Soundscape Submission

Sonic Concept Soundscapes

Original and Post-Produced SFX

(Starts Loud)

"Sonic Concept" Scribd Publication

Sonic Concept by Kimberley Davis on Scribd

Sound Designer Profile - Tom Myers

Tom Myers - Sound Designer by Kimberley Davis on Scribd

  Soundscape Reflective Statement

  As far as projects goes, this one was quite small but was fun to do. The main aim was to create sounds that reflect the three images given, and produce three thirty second soundscapes. In the briefing, the images was completely randomised and placed online in groups. We had to choose a number out of a box, then go online to to receive the images chosen. The first goal was to study the image, then think about what sounds it would make.  It then came down to us to go out and find the sounds desired, place them into audition and  use the program to create new SFX. Once completed, it was a case of carefully placing them together to give the image life.

  As we had already used sounds to create a soundtrack for our animatics in the "Script to Screen" project, this one was more about gaining an understanding of sound structure and the controls in audition. Thinking creatively and outside of the box would give the best sounds.

   For the first image, I felt it was similar to a brain and would have a pulse/ palpation. This was mainly due to its shape and structure. The orange areas seemed to have a brittle appearance, but could be more a gripping addition like in some plant seeds. Having all these feature left quite a range for sounds, but placing emphasis on a beat would give the image that organic appeal. On the second image, it seems like the green plant-like beings are restricted by the blue wire. So here, it felt like the green parts are being stretched and pinging away when escaping. This sound aspect would be much higher in pitch. The third concept seemed much harder, more like seeds or rocks. so, the main sounds that came to mind here are much sharper, more like clicking or popping.

  The process of gathering sounds took me quite a few days, going outside as well as searching the house. We are not allowed to use pre-produced sounds, so hunting was part of the project. As I haven't used Adobe Audition to alter sounds before, it was confusing at first. But, became easier the more I did it. A lot the process in this project was trial and error, and listening carefully to make the best soundscapes possible.

  If I was to do this project again, although I spent a large amount of time hunting sounds, I would probably try to get more so there was a bigger variety to choose from. Its seemed a lot of my sounds where very similar, and a bigger expansion would have given more to play with. I will take the experience from this project forward into future animations, and though experimentation have learnt alot about audition. Overall, the sounds scapes are quite successful and give the effect desired from my altered SFX.

After Effects Lesson 1 - Animation, Motion Tracking and

Animation in After Effects

   Starting lessons today in Adobe After effects, we learnt how to move two cars along a road. This was done doing the pen tool to create 2 masks, then copied and pasted into the cars positioning information. This allowed for the cars to move along the set paths, then placing a auto-rotate for a smooth transition. At first, the cars moved much too fast, so expanding the key frames allowed a better timing.

 Motion Tracking in After Effects

Using the motion tracker in Adobe After Effects rather then Premiere allows a better chance of tracking. This was done selecting by placing the lion on a null object layer, then replacing the tracker when needed. This isn't a perfect placement, but gives a good idea on how to use the tracker.

Parallax in Adobe Premiere

Parallax is the movement of several objects to create a scene, often used in photography and animatics. We was able to experiment about with 2 different styles/ images. The first was a simplistic but effective mountain scene, the second a more painterly style. 

Life Drawing Session 8

Today's Life drawing lesson was mainly longer sessions, starting with 5 minutes then moving into twenty. The idea is to move away from "chicken scratching" and concentrating on the technique of "drawing-though", this means to draw in long swooping lines to gain a better flow. Improving this in traditional drawing will help in digital artworks, rather then having rough jagged lines. Also, we was asked to think more about the details of the hands and feet, so to avoid using "clubs". Animators place a lot of actions in hands and feet, working as a secondary emotion.

   5 Minutes Sketches

  20 Minute Drawings

Character Design Lesson 4 - Storyboarding

  Sadly I missed the last character design lesson due to sickness, but in this one we went through the process of storyboarding directions and the importance of using the correct symbols.  Using 3D arrows means to move the whole camera (tracking), using squares and thin arrows indicates moving just the camera lens.

