intro
This page demonstrates all the processes that went into the creation of my first large-scale freelance animation project: Garden Grass - a music video for the song of the same name by The Band That Was Tuesday.
Contained here are elements from every stage of development, from the initial ideation stages to the final product.
Contained here are elements from every stage of development, from the initial ideation stages to the final product.
ideating
The concept for this project was not already established when I took it on, which meant that much of the first few weeks working on it were spent brainstorming on a suitable narrative and sequence of events.
We knew which song would be used, so the task became to settle on a fitting story to complement the mood and atmosphere created by the track. This process is chronicled in the meeting notes taken throughout development, which can be seen below.
We knew which song would be used, so the task became to settle on a fitting story to complement the mood and atmosphere created by the track. This process is chronicled in the meeting notes taken throughout development, which can be seen below.
These notes span most of the development timeline, but I felt it was suitable to include them here in a single block.
Alongside these notes I also kept track of the various tasks that needed completing through a database. This would track both the details of the task and also the section of the animation that it related to. This helped me to maintain a cohesive view of the project while it came together.
Alongside these notes I also kept track of the various tasks that needed completing through a database. This would track both the details of the task and also the section of the animation that it related to. This helped me to maintain a cohesive view of the project while it came together.
concept sketches
After deciding on a setting and mood, I next completed some concept sketches for the main character as well as some other elements that were definitely going to be included in one way or another. Doing this helped us to establish a shared understanding of how the project would develop aesthetically.
storyboards
After landing on a narrative and deciding on an aesthetic and mood that the imagery would stick to, the next step was to begin storyboarding, which involved thumbnailing each shot I was planning on including in the final product (this ended up being over 130 shots).
The collection of thumbnails below is the initial shot list, although this quickly grew throughout the process. I approached the thumbnailing and animatic stages in an iterative manner; each shot list would be presented and discussed, with any removals or additions to the list being considered while they were still thumbnail sketches. This ensured that lots of time wasn't wasted on adding or removing fully animated shots later on.
The collection of thumbnails below is the initial shot list, although this quickly grew throughout the process. I approached the thumbnailing and animatic stages in an iterative manner; each shot list would be presented and discussed, with any removals or additions to the list being considered while they were still thumbnail sketches. This ensured that lots of time wasn't wasted on adding or removing fully animated shots later on.
garden grass storyboard resized by oskar
animatics
Thumbnails were a good jumping-off point, but it was the animatics that provided the most insight into the pacing and readability of the animation.
Spending a good amount of time on this stage of development gave me the ability to quickly identify ideas viable for inclusion, as well as ideas that weren't feasible for whatever reason (e.g. the shot may not be given enough time to be readable).
Included below are various animatics from different stages of the project, which gives a good idea of how the final concept was built up over time.
Spending a good amount of time on this stage of development gave me the ability to quickly identify ideas viable for inclusion, as well as ideas that weren't feasible for whatever reason (e.g. the shot may not be given enough time to be readable).
Included below are various animatics from different stages of the project, which gives a good idea of how the final concept was built up over time.
The previous three animatics largely consist of the still thumbnails being edited for pacing. This was a good start, but there was more needed before the detailed animation process could begin.
Below is the final animatic before commencing detailed animation. Here, a greater focus has been placed on movement within the shots, allowing for a better idea of how the animation will interact with the music track.
Doing this provided a more comprehensive understanding of how much impact a shot would have, as I could see whether certain actions were landing on the musical beats.
Below is the final animatic before commencing detailed animation. Here, a greater focus has been placed on movement within the shots, allowing for a better idea of how the animation will interact with the music track.
Doing this provided a more comprehensive understanding of how much impact a shot would have, as I could see whether certain actions were landing on the musical beats.
final animation
Once the animatic was finalised, the detailed animating could start. This was the most time-consuming part of the project, although it was made less so thanks to the thoroughness of the previous stages of development.
I chose to animate at 12fps, with many of the animated elements being on twos or threes, which kept the project workload to a manageable amount. I chose Procreate Dreams as my animation program for this project; a very new entry into animation software. This was a rewarding process, as it allowed me to familiarise myself well with the program (even if there are some frustrating quirks that still need ironing out!).
For most of the shots, a static background was painted with any moving elements omitted. The moving elements were then animated on top, on separate layers. Some examples of empty background paintings can be seen below:
I chose to animate at 12fps, with many of the animated elements being on twos or threes, which kept the project workload to a manageable amount. I chose Procreate Dreams as my animation program for this project; a very new entry into animation software. This was a rewarding process, as it allowed me to familiarise myself well with the program (even if there are some frustrating quirks that still need ironing out!).
For most of the shots, a static background was painted with any moving elements omitted. The moving elements were then animated on top, on separate layers. Some examples of empty background paintings can be seen below:
Below are two examples that show the progression from initial sketch to the final shot:
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And after all that, here is the final outcome!
additional materials
Alongside the main animation being delivered, I worked on various other assets intended to be used alongside the main project as additional promotional materials.
These include various posters for the animation as well as "found footage"-style edited photos with the main character of the animation added into them. These additional materials can be seen below.
These include various posters for the animation as well as "found footage"-style edited photos with the main character of the animation added into them. These additional materials can be seen below.
The photos seen below were originally taken on an instant-print camera that uses thermal paper to print. I then scanned these photos and digitally added the main character.
This was a fun and rewarding process, as I needed to experiment with various photo editing techniques while trying to match the added elements to the photo visually (this included things like matching the scan lines, and ensuring the blur and noise were about the same).
This was a fun and rewarding process, as I needed to experiment with various photo editing techniques while trying to match the added elements to the photo visually (this included things like matching the scan lines, and ensuring the blur and noise were about the same).