EOY Reflection

            I learned how to use Maya and Adobe After Effects. Those programs have a lot more to them then just the things we did in them. We learned the walk cycle, editing with the green screen, and making 3D objects. What I will do with what I’ve learned is probably find a way to apply it to graphic design. I feel that would be appropriate considering that is the stand I will be focusing on next year.
             We learned some of these techniques through different tutorials and step by step with the teacher. For certain effects that I did not know how to do, I looked it up on Google.  Trial and error is a big part of animation because you won’t get anything finished if you don’t try new things. This is important because it teaches us new ways of learning how to do simple movements and effects. Also, it is important for getting into any job in this field of work. For example, you can’t be an animator if you don’t know the basics. That is why this is important.            
          My strengths in this class would be getting my work completely finished, helping others on their projects, and staying on task. My weaknesses are having time to go back and fix projects that were not improved. I have improved by making time outside of class to work on projects such as the UFO in our video.
             The only thing I would change in animation class is how fast we go through a walkthrough of a project. Sometimes we go too fast and it is hard to keep up. Other than that this class is pretty good.             
          Overall, this class has taught me a lot about animation and how to use the software. I have learned lots of basic techniques that I would not have a clue how to do without this class.

Professional Project

          Toy Story is an animated film that came out on November 22, 1995. The Disney movie portrays the life of a young boy's toys' lives when people are not around. Woody is the leader of the toys but is soon introduced to a new toy. This toy causes conflict between some of the toys throughout the movie. Toy Story is a very kid friendly movie. The scope of the making of Toy Story was to create an entertainment for children and their families. And that's exactly what they did.

          The story is told through the perspective of toys. They get along together very well--until a new toy comes along. At the beginning they have quite a few conflicts with each other. Not long after Buzz (new toy) came along, Woody and Buzz had a fight and ended up far from the house. The story of Toy Story shows how these two toys grow into a friendship and eventually find their way back home.

          One element I could apply to my own work is the walk cycle. We already did this in After Effects but it is used in the movie also. For the walk cycle you need to use lots of keyframes and a few pin points. Place a keyframe and move a point to get started. Once you've done that you just repeat in the movements you want for your walk.

          The creator did an amazing job on Toy Story. He made a great story into a great animation. The only thing that could improve is maybe the technology used for the movie. That is because the technology has advanced a bit in the recent years of this film. Overall, I love this movie and I believe the directors, animators, and film makers did a great job in the making of Toy Story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wcg7I-4Zymc

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2011-09/25/content_13792655.htm

Personal Blog

     For this project we were to create a skit that involved an actor, a 3D animation model, an explosion, and there was supposed to be audio/sound. My partners were Emily and Hannah. My role in the making of this film was to create a 3D model of a UFO.

     The story behind our skit was of a pizza deliverer going to deliver some pizza to someone. They never answered the door and then she hears a strange noise. She runs out into the street and notices a giant UFO. It shoots her and she and the pizza blow up.

     I made the UFO animation in Maya and also After Effects. I also added a glow to the lights to make it not so dull. In Maya I had to make the UFO move back and for using keyframes. When I moved it over to After Effects I  needed to only render it out. Them at that point we were able to import it into our video, which was made in After Effects as well.

     Something I learned doing this project was to manage my time better. I needed to stay after school a few times to get it done. Another thing I learned, was how to add a glow to lights and also how to make more than just a line movement when using keyframes.

     Overall, I thought this project was pretty fun. I loved being able to use the green screen and that it wasn't a super serious project. I liked how it was in teams and we also had a little more freedom in the creating of our video and story.

Individual Project

My individual project is an adult coloring book. I chose this because I wanted to incorporate my drawings into this project. I drew these throughout the semester, scanned, and imported them into Photoshop to give them a transparent background. I then moved them to Illustrator and embeded them. I created a border for a cleaner look and printed it off. Once it was printed I colored only part of it and scanned it back in for my final project. The drawings are original.

Creative TEAM Project

     The TEAM Carton project was to create a toy product in which the container serves a second purpose. My partner Kris and I came up with a toy race car. The container's second purpose is the shape it makes forming a ramp for the car to go either up or down. We found our inspiration for our product through the idea of Hotwheels.  We both agreed on the concept although we also did not want to copy the name or even necessarily the logo's style. Above are a few sketches I came up with for our logo. The end result was the second sketch but we called it Speedwheels.

      Kris and I incorporated the 5 guarantees in our project as well. First, we used Communication within the making of our Speedwheels; I missed a lot of the class time because of softball and we were able to work around that. Second, I used leadership by helping to decide what our toy product should be. Third, we used technical skills because we did things such as importing a template for a box cutout. That was a new skill I have not done yet. Fourth, we used collaboration by discussing the design and different features of our container. Fifth, we used project management through getting the Speedwheels project complete and turned in on time.

Package Carton

For this project we were to create a supplement that would improve something about our lives. My partner was Kaylee and we created Strive. Stirve's purpose is to give people motivation for them to do their daily tasks. On the package and bottle it says, "strive, motivation, accomplish, and reach new heights". The mountains on the design represent the reach new heights piece of the product. We chose this because it is something we would personally like to have in real life.