Busy...

I’ve been asked to produce a small animation to demonstrate my computer skills, so it means the smallest blog update for today.

Working on a new animation after all these months reminds me why I never made any film longer than the few tests I uploaded here. I admire people who can do it alone, not simply because any team effort divides the labour but also because working with people provides a shared enthusiasm and a shared will to keep going. Alone, you have to find pleasure where you can in the smallest achievement.

The way I work is to think of the script/idea and find some music to hang it on. I upload the music into the video editing software I’ll use and then draw out the main scenes on paper. Scan then in and place them in the video editor and it produces a kind of storyboard set to music. Then it’s a matter of replacing those individual storyboards with animated versions either in 2D or 3D. Sound easier than it is. The music I’ve chosen is about one and a half minutes long, edited down from about three. I'm also working in 2D but the amount of work I’ll have to do to fill those ninety seconds is shocking compared to the effort it takes to draw even the most complex comic strip.

Yet at the same time, it’s quite fun. It makes a nice change from the comic strips and one panel cartoons, even if it means I haven’t got anything great to post here today. I hope the film will be finished in just a couple of days and then, hopefully, normal business will resume...