2020 - Character Profile - 'link'

This is the profile for my character 'link' from the 2020 story.

NAME: Unknown

NICKNAME: 'link'

BIOGRAPHY: At the age of seventeen his parents were taken away from him by the Government, for trying to oppose them. Ever since, link has been trying to bring them down along with his two friends zero and alias. They are brother and sister, and their parents were also taken at the same time. They now treat link like a brother as well, and are trying to help him destroy the Government. Growing up in a world where nearly everything is computerized, they are smart and now know how they can succeed in their plans.

AGE: 21

HEIGHT: 6ft 2in

BODY TYPE: Slim figure.

COMPLEXION: Pale

EYES: Brown

HAIR: He has messy hair, which is dyed bright red.

CLOTHING STYLE: Normally he wears baggy trousers and a hooded top. His clothing style is generally very plain.

GENERAL DEMEANOR: Determined and stressed a lot.

BEST QUALITIES: He is very focused on what he is trying to achieve, and won't let anybody get in the way.

WORST QUALITIES: He is stressed and frustrated a lot and can be mean when annoyed, even to his best friends.

WEAKNESSES: He hates not being able to achieve is goal, and he also hates that he fears the Government and what they would do if they caught him.

HOBBIES: Computers, hacking...

TALENTS: He is talented when it comes to fixing things.

RULES:

- He can never leave without his friends checking that it is safe first.

- He takes different routes if he is outside, incase he is being tracked.

- He will do anything to achieve what his parents couldn't.

- He is very protective over alias in particular.

Concept Sketches:

2020 - Script

After the initial story idea, the next step was to write the script. It is quite long to post as text on here because of the page width etc, so here is the link to download or open the text file:

2020 Script

The file should open in microsoft word or open office. If there are any problems with opening it please let me know.

2020

The animation process generally starts with an initial story or idea. This is the preliminary story that I wrote last year for my Narrative Construction class. I thought I would post this work to show how I develop my ideas. The story is far from perfect, and most of the things the hackers do are not actually possible, which is why I decided to set it in the future.


"2020"

The Government is corrupt. Nobody can overthrow them, the people are too afraid. Anyone who opposes them is taken away, completely erased from existence. Once they have been taken, no one knows what is done to them. Their files and records are deleted, and they are left as mere memories, only remembered by the people who knew and loved them.

Fear is used to control the people, and here in the year 2020 everything is computerized. If anyone steps out of line, they will be caught and punished – or simply removed from society. There are ten leaders, only ten people who cause such chaos and fear. They make the decisions and the people who work for them follow without question. They have control over everything, yet there are three people they themselves fear.

These three people are a group of friends. A brother and sister, and their best friend, who they consider to be family. Their parents were strong, and believed the government should be brought to justice. They were some of the first few people to be taken away and 'erased'. At the time this happened, they were around the age of seventeen and without question they would try to achieve what their parents couldn't. They would bring the government down.

The three of them are seen as a major threat, and of course the government wants them eliminated. But they are smart. They have been hackers since they were ten, and at that age they thought it was just fun. Being brought up in a generation where computers were everything, they learned quickly. Unfortunately for the government, they are now three of the best hackers they have come across. There is always a team of agents, several possibly, hunting them and they want them dead. But in a society where everything is computerized, it is not easy to find them. Years ago they hacked into government files and erased everything about their lives. They left no trace of who they are. They are only known by their hacker names: link, zero, and alias.

They live together in an abandoned building, wired up with computers and cables everywhere. They have almost been caught twice by the team that is hunting them, both were close calls. They are much more careful now, staying inside during the day and only going outside at night. Before leaving they check all their cctv feeds to see if there is anyone suspicious. Also they have easy access to the roof from their room windows and if they climb up there they can see for miles. These tasks have become a strict routine over the years.

Since their parents were abducted they have been hacking into government files and deleting small things, that would probably go unnoticed. However, an important file was accidentally removed in the year 2015 and this is when the government started to realise what was happening. Months later the elite team of government agents and spies were sent after them, and some of the best government hackers were used to try and stop them interfering. But they were too good.

