COMPLETED PLANNING

WHAT TO PUT IN YOUR DIRECTOR’S COMMENTARY:

·         Create a title image for your iBook

·         Cut your animation into scenes

·         Create an iBook chapter for each scene

·         Write a director’s commentary for each scene. This might include some or all of the following

Ø  What each scene means to you

Ø  How you shot/animated each scene (What skills you used)

Ø  How you solved problems

Ø  What scenes you deleted

Ø  What you might have liked to do if you had your time over again

·         Insert the animated scene at the end of each commentary

Who is your target audience – commentary aimed at this

DIRECTORS COMMENTARY:

Intro:

I’m Charli Bawden, the creator of the film, and throughout this book there will be director’s commentary over each of the scenes in the animation, telling you what the scene is about and how it was made. 

Title Scene:

·         Drew the title on the paper to show the effect of the animation being drawn

SPOKEN - This is the title scene of the film. It was a last minute addition and introduces the film with the title. The title is written on paper, to introduce the theme of the film and the letters were written in a large way to clearly show the title.

Scene 1:

·         Scene where the stick figure stands up out of the paper

·         Set the camera up above the paper

·         Had a light set up above the paper to make it clearer

·         Had to reshoot the scene a couple of times

·         Took a while to create this scene

·         Had a lot of trouble filming this scene

·         Had trouble keeping the stick figure standing

·         Had trouble photoshopping out the stick that was used to hold it up – colours and shadows

·         Once up – easier to move

·         Fell down – had to reset him

SPOKEN - In this scene, the protagonist of the film is introduced. He is drawn on the paper and he then proceeds to stand up and out of it. The camera was set up above the camera for this scene so everything could clearly be seen, such as the stick figure slowly appearing on the paper and then coming out.

WRITTEN – There was also a light set up above the paper to again make everything clearer; to get rid of the shadows and to allow the camera to could pick up on the pencil. The scene had to be reshot multiple times, as there were multiple issues that were encountered. It took numerous times to complete the scene correctly without any complications. Some problems that were encountered include; the stick figure falling over and the angle of the light to get rid of the shadows. When the stick figure fell over, it was very hard to reset him in the exact same position, as many of the positions used were hard to duplicate. A stick was used to keep the stick figure standing while he was upright, so photoshop was used to remove it at a later date. There were a few issues whilst photoshopping this out, as it was difficult to match the colours and shadows of the frames. Once the stick figure was standing up, it became much easier to move him around and keep him standing. Overall, this scene is one of my personal favourites, as it turned out much better than I had expected and captures the idea of the scene and introduces the film very well. 

Scene 2:

·         Very short scene

·         Show the emotion of the stick figure

·         He is shocked because he is out of the paper

·         Photoshopped the shocked expression in

·         Took a few goes to get the zooming in right

WRITTEN – This scene is extremely short, as it is used to show the emotion of the stick figure. He is shocked, as he has just gotten out of the paper he was drawn on. The mouth of the figure was Photoshopped in after the scene was filmed and it was a very quick process. The first few tries at this scene didn’t work, as it took a few tries to get the close up right. The initial try was too shaky, as were a few tries after this, but the scene seen here is the final try and it worked well.

Scene 3:

·         Scene where the stick figure falls off the table and onto the floor and stands up

·         Didn’t take long to film

·         Changed the camera angle to show different views of what was happening

·         Camera placed on the ground to show the height he was falling from

·         Changed the view to show where he fell to

·         Dropped him to show the effect of him falling to the ground – took photos quickly to catch the falling motion

·         Crucial part of the storyline

SPOKEN – In this scene, the stick figure walks to the edge of the table and falls off. This scene didn’t take too long to film, as it was one of the last ones that I filmed, so I had had a lot of practice at moving the stick figure and animating him.

WRITTEN – I changed the camera angle multiple times to create different effects throughout this scene. There was a close up at the beginning to show the stick figure walking out of view. This then cut to the camera being set up below the desk to show the height the figure was falling from and show how small he is from this distance. The view then cut to a view of the ground, which is then occupied when he falls into the shot. Dropping him and taking photos very quickly created the effect where he fell into view. This scene is a crucial part of the storyline as it is the first scene where he is in the ‘real world’.

