And Breathe.......Just Breathe

This week has been……stressful.

I really have to mention that Thesis is not my only concern - no matter what my department head might wish.

On top of thesis class I take 4 other classes…..TA twice a week at school…..do the homework for those classes…..help teach stop motion animation to 5th graders once a week…….and am trying figure out my life for after school - with added pressure from parents.

Not that I’m saying things didn’t get done this week for thesis - just letting you all understand that - yes, thesis is hard, stressful, and time consuming……but add that with everything else I have to juggle and this week was a mess of stress.

Breathe.

Just breathe.

……

Okay. Thesis.

Things have been moving - but not without setbacks.

Of course I opened the file with the piano and pool scene only to find it corrupted. I had an auto-save file that was useable - but it was from before the piano was made so I had to re-make all that.

Joy.

I did get it done and animated - and I really like it.

A good portion of a day was also spent creating the airport interior that they pass through briefly. It still needs to be populated but its coming along. (I even got the luggage conveyer to move right! ……no seen in this post though)

The rest of the weekend was doing a bit of a lot of things.

Starting off with the graduation scene was my plan. Of course it took several variations before the stage was the right perspective and file format. Then there is the fact that there are a TON of people that have to get designed and placed……not looking forward to that. So far I’ve kind-of designed one person, but I need several unique people before I can copy-past-changeColors. 

I also got part way through designing this shot in the scene before realizing I want a bit of a different angle.

The clone people are just place holders

Then the last thing I did for graduation was the individual Wish Flower going though. It could be a bit longer, but I didn’t want to extend the amount on that shot by more than I already did. Of course this might change after I get everything else in and actually cut it together.

What else…….

I tried getting done most of the second part of the failing scene done - the portion of him getting in the car and ride home. The part that I’m worried about the the outside world as it passes by. Ideally I would just create one long canvas and scroll it past the window….but will the angles be okay? I’ll run it past my advisor.

Alright, last thing.

Sound.

Last week I posted a video with my brother doing a voice over for it based on the - very strong - suggestions from my classmates either before break.

So I played it last week to everyone and once it was done then where silent….thinking….then, “Yeah, no.”

Okay, they didn’t exactly say that, but it what it boiled down to.

Specifically they though the inflections where dull (which I disagree with), that the VO was so different from the pictures that it dictated from the animation (fine), and that the whole thing was designed to work without a narration so forcing one wont do any good.

Sure, I’ll take that last one.

“So if you’re not using a voice-over narration, what are you doing for sound?” my advisor asked as I started leaving the presenter’s chair and I turn to her, abashed.

“I’ll figure something out.”

Me figuring something out is getting a composer to write music for the animation. Turned out my advisor’s babysitter did music work and recommended her. So I reached out last week and we hashed out some details and deadlines - and reached an accord.

So next week…..

I really want to be done with all my main animation by next Monday. This means that background characters don’t ‘have’ to be done but I want all Kramer, boy, and trainer animation done. Then a week of secondary, a week of color and lighting, then a week of cleaning….and done? Something like that.

Scary.

Breathe.

Till next time folks!