2.5 D animation test

I am planning on animating my characters on a 2.5 dimension photographic surface, so I am dissecting and rearranging these photographs to create the environment. After several rough attempts and a handful of tutorials, I got a glimpse of progress.

3 sec test animation

Walk Cycle

This is really rough, but it was my first time and it was realllly sketchy

Week 2- Character Hansel Kelly Richard

Ethan Gallardo, Story, Week 2

MONSTER ENERGY! DONT FEEL THE CRASH.

This is an advertisement promoting water and demoting artificial energy drinks. 

Two boys named, Little Poet & Jonny Fuego are placed in a competition where one is allowed to drink an energy drink and the other is allowed to hydrate properly by drinking our best friend, water. 

Little Poet would drink the energy drink and starts out at a rapid pace (with steam blowing out of his ears, his face about to burst, and even his skin is changing colors) and wins the first event, jumping rope. As round two starts Jonny Fuego, who drank water, goes at a steady pace while the other begins to feel the effects of a crash from the sugar high and loses the 2nd round. 

Little Poet is completely useless from by the time the final round starts and is asleep or something of the sort.

The ad will end with a setup glorifying water as a part of all our diets, recommending 8 glasses a day. The Slogan of the ad will be "Don't feel the crash!"

Exposition: A child is sitting in a park looking glum, an cartoon character approaches him    

Conflict: The child feels bad for being picked on and being insecure about his appearance 

Climax: Together they confront their enemy, The Sugar-Bully, who is affecting the playground.

Resolution: The Sugar-Bully is defeated and the child loses weight and becomes happy.

Ethan Gallardo - Character Animation Test

Character Animation Test

Just trying things out, seeing how a 2D character appears in 3D space.

test animations

THIS LOOKS PIXELATED & GROSS. THIS DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THIS IN REAL LIFE AKA MY COMPUTER.

                                          

Josh Seal-Test Animation

Take in mind I'm planning to do this animation in 3D, so it'll look quite different.

Sally Franckowiak - Test Animation

Not sure why the lines look so funky here. Probably because it's so shrunken down. Anyways, it was a "test" so I tested making a 3 second animation in photoshop. And then just turned it into a gif to post here.  Those are candies she's throwing into her mouth.

Maggie Trigg - Adjusted Character Design

Since I'm pretty sure I'm working with my little sister as a character now, I figured I'd adjust accordingly. I think the design is simple enough to make After Effects animating feasible, too.

Just one angle:

Playing with the idea of technicolor monochromatic children as crowd though. Just to keep down on the details (easier to work with fewer colors) and up on the cheerfulness (hooray, colors).

THOUGHTS? :0

Scedule until start of animation

Needed before the start of  animation:

* Research 

*  Story

*  Character Design

*  Storyboard 1:   Narrative: text becomes consecutive images

*  Test Animation: Apply After Effects to facial animation or 2.5D; 3-5 sec

*  Storyboard 2:  Cinematography   

*  Art Direction:  Intensity Chart and Color Script (Done before or after concept art.)

*  Concept Art: Design of Major Environment(s) Establishing Shot(s) in Photoshop

Follow schedule posted in studio.  
Post work to blog.
These are critiqued along the way, and graded as a group before animation begins.

Due:  Midnight, Thursday Oct 11, MCS office: burn to disc

Good Luck!

Shots & Vocabulary

CAMERA SHOTS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_%28filmmaking%29

FILM VOCABULARY
http://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/syllabi/w/weisenfeld/rel160/filmterm.html

After Effects 2.5 D tutorials, etc, to watch

 

After effects 2.5D modeling tutorial (Harry Potter)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71WOiuXpIpg

City, Box, Harry Potter title

Matte Painting - The Making Of "At Oblivion s Gates"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NYrBc_dDAE&feature=related

Three strange, complex French animations. 

Note design, character design, art, environments, motion, layering, parallax, 2.5D.

One Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFART6ZMeEA

Le lac gele (the frozen lake)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVl7a0sZ21k&NR=1

Trois petits points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0yC2ldpBFI&NR=1&feature=endscreen

One of the excellent AE tutorials at creativecow.net                                                                      Character Design and Animation in AE: Part Two (Motion of eyes and lip motion)         http://library.creativecow.net/mize_rob/AE_Character-Design-Animation-2/1

 

Josh Seal, Character Design, Week 3

Here are my character designs for the tortoise and the hare! These are just basic character designs to get the shape and stuff down. I envisioned the rabbit being a bully, with a bandana or something trying to show off his toughness. The turtle I plan on making a nerdy active guy by giving him some goggles (I would give him glasses but turtles don't have normal ears so there's no where they can go!) and maybe a cool watch or something. They're both supposed to be in elementary school, so they'll have some kind of school supplies as well.


