Title sequences and concept visuals

So my ideas for my final project have taken a big turn...

During an online course that I've taken over the Christmas holidays I've been inspired by the visual below, taken from Lisa Liang course on Digital Tutors...

I've also become very interested in VFX and animated title sequences.

So my starting point of the next round of research is to create a 'feature film' quality concept environment and bring it to life in an animated title sequence....drawing on inspiration from Game of Thrones, The Jinx and Making a Murderer. Links below to the title sequences....

I can use my ideas from the intial storyboard - a woman trapped in a camera film negative, fights to become 3D, as a starting point.

I intend for my final project to not only be a good artistic piece in it's own right, but also as a vehicle to showcase animation, modelling, rigging, compositing and VFX methods and abilities...

Lisa Liang Visual

My initial 20 second concepts in Photoshop

Game of Thrones title sequence

The Jinx title sequence

Making a Murderer title sequence

Going Live project - production meeting 1

So Semester 2 has begun!

Brainstorming ideas, planning and our first production meeting - for our Going Live project.

Brief has been provided by Axis in Glasgow http://www.axisanimation.com/ in conjunction with Phillip Vaughan at DJCAD 

DJCAD MSc Animation & VFX - Going Live Module with Axis

DJCAD MSc Animation & VFX - Going Live Module with Axis

Going Live project: MSc Animation & VFX at DJCAD 2016

Project brief set by Axis Animation Glasgow. The Brief:

Take the audio format from a funny/heart-warming/tragic/crazy segment from the Jeremy Kyle show (or similar). Create an animation using this track.

Our team:

Aimi Nabila Anizaim
Nicola Devlin
Elena Lam
Zhuoran Li
Andrea McSwan
Katherine Melville
Sheila Muharam
Nelysa NurShafira
Efstathios Psomadellis

Saikrishna Srinivasan

Our brief was set on Monday 11th Jan 2016 and we've got together as a group and gone around the table stating our strengths and weaknesses; what we can bring to the party and what we want to achieve.

We are working individually for the next 24 hours and getting some research ideas ready to bring to the group for our first brainstorming session tomorrow !

First deadline is 'idea nuggets' to Axis for next Wednesday!

Conceptulising Environments using Photoshop

So, I've been following a Digital Tutor's course in Photoshop....literally starting from scratch.

I am self taught in Photoshop, so this 88 (!) lesson module has been very thorough!

I've also studied a course on conceptulising....

Concept visuals are something that I find very appealing...I've been playing around in Photoshop CC creating multiple layers, Overlays and maniuplating reference images to create concept landscapes.

Drawing inspiration from Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and Hogwarts, I am aiming to create a concept visual, painted and created in Photoshop, of a Scottish mystical landscape...

here are my intial concept images - I've been setting a timer each image takes about 20 seconds to create,

I am finding that fast timings, including life drawing poses of 1 minute, very useful in keeping the ideas very fluid.

Photoshop Digital Tutors and the Christmas holidays

Enjoying a quiet moment here and there throughout the Christmas holidays to run through the Photoshop course on DigitalTutors...
lesson 11 of 88 (!) completed haha...

So worthwhile....crop and rotate shortcuts and the ruler tool!!

Digital Tutors - photoshop layers to create a 'render' on a 3D model

So yesterday I got to use the machines in the 3D make lab....top secret Christmas stuff...more pics to follow!

And today, ahhh Digital Tutors!
Just starting an 11 hour photoshop tutorial....starting at the beginning. Oh wow. Shortcut heaven...

This is using the layer settings, hard light, multiply, colour to apply a simple 'render' look to an existing 3D model...

love the colour of her hair...needs some more work on her eyes though haha

Toon shader and Ramp shader effects in Maya

So our presentations were today - for the finale of Semester 1.

Wow, what a few weeks....I've found my way around the university and the Maya interface....both a huge labyrinth of creative exploration.

Very exciting!!

Here's some of the ideas I have been playing around with in Maya...

Toon and Ramp shader effects in Maya, and some of the results have been a lot of fun...

Here's some images, using an ambient occlusion node, which is applied to a plane in hypershade...

Hypershade - now there's an interface that's a labyrinth all on it's own....