My goal by the end of the school year is to have a fully finished 2d short animated film for thesis.
Here is a synopsis of my animation:
Mayflies are known to have the shortest lifespan on earth—only 24 hours to be exact. Today is an animated short film about a Mayfly named Buddy seeking adventure for his first and last day of life. He overhears a bird named Enzo talking about New York City and its many marvels. Amazed by the thought of towering skyscrapers, bright lights, street performers, and delicious food, he convinces Enzo to be his guide. As they make their long trek from the Poconos to the Big Apple, they encounter an obstacle that makes Buddy wonder if they will ever reach their destination before his time is up. Today is a thought provoking short story that challenges viewers to think about their own lives—the limited time we have and what we make of it.
This week, I started designing the main character, Buddy. I’m having a really difficult time because I’m still not 100% sure about what style I want my animation to be. I have two in mind: I love the style used for illustrations in children’s books because the textures that are used give the images so much depth and personality. It’s basically a digital painting. The other style I had in mind is the style that is often used in animations made in After Effects. Although they also have textures, they usually appear more flat, and the actual shapes that make up the character and environment have clean, solid edges. Here’s what I mean:
This is the children’s book style.
This is the 2nd style.
For the most part, I’m happy with my idea for buddy’s face. I’m trying to finalize the shape of his body, wings, and legs. I was thinking about modeling him in clay so that I can have a better understanding of his shape. I’m also planning on making a turnaround, so I think having a model of him will make the drawing process a lot easier. I could try to model him in Maya, but for time’s sake, I think the clay will be a lot faster.
Hey, I think your story sounds great, especially because it has a deeper meaning to it, also kind of bias because I love stories with a deeper meaning to them. I’m interested in seeing how you fully go about conveying the deeper meaning and how many people catch on to it. I will say in my opinion if your going to have the characters themselves moving and walking throughout the video, I think the 2nd style will look way better visual-wise. If you aim to have the video tell the story like a children’s book that will consist of page flipping, I think the first style will work better. I will say I think the 2nd style will look better though. Good Luck.
Hi Justice! You seem to have everything really well planned out. This is good considering the scope of your project. You can always start key scenes in both styles and see which one ends up being more compelling. I’d love to see some initial concept art for Buddy and Enzo. I think that modeling him in clay is a really good idea. You can also delay picking your art style by working on the script and trying to find voice actors. This way you will still be productive and checking off tasks that need to be completed. Have you thought about the score at all yet? Overall, I think you’re off to a great start and I can’t wait to see this progress!