They know enough now about the ten leaders personal lives, enough information to exploit them and destroy their regime. The people may live in fear of them, but they do not know a lot. They have done far worse than take away the lives of people who oppose them, but the people have no idea, and if they found out it would turn everyone against them. And this time there would be too many people to take away, they would not be listened to any more.

From various sources, the hackers know that on Friday, 1^st October 2020, the ten officials will all be together in one room. It sounds simple but that is enough information for them to completely destroy their lives. They will hack into their security system and lock the doors so that no one can enter or leave. They will display the information they have gathered on their computer screens, not only in that room, but on every public computer screen in the world. The technology has been there for a while, and now they have discovered how use it to their advantage.

The leaders start to panic and try to leave the room. Many of them are arguing about the information. One man cannot handle the pressure, he knows his family will have seen what kind of man he really is.

A crowd is gathering outside with torches, shouting and screaming. Mayhem.

It is now the year 2022. A new government is running the country, a government that wants the best for it's people and listens to their opinions. Although, they now have a new system where the important files are not completely computerized, for obvious reasons. Everyone remembers link, zero and alias. Nobody knows who they really are and that is the way they want to be remembered.

Toon Boom Studio vs. Flash MX

This is my comparison between the Toon Boom Studio and Flash MX animation software.

Toon Boom Studio is a 2D animation program produced by Toon Boom. The software allows users to create animations and animatics in a way that is very similar to traditional methods. Toon Boom Studio has many useful tools and features that are reasonably easy to learn, and the tutorials provided are very clear and helpful.

The interface is tidy and efficient, giving users the option to move almost all of the tool boxes around. The exposure sheet aids the animator in drawing each frame individually, and is great for working out the timing of the animation. There are many colours available in the colour palette, providing the animator with a wide selection to choose from when colouring their animation. Within the program there are dynamic cameras and effects, making scene planning much easier. Another great feature is the 'onion skin' tool, allowing you to view the previous few or the next few frames of the animation. This allows the animator to work out where the character should be drawn in each frame and enables them to keep the proportions of the character correct and to scale.

Some of the disadvantages of Toon Boom Studio would be the use of a graphics tablet with the software. Personally, I find that it does not respond well to the pressure of the pen, therefore the line thickness does not vary much.

Flash MX is also a piece of software that can be used for 2D animation, among other things. The program can be intimidating at first - as it is more technical in approach than Toon Boom Studio - but with a wide range of help sections and tutorials it becomes easier to learn. One of the features of Flash MX that differs from Toon Boom Studio is the use of 'tweening', where the software will fill in the drawings between the keyframes. This can be a useful tool, as it saves time for the animator, but also the animation can look less smooth and natural if it is not done well. This tool would take a lot of skill to master, but it is useful for keeping the object or character in the right proportions throughout the animation. Flash MX also has the 'onion skin' tool showing the previous, and next frames in the animation.

One of the disadvantages of Flash MX is the interface. It is rather cluttered, and uses up too much of the space that could be used for drawing. Some of the tool boxes that clutter the space can not be closed or resized, which I feel is inefficient.

I personally prefer using Toon Boom Studio for 2D animation, as I feel it allows for more creativity. I found Flash MX to be too technical in approach, and less artistic. Toon Boom Studio is the computerized form of traditional animation, as it adopts most of the same principles. Traditionally each frame would be hand drawn, without the aid of software such as Flash MX to fill it in for you. For a traditional animator, Toon Boom would be the easiest software to switch to, and for a programmer or 3D animator, Flash MX would be the easiest to switch to if trying out 2D animation.

Animation Principles

Here are the explanations of some basic animation principles.



Squash and stretch

Squash and stretch is an animation principle in which an object or characters movement can be greatly enhanced. It is often used to emphasize certain actions and can create a comic effect. A classic example would be a bouncing ball.

