Final Animation

Animation Stage 4

I have added in a reflections to the leaf

and i have added a path to the leaf reflection follows

the actual leaf and it looks realistic.

Animation Stage 3

I have now added the moon and the path of the moon
too, to make it appear to be moving across the screen

a little.

I have decided that i want the moon to be
 in the whole

animation so it will be in the beginning behind a building and

then it will gradually move across. 

I really like this idea and i think that it goes well with the 

idea. I think that the size of the moon works as well, i didn't

was it small.

I have added in a light and a dark red background 

to make the animation more effective and i have

then changed how the light moves.

At the beginning the light starts quite big, and it 

covers most of the page

as the animation progresses more i have made the light

get smaller and smaller but still follow the leaf

and finally, when the leaf hits the water the light 

is much smaller and makes the viewer

focus on the leaf. 

Animation Stage 2

I have now added in the water and the 

silhouette of the skyline

I have also added the yellow lights into the composition

and parented them with the building so that when the 

building moves to make the leaf appear to be falling further 

i want the lights to stay in perfect position.

I have made everything 3d so that that i can place everything

in layers. 

I have decided that i want to add in a reflection because

i want it to look more realistic, so i will create that once i

have made sure that the leafs path is right.

Animation Stage 1

Leaf And Branch

I have placed my leaf and Branch images into after effects

and i have placed them where i want them to start. 

I  want the branches to move and the leaf to fall in the zigzag. 

I have created the path for the leaf and

i have pinned the tree and moved each branch with each

second. I think it looks good, and allthough i will need to 

change the leafs path to make it more fluid it looks good. 

final Background

I have decided that i want to have a dark back

ground and then to have a cityscape in the
 background so that when the beats hit in the music

i will be able to have the lights coming on 

in the building as if they are waking up to watch

the leaf fall.

So i have decided that i will use a dark grey skyline 

silhouette. 

I have created this skyline, but i have only put windows in the 

sections that will be seen as the sides won't be used at all. 

I have also decided that i do want the leaf to fall into water so i have 

taken an image of some water. 

I have chosen water thats quite still and doesn't have too

much movement in it, so that i can make it work in my 

animation. 

I have then put it into photoshop and i have just used

the bottom section of the image.

I have also decided that i want the moon in my animation

but rather than having just a white circle, i want it to be a really

big moon where you can see all of the shading from

the craters because my leaf and tree aren't normal so i don't want 

to have an ordinary moon either.

I have taken the background out so that  i can make it follow a path

in after effects. 

Background ideas

I have created this brainstorm to give me ideas about how i will

be able to create a good background.

I want to use a few different pieces of imagery to make it look

effective. so i have thought about all the different areas

i could look at and then gone a bit further with them, 

with the placement of the branch and the leaf in mind.

After Effects

I have changed my mind about doing my animation 

with stop motion animation, because all though it worked

quite well, it didn't have the effect that i want it to,

i can't get the motion smooth enough, and this doesn't

work for the beginning of my animation. 

so i have decided that i will use after effects
so that i can pin all of the points of the tree and make
it move fluidly and also so i can make the leaf follow
a path and not have to do it manually.

Imagery

Final Imagery

I have drawn and cut out the leaf and the tree branch i 

intend to use, i have tried to get the background as

contrasting as i can so that it makes it easy to take away

in Photoshop I have drawn these strangely because i wanted

them to be interesting and a bit different to add some abstract into

my idea.. 

I have completely taken the background off both of these 

images so that i can mold them how i like in after effects.

I needed them to have nothing around them at all so that they are

free to move, as i want the leaf to go across the whole image as it 

floats down.

With the tree its even more important, as although i don't need it 

to go across the whole page, i need to to move upward so that the 

leaf appears to be falling further. I also need to move the branches 

to make it appear like the wind is blowing, so each one

will need to be pinned and moved throughout the animation.

After Effects Sessions

At first i was thinking of using stop motion to create my 

animation, until we started looking at After effects

and then i decided that i wanted to use this programme 

as i felt that it would make my animation look more effective.

we had a few sessions in which we were able to 

get to grips with the programme and try out a few

of the effects it had to offer. 

This is an example of one of the things i created.

I enjoyed making this and it made me want to use

after effects. so i started to play around with it and

with that i found ways of creating my animation. 

This made me realise how to add shadow, paths and 

how to pin the animation to make separate parts move

independently which is what it want to do with my tree.

