Week 6: Photoshop Animation After Effects Puppetry

Girl Animation: 

For the girls animation i decided to use Photoshop as I know the software well and I can import footage easily as well as have the brushes I am comfortable with. To help me plan the animation I made this image using frames of the footage to recreate the set and map the girls exact movements through it.

Animating with out this would have been very difficult for me due to the camera move. The usual technique of ghosting would have been difficult as I will be trying to maintain the correct movement and spacing for the girl but also tracking her. So by doing this I could create her key frames and note where they occurred in accordance with the back plate. Once this had been established I could start animating happily.

Animation without back plate:

Girl test comp: 

While in photoshop I decide to experiment with the masks to create a look for the girl in the environment. I drew her out line and coloured her in a flat cloud. This was then used to create masks over the original footage which was then blurred (this will make her look transparent but still be semi opaque) and added a cotton rag texture. This and the blurred shadow I think she sits quite well in the environment. She is not photo real but in her stylistic way she don't stand out grossly.

Blu Animation:

For the hippogriff character I wanted him to be in full detail and his animation in the first shot would be very limited to simple movements of the head and tail, maybe the wings. So for this I decided to use the puppet pin tool.

To animate Blu using puppetry I would have to make him in separate pieces and then place him back together in order to animate separate limbs. I first created a rough sketch in photoshop made up of different layers and then arranged them so I could print them out and create the puppet parts by hand.

I created then using ink and ink pens on cotton rag paper and then scanned it into the computer to be edited in photoshop to be transferable to After Effects.

Once in After Effects I made a rough animation and tried comping it onto one frame of the filmed plate. I think the animation process will be simple enough but getting him to sit well in the shop will be harder. I made the back plate balck and white to try and emheisse his colour but I think it make it look quite dull and having the warmth of the lighting will contrast against the cooler blue colours