Semester B: Week 39
Student: Tai Ser Yeet (22064351)
Programme: BA (Hons) Digital Media Design
Task: Week 39's Class Task
WEEK 39
I decided to take a break from developing the sub-plot of my storyline to focus on the ideal art direction I wanted to take because my previous animation idea required a lot of drawing which admittedly, isn't my strongest pursuit. I also believe that by having a clear idea of how I want my animation to look, I can accurately plot my narrative better. With that, I went onto Pinterest to gain inspiration from other creators and I stumbled upon an interesting art concept which seems simple to execute. After browsing the platform, my attention was immediately drawn to Edel Rodriguez's artworks which can be seen below.
My Observation of the Artwork- strong sense of graphic, bold and expressive imagery
- use of symbolism
- used charcoal and paper medium, leading to rough edges around the elements
- organic-like shapes
- evoked tension and an uncomfortable feeling in viewers
- incorporated contrasting colors and only a few colors
Understanding the Power of Symbolism
I noticed that I am typically drawn to the idea of symbolism due to its indirect nature and its ability to allow the viewer's mind to churn. Not to mention, it is definitely one of the more interesting forms of communication.It can be said that higher cognitive effort from the viewers within a reasonable threshold enhances our memory and thus, provides impact and a lasting impression.
Later, I went onto YouTube and immersed myself in tutorials to grasp the concept more deeply.
Finalising the Plot I acknowledged that drawing human characters was too hard and time-consuming so I chose a bird as the main protagonist instead. The reason I chose that specific animal is purely because of the main storyline of this film where the subject craves freedom in a constricted environment.
I drafted out the narrative of this new story and included a few alternative pathways for starters.
When I was happy with the plot, I went onto Figjam and made a divisional chart that included 4 parts where the user could choose how they wanted the story to flow. Some of the pathways eventually end up in the same scene. One of the endings is also shorter than the other.
Illustrating the Assets/ StoryboardingI started by collecting reference photos of simple bird illustrations and made 3 different bird characters resembling the father, mother and son. 
I also split the story into 3 scenes and into 3 different Illustrator documents so it is less confusing and the file size wouldn't be so huge.
Scene 1- 3 birds were casually strolling when they were suddenly caught by a man.
- They were put into a cage and placed in the man's truck.
- The man drove his truck filled with other birds to a secluded area.
- He proceeded to hang the cage with the 3 birds on a tall tree and drove off.
- The player has a choice of getting the birds to "Chirp all night" or "to stay quiet".
- Either way, the bird with orange wings was tired of being trapped so it took action by climbing onto the top part of the cage and placing all its body weight on one side.
- The cage started swinging and fell to the ground with a loud thump.
Scene 1
Scene 2- The 2 big birds expressed their anger towards the small bird for making their current situation worse than it already is.
- Out of the blue, they spot worms crawling a few metres away from where they were and their eyes lit up with excitement.
- The 2 big birds enjoyed the worms while the small bird slowly realised the unfortunate fate that he was in.
- The player has a choice of "Discussing an escape plan" or "Remain quiet"
- If the player chooses the option to conduct a discussion, the 2 big birds laugh hysterically at the small bird's "ridiculous" idea and the small bird walks away with his head hung low from embarrassment.
Scene 2
Scene 3- Sometime after, the 2 big birds became overweight due to the lack of exercise and the habit of overeating.
- Small bird sees a flock of birds flying across their cage and are in awe.
- The player chooses whether the small bird should "Escape tonight" or "remain in the cage".
- If "Escape tonight" was chosen, the small bird would chew on the wires and escape while the 2 other birds were soundly asleep.
- If "Remain in the cage" was picked, the small bird became overweight after a month and died along with the other 2 birds.
Scene 3
Animating the AssetsI separated each part of the object that I wanted to animate into its individual layers in Illustrator. I selected Release to Layers (Sequence) and dragged them up so it changed the sublayers into proper layers.
I imported them into After Effects and adjusted the anchor points of each layer to their proper pivotal point using the anchor point tool.
I experimented with the position and rotation of the object and placed keyframes along the timeline when the value was finalised. 