Whole Camera Movement

Just Lens Movement

 Panning
 Shows the direction the camera should shoot (horizontal/ vertical/ etc), panning can also be used with zooming in and out.

  Zoom
 Shown with a square in the storyboard shot and the arrows pointing in the zooming direction. The  camera lens just moves in or out, not the whole device.

  Push and Pull
These are when the whole camera moves, normally directed with 3D style arrows. Dolly zooms is when the camera and the lens moves at the same time, and will be displayed with 3D and thin arrows/ squares.

 Tilts
Similar to Zooms, tilts will have a tilted square in the storyboard shot and thin arrows coming from the corners of the section towards into the twist wanted.

 Tracking
 Tracking is when the whole camera moves in the direction desired, normally to keep at pace with the subject on screen.

  Fade In and out
These are transitions, and are shown with a large arrow across the storyboard shot in the direction the fade is needed. These are normally dark, but wash outs (whiting out) are shown the same.


  When making storyboards, it's important to keep consistent placing with the characters. Suddenly moving the characters around/ changing their heights in a conversation can be extremely jarring, and doesn't help the scene to flow. Characters should stay in the place given, unless there is a action to show they have moved. Normally a inbetween shot (like someone moving around whilst on the phone) would show this, so when the conversation resumes it ok for the characters to have switched places. 


  Dialog Shots
In character conversations, over the shoulder shot shows which is the main character at that point whilst keeping the other one in scene.



  The goal of today's lesson was to use the new directions learnt in a storyboard, and place them into a story given segment given. Firstly though, we were placed in groups of 3 and asked to quickly design 1 of the 3 characters in the scene each, the descriptions of the characters was provided to help with the process.  For our team, we had Boltz (sidekick), Tessa Brainstorm (Hero/Brainy) and Grok (Evil Henchman). I did Grok who is a large lizard creature from another planet, used by the main villain as a large crony. He is augmented to enhance his abilities, doesn't need to be book-smart (just able to follow orders), and wears armor.

1st Design

2nd Design

3rd Design

  Out of these 3, the second one is better suited to the description given. The other too are much too sharp and seem far too intelligent for the character personality.  The 3rd is more suited to a lizard army general rather then a crony. I wanted to use squares and triangles to show his build and that he is evil, and tried to give him mechanic weaponry to help in attacking.

  As we all had a character and had come up with the designs, we was able to move onto the storyboard.  As a whole, Jetpack Jones had been captures and his friend Tessa and Boltz are on a rescue mission to retrieve him from the arch enemy. Our part was when Tess and Boltz crashed on a moon, and are both injured. After emerging from the wreckage, a device goes off in Tessa's pockets.  deciding to scan the environment, they notice a camera popping up from behind some ruble. They explore the area and come across a tunnel. Upon entering an going down long tunnels, they realise they have stumbled on a underground lair. Grok then emerges behind them,  rushing in to attack. What happens next is left to the next group to draw.

From Script to Screen - Final Props, Characters and Reflective Statement

  Final Set and Props

  Below is the finished theatre set and the characters/ props used in the previsualization of "Tick Tick BOOM!" (Maya). The Main character (Bill) was a pre-created model given by UCA for the purpose of the Pre-visualization, and allowed better time allocation.

Theatre

Theatre

Bill - Rig and creation by UCA

Boomer - Dog

Sword

Bomb

Mop

Prop Box

Mop Bucket

     Reflective Statement

   Everything in this project was fairly new to me (apart from the research and influence maps), and the idea of making a completely 3D previsualization of our story was a little scary. But, guidance was given the whole way through to the build up to the creation in Maya.

