Showreel

 

Study Task 5

 For this study task we were asked to create / develop our brand through various ways such as business cards, colours, fonts and websites or online portfolio's. For this study task, my response was through a few of these:

Updated Logo:

Business Card:

Website

Salsaberry Arts Website

Twitter Account

LinkedIn

CV

LAUAN602 - Study Task 4

 For this study task I need to explain my exit strategy. I have explained this before in a previous study task, but I will be as detailed as I can in this one.#

Pre Graduation

• First things first I want to graduate from this course with the biggest possible portfolio I can. I have already finished my 603 major project, as well as the live briefs, and so I think I have enough to show. I directed and wrote this project myself, so I'm hoping some small studios or other freelance animators and artists will notice me. I have also made some networks with other students in my course, as well as a musician from another university.

• I will take part in as many live briefs as I can, and collaborate with people as much as I can. 

• I will hone my skills until I am good enough to work in the professional industry. Until then I will be taking commissions. I already have one commission that I need to work on, so I will go from there.

Post Graduation 

•  As of right now, since Covid is still very much a thing, I will be doing most of my artistic work from home and digitally. Because of this, I will be returning home for the time being, with my family and friends.

•  Over the summer, I will be building my social media presence, as well as connecting with as many people as I can. I will be taking character commissions from people in order to boost my presence online. I still need to improve greatly on my art, and I also need to increase my portfolio.

• I still have no idea what I want to work as in the end but it's looking clear to me that I'll be focusing more on illustration than animation. My best works have been illustrations.

• I will be working part time until I can finally find somewhere to work confidently. 

• I will take part in as many live briefs as I can, and collaborate with people as much as I can.

LAUAN603 - Evaluation

 Evaluation

LAUAN603 - Final Film

Over the last couple of days, I have been finalizing my film.

The Last Riders

In the process of finishing the final outcome of the project, I have had to rearrange the timing of the scenes in order to make them fit the soundtrack, as my musician expressed concern that the timing was off. I have had to once again sound mix everything to make sure it sounds correct.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: PLEASE READ!

THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE FINAL OUTCOME OF THIS PROJECT. OTHER'S MAY HAVE SUBMITTED AN EARLIER VERSION DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINTS AND WANTING TO SUBMIT EARLY. PLEASE MARK THEIR WORKS WITH THIS VERSION IN MIND. 

AGAIN, THIS IS -THE- FINAL VERSION OF 'THE LAST RIDERS: AND HELL FOLLOWED WITH HIM'.

LAUAN603 - Final Animatic

I have finally completed and edited the final animatic for my project. There are a few things that still need to be added, but I have the latest update. My team has decided to submit this version as they want to submit early. The only thing that needs to be added is the final score. 

Final Animatic

LAUAN603 - Compositing and Editing

 Now that I have finally finished production, I am able to focus on Post Production. I have been compositing all the scenes as I have been going along. I have been editing the timing of scenes, 

I have been constantly updating our animatic since around March, and have been replacing the storyboard panels with the final animations. Currently, there are 8 drafts of the animatic. I will post on of the first ones and the final one to compare the two. Some shots still need to be added to the animatic.

I have been given critiques to fix the sound mixing, and I have been working on that specifically over the past few days. 

LAUAN603 - Director's Notes

 Over the project I have been doing my job in making the project run as smoothly as possible. I have been offering advice, notes and demonstrations on how things should look. There are many examples of this, including:

Rough Storyboard Notes

Background Notes

I also have examples of telling my team what needs to be done for what scenes. Here are a few examples: 

These are just a few examples, I have also communicated in person with a few of my team mates. As you can see, I have been very communicative with my team, which is important as a director. I have directed to my utmost potential.

LAUAN603 - Retroactive Amendments

 Over my entire project, my team and I have been animating without certain details on the characters. I have personally gone back and made amendments to a few scenes with certain details needing to be added.

Marow's eyes

From the very start I wanted Marow's eyes to be glowing and ominous. To do this I made a very simple colour sheet to show how to make the eyes, and keep it consistent.

