By (Sophie Khodabocus, Berni Bozsik, Anushka Bhanot, Ceren Firat, Zeng Zeng)
https://artslondon.padlet.org/skhodabocus0120241_1/out-of-your-head-animatics-tests-43qx8dgnwbb026e5
Background Development: by Sophie
Exterior Florist Shop Test:
Above is an unfinished initial test I made on Procreate (I wanted to get a feel for how the florist shop would look). I initially had planned to have the entire shop a fresh grass green colour however after testing this, realised a more warm earthy brown was more appropriate as would create better contrast with the plants that would be displayed in the foreground.
Some elements I was keen to incorporate were pattern and texture, warm lighting and an autumnal colour palette.
Hand drawn Stone/pebble floor:
Above I used Procreate to create a pebble like print – I then made it into a repeat pattern which I could impose into my scene (distort into perspective) as the floor in front of the florist shop.
Background 1 : Photoshop
Initial sketch by Berni:
First Version:
For the first background I took inspiration from the mood board’s I had created in the previous weeks. I was particularly interested in exploring the application of pattern and texture (a key feature of the style of Cartoon Saloon) so tried to use a variety of them, this can be shown on the plant pots, walls and door of the florist shop. I did draw in less flowers than shown in Berni’s initial sketch as we agreed that the setting of our story would be around the autumn season.
Overall I am quite happy with this background, especially the cosy atmosphere I was able to create using different layer adjustment settings for the lighting.
After discussing with Berni who was doing the rough animation for the first scene, we decided that the door needed to change so that our character Phool would be hidden when the door was shut (if the window of the door remained how I initially drew it, it would have required additional animation which would have been unnecessary for the scene).
This led to the Second Version as shown below:
Although I prefer the first version of the door with the longer window, I think it doesn’t make too much of a difference visually to the surrounding scene; the light seeping through the shorter window still gives it a warm and homely feel, even if it seems less than the first version. I decided to add a letterbox to the new door as the larger green space felt a bit unbalanced otherwise.
I was grateful to discuss with Berni about the background during the process of making it – as when it came to drawing the interior, I wasn’t sure what level of detail would work. I think the silhouetted interior allows for greater contrast with the foreground elements which works better considering the focus in on the exterior.
Background 2: Photoshop
Initial sketches by Berni:
Adjusted sketch by Sophie:
In the altered sketch above I lowered the chest level in front of the windows and added the tall plant pots so it would match the first background. I also added in the bookcase on the right side of the canvas so it would match the position shown in the following scenes of the animatic that Berni made. I thought this bookcase would have quite compressed shelves so phials, books and a few small plants and ceramics would be a perfect combination to fill the space.
The outline of the red box is a rough idea of where our character Phool places the mushroom box (indicated in blue). Initially this was going to be a table, however I decided a low chest was a better option, not only because it meant it was easier to draw from different angles in other scenes, but also because our character’s height is quite short, so it made the most sense.
Final Background:
Above is the rendered final background I made. I really like the small detailing I added like the gardening tools, lanterns, watering can and flower poster. Not only do these details create a nice welcoming feeling to the florist shop but it also adds depth to our main character.
The implication of the background on our main character Phool could be to portray his deep love for organisation and collecting items that draw his interest.
Overall I’m pretty happy with the composition of this background especially the tree as I feel it really ties the space together well, it also contrasts nicely with the surrounding green tones.
Foreground elements:
As shown above I drew some foreground elements that will move across the scene as demonstrated in Berni’s animatic. I made a second version where these elements are darker and shadowed so to create better contrast. I think this version makes more sense considering the camera placement too. A problem to consider is that the first version is quite bright so may draw focus away from our character Phool. For this reason the second version may be more appropriate. Alternatively using some adjustment layers during the compositing stage may fix this issue.