J

Maggie Trigg, Story, Week 2 (Well, Storyboard)

Working off of/parodying that video (the first 30 seconds).


I only really needed to rewrite the line about Coke to be about water...

Here are my storyboard-things (just a quick pass over the shots in the video + what I'm changing) in GIF form. I will be redesigning the people to not be... real people...

Thoughts on whether they ought to be children/animals/whatever?

Ethan Gallardo, Character Design, Week 3

This is not a final representation, I might still play around with certain aspects of the character such as layering, color and various stylization. I need to start thinking of a way to make this character easy to integrate with a live actor on a live environment.

Matthew Garrett, Character Design, Week 3

Maggie Trigg, Character Design, Week 3

Just a rough idea for a cute vegetable-paletted character.

Going to work out a story; it would be cool to adapt something like this to Josh's tortoise and hare? But probably make the hare less... visually kind.

Monochrome:

Tentative color:

celina garza ,storyboard and story week 3

The Story:
     the visual composition starts with a scene where fruits and vegetables are  playing ball, having picnics and generally partaking in fun outdoor activities. the camera will zoom in on these groups and their activities.
   the camera will then go over the hill to reveal a beach with fruits partaking in other activities and the camera panning through the scene.
      the camera then splashes into the water to reveal an underwater scene with fruits and vegtables taking the place of coral and sea life.  the camera will pan through this scene.
    the final scene will involve all the fruits and vegetables transitioning into a colorwheel in a line.

Erin Bersi, Story: Super Foods, Week 2

Title: Super Foods

Plot: In a realistic kitchen, an avocado (super food) gets up and begins exploring the different areas of the kitchen. In doing so, other food items come alive and go about their ways. The avocado will touch base in the pantry, refrigerator, freezer, and the foods that he encounters are going to be fat and sugary, therefor acting very sluggish and slow in their motions. Some of the food items will be, a leftover piece of pizza in the fridge, a donut on the counter top, an ice cream cone in the freezer, (potentially more depending on time). I want to avoid using dialogue, so there will be a tune of some sort playing in the background, probably seemingly curious or eery as he ventures through these different areas. The avocado is frightened by the creepy foods and runs away to escape them. He eventually will get to an area of the kitchen with a happier melody and a collection of playful super foods, possibly an asparagus, spinach, etc. all enjoying their time and moving about freely and with ease. The text "You are what you eat. Be super," will hit the screen at the end, and the avocado will be there with a cape on his back as if he were a super hero. The idea is to get children to look at both sugary and healthy foods differently. The super foods are intended to look appealing while the sugary foods will be disgusting. 

Characters: Avocado, Pizza, Donut, Ice Cream, Super foods

Pivotal Points: 
Exposition: Avocado exploring the different areas of a kitchen
Conflict: Comes across unhealthy food items. The foods are sluggish, creepy, and repulsive.
Climax: Avocado runs away to escape them all.
Resolution: Finds a haven of super foods where he can enjoy himself and be happy. "You are what you eat, Be super"

Hansel and Gretel Character Design Week 2- Kelly Richard

Alex Willett, Character Design, Week 3

Kelly Richard Week 2- Story

Title: The Right Chpice

Characters:  Little boy, girl and an old, obese witch.

Plot:  Two young kids are walking down a sidewalk in the suburbs. The pudgy Hansel's stomach begins to growl and Gretel nods in agreement. They are both hungry. The pass a bunch if billboards and advertisements for quick fast food and sugary treats. They look in awe and wonder. Then they come to the end of the road. There's a little heathy Farmer's market and a huge, overwhelming building with blinking lights, familiar corporation logos and decorated in candy. The children get so excited and run to the building. As they get inside, an overly obese old woman comes to greet them. She is dressed in a cloak and her teeth and skin are horribly worn out. She is chowing down on enormous amount of food. The kids look disgusted and turn to leave but the witch grabs them. Gretel ends up kicking a can of coca cola and it knocks down a huge pyramid of food on to the witch. The children escape her grasp. Tired and in need of some nutritious food, they spot the tiny farmer's market stand. The cute old man hands them some water and a whole plate of food. The kids sit in a field enjoying a wonderful picnic.

Exposition: Children walking down a sidewalk in the suburbs. They are hungry and in search for some food.
Conflict: They come across an evil witch at the giant fast food place. They cannot get escape.
Climax:  The witch grabs Hansel and hands him bags of greasy food. He can't escape from the witch's grasp.
Resolution: Gretel kicks a soda can across the room and into a giant pyramid of food. The pyramid falls on to the witch and the kids escape and find haven at the farmer's market.