Scene 4:

·         Scene where he walks out of the classroom and goes outside

·         Used blu tack to create the look of him jumping down the ledge

·         Used blu tack to make him stay up – and wire

·         One of my favourite scenes

SPOKEN – In this scene, the stick figure walks out of the classroom and into the outside section of the school. I used different techniques to finish the scene. I used blu tack and wire to keep the stick figure standing, as he was still paper.

Scenes 5 & 8:

·         Filler scenes for where the stick figure walked

·         Did this without having to physically move the figure as it was too time consuming

·         Didn’t have time to make him walk the whole way

·         Decided to just show how he got there

SPOKEN ON SCENE 5 – This is one of the filler scenes. In this scene it shows that he walked to the lockers, away from the classroom.

SPOKEN ON SCENE 6 – This is the other filler scene. In this scene it shows that he walked away from the lockers, towards the classroom.

WRITTEN – These two scenes were used as filler scenes in the animation. They show where the stick figure walked instead of actually physically having to move him as this would be too time consuming. I did not have time to make him walk the whole way, so I decided to just show where he walked instead of moving him.

Scene 6:

·         Scene where he walks into the locker room

·         Challenging to film because it was outside and there were natural happenings that I could not prevent

·         Had to reshoot a few times because of background interference

·         Would have had the camera behind him as he was walking in but I couldn’t show the wire and blu tack on the back

SPOKEN – This is the scene where the figure walks into the locker room. The camera was placed in the locker room so there would be a front view of him walking into the room. This is because of the wire and blu tack attached to his back. If this was seen in a shot it would ruin the effect of the film.

WRITTEN – This scene was challenging to film as there were many natural happenings going on in the background that could not be prevented. The scene had to be reshot a few times because of this. There were ibises in the background that kept moving so I had to replace the figure and reshoot some of the shots. This scene turned out okay and I am happy with it.

Scene 7:

·         Scene in the locker room

·         Added a bell sound in here – signal the end of a lesson

·         Only filmed the feet to show how small the figure is

·         Stick figure is against the wall to show he is scared

·         Took a few tries to capture the walking properly

·         Shaky to show he is outside and outside his comfort zone

SPOKEN - This is the scene in the locker room. When the person walks past, I decided to only film the feet, as it shows how small the figure is compared to the person and it also shows how insignificant he feels outside. I also added sound effect in here, such as a bell sounding to signal the end of class and footsteps.

WRITTEN – The stick figure is standing up against the wall to show that he is scared and still feeling insignificant. It took a few attempts to correctly film the person walking. The first couple of tries didn’t look like walking, so I did not use them and instead I tried a few different ways I could do it. The camera moves shakily because he is outside and out of his comfort zone.

Scene 9:

·         Scene where the stick figure climbs back into the classroom

·         Used blu tack for the climbing part to keep him still and in position

·         Leaf in the background moves quite a bit – didn’t have time to fix it

·         One of my favourite scenes and was fun to film

·         Set up the camera in the classroom to show him climbing

·         Had the camera in front of him because of the wire and blu tack on the back of him

SPOKEN – This scene is where the stick figure climbs back into the classroom from outside. This is one of my favourite scenes in the whole animation. Blu tack was used to create the effect of the figure climbing up the step.

WRITTEN – There were a few background interferences in this scene again. There was a leaf in the background at one stage that moves around a lot but I did not have time to fix this problem. I set up the camera in the classroom so the wire would not show again. This scene was very fun to film and I am very happy with it.

Scene 10:

·         This is also a filler scene

·         It is a pan around the classroom to show where the stick figure walked – again, it would be too time consuming to making him walk that far

·         Not a very long scene and didn’t take long to shoot

·         Shot it from the door right around to where he was walking to

SPOKEN – This is also a filler scene similar to scenes five and eight. It is to show where he walked rather than actually making the character move, as it would have been too time consuming.

WRITTEN – If I had physically moved the character, I would have run out of time and not been able to complete my animation.  The scene is a pan around the classroom to show where he walked. It was not a very long scene and it did not take long to film. I placed the camera at the door and rotated it to show the whole pathway he walked on.