Updated New Version:
After comparing the first background that I had completed with the second, Berni realised the colour palette of both looked different; the first background showed the interior of the florist shop to be more glowy and yellow toned due to the lighting whereas my second background didn’t have this effect. For this reason she suggested adding an overlay layer. As shown in the above version I tried to do this – I used an orange and yellow gradient on the ‘overlay’ layer setting and lowered the opacity to 40%. I think this creates a much more homely feeling to the scene. It also allows for greater contrast with the blue toned exterior of the shop.
Background 3 : Photoshop
Initial sketch by Berni:
Adjusted sketch by Sophie:
Final Background:
This third background was much quicker to complete than the previous two. I also was able to copy in some elements which saved me time (the interior window plant pots, the bricks and some of the door elements). I decided to add wooden beams to the ceiling to create a rustic charm to the space. I think this also worked well to show the angle of the ceiling compared to the back wall.
Updated New Version:
In the above I added the same overlay I had for the second – (yellow orange gradient at 40%). It was quite time consuming cutting out the windows due to all the foreground elements I had placed in front (the plant pots). I do however think this step was necessary for creating a more cohesive colour palette in general throughout the backgrounds.
Background 4 : Photoshop
Initial sketch by Berni:
Adjusted sketch by Sophie:
In the above adjusted sketch, I tried to make the positioning of the different objects as similar as I could do the previous backgrounds, however I did notice some differences (e.g. the distance between the shelf and the chest is greater in the second background). Luckily I don’t think these elements will be too noticeable due to the character being the main focal point to each scene.
Final Background:
Updated New Version:
In the above I added the overlay again but at a lower opacity of 20%. I felt this better matched the previous backgrounds as at 40% it felt too saturated and a bit overwhelming.
Background 5 : Photoshop
Initial sketch by Berni:
Test adjustment sketch by Sophie:
I was slightly confused by Berni’s initial sketch for scene 5 – I wasn’t exactly sure where Phool knocks off the spray bottle – at first I thought it fell to the left of the room so I tried to adjust Berni’s sketch (as shown above) to match the previous backgrounds and their objects. After discussion about this matter with Berni, I realised the spray bottle actually falls to the right side of the room (the audience so far won’t have seen this side of the room). I therefore stuck to the original sketch as none of the plants needed to be the same as the previous scenes. I was grateful to clear up the confusion, and it also meant that the background was easier to create.
Adjusted sketch by Sophie:
Final Background:
Updated New Version:
For this scene I made the opacity of the overlay 15% – It felt too saturated at 40% like the previous scenes were and it seems to match better at 15%.
Background 6 : Photoshop
Initial sketch by Berni:
Adjusted sketch by Sophie:
Above is my adjusted sketch – after starting to render this scene I realised the width of the green shelves needs to be narrower than the above (so to match the previous scenes).
Final Background:
I found this scene particularly challenging due to the angle of the book case and the angle of the wall. It was especially difficult to draw all the objects on the shelves because of this reason. Moving forward I think it would be useful to learn more about perspective in my free time so things like this are easier to create.
Updated New Version:
For this scene I added the gradient overlay at 40%.
Background 7 : Photoshop
Initial sketch by Berni:
Adjusted sketch by Sophie:
In the above I tried to copy in the same plant pots as the ones shown in background 5. I decided to remove the corner of the room that can be seen on the right hand side of the sketch because this wouldn’t make sense considering the floorpan I made below (Phool drops the water spray right of the chest so the area above would be the plant pots in the bottom right corner of my floorplan).
Rough Floorplan:
Final Background:
Updated New Version:
This background has also a 15% overlay – to match scene 5 which is set in the same space of the room.
I really enjoyed drawing the flowers/plants for this scene. I think it makes the scene look very cosy especially with the floor shrub.
Background 8 : Photoshop
Initial sketch by Berni:
Adjusted sketch by Sophie :
In the above I tried to match the placement of the objects and the tree to how I had previously drawn background 2 since the angle of the camera is the same for this shot just zoomed in.