  Firstly, we was was given 3 key words. These assets consisted of a job, place and an object. The goal was to use all 3 elements to create a 2 minute pre-viz, understanding the process taken towards planning an animation. I was given a Bomb Disposal Expert, a Theatre and a sword. At first I had a vague idea of how to fit all three together, this was the bomb disposal expert using the sword to cut the wires on the bomb and ultimately disabling it. However, during tutorials we talked about different genre style, and possible other ways of making the story more interesting. Going down the comedy route was deemed more towards the styles of Mr Bean and Dad's Army. taking the drama route would be more theatrical. It took a while to really settle on a story, and with it the idea of adding another character to add to the comedy aspect seemed quite appealing. Boomer the dog came to mind when I was researching different types of bombs, the ball like structure of the hand grenade  being fetched and bomb returned.

  Once having a idea of a story, a key was using the theatre to its fullest potential to create the 3 story act structure and the crisis points, eventually coming to a resolution. The resolution at first was the bomb was a dud, and a drama teacher (part of the original plot) explains it just a prop. But, it was thought that adding unneeded characters may cause problems. Especially if they wasn't part of the first act and appear towards the end. So in further discussions, a point came across of what if the bomb was a paint or glitter bomb instead, adding that little bit of surprise. It was then a case of building up to the point where the bomb disposal expert gets covered in the paint. By placing the bomb down a theatre hatch and nothing happening, then the bomb disposal expert wondering over and becoming cocky, getting it to explode then would add to the comedy.

  The main character Bill ended up being an older gentleman. Being retired and reminiscing about his time in the bomb disposal unit was his main connection to his previous job, the dog Boomer being a bomb detection dog also added to this. Eventually, the dog seemed to become more of the bomb disposal expert rather then Bill. Bill and Boomer took quite a few changes in their design. Bill was at first much stocker an sterner, but in reviewing his personality, these designs seemed wrong. He is quite clumsy in the story, so he became rounder and more gangly, holding a friendly demeanor. Boomer was originally a bloodhound. These are used often at bomb detection, but the personas of bloodhounds didn't fit the hyperactive and puppy-like personality needed. So, Boomer became a golden retriever, also known as great detectors in bombs.

  Once the story was set in stone, drawing a storyboard allowed an understanding of flow. As a whole my storyboard ended up being 22 pages long with 3 story acts, these helped in the creation of the animatic. Transferring the pictures of the storyboards in photoshop and cleaning them up, all that we needed was adding onto points. As a whole, 130 basic pictures was drawn and then placed premiere. The animatic is quite basic, with no intricate details or shading. This was mainly due tot he want of keeping it readable and time. Spending too much time on the animatic would eat into the modelling allocation, so it was best to keep it simple . It was the timing of the animatic that was problematic. As I had created quite a few series of events (at least one for each act), squeezing it all in so it wasn't rushed was quite a challenge. Also, once exported, using audition allowed us to add sounds effects and soundtracks.

  Now the animatic was set, this worked as a guide in timing the scenes in maya. But firstly, the theatre, characters and props needed to be created first. The main character was provided by the university with a pre-made rig, this helped a lot in terms of time. Once they props and dog was all set, each scene was created by placing keyframes for the movement, and the cameras placed correctly. The Dolly and Shot-Cam cameras was provided for us with adjustable features, and help a lot in the filming. Having the storyboard with  camera direction meant I knew exactly what shot was needed, and the visual of the animatic helped with understanding the scene. The pre-viz ended up having small areas spliced with the animatic, this was mainly for the dogs parts. I wanted the audience to get an idea of the dogs expression and areas that actions may have needed more clarity. Once the pre-viz was completed, as I already had a soundtrack for the animatic, it was just a case of tweaking to allow this to fit.

  Overall, this project was successful. I quite enjoyed creating the character animations in the pre-viz and the drawing in the animatic. Although, I did find it frustration at first getting my head about setting the keyframes Exploring the story creation was also quite daunting, finding my mind raced 100 miles an hour in trying to think of something good. But, once I had a bit more clarity in the direction I wanted, the story became much clearer and fell into place. I was not keen on the story creation process, this is not a strong point of mine and is an area that needs expanding, this maybe more down to my low confidence. From this project, I would take with me better time management and try to improve on my storytelling. Sadly, my animatic and previz was much longer then the time allocated, and something should have been removed to allow it to fit, so this is something to keep in mind for future projects.