After this, I began adding eye animations to Marow's scenes that have been previously been completed.

Scene 14:

Original

Edited

Original

 

Edited:

Original:

 

Edited:  

Original:

 

Edited:  

I think the way I've animated and implemented these eyes has improved the scenes drastically despite being added retroactively. The colours, effects and smears are consistent throughout. 

LAUAN603 - Weekly Update

 Over the past week I have been working on my final shots.

Shot 16

I have been working on the very first part of shot 16, which in my mind seemed to be the easiest and so I left it last. 

Sketch: 

Final Outcome: (Background by Jason Lam)

This shot in particular has a few issues, such as Isla's animation. I kept it very simple because I am very pressed for time and need to finish as soon as possible. I could have made the animation a lot better if we had an extension. 

The next shot I animated was shot 25_1. This is another shot that was supposed to be one whole shot, but I decided to separate it into three for ease. 

Shot 25_1 Final Outcome:

I decided to get this shot in particular out of the way in one go. I feel like I animated this shot in particular very well.

Shot 2 Amendments

I have gone back to shot 2 in order to add some animation, as I felt it looked very stiff.

LAUAN603 - Weekly Update

 Over the past week or so I have been working on getting my last scenes completely finished. I have been working on my individual shots in which I complete them with colour.

Shot 16_1

I began with the second part of shot 16, as I thought it would require the most work and so I wanted to get it out of the way.

Sketches:

I then refined this into a more detailed sketch:

Refined Sketch:

After this refined sketch I drew the line art and then coloured it completely.

Final Outcome: (Backgrounds by Jason Lam)

In hindsight, I believe I could have improved upon this more by adding speed lines or smears to make the spin look more natural, but since I have no time I am unable to do this properly.

Shot 16_2

After the knife spin, I began to work on the third section of shot 16, 16_2. I have named these shots these ways because they were originally one single shot, but I decided to separate them for both ease and dramatic effect.

Rough Sketch:

Refined Sketch:

Final Outcome with Compositing: (Background by Jason Lam)

Overall I am happy with how these two shots turned out, and while I think there could be a few improvements, I simply do not have the time to do so.

What went well:

- Well synced lip animation

- Adequate knife spin animation

- On model drawings

What to improve:

- Make knife spin more fluid by drawing smears.

- Add more details to the hand.

LAUAN603 - Weekly Update

 Over the past couple of weeks, I have been working on two shots of my project, adding some drawn VFX and also updating my Title Sequence.

Shot 13:

For shot thirteen, I did the Keyframes and Inbetweens of all the characters.

Initial Sketches:

Key Frames:

In Between Frames:

Final Outcome (Colouring by Amy Marshall)

Note: I need to add some effects in post, such as the highlights of Tarant's eyes and Marow's eyes.

Shot 12:

This shot in particular was quite challenging as I needed to draw Marow's entire body in its fullest detail.

Rough:

Clean up + Colour:

Composite: 

I'm happy with how this shot turned out. I had to animate in 3's to make his head look up slower but I managed to make it look quite seamless. 

Title Sequence Updates:

For my title sequence I have drawn and composited a scrolling background using Premiere Pro. I have aligned them so they flow seamlessly from colour to colour:

Title Sequence Update:

I also updated a few of the credits to make them fit into the composition better. 

I have also updated the animatic once again to fit more of the completed scenes.

Updated Animatic:

LAUAN603 - Weekly Update - Animatic and Credit Sequence

For the past week I have been working on updating the animatic as I have completed shots. I have added all the other shots that my collogues have contributed to my project, and added the voice lines as well as updated soundtrack. I have edited them all together and made some slight camera adjustments to make the shots more dynamic. I will be adding more in the coming post-production weeks.

Updated Animatic:

I have updated a few things in this animatic. I have completely rearranged the credit sequence. I have made the credits easier to read and fixed the animation of the horse. I have also added a texture overlay to the sequence to make it looks more like a Western movie. 