Reference from Background 2:
Here I copied a section of background 2 and positioned it on the canvas, I wanted to make sure the placement of my objects was the same as background 2 so I ended up tracing over the elements so create the version below.
Final Background:
The reason I didn’t just copy the background from 2 was because the quality would have looked blurry as I would have had to zoom in. I also needed to extend the top of the tree which wasn’t shown in background 2.
Updated New Version:
I made the gradient overlay 40% here.
Background 9 : Photoshop
Initial sketch by Berni:
Adjusted sketch by Sophie:
After creating the adjusted sketch above I realised that the actual angle of the camera on the scene seemed too left sided. It also seemed to contradict the previous scene where Phool is lifted up to quite some height (the above is quite a low angle comparatively). For this reason, I decided to make a new sketch (shown below).
New sketch by Sophie:
I think this angle works better for our character Phool as the perspective draws more on height which aligns with the fact he is being held by the creature.
Final Background:
I found the above challenging due to the perspective and trying to match the position, size and style of the plants to scene 2. I’m sure there are errors with the perspective, however overall I don’t think it will take away from the character animation which will be placed over the scene.
Updated New Version:
The gradient overlay here is at 25% however it may need to be adjusted during the compositing stage.
Background 10 : Photoshop
Reference by Berni:
Initial sketch by Sophie :
There hadn’t been an initial sketch for the background in the animatic. So I tried to visualise where the creature would be in this scene. It was quite confusing due to us not having made a floorpan and mapping out the movements of the creature and our character Phool. I therefore made an educated guess based on the previous backgrounds I had made.
The above is a sketch of the left back wall from the perspective of Phool looking up at the creature as he is held.
Final Background:
Updated New Version:
Credits:
Credits by Sophie:
Though our tutor advised against doing credits for the submission of our film as it would take away time from our story. I decided to make one anyway which I had hoped could be added to the screening after the submission. I think the design is cohesive with the rest of the backgrounds I made. I wanted to create an earthy and simple design that included the main tree in the backgrounds but also had the impression of the warm fairy lights. The mushrooms also are based on the neck colour of our creature – I did test the creature’s main colour (a vibrant blue) but it felt too distracting. I am satisfied with the fonts I chose too, the one I used for the ‘credits’ particularly matches well with the branches of the tree.
Unfortunately, during the final editing process we realised there wouldn’t be time to add the credits into the film as it had reached the 30 second duration. While this was a shame, I did think that making the credits and experimenting with the composition and font styles was a useful task (the skills I could definitely apply in the future for other films I work on).
Overall Reflection:
During the process of making my backgrounds I realised often after finishing each one that there were many inconsistencies. As the background artist the positioning of different objects and furniture was not properly established and this means there are flaws in each scene. The movement of Phool, the creature and the spray bottle doesn’t always match up.
For example:
- Our character Phool walks in a straight line in the second scene – and he puts the mushroom box down on the chest. In this shot the chest is parallel to the main front door. This differs to the next scenes where the chest is actually closer to the left wall (from Phool’s perspective) and parallel to the left window (from Phool’s perspective as he walks through the door).
- Scene 7 seems also to be incorrect when I look at my rough floorplan (which looking back It seems I made too late) – it seems too far away from the chest where we first see the emergence of the creature and also it seems far from where the spray bottle theoretically wold have fallen. I think this fault has occurred due to the lack of communication within the group and proper planning – we hadn’t discussed making a floorpan before the animatic, and started animating/creating backgrounds simultaneously meaning the angles of the animatic can’t be changed as my group had already begun animating the scenes and I had assumed the background sketches were mostly accurate.
- In scene 8 – I think the size of Phool is also too small (when you compare it to the second background where he appears larger).
While these are not likely to be noticeable for an audience who only sees each scene for a few seconds, it still is something that needs to be addressed/reflected on so that in following projects I wouldn’t face the same issue.
