My Animation so far

Process and Equipment set up

The process i'm using to create my animation is called Rotoscoping. It involves drawing over individual frames of video footage to produce a very unique style of animations. Find out more about Rotoscoping on my blog post here.

I start by taking the footage itself in various locations, ensuring there was adequate light and taking composition into account. I then open Photoshop and use the 'Convert video frames to layers' command to open the video as individual layers (making sure to limit the frames of course).

Then begins the lengthy but rewarding process of tracing the resulting images using the Wacom Bamboo tablet. A tool which, given time, becomes very intuitive to use.

Once traced, the layers are exported as JPG image files and imported into Premiere, where i sequence them and keyframe in opacity and motion. As well as adding the soundtrack and ambience. 

This is generally what my workstation looks like. 

Incl. Wacom Bamboo graphics tablet and Adobe Photoshop software.

Pitch

Trace - Storyboards

Trace - Animation Treatment

Trace - Rotoscoping demo

I used a short clip of movement i filmed to demonstrate how rotoscoping has the ability to capture motion whilst remaining a very minimal medium

Initial Planning

Form:
My animation will be a short - a story that concludes in the allocated 2 minutes, rather than an episode from a series or an advert etc.

Animation Type:
I've chosen to do Rotoscoping for my animation - I find it a very enjoyable animation type to produce, mainly due to it's simple nature. My story is strongly themed on movement, so rotoscoping is perfect for  accurately conveying it. Using footage i will shoot myself i will trace frames to create something with a real sense of motion.

Genre / Style:
My animation is something of a drama, with perhaps a twist of a fantasy element. The story is hinged on the themes of fear and self belief, so it has a serious tone. Though the setting and aesthetic of the animation itself will have a fantasy feel.

Story:
My animation will be a more feasible / achievable version of my dream animation entitled 'Trace".
The story of 'Trace' touches on the themes of fear, disability and self belief. It revolves around the protagonist, Miles, a boy born blind and orphaned. He grows up in his Foster - mother's home in New London - an alternative London, where the population has increased and many areas have become severely run down. The streets are busy, and Miles prefers the solitude of his room - high up in a terrace where he reads braille. In his melancholy isolation Miles has become a recluse, feeling unable to integrate into society.
One evening when miles stands at the window, everything changes when he discovers what has been sitting right above him all along. A vast roofscape, full of different textures and sounds,  a sensory cornucopia for visually deprived Miles. He discovers movement and soon realises you don't need to be able to see to run.