Callie Meets Photoshop

I sat at a different desk this week across the room from Julie and Erin :( but the chair was very comfortable so huzzah! This is another two day week, and I'm sort of caught in between stages of work here, so I haven't gotten much done. I just finished the very long document about the stages of animation and am currently getting started on the script for my own little project now. It's sort of difficult to know how complicated I can make it, because although I have learned about each stage, I haven't done any hands on. With the exception of tutorials I watched online. I was able to animate a water drop after watching videos on YouTube, but that is very different from something with backgrounds, characters and props!

On Tuesday I attempted to use Photoshop and it was hopeless. Yes, I was able to draw something, but it was using the background colour palette, which I am pretty sure is not the correct way. I will definitely be doing some homework this weekend.

Callie Likes Snacks and Concepts Better Than Animation. Maybe.

Of course Monday was a holiday (yum turkey), so I've only been in for two days this week. I'm continuing the project that Julie gave me, which is to learn about each stage of animation before I start my animated short. It's super helpful because I know what I'm getting into, and also understanding how much work goes into animation. I'll have to keep that in mind when I am choosing an idea for my short. On Wednesday I interviewed lots of very nice people about design, voice record, scene planning, animation and revisions. I've also sort of realized through this process that I am more interested in concept and design than I am in actual animation. At least I think. I'll see once I actually start my film.

Friday was pretty similar to Wednesday in that I interviewed more people. I was in the editing suites with Joel for about an hour learning about special effects. I watched the animatic for The Curse of Clara and saw some shots he had edited to look 3D and as if an actual camera was filming it. Very cool. Ben brought in lots of food from a live commercial he had filmed the day before so I ate a doughnut and some licorice which pretty much made my day, then he taught me about rough, fine and lock cuts. I'm excited for next week, but for now happy weekend!

Our New High School Intern Callie

It was my first week at Smiley Guy and I’ve learned so much. In the time I’ve spent there, I have worked out story ideas for my animated short, watched student animations and learned about a few of the many stages of animation. When you watch the telly, all you see is the final product and not a lot of people realize, me included up until a while ago, that there are around 15 stages of animation before anything gets released. That’s crazy!! But is gives me a lot of respect for the people who make these shows.

To learn about the animation process, I interviewed Jeremy, who writes scripts, Aaron, the art director and Kal, a storyboard artist. It’s pretty cool how much goes into just one episode of Chirp. For my short film, I’ll have to do each step myself, so learning from people who have lots of experience is very helpful. Thanks for a great first week!