Presentation Feedback

The feedback we got after the presentation was:

• Needed to zoom in more on the seals in the first scene.
• It was difficult to tell where each scene was.
• The animation did not include the visit essex website.
• The dinner table at the end could do with being less sparce.
• The music had a sad feeling to it.

To improve these on these points text was added in Premiere Pro by Chrissie saying where each scene was and also adding the website at the end. Roman redid the last scene adding more objects to the table. Sally found new music to go with the piece and Tracy altered the first scene's camera to show the seals more close up.

Presentation preparations

We met up as a group to preview the animation and discuss who would say what in the presentation. We realised that some of the scenes were too long and that the hard edges needed to be edited, however there was not enough time to amend these before the presentation.

Adding sound

Chrissy and Sally researched sound effects and background music suitable for the animation. Nature sounds were chosen to go with the individual items / animals and a soft background music for overall.
sound references:
seagulls and swallows - http://www.ilovewavs.com/
lake3 - www.freefx.co.uk/soundeffects/nature/
canal boat - www.audiosparx.com/sa/display/sounds.cfm/sound_group_iid.3380
splash - www.mediacollege.com/downloads/sound-effects/water/
wind breeze 1 - http://www.soundjay.com/
voicereal - http://www.sounddogs.com/

Shared materials

As a group we decided to use the same settings for the sky backdrop to help the transitions between our scenes to run more smoothly. However our storyboard transition ideas did not go quite as we hoped because at the time we did not have the forethought to establish what we each had for our beginning and end frames so that they would transition freely.

Overall Chrissy managed to make the transitions work with the use of cross dissolve transition in Premiere Pro. The Dedham scene was also slowed down to be in line with the other scenes and also make it more realistic.

The scenes which we thought did transit well with little help were the Walton seals to Harlow barge, Colchester Castle to Hot air balloon, and Hot air balloon coming down to the house.

Sally produced the Chelmsford cathedral scene and the countrside scene together, but the wrong way round according to the storyboard. With the use of Premiere Pro Chrissy split the scene and swapped the two halves around into the correct order.

Animating

As a group we decided that the ideal length of the the overall production should be around 3 minutes. We therefore rendered each scene accordingly. This meant the average scene was 20 seconds long, although some were longer and some shorter according to content.

Continuation of modelling

All group members have begun work on a second scene
Chrissy - Colchester Castle
Sally - Essex countryside
Tracy - Hyde Hall gardens
Andy - The house

Nursery Rhyme house modeling

this is the model for the nursery rhyme house scene this was done by first creating a box and shaping it based on reference photos once the basic shape was completed i had to craft the doors and windows by selecting the polys that were going to be used and extruding them so they were in the right position. in some places the polys were to close together or there was not enough of them to create the spaces for the windows so i had to create new polys using the cut tool. all that is left to do with this part is to put the materials on and then do the camera work.

Progress update

Individual parts of the project have now been allocated out amongst the group.
Tracy has begun work on the Walton on the Naze scene, to include the seal, landscape and the sea.
Chrissy is working on the Harlow scene, to include the barge, the river and lock, and surrounding area / background.
Andy has started work on a hot air balloon and a jam jar.
Sally has begun work on the Chelmsford scene, she has completed work on the cathedral and continues to work on the birds.

storyboard for our visit Essex animation

Who's doing what..

Initial allocation of scenes for the purpose of modelling:

1. Walton-on-the-Naze: sea + seals - Tracy
2. Harlow: barge + lock - Chrissy
3. Countryside - Sally
4. RHS Hyde Hall - Tracy
5. Chelmsford: cathedral + pigeon- Sally
6. Colchester: Chrissy?
7. Hot air balloon - Andy
8. Fireworks - Andy
9. Blackmore: jam jar - Andy
10. Essex map:

Plan of action

As a group we discussed which features and places in Essex we should include and ways in which we could tie them all together. We came up with the following guide on which to base our storyboard:

1. Walton-on-the-Naze
At seaside > look out to sea > seal colony > seal dives down to create water splash > camera to go into water splash then pull back to change location to...

2. Harlow
at the River Stort > onto a barge > along the river to a lock > disembark from the barge > onto the towpath > follow towpath which forks off onto footpath...

3. Countryside
travel along footpath through countryside...

4. RHS Hyde Hall
footpath leads to gardens at RHS Hyde Hall > follow path towards Hyde Hall House > zoom in to a tree by the Hall > pull back to change location to...

5. Chelmsford
outside the Cathedral > move around Cathedral > look up at steeple > look across at birds flying > follow flock of birds across sky > look back down to new location at...

