Preliminary Character Designs

I have 5 weeks to complete my first film (henceforth referred to as "Production 0"). It's a one minute hand-drawn animation.
We'll be shooting it on 16 mm film. I have a lot of kinks to work out, mainly the animation. Here are some of my initial character drawings. I liked her, but she's a little too prepubescent for this story. She needs more curves.





Something more like this...


She will have a face.

Legs, Legs, Legs!!!

I like drawing legs. Here are a few rough sketches.

USC Animation Website

Finally! Our department website has gone through a much needed makeover. Now, I have a student profile which will be updated to include my work. Check it out (click the above title link).

Where's Debbie?

See if you can find her!

Celebrity Sighting #6

I saw Casey Affleck last night at El Compadres Mexican Restaurant.

Puppet Love

Meet Octavious, a cutout puppet I made for a project.

Celebrity Sighting # 2, 3, 4 & 5

George Lucas recently donated 175 million dollars to USC's film school. Whoa. As a grad student of the film school, I scored an invite to his honorary ceremony, which was today. I was also one of two animation students included in the Lucas photoshoot, so be on the lookout for press photos. I'm standing right behind him!

Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, and Leonard Maltin were also in attendance.

Furthermore, in recognition of USC's film school, Los Angeles officially declared October 4th as "USC's School of Cinematic Arts Day." Hopefully, they'll give us holiday next year!

This has been the 2nd ceremony I've attended since beginning school here. Recently, the animation program received a 5 million dollar endowment from the John C. Hench foundation. This school is oozing with opportunity, and I feel really lucky to be here.

Behind the Blog

Here's what I've been doing that I haven't blogged about:

Stop-Motion Animation:
Every week, I have an hour under the 16mm Oxberry Camera. During this time, the goal is to develop a sense of rhythm and timing while growing comfortable with the technical aspects of shooting on film. So far, I have animated donuts, pliers & nails, and building blocks. Last week, I shot my film with the shutter closed. Lesson learned. Up next, clay and sand animation.

Rotoscoping:
This is a group project. As a class, we shot a live-action dance sequence on film (Yes, I danced). After it's developed, we'll be working under the camera, tracing and painting the drawings. Then we'll reshoot the drawings on film and re-edit the movie.

Time-Lapse:
I had an hour with a Bolex camera, which is a handheld 16mm camera. I shot scenes of traffic and people, experimenting with exposure time and lighting and f-stops.

Editing and Post Production:
Currently, I am editing 16mm film the old fashioned way, using a Steenbeck. Once I finish cutting my scene, I'll add the sound design, soundtrack, and titles. All analog. Computers not allowed.

Experimental:
I made a scratch film by scratching lines and shapes directly onto the 16mm film leader.
I made another film by painting directly on clear 16mm leader. Neither one of these turned out very well. My timing was way off.

Traditional:
Walk Cycles, Storyboards, etc. I've started production on my first semester film. I had to pitch my idea for a one minute film to the class. So far, so good. This is an ongoing project that I will complete by the end of the semester.

Classtime:
I've watched many films, including the student films that launched the careers of George Lucas, Robert Zemeckis, and John Lasseter. Next week, I have a midterm for my History of Animation class. In Seminar each week, an industry professional comes to talk about his career and work. We've heard from art directors at Disney and Warner Brothers. Next week, a lady from Cartoon Network is dropping by, and then after that, we'll hear from the creator of Spongebob Squarepants.

So, that's it in a nutshell.
Side note: I got a scooter, but I've been fighting over it with my boyfriend. We'll solve that problem with the purchase of a skateboard.