The Rookie Sniper

The Rookie Sniper from Michael Shaw on Vimeo.

Now that we have learned how to use the cameras, I wanted to experiment with creating a production with multiple camera angles, and multiple cameras that reflects my topic. I also wanted to experiment more with silhouetted characters who are still identifiable when not in profile, as well as depth of field. (did it work?)

I was inspired by the moral of The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing to make this short animation. It states "harm seek, harm find," meaning that the pain one searches to inflict becomes the very pain that is done onto oneself.

We have plenty of rooftop assassins in our time. Eventually, one of them will get a little too bloodthirsty and fall from the building they are on. The desire to kill undetected can consume an individual, as it did the wolf, and the sniper in my video.

Writeup: Parenting and Loops Demo

A Tale of Two Construction Workers (DEMO) from Michael Shaw on Vimeo.

Since we have the opportunity to work with loops, i wanted to begin experimenting with articulated puppets for what i would like to expand into a bigger project. This is the opening shot of an idea i'm currently fleshing out based on the Grasshopper and the Ant, a fable that favors hard work and planning over procrastination. Here, i'm trying to portray two characters, who are very different in their mannerisms; one works late into the afternoon, while the other sleeps and waits for work to finish.

In regards to my focus this semester, the aesthetic is a bit more traditional, relying more on black solids, as opposed to my previous animations where other accent colors were used to enhance character design. I tried to focus more on characterization through action, as opposed to relying simply on looks.

While the puppetry is a bit simple, I think the little i have, combined with the camera angles I use is beginning to help distinguish between the two characters on screen. There is one little issue i have, where the characters will pop for a splt-second during the loop animation. Beyond that, I'm still thinking of ways to introduce viewers into the environments I create, but using the 3D layers is helping push the depth, especially when zoomed in.

3D Layers Project Writeup

Test with Null Objects and 3D layers from Michael Shaw on Vimeo.

For this test, I wanted to experiment with one of the other stories I wanted to work with, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." In its current iteration, the boy dials 911, calling the police to his area. As he hides in delight from those he pranked, a burglar appears, and shoots the boy.

It's a working idea, and I plan to revise it a bit, making things seem more logical as they happen.
I wanted to use the 3D layers and null parents to slowly reveal parts of the environment and the setting. Some shadow puppetry artists play with the distance of the characters to the light they use to project sihlouettes to give the viewer a sense of depth. I tried to simulate that here.

The null layers are used to move specific parts of the environment, almost like a working camera.

Response and project revision:

After Effects Project 1: Revision from Michael Shaw on Vimeo.

Upon reading my original proposal, I realized there are some things I forgot to clarify. In regards to my desire to develop a form of puppetry that is American in nature, I wanted the products of my research to reference the other cultures I studied. I mentioned a couple of these cultures in my island. I'm especially interested in Chinese, Greek, Javanese methods of shadow play. In each project I might try different aesthetics, referencing other cultures.

I wanted my work to reflect a more urban influence, with cityscapes, and a feeling that the world reflected is one very familiar, very modern in regards to technology.

The stories I'm currently thinking of working with include The Tortoise and the Hare, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Lion and the Mouse, and one of the more obscure Fables, although I am not currently sure which i want to use. I am open to the idea or reinterpreting these lessons for modern day viewers, and am currently thinking of ways to further those goals, while keeping the overall morals intact.

Proposal and Video:

Project 1:

After Effects: Project 1 from Michael Shaw on Vimeo.

