Gave sound a bash. Will redo it, but here's an attempt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8Vz9lXgnmw
HAPPY LAND update
Moderators: Víctor Paredes, Belgarath, slowtiger
I think the jumping etc sound effects work great. And the music is nice on its own, but I think it actually detracts from the story.
I liked the way that the tests always had a weird punchline. The punchline sneaked up and surprised you. Here the music is trippy and it creates the expectation that something weird will happen, so the feeling of surprise is missing. I know you mentioned that you wanted to create an off balance feeling. I think that a lot of the charm in these shorts was that everything started out seeming normal, and then something weird would happen and throw you off balance. There was a mini journey that you took the viewer through. Here, there is no change of emotional state.
And starting off with the off-balance feeling distances me from the characters and what they're thinking and doing somehow. Like I'm never drawn in in the first place. Or maybe it's because the music is basically staying the same, even though the characters are experiencing, realizing, and doing things.
Wow... I'm surprised to realize the music has such an impact on me.
BTW--I like the brown checkered ground and the star transition. :D
I liked the way that the tests always had a weird punchline. The punchline sneaked up and surprised you. Here the music is trippy and it creates the expectation that something weird will happen, so the feeling of surprise is missing. I know you mentioned that you wanted to create an off balance feeling. I think that a lot of the charm in these shorts was that everything started out seeming normal, and then something weird would happen and throw you off balance. There was a mini journey that you took the viewer through. Here, there is no change of emotional state.
And starting off with the off-balance feeling distances me from the characters and what they're thinking and doing somehow. Like I'm never drawn in in the first place. Or maybe it's because the music is basically staying the same, even though the characters are experiencing, realizing, and doing things.
Wow... I'm surprised to realize the music has such an impact on me.
BTW--I like the brown checkered ground and the star transition. :D
Hey cool! you entered the competition! I don't know your intention in entering, (to win the contest, or maybe to get more exposure), but if you're in it to win it, and feel like compromising your artistic vision(!), I think you'd have a great shot with a different entry. Your current entry is analogous to a resume that is not tailored to the job requisition; it's a great set of shorts, but it may not address what Sesame Street is looking for.
Some of your other shorts would address Sesame Street's criteria much better. For instance, Heavy wearing his flying hat could teach up and down. Paper running on his ball could teach shapes (triangle, circle etc) A lot of them could teach social skills like friendship and helping others. (The older Happy Land on teamwork is already perfect for kids. Or guy and girl could be adapted to show giving.) Of course, selecting the right shorts would be key. But I imagine that once those are identified, adapting them to Sesame Street would be pretty easy. Like putting the words "up" and "down" on the screen along with audio of someone saying "up" and "down." Of course, that's only if you are interested in taking some of the shorts in a more kiddy-educational direction.
If you do proceed in that direction, the white background you used in your animation tests would fit with the Sesame Street aesthetic perfectly. I think they even said in the contest details that they prefer spare backgrounds. The brown checkered ground could still work nicely. Or maybe green checkered because people like colorful things for children. I would also keep the 8 bit sounds, but use them more sparingly.
So the thrust of what I'm saying is, you could probably win this contest if you make some adjustments. But again, it depends on how you see this competition fitting into the big picture for Happy Land. Your work is really diverse. Some is very nuanced, and complex. Some is fun slap stick. Some is funky, old school. Some would be great for children. And only you know where you're going with it all. ;D
Best wishes!
Some of your other shorts would address Sesame Street's criteria much better. For instance, Heavy wearing his flying hat could teach up and down. Paper running on his ball could teach shapes (triangle, circle etc) A lot of them could teach social skills like friendship and helping others. (The older Happy Land on teamwork is already perfect for kids. Or guy and girl could be adapted to show giving.) Of course, selecting the right shorts would be key. But I imagine that once those are identified, adapting them to Sesame Street would be pretty easy. Like putting the words "up" and "down" on the screen along with audio of someone saying "up" and "down." Of course, that's only if you are interested in taking some of the shorts in a more kiddy-educational direction.
If you do proceed in that direction, the white background you used in your animation tests would fit with the Sesame Street aesthetic perfectly. I think they even said in the contest details that they prefer spare backgrounds. The brown checkered ground could still work nicely. Or maybe green checkered because people like colorful things for children. I would also keep the 8 bit sounds, but use them more sparingly.