Although a real ball would perhaps not squash as much when hitting the ground, this makes the action more believable and natural looking than if there was no squash at all. In real life, these movements would be more jerky, but in animation it makes the object more realistic and the animation smoother.

If a ball was to be thrown or kicked at a high speed, then stretching the shape of it while it is in the air would make the action seem to be more powerful. One of the rules of this principle is that when the object is manipulated and distorted, the mass of the object should always stay the same. If the volume of the object was less or more, then the overall scale would be affected.




Anticipation

Anticipation can be used in animation in order to enhance actions and also to prepare the audience for what will happen next. The anticipation of many movements are physically required before the action can take place, such as throwing a ball. Before the ball can be thrown, the arm needs to be brought back for momentum.

Sometimes anticipation is not physically required, but it can enhance the action if it is done well. However, it can be used too much and therefore makes the action seem too exaggerated. But when done in a subtle way it can be a very useful technique. An example of when anticipation is not physically required would be when an object is about to be lifted from a high shelf, and the character moves their hands down before reaching up to retrieve it. There is no need to do so but it makes the character appear to be thinking about the action before doing so, and the audience would then expect him to reach up.




Arcs

Generally in real life things do not move in straight lines, unless they are mechanical. When a character is walking and their arms are swinging by their side, the hand will start at a high point, curve down to the lowest point, then reach the high point again. Generally when animating, whether it is a cartoon or a realistic piece, the movements should follow arcs because it makes them much more realistic. By following the natural laws of movement, the audience will perceive the character or object to be more real. The use of arcs can be discarded for comic effect, but this would have to be done extremely well, otherwise the audience may be put off.



Pose-To-Pose vs Straight-Ahead

Pose-to-pose and straight-ahead are two different animation processes. Straight-ahead animation involves the animator drawing each frame of the animation in order, one after the other to make the complete movement. Pose-to-pose animation is the process in which the animator will draw the key-frames only, and the computer will generate the drawings inbetween.

- Advantages of Straight-Ahead
- it gives the animator more freedom and allows for more creativity
- it is less structured than pose-to-pose
- it is easier to time the actions
- separate elements can have their own specific timings

- Disadvantages of Straight-Ahead
- it is difficult to go back and fix mistakes
- it requires a lot of concentration
- the scale and mass of the drawings can unintentionally change throughout the sequence
- some scenes could be longer or shorter than originally intended

- Advantages of Pose-To-Pose
- it is very efficient and structured
- can work out an entire scene using rough key drawings
- easier to synchronize key moments of an action
- easier to keep the characters and objects in the right proportion and scale throughout the animation

- Disadvantages of Pose-To-Pose
- can sometimes look unrealistic and stiff
- harder to break down each element

Eva - Character Profile

This is the character profile for the character Eva for our group project.

Sorry guys, I'm changing the name to Eva. You might wanna change it in your character profiles if you mention it.

Name: Eva

Age: 24

Occupation: Computer Animator

Appearance:
She is 5'6" tall, slim and pale in appearance. She has very noticable bright purple hair, which is quite short, just above shoulder length, and has green/grey eyes. She never leaves the house without her black eyeliner on, and can usually be seen wearing black/dark tops with jeans and black shoes.

Personality:
She is very laid back and open minded, sometimes a little too much. It takes a lot to annoy her but if anyone so much as breathes on her ipod touch, all hell will break loose. She spends most of her time, working, playing computer games, listening to/playing music, playing with her ipod and listening to Amy whine.

History:
She lived with her parents while studying in high school and then university. At uni she studied computer animation and through friends she met Kai and Amy. Having left uni and joining a successful animation company she is now looking to move to a new house, with her best friends Amy and Kai as her roomates.


RULES:

- She is always carrying her ipod touch. Always.
- Being laid back, she is often the one people go to to complain about things. (*cough* Amy *cough*)
- She daydreams alot.

Kai Character Design Idea

This is a rough sketch of the character 'Kai' for my group project. It is just an idea of how he might look, and will probably be changed.