I have been editing everything together in Adobe Premiere Pro

Backgrounds have been updated to look messier.

Scenes are on schedule, some stills are able to be animated.

We still need more of the backgrounds at the moment, about 3 or 4 more.

Tarant's voice acting needs updating.

Notes

- Make the credit texts smaller - Low horizon line

- Horse Animation - Make movement more dynamic: Make horse run from the spine (Refine if enough time)

- ...And Hell Followed With Him - Get rid of the (...) and make it a title. Make it a subtitle.

- Allan kitching

- Marow's Voice lines: Make Marow's jaw open slightly when he talks.

- Scene 28: Not necessary, low priority.

LAUAN603 - Weekly Update

Over the last weeks I have been working on a few different shots for my project. I have been In Betweening, Key Framing and Colouring animated and still shots. 

Shot 3 

Key Frames by Emily Kate Mullis

In betweening and colouring (Main Character) (Background by Jason Lam)

I am very happy with how the inbetweening of this shot turned out, as well as the colouring. It all seems to match with the background well.

Shot 23

This shot in particular was meant to be a still shot, but because I had time, I created some animation to make it more visually appealing. This shot was completely animated by myself

(Background by Jason Lam)

Arm Sketch

For the arm, I made a simple a to b movement to save time, but still keep it effective. I made this slow movement to represent that Marow is feeling tired or annoyed at Isla's taunts.

 

Final Outcome

 

I'm quite happy with the way this shot turned out. I tried to make the movements as subtle as possible while keeping most of the background obstructed by Marow while Isla walks towards the door.

Shot 11 

Shot 11 is a still shot. I used Clip Studio to draw the characters. This scene still requires some drawn VFX of dust by the door, as well as some camera movement. 

(Background by Jason Lam)

Rough Sketch

Refined Sketch

Final Outcome

I tried to make the character placement as consistent as possible with the rest of the film. I will need to add some colour adjustments and blurring to make the composition better.

What went well:

- Fluid in between frames and decent colouring.

- Consistent line width / quality.

- Well-conveyed character emotions via body language.

What to improve:

- Composition (Can be done in post production)

LAUAN603 - Weekly Update

Over the past few weeks I have been working hard on various different scenes of my personal project. I have been directing, animating and editing together particular scenes of my project. 

Shot 7

For shot 7, my job was to keyframe the door of the saloon opening. I made a rough sketch of the door opening and slowly tried to find each key frame of the process.

Rough Key Frames

 

Key Frames

 

Final Outcome (By Amy Marshall and Rachel Reid) (Background by Jason Lam)

My contributions to this scene are Keyframes only.

The next scene I completed was key framing shot 23.

Shot 22 Key Frames

For this scene in particular, I struggled with drawing the characters in that angle and distance, so it was highly out of my comfort zone. Happily enough, I managed to make it look decently drawn and timed.

Final Outcome

(In betweening and colouring by Amy Marshall) (Background by Jason Lam)

The next shot I worked on was shot 14. For shot 14, I did the inbetweening and colouring of the main character of the shot, Marow. 

Shot 14 Key Frames (By Emily Kate Mullis)

Shot 14 In Betweening and Colouring

For this shot in particular, I need to make some slight adjustments after hearing some feedback on how the character talks. I need to colour in the gaps between his cheeks and make him open his mouth. I also need to add eyes and a eerie glow.

What went well:

- Decent contributions to the selected shots.

- Consistent linework and colours.

- Good communication between work partners.

What to improve:

- Tweak shot 14 to improve character movement.

LAUAN602 - Study Task 3 - Network

 For this study task we are required to identify different networking opportunities, as well as set up a professional LinkedIn account.

LinkedIn Account Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhys-elliott-2039381a1/ 

I have updated my LinkedIn account and have posted what I want to look for as a career. I am hoping that I will attract anybody in the industry who can help me achieve my goals in starting my own freelance business.