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• Topic: Shadow puppetry as an art from.
• Stories
• Subject Matter
• Inspirations
• Aesthetic
• Cultural Philosophies (Religion? Entertainment? Govt? Rebellion?)
• Technique and beliefs
• What I hope to gain:
• Insight on tried and true storytelling practices.
• Studying their subject matter and techniques to expand upon the techniques I can use to tell stories.
• Work within and expand upon an aesthetic I a interested in.
• Project Ideas?
• Reinterpret older story styles? (Try to replicate aesthetic in After Effects, or add to it?
• Both can be investigative.
• Reinterpret Aesop's Fables
• Modern aesthetic, modern america.
• Could use facets of older shadow puppet stylings in addition to my own.
• Major Sources:
• Javanese: Wayang Kulit
• Chinese
• French
• Thai
• Greek

Proposal:

My interests in shadow puppetry originally began with an admiration for the aesthetic, the use of silhouettes to tell stories. Upon conducting research, my interest has expanded into the way stories are told through shadow puppetry - the characters they create, the types of stories they tell, as well as the inspirations for these stories. Learning about different countries' interpretations of the art form has inspired me to explore all facets of shadow puppetry this semester, with respect to its original purpose, telling stories with morals.

For my own interpretation of this art form, I look to Aesop's Fables; tried and true narratives, with morals that share a common ground with the stories from long ago. I want to work in my own aesthetic, however, using modern America as the backdrop for any story i reinterpret. I would be interested in exploring more traditional visuals with respect to individual countries as an aside, but my main goal is to create what i consider to be an American interpretation of shadow puppetry.

Workshop

Similar Ideas:

Sihlouette

Marionette

Animate

Darkness

Projection

Ghost

Figure

Doll

Rigging

Skeletonn

Giving Life to the lifeless

Posing

Re-enactment

2-D Shape

Simulated Depth

Ominous oppression

Skeletons in closet

Cast over

Enveloped

Shade

Twilight

Contour

Profile

Shape

Remnants

Trail

Opacity

Model

Control

Minion, tool pawn

Stooge

Instrument

Movement from above

Movement by another

Outclassed

Something to nothing

Pulling Strings

Lack of control

Echoes

Footprints

Digital Puppet

Ritual Story Telling

Performance

Chains

Fate

Opposite Ideas:

Illumination

Freedom

Free will

Static

Volume

Living

Master

Jointless

3-D

Optimism

Visions of grandeur

Transparency

Lack of animation

Representation vs actuality

Tangible Action

Twilight

Low Contrast

shades of grey

intelligible profile

live action entertainment

spontaneous action

hollow form

formless

gaseous

liquid

focus via camera adjustment

death, snapshots

spectate

choice

indecisiveness

powerful

inconclusive

misinterpretation

destiny

liberty

misdirection

toy

defiance

anarchy

independent

Visual metaphors/ contrasting visual metaphors:

Composite Image Writeup

I decided to expand upon my shadow puppetry idea for my first project. There are a bunch of cultural styles that I can use as fuel for my studies. When conducting research, I looked into the reasons shadow puppetry is used in societies around the world and the subject matter their shows focused on. All of them shared a common interest in two things - religious storytelling and moralistic narratives. Although their themes have similarities, the overall aesthetic reflects the distinct culture of the production. I feel this is a place i can start working from.

I want to make modern interpretations of "old-school" Aesop Fables, working in the tradition of shadow puppeteers across the globe by exploring characters in settings akin to America.

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My first project in regards to this is my rendition on the "Tortise and the Hare" . Th-Pe main characters are substituted with cars driving down the freeway. I chose a Ford Mustang and a Toyota Prius, mainly for their performance records inregards to speed and effectiveness. However, what is more important is what they do in my first animation, which is outlined below:

-Prius driving down the street.

-Mustang pulls up behind it, trails Prius closely in hopes of speeding up. Honks in frustration.

-Switches lanes, speeds past, screeches to a halt at a red light.

-Prius pulls up next to it.

-Light turns green, mustang peels out, driving very fast.

-Camera follows Mustang until it crashes into a nearby speed limit sign.

-Prius passes car, keeping steady pace.

Long story short, it's my take on American drivers who rush to get where they need to be, yet get hindered by red lights and the rules of the road. Slow and steady wins the race indeed... and keeps people from getting in car accidents.