Quick look at my cat

Bonus I got into college:

Initiating the Hack

My cat is mean and hisses at me when I walk into my room but also he could be stressed about moving who knows. He's taken up the hobby of rat watching, and I'm glad they're in a location he 100% can't get to them at. They were here first they're currently superior its how the world works. Also he eats homework, like a fool.

Shhhhh

I'm not here.

Anyways who wants to see my son?

His name is Alexander-Rafiki and he's p r e t t y. 

Oh also I have daughters and their names are Audrey and Rizzo.

Class Evaluation

1. Why did you take this class?
I took this class because I wanted to know how animated movies came to be. I've always been curious and I wanted to see it in depth and also work with it a little on my own. I know I could have just used the power of good old Google to discover how animation works, but I wanted to learn it with my own grubby little paws. I understand with action more than I do words, and so taking a class all about my curiosity really....piqued my curiosity.

2. In general, what did you like most about this class?
In general, the thing I liked most about this class was learning all the new programs. I know Audacity can help me in the future in some way or another, as will Premiere or Photoshop. Learning Harmony will hopefully assist me if I ever find a free animating program I might want to use because I will have a basic understanding of one animating program. I also enjoyed learning Maya, even if it was rough because I was always wanting to know how 3D animation worked.

3. In general, what did you like least about this class?
In general, I least liked the 3D animation. It was cool to learn about and see what work was put into making an animation like it but I did not enjoy making my own animations through the medium. Rigs are very, very complicated and make me want to cry and the lighting is touchy. Plus it is hard to create workable backgrounds and bring new elements in or take old elements out.

4. What was your most favorite project and why?
Although I disliked 3D, my favorite project was the 3D Short. I liked it the most because I found a simple little rig that I fell in love with and then was able to create a story with. It was also the one where I experimented most with sound and music and modeling, and the one where I finally grasped key-frames semi-properly.

5. What was your least favorite project and why?
My least favorite project was the final project. I had issues coming up with a story that followed all the requirements, and even then didn't meet all of them. I also had spent a while out of Harmony so I forgot a lot and slowed down my progress on the project. The project also frustrated me in general because I had a vision for it that didn't play out properly, due to having to readjust and still not being able to meet time constraints.

6. Discuss the overall effectiveness of the instructor (for example: preparation, availability, interest, content knowledge, expectations, etc.).
I think Miss Licata was a very effective instructor. She taught me a lot of things I did not know and wanted to know. She was a good mix of strict yet funny and tolerated the days where I barely got work done because my focus was nonexistent. It was also nice to have an "art" teacher who didn't play favorites for once, she gave honest opinions and critiques that helped out my art. She expected us to take what we learned and turn it into something decent that followed criteria, but not something that met professional levels.

7. What are the most valuable things you learned in the class?
I learned a lot about time management. With deadlines for days, I had to work out a schedule that wouldn't result in anything being handed in late. I also learned how to stay focused on one goal for an extended period of time, which could benefit me in the future with journalism or theatre.

8. Do you feel that this class will help you achieve your future academic or career goals? How or why (or why not)?
I feel this class has helped me to build ethics that will help me achieve my future career goals. I have built a good time management mindset and a better focus in this class so I feel those will help me with my future deadlines and projects in whatever job I end up in.

9. How could this class be improved?
I feel like there could be more essays because there are so many weekends that take away blogs.

10. What would you tell incoming students to help them be more prepared for the class?
I would tell them to be organized and to have a good sense of time management or they will suffer.