Slight Change

I have decided to slightly change my idea, im going 

to have it so it is the last leaf on the tree and its trying 

to escape. This way it adds into the music better. 

This is my first attempt at trying to make this,

i think it needs some more background perhaps some

more branches.

Storyboard

Falling Leaf

Storyboard

I want it to be around 25 seconds i will need to cut the music in

two parts. the whole piece is 1.4o and i will take seconds; 

1-8

17-24

33-43

The first image, the one on the left will last around five seconds 

and it will be the initial drawing of the branch and leaves, but it wont 

have any detail or shading. 

The second image will be the section that will add in all the 

detail, i wanted to make it slightly abstract so i have created

some patterns on the leaves to make it a little more interesting.

This section will also last around five seconds.

In the third image, the leaf will be moving around with the branch

in the wind and then the small branch will break slightly getting

ready for the 4th image. 

This will last around 3 seconds. 

This 4th image shows the leaf actually breaking away

from the branch, i am going to have a little bit of paper 

animation from this second on. I will have an image of the leaf

at different angles getting bigger and bigger so it appears to be

moving. 

This section will last for around 4 seconds.

 

The last image shows how the leaf will fly off in the wind ( on the left)

and how i will make it more 3d in this section by moving the leaf to 

make it appear to be floating around. This will only last around three

seconds. 

The last image is the leaf finally falling into the river and the ripples

it then creates. Each ripple will have its own second so that it can 

spread out! This section will make up the last five seconds.

Development

My Favorite idea.

 I really like the idea of having the leaf falling from the tree as

as escape, so i have decided to start looking at ways in which

i could make it work properly to the music.

I want the beginning section to be just the leaf on the tree,

the music is quieter at the beginning so i don't want too much 

going on. 

As the music gets louder, the leaf will break away from the tree and

fall to the ground. 

This was my inital idea, having the leaf fall from the tree and then

into some water, either a puddle or lake. then with the ripples coming from

the leaf for the final second or two.

I have decided i will think of a few other ways that i could do this 

and perhaps achieve a better outcome.

With the first image, i have looked at how i can change the movement of 

the leaf as it falls. I think i want to do something more than the leaf just floating 

down, i want it to hit the wind and fly off at least a little.

In the second image, i have thought about how i could have more 

leaves on the tree so that i can animate them at the beginning 

and make it look a little better.

All though if i were to add more leaves at the beginning i would have 

to rethink my idea of the leaf being the last before winter and its

escape.

I thought that there could be a change at the end,

where someone was to step on the leaf and that be the

finl image you see. i wouldn't want to have 

a character in the animation just the shoe print.

Stop motion 3

This is my third attempt at making a stop motion, i think the 

overall quality of this one is better and the amount i fit into 

the time frame is better. It is more detailed but i have made 

this one at 30 frames per second. 

I want to do something like this and then have leaves falling off

when the beats hit. I want to make some of it paper motion to 

mix it up a little!

I have also created this one in colour to make it a little

different but for my final it will be in black and white

as i prefer it.

Stop Motion 2

Because i quite liked the way the previous attempt

worked out i decided to make another but a longer one

this time with 20 frames per second rather than 8 which

is what i used in my previous one. 

I still think that i need to get more of the drawing done in less

time but with perhaps more detail. 

This clip lasts for 10 seconds and i still think that is far

too long to get my whole idea in, as not a lot actually 

happens in this. 

Leaves & Vines

I really liked the idea of doing with leaves or vines 

for my animation so i wanted to look at some other 

animations that are fairly similar

 I like the way that this animation had shown the 

growth of the leaves and then showing them 

blowing off in the wind, which, although i don't

want to do mine exactly like this its very alike. 

I wanted to look at the way this person has made the 

leaves grow, and it looks like i could do it in stop motion 

or cell animation quite well.

I wanted to do it all hand drawn, but i'm not too sure that

it will look that good. but i want it quite abstract too so i will

have to play around with different techniques and see

which one looks the best and most professional.

 I love the way that this works and even though

it is quite fast in this one i could do all sorts with

it. it wouldn't matter what colour i wanted to do it

because  want it abstract and therefore different.

I really like the way that this artist has made the 

leaves appear and disappear by spinning, i think it 

looks really effective and it has made me want to do 

something like this. or incorporate something similar 

into my animation.

I know that this is a very sort animation but it has

a really smooth action for the leaf falling and how

it sways from side to side. this really helps me 

understand how i would draw this because i intend

on having leaves fall away from the vine. 