So the thrust of what I'm saying is, you could probably win this contest if you make some adjustments. But again, it depends on how you see this competition fitting into the big picture for Happy Land. Your work is really diverse. Some is very nuanced, and complex. Some is fun slap stick. Some is funky, old school. Some would be great for children. And only you know where you're going with it all. ;D
Best wishes!
-
gSebastian
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 8:07 am
- Contact:
Ahoy.
I've done sound for the 52 shorts.
Here's one I haven't posted - Trampolines:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu9NPH82qeM
I kept a log while animating to keep track of what needed attention.
0 = fixed
X = not fixed
---
0
I've done sound for the 52 shorts.
Here's one I haven't posted - Trampolines:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu9NPH82qeM
I kept a log while animating to keep track of what needed attention.
0 = fixed
X = not fixed
---
0
- Add angry brows
0 - Create revolving pupils
0 - Center leg pivots
0 - Center leg group
0 - Extend floor
0 - Add one eye closed each
0 - Floor do not render
0 - Perfect Walk
0 - Brows suspicious and worried bring down to normal size
0 - Mouth S_TH
---
0 - Change leg step order for walk
0 - Check run step order
0 - Change order of first two keyframes of legs going down
---
X - Add BGs
X - Perhaps unhide background elements
0 - Change last frame for legs to reset
0 - Paper's pupils move
0 - Rename BACK FRONT legs reorder layer
0X - Redo keyframe of leg leaning back too similar to cushion position
0X - "" also back cushion
0 - Add vertical movement stutter up shake
0 - Delete eyelid OPEN vectors
0 - Change Brows pivot
0 - Make 'aah' mouth kind of round and non expressive also neutral smile
0 - Add outstretched leg to template
----
0- Something wrong with AAH mouth black showing
0 - Take off PAPER BROW styles and check HEAVY'S BROW style
0 - Set legs keyframes for individual poses to LINEAR
0 - Rename Heavy's NEUTRAL 2 to NEUTRAL
---
0 - Add stop walking animation legs and vertical movement back leg stops when horizontal 4 down 4 up
0 - Make outstretched legs STEP second before end
0 - Add skid legs
0 - Make lines of floor start at character's feet
0 - Remove last down position from stutter up V
0 - Change grid settings to 20
0 - Fix floor line
0 - Set jump legs to STEP
0 - Heavy maybe fall down legs
---
0 - Think about starting run action
0 - Think about leg combination moves like straight to down
0 - Make last leg position straight
0 - Make actions of commonly used V positions, like high to low, high to med, in 4 and 2 combinations.
---
0 - ACTIONS:
Blink
Slow Blink
Walk including beginning and H movement
Run including beginning and H movement
Fast Walk
Small Jump
Big Jump
Backflip
Freak out including eye action and pupils
Skid
Laugh
Jump and Fall over
Jump and Fall over and laugh
Legs fall over
Sneak
Tip-Toe
Leg Combinations with Face movements:
> UP, DOWN
> UP, DOWN, UP
> UP, DOWN, MID
> UP, DOWN, HIGH, UP
> MID, UP
> MID, DOWN, UP
> MID, DOWN, MID
> MID, DOWN, HIGH, UP
> DOWN, UP
> DOWN, UP, MID
> DOWN, HIGH, UP
> LEAN FORWARD (UP, DOWN, FWD)
> LEAN FORWARD HIGH (UP, DOWN, FWD HIGH, FWD)
> LEAN BACKWARD (UP, DOWN, BACK)
> LEAN BACKWARD HIGH (UP, DOWN, BACK HIGH, BACK)
---
0 - Add DOWN, MIDDLE
0 - Remove H from walk
0 - Add STOP WALK
0 - Remove all FACE rotation from actions
0 - Perhaps remove all facial animation from actions
0 - Add DOWN, UP, MID, HIGH, BACK, BACK HIGH, FWD, FWD_HIGH, TIPTOES
0 - D, U isn't right looks like M, U
0 - Remove all H movement from V group
0 - Change Paper's eyelid colour
---
0 - Weir things happen with fall over laugh cycle later on
0 - Check all legs for later on in timeline may be strange keyframes
0 - Paper's FACE still has animation attached to it
0 - Stop Walk animation has weird keyframes afterwards
