Animation Tests

Here are a couple of PS animation tests to keep the blog active. Slowly getting used to using PS, and really starting to enjoy it. Like most things it has its advantages and disadvantages over the traditional method, but generally the biggest issue is just getting used to it. I feel it will really help with keeping line quality consistent when it comes to inking/clean-up too.

Animatic Ver.1

Here's the initial animatic, put together by Colin. This is our first version, so no sound of yet. Unfortunately, Royal Republic couldn't let us use Tommy Gun, so new music is being put together. The advantage this does give us though is that we can make the animation shorter than the approx 3/4 minutes of the song, so this version is almost half the time. Some of Colin's friends from back home have offered to help out recording music for us, and the animatic has been sent along to them along with some details - so hopefully we will have a soundtrack some time soon to work with and put together our final animatic using their track and polished up images. As part of the brief, we need to both submit 5 seconds of rough animation for our final pitch, so the combined 10 secs will also be added when completed. We decided Bart's punch was too fast - the original version we had was fine, but I suggested speeding it up a bit to see, just in case. Unfortunately, the software didn't want to play ball after that to put it back, but this is one of the things we'll adjust/fix for the next one.

Initial Storyboard

Initial rough storyboards. Done on post-it notes so it can be easily chop and changed - add/remove scenes, actions etc. Especially since, unfortunately, Royal Republic can't let us use 'Tommy Gun', so we're not stuck to timing of that any more. And, as mentioned previously, it'd be nice to show off Carrie's final look too (she'll have thrown her coat down along with her badge in the final storyboard).

'Real' Carrie

Here's what Carrie will look like after she removes her wig at the end of the film. This wasn't originally planned, but I noticed I'd drawn in her eyebrows as black in every drawing of her despite her red hair. This was because in my original sketches she had black hair, so it was a force of habit. Instead of changing it, I figured why not make every detail important? She's the 'double agent' style character of the piece, so it suits her well. This look also gives her a more dangerous edge, I feel, making her fit in with the rest of the group a bit more. I'll likely alter some of the storyboards near the end to show off her change in design too.

The Usual Suspects

Lineup/height comparison of the trio.

Carrie Full Turnarounds

Turnarounds for Carrie as she'll appear at various stages of the animation.

Bart Full Turnarounds

Turnarounds for Bart as he'll appear at various stages of the animation.

Concept Art

Concept art by Colin Dick for the three main characters.

Thompson Full Turnarounds

Turnarounds for Thompson as he'll appear at various stages of the animation.

'Carrie'

Caroline Turner is the group's femme fatale, with a chequered and secretive past. She pretty much came out fully formed, though I may experiment with a few more designs just in case. She has an integral role in the animation so it's important to have her design be strong and be a distinctive character.

'Bart'

An ex-boxer and Thompson's maternal Uncle, Bart Elder is the muscle - an old school criminal that's the real driving force behind Thompson's plans, and the one who gets them done. He went through a few incarnations (he's the bearded one in the earlier sketches and drawings), and may go through more, but right now I'm happy with this version of him. In no small part because he now looks a bit like a meaner, moustachioed version of my Papa.

'Thompson'

Gerard Thompson is the charismatic leader of the gang - a character along the lines of Indiana Jones, Mal Reynolds or Clint Barton. Often found in trouble or the wrong side of the law, but not strictly a bad guy.

Early Concept Art

The Royal has been in the back of my mind for a while, so there's a few early drawings and ideas. And, again, here's some music that helped inspire the concept.

"We Are The Royal"

'The Royal' is an aspiring 2D animation project at DJCAD by myself (Elliot Balson) and Colin Dick, featuring a gang of three criminals (Thompson, Bart and Carrie) in the late 1940s and their attempts to execute a bank heist. This production blog will show what we're working on, how the idea got to where it is now, and where it can hopefully go in our final year studying animation.
Along with a bit of my concept art, this post also has some music that inspired the name of our little gang.