Teaghan Avrett, Story Week 2

MONSTER ENERGY! DONT FEEL THE CRASH.

This is an advertisement promoting water and demoting artificial energy drinks. 

Two boys named, Little Poet & Jonny Fuego are placed in a competition where one is allowed to drink an energy drink and the other is allowed to hydrate properly by drinking our best friend, water. 

Little Poet would drink the energy drink and starts out at a rapid pace (with steam blowing out of his ears, his face about to burst, and even his skin is changing colors) and wins the first event, jumping rope. As round two starts Jonny Fuego, who drank water, goes at a steady pace while the other begins to feel the effects of a crash from the sugar high and loses the 2nd round. 

Little Poet is completely useless from by the time the final round starts and is asleep or something of the sort.

The ad will end with a setup glorifying water as a part of all our diets, recommending 8 glasses a day. The Slogan of the ad will be "Don't feel the crash!"

Exposition: The children drink the drinks placed on the table

Conflict: The children are having a bout against each other

Climax: Little Poet feels the after effects of the energy drink

Resolution: Jonny Fuego wins the competition and takes the gold!

Teaghan Avrett: Research & Commercial, Week 1.

The average person in the United States consumed on a daily basis: 1985: 2655 Calories, % of diabetes: .62% 2010: 2866 Calories, % of diabetes: 5.13% =727% increase World sugar consumption -1985: 98 million tons -2010 160 million tons Sugar is the only food on the planet that is made up of carbohydrate + fat. Even fatty foods like guacamole, coconut and olives don’t contain any carbs. Sugar is composed of glucose and fructose, these together is what causes people to gain weight rapidly. Every organ in our body metabolizes glucose while our liver only metabolizes fructose. This causes us to build up on liver fat, which shows up in our “problem” areas. Fructose is the equivalent to alcohol in the way that it turns into fat cells. Fructose causes all of the following: - Liver fat, insulin resistance decreases, weight gain, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, dementia and diabetes. Our body is able to use fructose or alcohol for energy if the people eating them have regular exercise routines. The trick behind all of the “low-fat” products is that they increase the sugar count to make up for the lost in taste. 

THE SKINNY ON OBESITY: EPISODE 2.
http://www.uctv.tv/skinny-on-obesity-sickeningly-sweet/

DORITOS COMMERCIAL 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2kQFEjkhBQ

Maggie Trigg: Research, Week 1

SUGAR: THE BITTER TRUTH

The whole point of this particular video is to dispel misconceptions about food, people, and nutrition.

Children are obese and developing diabetes younger and younger (we knew this).
Fat/obesity aren't new, but those being the norm is relatively new.
Exercise and eating right aren't the answer to most peoples' weight problems. It just doesn't work. If they work off the weight, it all comes back to them because it simply doesn't work.
A calorie is not a calorie. What you put in is not what working off will take out.
Some fast food is more calories than you should eat in an entire day.

Part of the problem is that we don't do PE as children anymore. As you get older, activity steadily declines.
This is a worldwide issue, the obesity and bad food.
Many foods took out the fat, during the fat-free diet phase, and replaced it with sugar. They never did change things back, and they're still awful for you.
Those foods are the only ones the underprivileged have to choose from. If you can't afford to eat right, what choice do you have?

The only part of our bodies that can process fructose is our liver. Every cell and organ in our bodies can process glucose. So of course we're overloading our livers on fructose.
Soda is about as bad as beer (beer belly, soda belly) as far as what's in it and what that'll do to you.
The sugar is an addiction. We go through withdrawal.

Exercise is not important because it burns calories.
It is important because it improves your body's muscle insulin productivity, reduces stress, improves liver metabolism.
Fiber is important in that it slows down digestion, gives the organs time to process whatever we're giving them.

It's hard to win a war we barely know we're fighting (against food companies).