6. Colchester
outside the Castle > move around the Castle > turn around to look at Castle Park > waiting to take off from the park grounds is a...

7. Hot air balloon
which takes off > flies across sky > night time descends...

8. Fireworks display
in background against the night sky > balloon continues to move across sky > balloon descends to new location at...

9. Blackmore
outside the Nursery Rhyme House > look in through the window at table set for supper > loaf of bread, Tiptree jam and lit candle > zoom into candle flame > image to flicker and turn into...

10. Map of Essex
with "Welcome to Essex" in various languages

The mood board

Last week, we have discussed our idea.

We will pay more attention on the create environment, the animation from natural go to the city and modern life.

And I think, the point not only that create beautiful model, but that the transition for each scene could be more important.

Last week, I have searched the video on YouTube, and I want to make the effective of transition like that.

Through our discussed, we have decided no person on the video, so we will create the space when introduction the life or festival.

I have research some image according our idea as well as make clear on the mood board.

 

Start in sky, the camera through sky shot to ocean. The seal shown on the scene, and follow it into water with a great splash.

The shot zoom into the water and change the scene to river and boat, the boat move to riverside, then the view change to rural.

 

In this view, camera move around and zoom in a flower, make blurred effect to change scene to garden.

Through the road, the castle have present.

Zoom into sky, a bride cross the sky and change to nightfall.

The camera move and zoom in the sun, a fire balloon across. Then, change to night.

More balloon display. The view transition to bright.

Fireworks present the view.

Zoom in these firework, change the view to house or Christmas tree.

Zoom in the ornaments from the Christmas tree and change to strawberry.

The camera panned out to show table in the house, jam and strawberry cake placed on the table.

I added strawberry and jam due to I searched below:

Fields of rich strawberries, rows of delicious loganberries and orchards of cherries and plums can be found on Wilkin & Sons Ltd's 1,000 acre estate at Tiptree in Essex.....

How to tie in the different scenes

1. Smaller to Larger: Rivers > Parks > Woodland > Villages > Towns > Cities > Buildings > Castles. 
2. Along a footpath: Osea Island > River Blackwater > Promenade Park > Maldon town > Villages > Colchester. 
3. Building > camera pans into doors > doors open > camera goes through to another scene.

DECISION!!!

We decided to amalgamate ideas 1, 3 and 4 to produce a walkthrough of the different areas of Essex from the natural environment to the busy towns. As the animation progresses it will also incorporate various festivities and festivals. We aim to use transition effects to change from one scene to then next.

Storyboard for Idea One

Research into Idea One

Rough history of Colchester and how it might have looked though the ages. Just looking into idea one because I couldn't get my keyboard or my headphones to work. This might be useful, or not, depending on what idea we choose.

Camulodumon - Celtic settlement - trading settlement with impressive defences. Invaded by the Romans in 43AD. Settlement was about 12 square miles.

Camulodumum - Roman town - Claudius invaded with elephants!! (Poor Celtic people must have been scared). Built Temple of Claudius (44 - 53 AD ?) Destroyed by the Boudican invasion (60 to 61 AD) Colchester Castle was built on it's remains. Butts Road Roman Church was also built (320 - 340 AD) and St Helen's Chapel that is still standing (I think). Population of about 10 - 12000.

Saxon and Viking town - lots of wooden hut buildings, by 527 AD became a major settlement.

William the Conqueror invaded in 1066 - built Colchester Castle between 1069 and 1076. Once had four stories but due to lack of stone it now had two/three. Lots of churches were built including St Johns Abbey (1096) St Giles, st John's Green (1150) St Mary of the Walls (1206) and others.

In the Domesday book (1086) Colchester had 419 houses and a population between 2000 and 2500.

In 1635 the population was arround 8000.

1648 - Colchester was attacked during the Second English Civil War (I thought there was only one?!) Lot's of destruction, St Mary's Church and the Gate of St John's Abbey were partially destroyed. (The inhabitants were left eating candles and boots. Nice!)

http://www.localhistories.org/colchestertime.html

Ideas

Following a meeting with the representative from VisitEssex we, as a group, have come up with the following ideas:

1. Colchester as a whole - showing different aspects of the town from the castle to the zoo, and through the ages.
2. Birds tour of Essex using different voiceovers.
3. Focus on different places during different seasons e.g. which events happen at different times of years.
4. A walkthrough of Essex showing the diversity from the natural environment through to thriving towns.

Introduction

This blog is the collective works of:

Tracy Torteli
Christina Lane
Andrew Roman
Rui Zhang