Networking / Job opportunities

While my eventual goal will be to start my own Freelance business, I may need to join studios before I can commit to being truly independent. Because of this, I will try network with as many people as I can, as well as job opportunities that I can take.

1. Waste Creative

https://www.waste-creative.com/

Waste Creative is an animation and illustration agency that I could possibly join. They specialize in the above topics. It would be a possible career path to follow.

2. Pictoplasma 

https://conference.pictoplasma.com/berlin/

Pictoplasma is a contemporary character design and art conference / festival based in Berlin. The next festival will be held on August 25th this year. I may attend myself. 

3. Fiverr 

https://www.fiverr.com/?source=top_nav

Fiverr is an online website where freelancers of all kinds can advertise their services. This applies from voice acting to character creation. I myself have hired a voice actress from Fiverr before, and I think it could be a decent start to advertising my own services.

4. Manchester Animation Festival

https://www.manchesteranimationfestival.co.uk/

Manchester Animation Festival is a festival I have attended twice before. It is an opportunity to submit animated projects and network with people all across the world. While I attended in 2020, I think I did not pay too much attention as I was focused on university work. Therefore, I will be attending next year, hopefully in person, to network and give myself an opportunity to network with others.

5. The VTX festival 2021

https://www.pearsoncollegelondon.ac.uk/escape-studios/the-vfx-festival.html 

The VFX Festival is a games, animation and VFX festival that will take place on March 9th. While I realistically won't be able to attend this festival this year, I hope I will be able to in 2022.

6. The Lakes International Comic Art Festival

https://www.comicartfestival.com/

This is a comic arts festival based in Kendal. Since I want to pursue narrative-led media, I think it would be a good idea to attend this festival.

7. Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival

http://www.kotatsufestival.com/

Kotatsu is a Japanese Animation Festival based in Wales. It will be a good opportunity for me to learn more about different cultural practices to animation and visual media. 

8. London International Animation Festival 

https://twitter.com/londonanimation?lang=en

9. UKCGF

https://www.ukcgf.com/

UKCGF is a Comic Con agency that hosts festivals across the United Kingdom. I may attend one of these festivals if possible in order to gain information and possibly new networking opportunities.

10. Twitter

https://twitter.com/SalsaberryBoi 

Twitter is by far the largest social media platform for artists and content creators around the world. While there is a lot of competition on this site, it is a good way to collaborate and network with other artists and animators.  

11. Minds.com

https://www.minds.com/salsaberry/ 

Minds is an alternative social media platform with a few differences from Twitter. You are able to donate to other users directly, as well as apply for memberships. I have set up my own personal account there and hope to try and gather an audience. 

12. Annecy International Animation Festival 

https://www.annecy.org/home

Annecy festival is an international animation festival based in France. It seems to be a good opportunity to network with animators around the globe. 

LinkedIn Connections:

I have connected with 12 individuals who are mostly freelance illustrators or animators:

Some of these people have followed me back, while others are still pending.

LAUAN603 - Update

 Over the past few weeks I have been working on various scenes for my animated film. I have been focusing on solely completing my assigned scenes.

Scene 20

Scene 21

These two shots were quite easy to animated, as I had a direct reference to animate from, a reference I filmed myself:

For scene 20 I added my own style to the poker cards, specifically the jack card, and labelled them as a Jack and Ace card, to foreshadow the level of skill between Isla and Marow.

There could be a few improvements, such as timing and line quality, but overall these scenes turned out decently well.

Scene 25

Line art Animation

Final Outcome (Colouring by Amy Marshal)

Reference

This scene was harder to complete, but I think it turned out alright. I did all the animation while Amy Marshal did the colouring. 

Scene 2

This scene is a still, although I may add some animation to it if I have the time. The background is still required, and might include some vfx.

Scene 6

This scene in particular was far harder to complete, and took me a lot of time due to the movements and the designs of the characters. Despite this, I feel it turned out rather well. While the characters may be slightly off model, it's mostly small parts of it that seem to be.

Shot 28

This is another still shot in my film. It is the final shot in the film and will require a background.