Scene 11:

·         This is the scene where he climbs up the post

·         This is one of the final scenes of the animation

·         This is the last scene where he is doing a lot in the ‘real world’

·         He walks into the scene and realises how tall the pole he has to climb is

·         Zoomed in on his face to show how shocked/scared he is

·         Photoshopped in the scared expression

·         Used blu tack to keep him attached to the pole

·         Climbed the pole a bit too fast

·         Shot to show how tall the pole was – followed the post up

SPOKEN – This is the scene where the figure climbs up the pole. It is one of the finals scenes of the animation and is the last scene where he is doing quite a bit in the ‘real world’.

WRITTEN – The stick figure walks into the scene and realises just how big the pole he has to climb actually is. To show how tall the pole was, I followed it up with the camera. The camera then zoomed in on his face to show his expression, which I Photoshopped on so he looked shocked/scared. Blu tack was used again to keep him standing and attached to the pole. In the finished product he climbed the pole a bit too fast, but there wasn’t enough time to reshoot the scene.

Scene 12:

·         This is the scene where he climbs onto the table off the pole and falls back into the paper, which is then taken by a person

·         Used blu tack to keep him in place

·         Used the wire to slowly lower him back into the paper

·         A hand is used to take him away again – the person has come back for him after class

·         Only show the hand of the person so you can still see the figure

SPOKEN – In this scene, the figure climbs onto the table off the pole, and falls back into the paper, which is then taken by a student. Blue tack was again used to keep him in place.

WRITTEN – Wire was used to slowly lower the figure back into place on the paper. I used my own hand to take the paper away. This person that is taking away the paper is a student that has come back after class. The hand is the only part of the person shown so you can still see the figure. 

STORYLINE:

This is a story about a stick figure that comes to life. First, he gets drawn on a piece of paper, which he then proceeds to stand up out of. He is extremely shocked and doesn’t know how this happened. He then walks to the edge of the table his paper is situated on, and falls off the edge, placing him in the ‘real world’. He stands up and walks out of the classroom and over to the locker room. Once he reaches the locker room, the bell goes, signalling the end of class, and he runs to the wall where he hides as someone walks past. Thankful that they didn’t step on him or see him, he walks back to the classroom and walks to the leg of the table he fell off. He then climbs this pole and walks back over to his paper, which he then falls back into. The last scene of the film is where a student picks his paper up and leaves with it.

PLANNING:

Shot list:

1.Stick figure drawn on paper

2.Stick figure peels itself off the paper

3.Stick figure gets shocked look

4.Stick figure walks off the page

5. Stick figure walks to the edge of the desk

6. Stick figure falls off the desk

7. Stick figure stands up

8. Stick figure walks out of classroom

9. Camera pans around from classroom to the lockers

10. Stick figure walks into the lockers

11. *Bell rings*, stick figure walks to the side of the lockers

12. Person walks past stick figure

13. Stick figure walks towards camera, camera zooms in on stick figure

14. Camera pans from lockers to classroom

15. Stick figure climbs into the classroom

16. Stick figure walks off screen

17. Camera pans from door of classroom to hallway/desks and chairs

18. Stick figure walks to desk post

19. Camera shows the post (follows the post up)

20. Camera shows close up of stick figures shocked expression

21. Stick figure climbs up the post

22. Stick figure climbs onto the table

23. Stick figure walks onto the paper and falls back into it

24. Paper is picked up and taken off the screen

*INSERT STORYBOARDS*

PHOTOSHOP:

I used photoshop a few times in the animation. The main reason for this was to change the expression on the stick figures face, which I did for multiple scenes. The process used to do this is to take shots and export them into photoshop. Once they are in photoshop you edit them the way you want and then you import them back into iStop motion. I used photoshop instead of actually changing the expression of the figure because it was much easier to complete it in photoshop. Being able to edit scenes and frames in photoshop made the animating process a lot easier.

MUSIC:

*Insert music*

The music for the animation took a while to create. I had to use many different garage band loops and pile them to make different sounds. The music didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped because I didn’t leave enough time to complete the music to the standards I wanted to, but I am happy with how it turned out.

DELETED SCENES:

These are a few of the scenes that didn’t make it into the animation. They are all test shots, tests or first attempts at scenes.

*Insert deleted/attempts/tests of scenes*

IBOOK:

·         Cover - poster

·         Storyline

·         Director’s commentary

·         Extras – photoshop, importing/exporting shots, storyboards, character profile, shot list