0 - Add M, D
0 - Add F_U (forward up legs after tiptoes)
0 - Check D_M doesn't have weird keyframes later it does
0 - For backflip make R go back to 0 on land
0 - Weird keyframes after BACKFLIP
0 - U_D_F_H take out H positions for all similar
0 - F and F_H are the same
0 - Don't start BACKFLIP with straight legs, nor jumps, nor walks
X - Add backflip continuously
0 - Weird keyframes after jump_fall_over
0 - Remove ALL face animation from everything, brows, mouths, pupils, everything, face rotation
0 - Add individual leg poses like fallen over, forward, tiptoes, jump, etc... WITH Vertical positions
0 - Remove rotation from laugh
0 - Make BLINK and OPEN separate
---
0 - From B legs down some legs don't both do the same thing
0 - Add STEP ON BUTTON action
0 - Add STEP OFF BUTTON
0 - Add stop walk for other foot
0 - Add U_M_U
0 - Re-center ACTION group origin
0 - Remove Paper's FREAK OUT facial animation
0 - Heavy has BROW animation all over the place (was in BUTTON actions)
0 - Start frame 1 not 0
0 - Step on BUTTON back leg must go further back for reach
---
0 - Put BROWS in FACE group for PAPER
0 - Maybe add Face rotation to HEAVY'S face by deleting face group and making a fresh one
0 - Paper jump_fall_over FACE still has animation on it
0 - Remove S&S from JUMP_FALL_OVER body and JFO_LAUGH
0 - Paper's EYELIDS HALF colors wrong
---
0 - Add U_M
0 - Add WALK FACE and RUN FACE to face group
0 - Add LEGS out to sides
0 - PAPER'S jump fall over R must be different to HEAVY'S
0 - Check that GOOGLY EYES still have animation
X - Change wheels normal rocket
X - Double-up change Heavy's step
X - Check rocket wheels not doing weird stuff
---
0 - Check that PAPER'S PAPER group is at 0 looks like it moved a bit
0 - Redo ground line
0 - Recolour BG
0 - Enable Onion Skins
0 - Change FACE rotations to SMOOTH
---
X - Working Title: NONSENSE
X - Maybe add D_WALK
X0 - STOP WALK Leg keyframe start must be LINEAR (can't do)
0 - Change HEAVY'S ANGRY2 brows to ANGRY
0 - Check BROWS on Heavy's short D_U type actions
0 - Check MAINLINE for Heavy's BROWS there are keyframes
0 - Change order PAPER_R must have PAPER as child same with HEAVY
---
0 - Check HEAVY'S face is centered its not
0 - In High Dive white covering at end for Paper covers first hole
0 - In SPACEY when hole expands to close its covered under another layer
0 - In SPIKES looks as though Heavy's face is higher than normal revealing tops of legs often
X - TRAMPOLINE, when Heavy jumps on second tramp I think his eyebrows blink but lids don't
0 - EXPLOSIONS, At the moment Paper's looking above Heavy's head at the end before laughing she should look at his eyes
0 - EXPLOSIONS, Smoke appears too early on clear screen
0 - EXPLOSIONS, Paper should look at button instead of Heavy when Heavy steps on button
0 - FALL, Heavy's shadow must disappear when he leaves screen edges
0 - SPRING, Heavy doesn't lift leg off button properly at end
Your log demonstrates why your shorts are so successful: very close attention to detail and precise execution, which in turn implies being able to be objective about your own work and clearly seeing what needs fixing.
Thanks for the posting. It helps me understand and appreciate the level of commitment and precise attention to detail necessary to pull off successful animation.
The trampoline adventure is great!
Thanks for the posting. It helps me understand and appreciate the level of commitment and precise attention to detail necessary to pull off successful animation.
The trampoline adventure is great!
What if?
Another two:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9CLizcEFUE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wpX-pMubaQ
Still deciding on intro and outro.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9CLizcEFUE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wpX-pMubaQ
Still deciding on intro and outro.