For example in some scenes the furniture seems to be positioned in a slightly different angle /place. It was also unclear where our character Phool drops the spray bottle, at which point he is crouched on the floor, and where the creature stands (in each scene the angle of these things does not always align).
Improvement: Background work
- If I were to redo this project I would make sure that a floorpan was created prior to the animatic so these issues didn’t arise and so the shots decided actually worked for the setting.
- I think it would be useful to practice perspective more as this is something I struggle with (I struggled with drawing the same objects in different scenes at different angles and trying to visualise this without any references).
Reflection on my role:
For this project I think my group all decided to pursue roles that we were good at/felt confident doing. I think this was mainly because we were eager to create the best outcome we could as a group. I personally haven’t had much experience doing rough animation and felt unconfident after my previous rotation project ‘Making Character’ where I made many errors and worked at a very slow pace drawing frames. For this reason I volunteered to work on backgrounds as this is something I felt more confident doing, plus I have more experience in this aspect. I did wish to help with doing colour and lineart for this project, had I had time after my backgrounds, however I underestimated how much time I would need to complete the backgrounds which led to me not trying the other roles.
Considering the above I feel like for the next project I work on I should step out of my comfort zone as I know I won’t be able to progress my skills in other areas without practice and trial and error. Despite this I am still happy with the work I created for the project. I enjoyed ideating during the initial stages of the project (coming up with mood boards, character design, carrying out photography) but also rendering the backgrounds and bringing all the previous work I had done together.
Issues faced as a group:
I think the main struggle our group faced with was lack of communication and clarity, but also a lack of time and an incomplete production pipeline from the beginning of the project.
Some issues we had were:
- Knowing what roles each person was doing
- Factoring in that each of us have different styles of working and that each of us have strengths and weaknesses, different skillsets and work at different paces
- We didn’t make expression sheets for our characters which made it difficult for some of my group who were doing rough animation as they didn’t have anything but the animatic to base their work from
- We didn’t have a floorpan for our setting outlined
- We hadn’t properly clarified colour palettes, or lineart type which led to confusion during the later stages of the project
- Disagreements over decisions
- Using different softwares for animation and trying to get them to match each other
- We didn’t set enough internal deadlines for the progress of our project.
- We didn’t ask for feedback enough from our tutors – which led to wasted time in the first week (when we had been set on our first idea).
- We didn’t properly establish the height contrast /proportion of our two main characters. This might have meant our character Phool and the creature vary by different scenes.
- We also didn’t properly clarify the height at which Phool is picked up to.
Strengths of working as a group:
- We all worked really hard on each of our roles + played to our strengths and skillsets
- We tried to make decisions as a group
- We were able to overcome initial challenges (we had to scrap our first idea which allowed for us to come up with a better and more manageable second idea, that more of us agreed on)
- We all worked together on the storyboard at different stages which led to a better animatic with a variety of shots.
- Most of the group were able to work on character design, which we pieced apart and took ideas from to then redesign and develop. This led to more interesting designs.
- We all had different visions for the aesthetics of our animation which allowed us to create a variety of mood boards that helped inspire us and create further ideas
Final Film Reflection:
Link to final film titled ‘Phool’s Phlorist’ : https://padlet.com/artslondon/out-of-your-head-animatics-tests-final-film-43qx8dgnwbb026e5
Final Reflection:
As a group we experienced time management and scheduling challenges which resulted in the restructuring of roles in the final days of the deadline. This led to the incorporation of different softwares which led to inconsistencies in quality and colour grading.
Moving forward I now know the importance of discussing software compatibility and time management expectations with the group I work in especially making sure it happens consistently throughout the timeline of the project.
Overall I’m happy with how our animation turned out, however it was a shame the quality/resolution of my backgrounds dropped with the consistent moving back and forth of files and to different software’s (Photoshop, Toonboom, Procreate, After Effects, Premier Pro and Capcut).