Erin Bersi, Character, Week 2

Erin Bersi, Junk Food Commercial, Week 1

This is a commercial from several years ago for Chuck E Cheese, and I actually remember seeing it on tv as a kid. I chose this one particularly because it not only advertises a place with unhealthy food, but blatantly shows children that they can get what they want by taking the easy way out. When the boy's mother tells him to walk the dog and he will get to go to Chuck E Cheese, instead of getting the exercise that she was implying, he uses his toy car to do so. It is supporting junky foods, and disobeying your parents, while not supporting exercise. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJBOVQZRMyI

Here is an ad for Cookie Crisp cereal also from several years ago. This ad also seems to be persuading the children watching it that they can obtain the product, in this case Cookie Crisp, even if the adults say they can't have it. In the beginning of this one, the teacher catches them with it in the classroom and forbids them from having it (especially for breakfast). The mascot of the cereal brand convinces the kids that with just one taste of the delicious cookie she will change her mind, and that's exactly what happens. Ultimately, these two ads have a way of informing kids that it doesn't really matter what your parents say, you and the food "mascot" will work together to find a way for you to have it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6EO2zVsIfs

Erin Bersi, The Official US Obesity Rates Timeline, Week 1

Basically this was a short video showing the growth in obesity percentages amongst the nation throughout several years. Beginning in 1985, most states weren't even on the charts, meaning nothing was out of hand. The only states showing signs of problems were Virginia, the Carolinas, Kentucky - that area of the country (These states always keep the lead in obesity rates). The timeline was shocking because it showed how far our states have progressed and just continued to decline in health. It is frightening to think that the pattern could get any worse! Colorado must be doing something right however because they stood out from the rest by far. They alone, are the only state that is still in the "blue" zone on the color map, meaning 15-19% total obesity. The others, such as Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, are as high as OVER 30%! The purpose of the timeline is to show how drastic lifestyles have changed and the potential that they have to worsen if nothing is to change. Society has made it easy to become obese, and it seems to be easier to get there than to turn back. In order to live happier and healthier lives, the dark red areas of the nation are going to have to digress back into the blue zone.

Art Direction of How to Train Your Dragon

http://vimeo.com/14274646

Alex Willett, Story, Week 2

After going back & forth, I’ve now decided to stick with my original plan to do a 2.5d animation...sorry for the confusion!

Title: Catch Me If You Can

Characters: Little girl, grandmother, huge obese monster

Plot: The story starts out with a young girl and her grandmother who live in the middle of the city. The grandmother realizes that they have no food for dinner and asks the little girl to go to the grocery store to pick up some healthy items. She tells her to go straight to the produce & to not let the sugary food distract her. She wants the girl to make the right decision.
The little girl then leaves & begins walking to the grocery store. She’s full of good intentions and enters the building. The second she walks in, she walks past the bakery/pastries & forgets her grandmother’s words. She starts admiring the cakes & trying every sample set out for her. Her grandmother’s words have slipped away completely from her mind.
As the girl is greedily looking at the cakes, a huge shadow is suddenly cast over her. She turns around suddenly and notices a huge, saggy, disgusting looking sugary monster type thing hovering over her.
He creepily asks her if she would like a donut/slice of pie/other super unhealthy things as he wants her to come to the dark side, clog her arteries, and become morbidly obese.
Scared, and suddenly remembering her grandmother’s words, she quickly runs away from the huge monster. He chases her until she reaches safe territory(the produce section). As soon as she grabs an apple(or other healthy item) the monster disappears completely. All is well and the little girl learns her lesson to not be tempted by the unhealthy food at the grocery store.

Exposition: The girl/grandmother are in their house and the grandmother sends the girl to the grocery store.

Conflict: The girl gets distracted by the “bad” foods and loses focus on her main goal.

Climax: The monster appears and tries to convince the girl to eat more of the bad food.

Resolution: The girl remembers her grandmother’s wise words and runs safely away from the monster into the glorious land of healthy food. 

Alex Willett, Research, Week 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXUy_6jyVgQ

This particular commercial uses a buildup of movement, sound, & color to draw attention to "bigger marshmallows" being put into the Lucky Charms. The beginning of the commercial states "something big is happening!" and as soon as those words are emitted, a frantic energy is released in the commercial which captivates the audience. There is a release of movement and chaos, which draws the eye in, and finally moves into an explosion. As soon as the explosion hits,and the sound is finished building up, the final sentence stated is about bigger marshmallows being part of a big good breakfast. That sentence is the last thing the audience remembers about the commercial.

60 Minutes Video:

Within the first minute of the video, Dr. Lusty bluntly stated that yes, sugar is toxic. He blames sugar on the rise of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease that is currently taking its toll on our generation. The good news is that all of the previously stated diseases are 75% preventable. The bad news is that unless our generation is properly educated, this situation is going to increasingly get worse and worse. 

