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todays update is a pose sheet. these are some of the keys for the scene, i have been working on this for more then 1 month now. im really happy with the out come but there is still much todo before it is ready for color.

although im not active, i am devoted to my art and usually do a good job at putting time into it daily. some days are better then others. somedays i end up redoing the entire scene, however it is all for the best. i trust the process and dont want to rush because of FOMO. It will be ready soon but not till its done.

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Todays update is just a fun picture I’ve put together with the key frames from my most recent shot. I am happy to day the shot is FINAL. Well the animation is, the background is still being tinkered with.

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final draft of the scene

todays update is about one of the opening scene. Above is the final design still for scene. Below are a few different variations of FRANK smelling his roses.

We start with the first draft I did on a very old piece of hardware, about 3-4 years ago when I started putting together a rough animatic. My goal was to capture the movement of both FRANK and the roses.

1st draft, done on a very old cintiq about 3-4 years, got it from a friend as payment for a job

Next we have the 2nd draft done about 2 -3 years go, this draft is just cleaner but the movement stayed the same.

2nd draft, done about 2-3 years ago on a 13 inch cintiq, borrowed from a friend

We finally we have the 3rd version done about 2 year ago. Same movement but the roses have been cleaned up and detail has been included, making the next pass to be a simple clean up pass.

However the roses have been reanimated, I wasn’t happy with the shot so i decided to redo it, in the past I would have dreaded reanimation a shot, but after spending so much time with this project and my goal being to make it the best possible, I really did not hesitate on the idea. Once I said, I gotta re do this, I simply went and started. I knew it would take some time but it would be worth it. As of this post its almost complete.

3rd draft, done about 2 years ago

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today update is about the evolution of a scene

below are three different variations of a scene. Only the first one is different. the bottom two only have updated animation but the cuts remain the same.

the scene is the introduction of the device into FRANKs life. It wasn’t a slap in the face for him, and the story was it came from his neighbor, who had himself just experience the device and was over it. I liked the idea that it was being passed down from one person to another. this was from the first draft which was a longer story.

this variation had a reduced number of cuts. as the project evolved I started to remove things from the story. I am fascinated by directors who can tell a story with very little. part of the reason for doing this was to experiment with the story telling and to shorten the film and it’s production.

this third animatic variation has updated animation but the cuts remain the same. at this point I have decided that I will keep it this way. I feel as though I have stripped away everything that can be removed without telling a different story. I removed the neighbor because in the end I felt he wasn’t that important. FRANK and the device are the stars and how they come to meet is something I hope I have done a well enough job on.

At this point all these scenes have been fully cleaned up and are ready for color. I have not updated the animatic yet, but I will soon enough. I feel great with where I am in production and how the scenes are turning out. I do miss the old story a bit, but this being a solo project I have had to make decision that have trickling effects. I am however very excited with what the final will look like.

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todays update consist of a few drafts of the final (?) shot of this project. here we see a few different thoughts on what the final shot would look like. i am almost done with the backgrounds, they are taking longer then hoped but what doesn’t when it comes to making art..

thumb nails of what the final shot could look like, along with some some rough key frames of the animation

a value study and the original final shot for the animatic but not the storyboards

a version closer to the final layout

some where along the process i decided to flip the building. i wanted to convey a sharp and un natural feel, something is out of place in the end, which is how the after math feels when we screw up in life. I also decided to distance the city, it suppose to give you a feeling of disconnect as well. does it do that well?, im not entirely sure, now that im uploading this im having second thought about its effectiveness…lol. there is much work left to be done but as always i look forward to taking it one day at a time.

a more updated version of the final layout.

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okay! Im back for the final installment of 2019! While its been a while since I posted anything about this current project, its not because i haven’t been working on it. Just the opposite, I regularly log time into animating. Process has been made but you know how it goes animation take a long time.

I’ll really just do an image dump, its new years eve and I have to get ready for my outing. I just finished putting some time into some back grounds. Since the beginning I knew I wanted a brick building, something about brick is very appealing to me.

current final back ground for this shot

Below is a few different variations on this back ground. Most of these are very similar, probably because Im pretty sure with what I want

So it being the new year real soon, I want to try and develop a better habit with posting something on this blog, Im constantly drawing but I suppose Im just all in on animation I don’t devote much free time to else things. All in due time, for now Im still focused on completing FRANK.

SEE YOU IN 2020, best wishes -alex-

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todays update consist of some rough key frames for a scene and a few old story boards. this scene has been a lot of fun to work with, pretty easy and simple action to animate. the biggest challenge has been the flowers, trying to keep count of all the petals and their size in every frame. non the less the scene has been easy and fun. it needs one more pass of clean up, and then on to coloring. the colors are subject to change a bit

rough back ground and colors for this scene

more updated key frame

more updated key frame

more updated key frame

more updated key frame

old draft key frame

old draft key frame

old draft key frame

old story board

more updated board with character design

old story board, possibly the 1st draft a very very long time ago

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This scene is about Frank pulling out the built in charger, this key drawing is from the 2nd pass of animation. Im currently finishing up the 3rd pass. Im hoping it will be the last pass but sometimes a 4th pass is needed.

animators note for the scene

This scene has taken me by far the most time yet. There are so many elements moving I have had to really take my time with this. Even now while wrapping up the 3rd pass Im still not fully happy with the outcome. I might have to rework it….not looking forward to it but ah las…it is the only way forward.

So to anyone reading this, do not forget I am chipping away daily on this project on mine. It has come really far and it has further to go but I look towards that. Wishing you all the best!

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Todays I wanna share a few thumbnails, boards and other sketches from my film. Animation is a long process and I really enjoy the pre production stage.

For any project it might be my favorite stage. I’m really captivated by the freedom to invent and experiment with design. It’s so much fun to play with ideas and just come up with the most odd things, things that sometimes end up making it to the final project and sometimes finding their way to a different project.

I had a general idea of what I wanted the world of Frank to look like but its always hard to find the right combination givens all the POSSIBILITIES! 

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I got a few early and i mean early sketches of Franks apartment. I even found an orthographic view from really early on.  I also have a few building drafts, for the outside world, and some early color studies. I’m still unsure of which direction I will go with. I like both city and isolated versions. Everything shown here has evolved over the past months but the new versions still have a little bit of these drawings in them. A final pass is coming soon to pick the right one.

anyway enjoy all the brain farts from a few years ago.

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