I need to do some more experimentation with my ideas

but for the moment this is my favorite idea. 

Stop Motion 1

From the idea that i have come up with, I really liked

the idea of having vines and leaves twining together 

and growing with the music.

I Have never really done any stop motion before

so i thought i would have a few test runs to see what

it actually looked like when it was all put together. 

This is my first attempt and i think it looks alright, i 

would have to look at how i could either incorperate

me actually drawing it into the idea or have it so you 

cant see my hand at all.

I also think for how much is drawn in the amount of time

is also an issue, I would need to have way more frames

per second to make it flow and progress quite quickly,

as i only have a 20-30 piece to animate. 

Vines

Growing Vines

In this idea, i want to make vines grow with the music, 

so at first i want there to be just the vine and no leaves,

and then as the music become louder and louder

more and more leaved will grow to be finally

left with a full branch.

The only issue with this idea, is the filming side of it.

to be able to get the camera angles right, will be very

difficult and speeding it up and slowing it down 

with each leaf growth will be difficult too. 

I do like this idea, it will just be quite difficult to

make look effective. 

Footsteps

Idea 1 - Footsteps 

 

From the Initial idea of creeping i thought

that this would be a good way to portray the music

having the footsteps appearing and then disappearing

as the person went along. As the music gets louder the

footsteps could get quicker.

there is an issue with this idea, is that it goes with the first part

of the sample but not with the second, and im not sure how i

would be able to make it fit with the second part as the first does

not last long enough for the whole animation. 

I would like to blur them out like has been done here.

but rather than have a fade effect on the whole thing, i want

to have each footfall fade as if the person has just picked their 

foot up. so the whole footprint will only last for half a second.  

I could make the feet stop moving half way through and then

have something fall to the floor in front, to go with the rest of the

music.

I was also thinking about using real shoe prints, by standing on 

some paint and then printing my shoes. i cold then animate these. 

Paint

Idea 2 - Paint

My second idea was to have a drop of paint splattering

onto some paper/surface. and then follow on the the trails

that would come off it!

at the beginning of the sample of music, i want to have a few

splashes of paint dropping around the initial drop to go along

with the music, and on each beat another will drop. 

again im not entirely sure how i could tackle the rest of the music

as this wont fill the whole 20-30 seconds, but with something added

onto the end i think that this may work very well.

i want each drop of paint to hit the paper at exactly the same time

as the beats in the music or i think that this piece will lose its effect. 

I will then have the camera follow the path that the paint takes

almost like a journey and with straws change the direction it runs 

in to make it more interesting. 

Leaf

Idea 4 - Leaf

With this idea i want to have the last leaf on the tree in winter 

and have it as an escape to the floor with the rest of the leaves.

I want to have the first part of the music as the leaf wriggling 

and trying to escape and then it will break free when the music

changes. The second part of the music reminds me of a wind,

so i think that the leaf falling down to the floor will go very well

with this.

 

When the leaf gets further down there will be some water that it will 

fall into, then there will be some ripples that willl come from the leaf

and that is how it will finish!

I also would do this in slow motion so you can actually see the leafs full

journey. 

Water

Dripping Water

This is my third idea. i wanted to film a tap dripping and

then slow it down so that you can physically see every part

of the waters movement into the sink. 

I think that this idea could work really well, especially if 

i am able to show a bit of water dropping into the sink every 

time a beat is heard on the sample. again this will have to be

timed very well so it will be difficult to do!

 

I want to be able to see every single bit of the water drop.

i may be able to change the sample a little and mix it around. 

this would work really well if i could have the middle section

of the music first becuase that will go with the water actually falling

and then the end could be each drop of water dropping into the 

sink. 

Flower

Idea 5 - Flower

This idea is quite simple in the way that all i want to happen is for a

closed flower to slowly open up and bloom, again this would only go 

with the first part of the music and so i would have to think of something

to go with the second part. 

The flower will open more and more with every beat of the 

music and then start of wither away, as i want this in stop motion too.

The withering away could go with the second part of the music 

as it would fit quite well. with the right shadowing it would work well. 

i could also have a petal of the flower falling to fit with the second

piece of music.

Ideas

CLOCKS

CREEPING 

DRIPPNG

These were the first 3 words i thought of when i listened to my

piece of music, I have made brainstorm to think of where

i could go with each of these words in the form of an animation.

The words that inspired me the most from what i have come up with

were; movement and gears, Vines and plants and paint splatter.