Since the 1970’s, sugar consumption has actually gone down by 40%. However, high fructose corn syrup use has skyrocketed. The reality of it is, that high fructose corn syrup is literally the equivalent of table sugar. Both are awful for you and have fructose in them. Dr. Lusty also stated that before processed foods, humans used to get their fix of fructose from fruits. This was fine because humans couldn’t take in an abundance of it. Once processed food came into existence, sugar and fructose become cheaper and we began eating a lot more of it. Today, humans on average take in 1/3 pounds of sugar each day.
One doctor began a five year project testing the effects of sugar on patients. These patients were paid to stay at a hospital for weeks at a time, and the calories they consumed were carefully monitored and weighed. During the first days of their stay, they had a diet of low sugar. Their blood levels were measured. After a couple of days, their low sugar diet was replaced with 25% sweetened drinks. Blood samples were then taken. The spike in their blood levels showed a huge increase for cardiovascular disease in just two weeks. It was also shown that humans should limit sugar to decrease the odds of cancer. By decreasing sugar, you are decreasing insulin, which is the main catalyst for cancer.

One more study linked sugar to cocaine in the brain. It was shown that when a human consumed sugar, blood increased in the brain and the brain responded to sugar like it does with cocaine and other drugs. You get a certain high from it. Also, the more sugary foods you eat, the less you feel the “reward”. Thus, humans are consuming more and more sugary foods to make themselves feel better. 

Sally Franckowiak, Character Design, Week 3

Sally Franckowiak, Story, Week 2

Sally Franckowiak

Story

Week 2

Title: Monster Food

Characters: Little girl, chips, cookies, candy, donuts, soda

Plot:

Open on a young girl sitting in her living room eating chips, candy, poptarts, and other various junk foods. She washes it down with some soda & the camera follows the soda into her mouth and down her throat into her innards. Inside of her, the junk food has turned into little monsters with faces and is destroying her organs. The soda is melting the kidneys and sprinkling acid everywhere. The chips are poking into her heart. The candy is bouncing off everything chaotically.  The poptarts are zooming around like planes, blowing stuff up. We zoom out back to the little girl and she has a horrified look on her face. It cuts to her eating healthy foods like broccoli, carrots, salad, and washing it down with water. We go back to the inside of her body where there are now butterflies and rainbows and broccoli trees all mingled in with her organs. There’s a waterfall coming down from behind the heart. Some carrots are riding a unicorn. Basically just an over-exaggerated, happy scene. The animation will end with some text saying, “Eat better, your body will thank you for it.”

           

Exposition: Little girl is enjoying some tasty junk food

Conflict: The food turns into monsters inside of her

            Climax: The little food monsters wreak havoc inside of her and she panics

            Resolution: She eats healthy food instead and her body is happy 

Sally Franckowiak, Research, Week 1

Sally Franckowiak

Research

Week 1

Food Ad for Children

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnUKurl7Fog

            This coke commercial reached a wide audience. It aired during the Super Bowl and has 5 million hits on youtube alone. The first appealing thing about this advertisement is its use of characters from the popular cartoon The Simpsons. The characters are instantly recognizable, as many parents and children have watched this show for years. Next, there’s the storyline of the ad that tries to show you that coke can make all of your problems seem less problematic. Mr. Burns loses all of his money and is walking around the town miserable. However, when he is handed a coke the world seems brighter and the town accepts him!

Children in Crisis (HBO: The Weight of the Nation)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T24B6T-hp0E&feature=relmfu

            This video in an HBO series about America’s obesity epidemic explores how the problem is affecting children. It states that this generation of kids may be the first to be majorly outlived by their parents. Much of the blame is being placed on current advertisements. These ads are largely directed towards children so they will beg their parents to buy the product. Parents aren’t realizing how harmful these products are to their kids and give them what they want. Children with televisions in their room are more likely to be overweight. Not necessarily because they are always inactive, but because of the amount of advertisements they witness.

            Another issue discussed in the video is the lack of importance being placed on children’s health at their own schools. PE programs are being cut across the nation and the cafeteria food is atrocious. School administrators are under pressure to get kids’ grades up so they are focusing their budgets on academics. However, PE and eating nutritional foods are proven to help kids do better in school. The video also shows a few of the people working to get laws passed to require PE and better nutrition in schools. 

LIttle Poet vs. Jonny Fuego!

Research: Ad video and 60 minutes report

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid78974503001?bctid=922829424001

Coca-Cola Advertisment: The Beach. Not only targeted towards kids, this ad shows beautiful, physically fit people grabbing two cases of cokes. They are laughing, running around and doing flips on the beach. It makes the kids think the drinks are fun and energizing. 

60 Minutes Report: Is Sugar Toxic?

Dr. Robert Lustig researches the use of sugar in a daily diet at the University of California at San Francisco. It's not the calories that are making us obese- it's sugar. He says sugar is a direct link to obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. More and more children are eating absurdly unhealthy. Table sugar and high fructose sugar are basically as equally bad for you. Items such as syrup, sugary drinks, and sweets should be eliminated immediately. Processed food, such as fast food from restaurant chains, contains an unnatural amount of sugar. People need to limit or better yet eliminate the amount of sugar they intake a day. Sugar is toxic.

