and running. The blood drive is set up the day of the event with special medical chairs and food that sits in the corner. Students are able to make appointments at lunch or right at the blood drive, but before blood can be given they must get their fingers pricked to check hemoglobin levels. During and after giving blood students are free to take the food given by companies and hang around until they are able to return to class. Be sure to donate blood this Friday if you can to help support your fellow citizens!

Feature Story PT2

         Bonjour Mes Amines!! Comment Ca va??? Je suis très fatigue mais Je m'amuse! Hello my friends! How are all of you? This week my school did a really cool lip dub and today is also the blood drive. Speaking of blood drive, I recently did a interview/feature story over the blood drive that is happening currently at my school. Our assignment was to interview two people who were outside of our class and do a story over something that wasn't class related. We were originally going to do something over community service but then we choose to dive deeper and focus on the blood drive.

Process

So the first couple ideas were over community service, they were really board ideas and we didn't exactly have a great plan. Then we got three ideas about community service but we thought those were too far apart, they didn't connect well with each other. Two of my group members were in Student council and suggested doing something about the week of giving so we hen cut down our giant community service idea to a much smaller idea over the topic of our school blood drive. A bunch of ideas were thrown around on who to interview and what bRoll we should get but we settled on our very own stucco president, Austin and his vise president Sydney. They were both very helpful and nice during the whole process of interviewing and Austin was extremely helpful because he had to get interviewed twice due to tech issues. My group didn't have a whole bunch of free time to film, a group member and I were apart of the school musical and the other person named Kevin was busy with his school commitments so were got everything filmed last Tuesday and we all edited last Thursday to turn the whole project in on Friday. Editing was pretty ok. I couldn't use my computer half the time because this other person was constantly using it, but I made due with putting it on the server and editing it somewhere else. I did have to restart a few times because of glitches and I couldn't find my clips but I got it done.

Learned

I learned a lot during this project. I earned how to handle some what difficult group members and I also learned that if I need to ask something or say something to ask it and not be so nervous. Deadlines were hard to do in this project but I learned how to use my time to the fullest so that I can get stuff done. I learned how to add graphics (Names) into my project to introduce someone and I thinkI better understand how to do voiceovers but I am still not sure on how to do it entirely. It is stil a very confusing topic to me. I now know how to add in a delayed lead into my story so that it can add some extra interest andmake it bit different.

Changes

I would definitely change the way I edited my video. I don't like it and I do't think it flows nicely or gets the info across. I would also change the voiceovers. Sophia did a fantastic job but I kinda wanted to do it myself so I could learn how to do it correctly and it would've also sounded better for my story instead of having Sophia do it and I have to fit in her voiceovers. I would really just like to re edit it again but I have no time since I am working on a really big animation project and a really important English video.

Keep Same

I wouldn't like to change my group. Kevin and Sophia were wonderful to work with and I think that everything came together nicely despite out time constraint. I also liked the topic we had, I think it was very important and it was fun to do. I really do like some parts of my video but I'm not a huge fan of the way I did everything.

Experiences 

  This was once again a great experience that I have had in eComm. I really liked working with everyone and the projects are always fun to do no matter how stressed I am.


Thank you for reading and I hope you all are having a great start to this holiday season!
Sophie the First.

Character Walk Cycle

      Bonjour mes amies!!! Comment ça va?! Je me fais bien et vous? My week has been going well, the musical practice has been going great and I'm very excited for the show coming up in two weeks! I have also done some very exciting things in my eComm class. I have been working on a character walk cycle. We have been working on this for a week or so now and the finished product looks pretty cool. 

Process 

    The first thing we did was spent a day or two just sketching our ideas and brainstorming what we wanted to animate. I, for some reason, was in a very Up mood. Maybe I was because I had watched the cute movie last night, but I decided to do something with Russel. I looked at concept art because Russell is 3d and we aren't doing that yet so I needed something 2D to draw. this part took a while for me to do because I wanted it to look pretty close to the art I was looking at. I also changed his gender so Russell became a girl, I didn't want to copyright Pixar, things would get worse. When we sketched this, we had to separate every body part so we could animate the arms, legs, head. Everything. After we were done drawing we had to outline the sketch in sharpie so the copier could read the lines. We copied the picture onto our computers and then put them into Photoshop so we could color the individual pieces and add detail like shadows and highlights. After all the sperate body parts and layers are colored we than exported it into Aftereffects so we could start the animation. This part was a bit tricky because you first have to change the anchor points for each layer, but also have to parent each layer to each other. So the left thigh parents the left calf and the left calf parents the left foot. This continues on until everything is parented to the main body part that won't move, which in this case is the chest. Then I created rotational keyframes for each part that moved to give it that human feel to it. After you had the character walking in place you must create a null object once again to make the character actually cross the screen. I forgot to do this at first but I went back to render it again with my gender bent Russel walk across on the same background as the worm and ball.

Learned 

     I learned a lot again for this project. I had to learn how to create a bipedal walk cycle which is why everything had to be rotated because we naturally walk in arcs. I learned how to better use the keyframes, so I learned that rotations would work for this project and I learned how to use them correctly. I had to create a pattern of the leg going forward straight and backward bent. Once I got that down—after watching many animation guides for realism—I was able to make it look semi-realistic.

Different 

   If I would change anything I think it would be the speed of the walk cycle. I think Russel is walking way too fast, almost at a run, and I don't really like it. I also think there is sliding. I really need to work on the no sliding thing because I seem to be having a bit of an issue with it. I also am not really liking background, it is the same as the others but for this project, I feel like a grassy field doesn't fit Russel. I think the background also downgraded the quality of it when I rendered it out.

Same

   I wouldn't really change anything about the animation save for the speed. I think the colored Russel looks really cool and I think I did a good job because I've had a few people come up to me and ask me if it was Russel and it is. I am pretty proud of how my first bipedal walk came out. I think it looks pretty neat.

Experience 

     This has been really fun to work on. I have really been liking animation so far, even if we have been breezing through all our projects. I know I still have a whole bunch to learn but I am really enjoying my animation class. I have learned so much so far and I have worked hard, but it's all been mostly enjoyable.

    Overal I am pumped for the future projects we are going to do and I am just really excited to continue learning everything. I may not be the best at everything but I am definitely improving so much.

Stay fun, my friends,
SophietheFirst





P.S. Please listen to the Spooky Scary Skeletons Remix by The Living Tombstone. It's so lit and just in time for the Halloween season.