Cat Shit One

cso1-1



I came across Cat Shit One when i was looking at my character design in OUDF403. I didn't pursue the video further until we were given this animation module. Cat Shit One is a computer-generated net animation series by Studio Anima. A successful youtube phenomena which has seen an english dubbed version with a DVD release. The animated series is set in the Middle East with indication that the action takes place after 1991.

The animation of the animals in the series is incredible, showing how far technology has come that independent studios like Studio Anima can produce such high quality animation. With fur movement that could rival Sully from monsters inc this series boasts eccentric  and life like human movements in the body of a fluffy rabbit.

Motofumi Kobayashi the producer of the series has done extremely well in bringing this piece to life and has inspired me from an independent company to produce something of this high standard. The series is action packed and fun to watch and would recommend it to anyone.

John Lasseter and Car's

I decided to look at Pixar's cars due to the fact that my animation was based on trains and the movement of the two would be quite similar. The concept artists and director of art for Cars was John Lasseter. His movement of the cars is regarded as a stepping stone in CGI and tested the capability of animators.

John Lasseter has had a huge career over seeing all of Pixar's films and associated projects as executive producer and he directed Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Cars, and Cars 2. John Lasseter having worked on many animation titles brought key ideas to the project of Cars.

It was John Lasseter's idea to have the eyes be in the windshield. It separated the characters from from each other and allowed more expression in the eyes than if they were in the head lights. It also centralised the point of which you viewed the car. Eyes in the lights would have brought the focus to the bottom of the car ignoring the full detail of the vehicle. It also made the car's seem more human like with the car in a small way resembling a human face. Where as if the eyes were in the lights, would have resembled a creature like a snake. Lasseter also decided the characters would use their tires emphasising the human factor in the cars. Some cars are even shown shuffling sideways by moving their wheels about on their suspensions. These fundamentals of animation transferring human qualities into that of a car is what i need to be to be looking at for my animation and key points i need to pick up on for my future in animation.

John Lasseter's work is inspring to me as a producer, especially looking at his extensive career. Looking at Lasseter has helped me hugely on what track i need to be following. His animation techniques are brilliant and ingenuitive, and if it works for him i should take inspiration from his work to better my own.

Princess Mononoke and Hayao Miyazaki

My favourite animation of all time, Princes Mononoke is an inspiring piece of Animation. Produced in Japan back in 1997. Princess Mononoke is a period drama set specifically in an alternate Japanese fantasy. The story concentrates on involvement of the outsider Ashitaka in the struggle between the supernatural guardians of a forest and the humans of the Iron Town who consume its resources. There can be no clear victory, and the hope is that relationship between humans and nature can be restored. Studio Ghibli have set the var for Animation for nearly 20 years now, with huge titles like 'Spirited Away'. But Princess Mononoke for me brings animation to life. The scale of the scenes are just incredible which makes hard to believe that it was produced nearly 15 years ago. The scenery is just beautiful, and some the creature leave me speechless 
Princess Mononoke is mostly hand drawn, but at points incorporates the use of CGI. The computer animated parts were used to blend and support the beautiful hand drawn animation. Hayao Miyazaki who directed Princess Mononoke mastered the whole piece in digital paint, which gave the animation a sharp edge of which would have been revolutionary at the time and subsequently is used now in all Studio Ghibli films. The introduction of Computer aided design sped up the production of the film greatly which shows how useful the technology is and how effectively it can be used. Miyazaki is an all Inspiring producer, he personally checked all 144,00 frames in the film and according to sources personally redrawn  80,000 of them. It is this kind of work that inspires me to work at my animation and strive to be a animator like Miyazaki. In conclusion i looked at this production of this film to see exactly what undertaking a feature length animation would be like. It has blown me away at the sheer amount of work that needs to be put in, but as also inspired me to work harder and push for better marks with my own animation 

OUDF405 Storyboard

My environment

Finally i have reached my end product -

A over view of my environment with the small brio train going along the track

A camera angle i plan on using to the opening of the animation as the train enters thew environment

Another camera angle that i will i use as the train continues down the track

My brio train stopping at the cross junction waiting for the larger train to pass by

Another wide shot of my environment, could be used as a wide panning shot to grasp the size of my environment

Finally the brio train passing the cross road and heading towards the end

Children and Trains

When it comes to children programmes, trains have been a huge topic of interest and very successful over the last 50 years. Trains have been animated from hand drawn animation to 3d modelling. In research for my brio train animation i have looked into various cartoons with trains (old and new) to try and take points in how they move and are animated for inspiration with my own Animation.

 

Going back to 1958 Ivor the Engine was filmed using stop motion techniques, animated using cardboard cut-outs painted with watercolours. The series was originally made for black and white television by Smallfilms for Associated Rediffusion, but was remade in colour for the BBC in 1975. Although the Ivor train has little animation techniques i can transfer to my Maya project, it is still good to see where it all started and what other animators took from Ivor to produce more advanced animation.

 

Watching the opening to Thomas the tank engine for me is my childhood in 32 seconds. Thomas the tank engine and friends took a new form of animation and was produced with live action model's. The use of moving models was seen at the time of the show's conception as an effective method of animating the stories. Locomotives and other vehicles were operated by radio, while humans and animals were static figures. Stop-motion was occasionally employed for instances in which a human or animal character would move. And some hand drawn animation was used at times. Watching back at Thomas gave me several ideas for how i wanted my train to move. Coming to a gradual halt with perhaps the wheels stopping vigorously whilst the train is still skidding along the track. Thomas and friends was eventually animated in CGI in 2009 starting a new chapter in animation

 

Chuggington is an international computer-animated television series for children produced by Ludorum plc and broadcast in 175 territories throughout the world including the BBC children's channel CBeebies. Chuggington currently airs on the Disney Channel Disney Junior’s preschool block in the United States. Chuggington is an very advanced Animation compared to Thomas and friends and Ivor the engine. The new CGI has been worked to a very high standard and although over the top at some points, offers lots of techniques and principles of Animation that i could source in my own work. Firstly I like how the pistons on the top of the trains squash and stretch as the train chug's along emphasising the motion of the steam exhaling through the pistons on the top of the train. The trains also bob along the track as they move as if they had a happy bouncy personality. Looking back at all these different cartoons has helped me build on the principles of animation that i will be representing in my animation and influencing my idea of how a train should move in a Cartoon.