Matthew Garrett, "Bottle Brawl" , Week 2

Matthew Garrett, Story – Bottle Brawl, Week 2

My animation will try to make water out to look like a superhero.  It will somewhat follow the plot of Rocky (the Philadelphia boxer).  The sugar ‘epidemic’ in the United States began to really take a turn for the worst around the 1920s.  My idea will be to have a wall filled with newspaper clippings that show Coca-Cola knocking water out in a prize-fight back around the 1920s.  The camera will pan slowly over the clippings so the audience can get an idea that soda has began to take a precedent over water.  I will then have the water bottle (my main character) rip down a solo image of the victorious Coca-Cole bottle and throw it away.  As he is walking away from his wall of motivation, he will grab some boxing gloves hanging on the door, and the theme song from Rocky will begin.  I will then proceed to show multiple shots of the water bottle working-out and training to beat the soda can in a rematch fight.  As he is working out I plan to have text coming across the screen or opacity-dimmed images that float in and out to symbolize what he is thinking about the whole time. As time progresses in the film, I plan to make the texts and images more modern to try and display a feeling that a lot of time has passed between the first match and the rematch.  For example, old newspaper headlines will turn into tweets with the hash-tags.  I may even include the dates in some headlines to show that multiple years are passing towards present day.  To make the transition from working out to the actual fight I planned on having the water bottle knock a punching bag literally off its hinges and it flies across the screen, with the new shot coming up being the actual fight.  The style I want my animation to be in is 2, 2 and a half D where some shots may appear 3D but actually aren’t.  I would really like to follow a sort of ‘comic-book’ style as well, with very large, animated text and a lot of colors and action going on.  At the conclusion of the fight I would like to have the water bottle literally knock the cap off of the Cola, having the liquid fly out of the bottle as he slow-motion falls to the floor of the ring.  The final shot would have the water bottle standing over the Cola victorious with an announcer’s voice saying something along the lines of, “Give your kids a fighting chance, knockout the sugary drinks and reduce calories with water.”

Characters

Bottle of Water: Bandana, Torn label, skinny arms with big boxing gloves on, Shorter

Coca-Cola Bottle: Tall, Lanky, Gloves on, Bottle shape elongated

Pivotal Points

Exposition – camera slowly panning over newspaper articles, audience begins to get an idea of how soda has began to take over and corrupt

Conflict – the whole time the water bottle is training is building the conflict and anticipation in the audience for the big fight coming up

Climax – the actual fight

Resolution – water stands over his defeated opponent, promotes healthy behaviors

Matthew Garrett, "Earth's Treasure" commercial, Week 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vKfw5Hxyxo

It shows aliens as the characters who had abducted a soda machine from a local McDonalds. Their leader fills up a glass of Dr. Pepper consumes it and then his day is brightened and it starts a massive celebration. I thought this was hilarious and very far-fetched. It is trying to promote a message that EVERYBODY in the entire universe loves soda. The commercial then goes back to the McDonalds were you see a clear red sign (to catch your attention) that Large sodas are only available for $1. The sounds of the commercial start off as eery and spooky but as soon as the alien drinks the soda the mood shitfts and everything is better, happier. It is also humerous to me that the title of the commercial is "Earth's Treasure," which creates the assumption that soda is a prize, a treasure that everyone and everything (aliens) need to indulge in. Interesting advertising, but effective.

Josh Seal, The Tortoise and the Hare commercial story, Week 2

The Tortoise and the Hare

A Commercial for Water by Josh Seal

Plot

Going off of the classic Aesop fable of the same name, the commercial would follow the same basic storyline. The hare challenges the turtle to a race and the turtle ends up winning. However, the way that this achievement is done is completely different  for this interpretation. 

Our characters, a plump clumsy looking rabbit and a relatively slim turtle, are introduced at the very beginning. They are both have school supplies on, to show that they have just gotten out of school, and both are carrying a drink. The turtle has a bottle of water, and the hare has a can of soda. The scene opens with the rabbit hitting the turtle exclaiming that he is small and weak, and in return the turtle challenges the hare to a race to the end of their street. Laughing, the rabbit accepts the turtles challenge saying no one so small could ever beat him. 

