Revised Typography project

Everything actually went pretty smoothly for once in the revised version of this edit. As far as I know, everything I wanted to get fixed got fixed. I wish I could find a way to pull out he expressions a little more on the animals, but the jumping action is so fast (and needs to be so fast), that it's difficult to catch their reactions to some degree. Other than that, I'm actually pretty pleased.

Typography Project

Dog vs. Rat

Typography - edit1 from Celia Mitchell on Vimeo.

This project turned out to be a race between a dog and a rat. The idea originated from the end of the story of the cat and the rat in the Zodiac. Instead of the ox, though, who carried the rat, I decided to use my own character, that has slightly my significance to me (a sheep dog).

All in all, this project didn't take as long as other projects in building and animating, but new problems arose, like the fact that each character is transparent. I ended up having to fill them in manually. The interaction between the rat and the dog went pretty well actually. I enjoy simple over complicated and chaotic when it comes to text.

Overall, the result was mostly successful. Things didn't go too crazy. I'm happy with that.

Typography Project

For this project, I want to make a story and animate using the words from the page. The image will change several times into other images. For example, the image could start out as this boy...

And then turn into this bird.

The project itself is to be a short narrative.

One idea for this project is to tell how our rat friend's ancestors first became a lab rats.

Midterm - Fall break edit

So I had an idea on how to make this a little more funny, and overall, just have a better ending. I stacked the makeup on top of each other and cover the rat with it. I think the result was much more successful. I'm still not completely satisfied with it. I can't think of a way to make the ending more smooth. Also, the walk cycle on the Emmy carpet is a disaster, and I can't even figure out why. All in all, it's all much better. It's still a ways from being perfect though.

Midterm - Animation Finished Product

The Rat Awards from Celia Mitchell on Vimeo.

So, sadly there wasn't quite enough time in my schedule to get everything on this done that I wanted done... like more animated expressions on the rats, and crowds that actually move and behave a certain way. On the plus side, I was able to fix some of the larger problems (the empty lab, the trophy, and an extra scene that helps explain what that blob on the rat's face is at the end). The lab rat's walk cycle went smoothly. The celebrity rat's walk cycle did not. Perhaps it had to do with the angle that the character is built, but it was always totally awkward. I think the cuts have gotten a bit better from the first time. All in all, it's acceptable for a done piece in my opinion. Still, I would have wished to be able to do a little more.

Midterm - Animation (First Draft)

Okay, so this actually came out pretty okay in a lot of ways. I was able to get the rat to ride of the wheel pretty nicely, and the rest of it wasn't all too bad either. There are several parts that go a little fast. And I'm also fully aware that the crowd isn't moving in the scene where he's waving. I also know that that's something that's going to be mentioned in class. That's a small detail I'm going to add in Wednesday when I know I have the time to animate it correctly. There are still a few things that need tweaking, but I think, all in all, it came out pretty nice.

Aric Mayer Lecture

This lecture was probably one of the most interesting that I’ve come across so far. Mayer was taking an event that we all knew. He then showed and described it in a way that was probably unknown to people who had not been in New Orleans at the time of Katrina. Most interesting was how he described the role of the media, highlighting that in fact, it did more harm than good for the people involved in the disaster.

More than anything, this lecture makes you view all media in a different way. It makes us ask the question: Is any of the media we see real? I think to experience the event and be changed by it, versus saying that you were there, and simply capturing it is what makes it true fact instead of simply an interpretation of fact. So in a way, this interpretation is its own fiction.

The fact that photographers in the media can compete in a “winner takes all” fashion during a time when people are suffering is also a testament to how desensitized and selfish people as a whole have become. Mayer is in that respect refreshing, both in his point of view and his reasons for capturing the events that took place.

The most refreshing part of the entire lecture though, was his honesty. That was probably what made this lecture really worth going to. It was an honest and intelligent interpretation to a numbing event that took place in our own recent history.