Week 3

  I'm currently half way through Week 3 (Wednesday), and after a chance chat with Leonie yesterday, I have decided to change my Final Film idea, almost completely. 
  Even though I'd had the concept and visuals for my final film in my head for quite some time, I was finding it difficult to get myself excited and into the project. Fortunately, after showing my ideas but also what I wanted to gain from the final film itself. When I told her I wanted to showcase backgrounds she pointed out that all the backgrounds for the idea I had one have essentially been the same... which is very true. And so we stared brainstorming ideas on how to get as many backgrounds and a variety of backgrounds, I showed her my research and what kind of backgrounds I wanted to work on and so we came up with a new premise that I'm really really excited about.
  
  The new idea is that my film will not have a character as much, or a narrative or plot, but is just a 'journey' through many different worlds and backgrounds. The thing guiding the viewer through the .....

  As I was writing this post, another idea has sprung to mind...

  This above idea is about a little spirit/sprite who lives in a book shop, she discovers an encyclopaedia and is completely blown away by all the knowledge (working title?). It would be a fast paced mash up film of short sequences of her flicking through the book and discovering everything from architecture to anatomy to languages to myths and animals. 
The little sprite thing really drinks it all in and its really joyous and exciting. With this idea I could have a plot and still have a range of backgrounds to paint. I could still use pans and multiperspective panoramas, but also work on staging a little more. I feel that something like this would help me to develop my background painting more than the original plot-less film I was going to make after speaking with Leonie. It's a little more character driven which is not what i wanted to focus on the most, but the animation can still be in the fluid style that I like and the I'll have more practice producing backgrounds for all different types of shots. 

   It is now Friday of Week 3, and upon reviewing this idea and the idea discussed with Leonie, I have decided to go back and develop my original idea further. The more I thought and tried to plan out a more complicated film, I remembered why I designed my original concept in the first place.  So, I have decided to go back to my original aesthetic and film concept, but to elongate the beginning so that I can branch out on backgrounds and still have a variety to show my skills. I feel a little more excited now and confident that I can achieve this. So my first steps from now on would be to think about the beginning of the story and quickly draw up a few backgrounds, to then storyboard with. 

  Yesterday and today however, (Thurs & Fri) I have been on work experience with Happy Hour Productions in Bristol, colouring and shading frames for a short animated advert. I will be there Monday to Thursday on week 4 as well, but I feel confident that I can get a good level of work done by then.