The turtle then shrugs and takes a gulp of water from his bottle, and starts running. Still laughing, the rabbit chugs the can of soda, crushes it and speeds off after the turtle. (the process of running off should be very “looney-tuney” with a big step and then speeding off with dust cloud behind) He quickly passes him up, laughing and mocking at him as he runs past. (shows from rabbit’s perspective, that he’s running extremely fast) The turtle watches the rabbit run by but just keeps the same pace that he started with (seen from turtle’s perspective, that the rabbit just runs by). Soon though, the rabbit starts slowing down, breathing very heavily, and as he looks ahead he sees the finish line is still far away, but the turtle is far behind as well. The turtle notices the hare slowing down, but still keeps the same pace.

The rabbit slows down, completely out of energy. His ears are drooping, face and tail heavy, and breathing very heavily. Again the turtle notices, but keeps the same pace. At last the finish line is close, but the rabbit has to crawl to it he’s so tired and dehydrated. Only a few feet away, the turtle jogs past the rabbit to the finish line and wins the race. (wide shot, with the rabbit’s crawl very exaggerated and the turtle runs across the screen to win the race) With his defeat, the rabbit completely collapses on the sidewalk, with the turtle taking another big gulp of water in victory. (then the camera would look at the turtle as he says “don’t let soda slow you down!” as the slogan comes across the screen and the commercial ends)

Characters

Turtle: slim, short, nerdy

Rabbit: chubby, arrogant, clumsy

Pivotal Points

Exposition-when the two characters are introduced, with the rabbit hitting and mocking the turtle, it shows the basic outline of their relationship and how they act. 

Conflict-when the turtle challenges the rabbit to the race, and the turtle drinks water before, while the rabbit chugs a can of soda

Climax-when the rabbit starts to slow down, giving a hint that the turtle has a chance of winning

Resolution-when the turtle wins the race and takes a drink of water, saying “don’t let soda slow you down!”

Josh Seal, Kool Aid Commercial, Week 1

http://youtu.be/l5gZ2_HRuvo

Kool-Aid Commercial: An Analysis by Josh Seal

This short commercial is advertising the overly sugary drink Kool Aid. In it, Kool Aid, represented by the big pitcher, is running a race on a beach against soda, represented by the bottle. Both are running, and eventually the soda has to stop because its too tired and the Kool Aid keeps running. The advertisement says that Kool Aid “goes almost 3 times farther than soda”, meaning it will keep you energized 3 times the amount that soda will. 

When I first saw this, I thought that it was a ridiculous statement, considering that the sugar content of Kool Aid is so high that after running around, I personally would feel nauseous. Not to mention that the commercial has no dietary facts about Kool Aid to begin with. Kool Aid is also supposed to advertised as a kids drink, which I find ironic when they say it lasts 3 times longer than soda because super hyper kids are always incredibly hard to deal with for parents. And also, if parents are having to debate between giving their kids soda, which is unhealthy, and Kool Aid, which is also unhealthy, then thats a problem. Ultimately, this advertisement hides the things about health and focuses on the entertainment and energy appeal towards the audience. 

Josh Seal, Sugar: The Bitter Truth, Week 1

http://youtu.be/14ZIKOQkTiM

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

An Analysis by Josh Seal

After watching the video “Sugar: The Bitter Truth”, it is easy to determine what the message from the video; that all calories are not the same. Dr. Robert Lustig explains how our society has been brainwashed with the standard that if you eat a certain amount of calories and don’t work them off the rest of the day, then you gain weight. He explains that the obesity epidemic isn’t because of fat intake, but because of sugar and carbohydrates. In particular, fructose, one of the main sugars used in foods and high fructose corn syrup is “toxic”. Fructose is digested completely differently by the body and “tricks the brain into wanting to eat more and the food industry knows it”. 

Even though we need glucose, another type of sugar, to perform our bodily functions, fructose doesn’t help anything in the body. It actually does the complete opposite, for consuming calories of fructose creates the equal amount of calories of fat. He also compares drinking a soda and a beer together, showing that even though the beer has maltose (another type of sugar derived from ethanol, which is a version of fructose), the effect is the same; obesity. Another point that he made was that sugar can be addicting. Sodas, junk food, and other types of sugars can all be as addicting as hardcore drugs, and that is why people keep the same diets and keep getting obese. The food industry is what keeps our economy running, because they profit year round all the time and keep people happy in the current economic struggles. Dr. Lustig defines why all calories are not the same in his lecture “Sugar: The Bitter Truth”, by explaining how sugars can ruin your body and that we must stop the obesity epidemic. 

Matthew Garrett, Research, Week 1

The research that I was requested to study can be found in the link below:

Six Ideas for Low-Sugar Drinks
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/low-sugar-drink-ideas/index.html

To summarize the article, 6 ideas for low-sugar beverages are introduced as an alternative for sugary drinks.

