Week 1
Week 1 we finally got to meet our film crew in person! Throughout the Summer, our team has managed to remotely meet up a few times by zoom call.
Our production spreadsheet included a list of crew members, crew member skills, a rough asset list, a rought shot list, statistics, summer checkpoints, a production timeline, and a fall task list. Over the summer, our team completed character modeling and turn-arounds, some prop designs and prop modeling, set designs for the classroom and forest, a first pass of the animatic, some life action reference, and some animation tests.
During week 1 of fall quarter, we made some adjustments to the production timeline based on recommendations from Professor Tessier and began critiquing and fixing character and prop models.
Week 2
Week 2, we focused on getting our character models up and running as much we can:
3D Modeling:
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Oak WIP model by Hannah
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Girl WIP model by Nikitha
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River WIP model by Joshua
Rigging:
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Since Elm is our first finished character, our character rigger Peter Kim started rigging him using Advanced Skeleton. This would be Peter’s first time using Advanced Skeleton, too!
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Peter also explored rigging a paper because we have some shots where our characters interact with them. Stanley then tested out both elm and the paper rig and throw a quick animation test.
Animation tests:​
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Kayla’s trip in forest
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Built on top of Jillian’s forest run:
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Experiment further with mismatching the frame rate of the character (on twos) and everything else (on ones), and some comp test!
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2D Glitchy test
Week 3
​During week 3, we locked in the timing of the animatic, including the challenges faced for the tension in scene 1. We finished the layout of the classroom, and the main prop modeling for it, and began set dressing the scene. We began figuring out how to rig and animate the stylized features of our characters’ faces. Our team conducted more animation tests or the paper rig, writing using compositing, and glitchy effects. We also began doing research for textures, especially for our characters.
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Animatic lock in timing
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Challenges in scene 1’s tension build up
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Layout of classroom
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Kayla starts to set dress the classroom scene using Hannah’s student desk and chair as well as Peter’s clock. Some placeholders are used for the other unmodeled assets.
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Character models
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Figuring out stylized facial features such as nose, eyes, mouth, and ears
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Animation tests
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Paper flying test using Peter’s 2nd rig
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Writing animation with compositing
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Glitchy test
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Week 4
​Week 4, we continued researching textures to use in our film. We ran some tests using MNPRX, to see if we wanted to use it in our film. MNPRX has many stylization options, but our team specifically wanted to give our film a 2D watercolor feel. This week we also began sketching ideas for film poster designs, since we have to do one every quarter. 3d modeling began on filler assets as designs were finalized and layout began for the clearing environment.
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Texture research
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Girl model in MNPRX with River’s head
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Poster Designs
Week 5
Week 5, we began planning our proof of concept and what we would need to get it done by the deadline. We decided that we wanted it to be River getting chased by the tree cutting machine in the forest environment.
Our team began gathering what we needed: the tree cutting machine model, the tree models for the environment, the rigs for the tree cutting machine and River, textures for the forest environment, matte painting of trees for the background, and the tree cutting machine textures. We also began working on a run animation for River, a 2D glitch effect, lighting for the proof shot, and compositing for the proof.
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Plan our proof of concept game plan:
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Modeling
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Tree cutting machine → Joshua
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Flat trees → Hannah
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Rigging
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Tree cutting machine → Peter
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River rig → Mason
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Texturing
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Forest ground → Nikitha
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Matte painting trees → Arashi
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Tree cutting machine →
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Flat trees →
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Animation
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River run anim → Stanley
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Effects
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Glitch effect → Brianna
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Lighting
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Lighting proof shot → Nikitha
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Compositing
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Final comp, color → Jillian
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Proof Animation - run cycle progress
Week 6
During week 6, our team began layout shots, getting materials together for the end-of-quarter deliverables presentation, set dressing the flat forest environment, and tree models for the large forest environment. We continued working on the animation of River running, the tree cutting machine model, set dressing the classroom, textures for the proof of concept, and rigs for the characters and tree cutting machine. We started exploring water effects and also began looking for outside help to assist us in animating, texturing, rigging, modeling, and sound design.
Together as a team, we brainstormed a way to rig and animate the tread for the tree cutting machine since none of us had experience with animating tread before. Our rigger also sought outside help from a professor and fellow student that wasn’t on our core team.
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Layout shots start
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Set dress flat forest → Nikitha
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Animation of river running → Stanley
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Tree cutting machine model → Joshua
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Tree model → Hannah
Week 7
​Week 7, our team continued working on the flat forest, textures, rigs, and models for the proof of concept. We also conducted more 2D effects research and 2D effects tests with the MNPRX system. We developed and finalized the color theme and designs for each character texture. We continued gathering images and videos for the deliverables presentation at the end of the quarter. Layout began for the large forest environment, layout continued for the clearing, lighting and composite tests were done, and we began working on the facial rigs for our characters!
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Tree cutting machine texture
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2D animation test by Brianna
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Facial rigs of characters!
Week 8
​Week 8, we finalized the rig for the tree cutting machine and continued working on layouts for the large forest and clearing, tree textures, tree cutting machine textures, classroom textures, and background matte paintings. We began set dressing the clearing environment and began doing rig clean-up. Our outside help also provided us with a temp animatic sound update! We continued to work on the proof and making adjustments as we went along. We also finalized what we needed for the deliverables presentation for the animation board and turned it in.
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Tree cutting machine RIG!!
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Clearing set dress
Week 9
As we got closer to the end of fall quarter, we began finalizing environment layouts, finishing models for the environments, and finishing textures for props. We had a shot list update! Our animators conducted rig tests and did animation tests on the various different characters to make sure they could be used the way they needed to be for our film. We also began testing how the different environments would look in the MNPRX system with their new textures!
Week 10
During week 10, we took a look at the progress we had made Fall quarter and made a rough production timeline for Winter quarter. As a team, we also discussed what progress needed to be made over winter break to stay on track for the Spring film deadline.
We finalized the large forest layout and began working on set dressing that environment. We also worked on textures for the smaller/filler environment props. We finalized rig clean-up and kept updated the animatic one last time before break!