11. Additional Comments:
Tim Burton is my dad.

Analysis and Reflection

        My idea was to have two inhuman people in a nondescript cave trying to figure out a weird floating gem. I mostly based my idea of the floating gem on the fact that I wanted to take the "wah-wah" sound we had made when we learned about sound recorders and audacity and incorporate it into the animation. I wanted the "space pirates" because I do not favor natural skin colors and they give me the opportunity to use oranges and pinks for skin and eyes. When they first touch the gem they turn into puppets, and this happens because I wanted something simple and funny. It was fun to be able to animate the puppet-esque mouths, and not have to worry about drawing legs for a while. I also wanted to do something that wasn't usual to my style. They shake it, and the female space pirate starts shrinking, and then the gem pops them back to normal. I made them throw it so that when it fell it had the unexpected fall of a feather and broke very easily upon hitting the ground. Then it was just coins and a portal with another gem formed, so that they could choose to repeat the cycle or not.
        One animation principle I used was appeal. There is appeal in the design of the gem and the way it floats and sounds. My characters have appeal in their designs as well. Carlisle has bright hair and pink skin and is tall with a dark suit but bright sash. Her eye-patch is eye catching, but so is her eye because they are both warm colors beside a cool colored hair. Bean is short and has a blindfold with glowy eyes and orange skin with dark pink hair. The appeal in the characters is also their slightly coordinated color pallets. They both have orange, pink, purple, and blue in different shades on their bodies.  There is anticipation in the animation as well. In the beginning when the gem is just floating, you anticipate something to happen, like a view change or a person to show up. The first explosion also makes anticipation grow because you don't know what the gem did after they poked it. Then when the gem breaks and it switches to a walk cycle you anticipate what the gem has turned into, since it was spewing smoke previously.
         There is staging in the simple three tone and a gradient background I used. It shows that they are in a dark place. The dark place being a cave because of the shapes and the things hanging from the ceiling. There is also exaggeration in the way the puppets talk. Instead of simple mouth movements, an entire half of their head comes off to speak. Carlisle shrinking can also be seen as exaggeration because it is something you wouldn't expect but also something really extreme to make a point.
        I think my puppet section went very well. I have gotten better at timing movement to sound since the beginning of this course and since they spoke by moving instead of lips I felt it was able to be seen fully. I also feel like I have better grasped key-framing. The gem was key-framed for almost the entire animation, and the shrinking Carlisle was also key-framed. I was not lost on how to do it and I kept a consistent speed with the movement for the most part during the animation. It is a huge improvement from my complete shunning of key-frames in the beginning of the course.
        I need to better improve on figuring out how to add more to an animation. I have suffered the issue twice now where I have played out my entire story and still not gotten to the least amount of time it could be. I know my grade suffers from it, but I don't know what I could do to fix this. I feel I need to flesh out my stories more, or add more movements, or something. There is just a quality that is missing from my animations that is taking away from giving them length. I also need to better improve on making movements look smooth. I don't really understand how people do the quick flashy frame thing, but I know my constant arm moving would look a lot better if I did that.
        This project taught me I need to leave more time to relearn things if I have not used a program for a while. I wanted to use camera work in this but I had gotten so used to Maya's camera that I could barely relearn Harmony's camera. I also learned that sometimes making things go your way just isn't going to happen and you're going to have to deal with it. I might revise the fact that my color layer decided to off-center itself a day before the project was due, but also it adds character. Overall, I think my strategy played out very well, I put most of my storyboard into action and that is what I wanted to do. I just wish my strategy had gotten me that last like 400 frames. I feel this project will leave a lasting impression on me. It has given me an overall feeling of accomplishment, but also some disappointment. I'm glad I finished on time and didn't give up hope, but I'm upset some things didn't turn out as envisioned and I'm mostly upset about my color layer because that is a huge mess-up. But I like my space pirates and I like my weird floating gem, and I like what this project has taught me.

References for Days

REFERENCE #1

The idea for the way the eyes are seen through the bandages on my one character was taken from the Demon Hunter class in World of Warcraft and how they are all blind but can still see in a way, and how their eyes glow through their eye coverings.

REFERENCE #2
Adding and Deleting Keyframes
It is kind of a silly reference to have. However, at one point I completely forgot how to work key-frames and this really helped me to remember. Which is good because I used them a fair amount.

REFERENCE #3

I have a puppet-esque scene in my animation. The puppet mouth movement was inspired by the way the South Park Canadians talk. It is amusing and kind of unexpected.

REFERENCE #4

I had a back view walk cycle. It does not look good at all, but I used these two things to try and help me out with making it. Back views are harder than you expect them to be.

REFERENCE #5

Admittedly, it is not the smartest choice on my part, but I really do not like Harmony's lip syncing function. So I rely on free handing it and the assistance of mouth charts. These two are the ones I used the most while lip syncing. They probably didn't make for smooth lip syncing, but I was trying to work with what made me comfortable.

REFERENCE #6

I have a kind of explosion in my animation and this video helped me to understand how to make it happen. I wanted the kind of fluffy explosion that this one is. It was very helpful for getting a basic grasp on explosions.

Be More Chill

        Me: Freaking out internally 24/7.
        This week I have learned that there is a huge chance I am not going to finish in time and I am panicking hardcore. I am trying my best to get this done but it is harder than I remember to focus on 2D. I just want to get it done and throw some music in and get the final blog post done but I am worry worry worry worry.
        Something I want to learn in the future is how to get sleep. Like a regular human. I want to lay down at a marked bedtime and then go to sleep at that time. I just want to feel like a well-rested human and not a zombie for once.
       Something that frustrated me this week was my lack of focus. Where did it go? Why did it leave? Will it come back? Please come back. I miss you. I need you. I like...really need you. I am not kidding you come back here right now.
       Something that made me happy this week was finding a new musical I enjoy. It is called Be More Chill and it has a lot of relatable songs. Like one about hiding in the bathroom at a party. Or one about having to put on pants. A good teenage musical.
       Did you know some animated movies could change based on what country they are in?