1. Infused water (spa water)

This drink is simply water with a little 'umphhh' to it.  You can take sliced citrus fruits, zests,          mints, herbs, or sliced cucumber (or anything of the nature) and add a little of the flavoring to a pitcher of water to give it a little taste.

2. Tea

Black, green, caffeinated, decaf, or leaf and herbal tea are all calorie free substitutes to soda.  If you have to have some sort of sweetness to it, a teaspoon of sugar or honey only adds 15 calories to the beverage. There are already 'flavored-teas' that come ready to buy that are a low calorie drink.  Black and green tea are very good for you as well because they contain antioxidants, flavonoids, and active substances that are good for health.

3. Coffee

Coffee is calorie free, just beware of adding the mass amounts of sugar and cream to them.  Extra large cups at coffeehouses such as Starbucks can be loaded with sugar and cream that can make a calorie-free coffee have upwards of 400 calories.

4. Sparkling Water with a Splash of Juice

Ready-made sparkling juices can contain just as many calories as sodas.  To avoid this simply add an ounce or two of juice to 12 ounces of sparkling water to create a tasty, healthy drink. 

5. Fresh Fruit Coolers

1/2 cup of ice
3/4 cup of sugar-free sparkling water
1/3 cup of melon or berries
Chopped mint leaves or citrus slices (optional)

Blend all ingredients until you reach a desired slushy consistensy and then garnish with mint leaves or citrus slices to create a drink that only contains about 18 calories for a 12 oz glass.

6. Low-sodium broth or miso

Low-sodium broth can be a tasty substitute to drinks that will give your body the required fluids that it needs.  However, make sure that the broth is actually low-sodium, preferablly less than 200 milligrams of sodium per serving.


Also while watching tv the other day I came across a very effective commercial that promotes drinking water over soda!  Maybe finally the public is beginning to become aware of the harmful effects of so much sugar.  It is trying to get people to cut out sugar drinks and switch to water with the Nestle Pure Life Hydration Movement:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7FYxoOkGbM


 

Due Tuesday, 9/11

Please look on blackboard for 3 things due Tuesday: 
Research, Story, & Character Design.

Please post them as 3 different blog entries.
Here are correct labels.
  Research labels:  Your Name, Research, Week 1
  Story labels:  Your Name, Story, Week 2
  Character Design labels:  Your Name, Character Design, Week 3

Research:  
1) Food Ad for Children:  include url. Describe briefly what is important.
2) Video you watched (listed in syllabus) Describe briefly what is important

Story: (Type this out in MSW or other.  copy to blog.)

 Title
 Characters 
 Plot - write this out.  Check spelling etc.
 Please also define the following.  If not relevant, please explain.
   Exposition
   Conflict
   Climax
   Resolution

Character Design:
Character sheet for each character, done in Photoshop
  Do front, side, back for each
Photoshop directions:
Hope you know PS well enough to do this.
Open a file 11" tall and 14" wide at 300 ppi.
Draw 3 sides of character from left to right: front, side, and back
Use guide lines on a different layer to guide you to correct proportions -
so all are same height, etc.
You can google character sheet and character design for help.

Please also have in class at least 3 sketches of each character:
try out different ways to represent it.  Fat? Skinny? Tall? Short? Lovely? Ugly? Crooked?
Lovely? Animal?  Different animal? Happy?  Sad? In action maybe?

To Do:
Bring Computer with After Effects and Photoshop on it.
Get a Wacom tablet before you come to class.  At Viz office.

Tutorial Friday, 3 pm, Mac Lab

Please email tyler.rosas@gmail.com if you are coming or not coming to tutorial @ 3 Friday.  You can start then to go over the tutorial that Tyler recommended:  a more advanced one on videocopilot.net. 

Earth's Best Food Commercial

Good example of short, fairly simple commercial for good foods for kids.

The Visual Story: Analysis

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VIST 305 Studio Saslow Fall 2012

The Visual Story by Bruce Block: Analysis

STORY:    Example:  Rabbit and Frog 

Meaning

Deeper Meanings?

Exposition

Conflict

Climax

Resolution

Plot

Character

Dialogue

SOUND:

Dialogue

Sound Effects

Music

VISUAL STORY:

Space

3d form in space on the ground plane;

perspective

atmospheric perspective

depth?  Shallow?

Line and Shape

Positive/negative games on the picture plane

Tone

Value range

Light

Movement

Objects

Characters

Camera

Viewer’s eye noticing things

Rhythm

Stationary objects

Moving objects

   Editing