Outcome of AnimationJust animating that one bird took me 3-4 hours and I ran into a few issues along the way but YouTube saved me in that sense. However, I was starting to have doubts about whether I could finish this on time. I was probably too ambitious because I planned to animate all the scenes in this film. Now that I think about it, it is rather ridiculous. Not only that, the outcome wasn't as I had hoped.
My current plan now is to draw everything in Illustrator and compile all of the images in Photoshop.
ReferencesRodriguez, E. (2012). Edel Rodriguez II. [Image] The Art Room Plant. Available at: https://theartroomplant.blogspot.com/2012/08/edel-rodriguez-ii.html [Accessed 5 May 2024].mistersato411 (2014). Symbols and symbolism. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://youtu.be/69A6xyXGC-M?si=cANMpknMDd-f3BcC [Accessed 5 May 2024].
My Observation of the Artwork
- strong sense of graphic, bold and expressive imagery
- use of symbolism
- used charcoal and paper medium, leading to rough edges around the elements
- organic-like shapes
- evoked tension and an uncomfortable feeling in viewers
- incorporated contrasting colors and only a few colors
I noticed that I am typically drawn to the idea of symbolism due to its indirect nature and its ability to allow the viewer's mind to churn. Not to mention, it is definitely one of the more interesting forms of communication.
I also split the story into 3 scenes and into 3 different Illustrator documents so it is less confusing and the file size wouldn't be so huge.
Scene 1
- 3 birds were casually strolling when they were suddenly caught by a man.
- They were put into a cage and placed in the man's truck.
- The man drove his truck filled with other birds to a secluded area.
- He proceeded to hang the cage with the 3 birds on a tall tree and drove off.
- The player has a choice of getting the birds to "Chirp all night" or "to stay quiet".
- Either way, the bird with orange wings was tired of being trapped so it took action by climbing onto the top part of the cage and placing all its body weight on one side.
- The cage started swinging and fell to the ground with a loud thump.
 |
| Scene 1 |
Scene 2
- The 2 big birds expressed their anger towards the small bird for making their current situation worse than it already is.
- Out of the blue, they spot worms crawling a few metres away from where they were and their eyes lit up with excitement.
- The 2 big birds enjoyed the worms while the small bird slowly realised the unfortunate fate that he was in.
- The player has a choice of "Discussing an escape plan" or "Remain quiet"
- If the player chooses the option to conduct a discussion, the 2 big birds laugh hysterically at the small bird's "ridiculous" idea and the small bird walks away with his head hung low from embarrassment.
 | |
|
Scene 3
- Sometime after, the 2 big birds became overweight due to the lack of exercise and the habit of overeating.
- Small bird sees a flock of birds flying across their cage and are in awe.
- The player chooses whether the small bird should "Escape tonight" or "remain in the cage".
- If "Escape tonight" was chosen, the small bird would chew on the wires and escape while the 2 other birds were soundly asleep.
- If "Remain in the cage" was picked, the small bird became overweight after a month and died along with the other 2 birds.
 | |
|
Animating the Assets
I separated each part of the object that I wanted to animate into its individual layers in Illustrator. I selected Release to Layers (Sequence) and dragged them up so it changed the sublayers into proper layers.
I imported them into After Effects and adjusted the anchor points of each layer to their proper pivotal point using the anchor point tool.
I experimented with the position and rotation of the object and placed keyframes along the timeline when the value was finalised.
Outcome of Animation
Just animating that one bird took me 3-4 hours and I ran into a few issues along the way but YouTube saved me in that sense. However, I was starting to have doubts about whether I could finish this on time. I was probably too ambitious because I planned to animate all the scenes in this film. Now that I think about it, it is rather ridiculous. Not only that, the outcome wasn't as I had hoped.
My current plan now is to draw everything in Illustrator and compile all of the images in Photoshop.
Rodriguez, E. (2012). Edel Rodriguez II. [Image] The Art Room Plant. Available at: https://theartroomplant.blogspot.com/2012/08/edel-rodriguez-ii.html [Accessed 5 May 2024].
mistersato411 (2014). Symbols and symbolism. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://youtu.be/69A6xyXGC-M?si=cANMpknMDd-f3BcC [Accessed 5 May 2024].