From Script to Screen Crit Presentation

     Final Animatic

    Final Pre-Visualization

  Crit Presentation

Tick Tick BOOM Presentation by Kimberley Davis on Scribd

  Art Of "Tick Tick BOOM!" Pre-Visualization

Art of "Tick Tick BOO... by Kimberley Davis on Scribd

Sound credits

Freesounds.org
Davincamas - rummaging through recycling
nas1-dog running
malexmedia - tumble downstairs
farbin - muted thud
dobroide - dog panting
ryansnook - small explosion
owlstorm - gulp 2
cravol - footsteps on hardwood shuffling
nothayama - metal pan crashes
johnsonbrandediting - pour splash metal bucket water
splicedsound - short call whistles
soundsexiting - clatter
quistard - pluger pop 3
spazmaniandevil - stumble
foolboymedia - tick tock
nicktermer - small metal object fall
msantoro11 - floor squeak
inspectorj - smashing wooden fence
- water swirl small
balck-trillium - dog growl
jone-oost - Dog with ball
ssiera1202 - water splashing
keekee - pop
soundsforhim - slam door
flashtrauma - explosion
anthousai - dog walking towards
niamhd00145229 - climbing into a create
sansart_40 - splash
stopschool - running
justinvole - hatch door opening
breviceps - whining dog
elynch0901 - jumping human
hawkeye-sprout - stumble steps
spacejoe - sniffing dog

YouTube Audio Library
Opening theme - Mr Sunny Face

Adobe Sounds
Dog Barking - animals

Life Drawing Session 7

  Sadly I haven't been able to post much recently due to working on my pre-viz for "Tick Tick BOOM!", but yesterday was the first session of life drawing for the new term. We started with some 1 minute poses, then going into 3 minutes to help loosen up. Following this, we concentrated on portraiture, and used 30 minutes to try and capture our models profile. the aim was to use measurements and light sketching first, then heavier strokes when happy. As this was quite a long sitting, we ended the class with a few 15 minutes poses to cool down. I can see a lot of improvement in my quick poses, and am seeming to be able to control my sense of space on the page a bit better.


      1 Minute Poses

      3 Minute Poses

         30 Minute Portrait

    15 Minute Poses

From Script to Screen - Theatre Modelling

    The current process of modeling my theatre, its not quite the same as my concept art as I found modelling the hexagon shape to support the chairs quite difficult. Next is to finish this, add textures/ colours and model the dog (Boomer) before starting the animation process.

From Script to Screen - Art of "Tick Tick BOOM!"

Art of "Tick Tick BOOM!" by Kimberley Davis on Scribd

From Script to Screen - Final Dog Concept Art

   So on reviewing the Boomer the Dog, I decided that rather than a bloodhound, a Golden Retriever/ Labrador would be better. Not only are they incredibly playful and like to jump about a lot, but are used in the detection of bombs, so they fit Bill perfectly. After some sketched, I decided to place a green scarf around his neck with a bomb logo on it, so there is a bit more of a connection to Bills past. As Boomer is quite puppish, I tried to keep that youthful and overly excitable appearance in his design.

Sketch 1

Sketch 2

Sketch 3

Facial Expressions 1

Facial Expressions 2

Final Concept Art

Name: Boomer

Age: 2

Height: 22"

Colour: Golden

Gender: Male

Personality: Highly playful and puppy like. Boomer enjoys to jump around and chew on his favorite toys, but his favorite game is always fetch. Boomer was given to Bill as a puppy by his friend, who wasn't able to look after him anymore. Bill took Boomer in as he reminded him of his loyal companion when he was in the Bomb Disposal Squad, Trigger.