PROCESS/LEARNING NEW TOOLS: My concept was simple-I had myself walk around in a field and run over and pick up a flower. I didn't want to make it too long since we were crunched for time. I looked at various movie clips on YouTube for inspiration, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Anchors Aweigh, starring Gene Kelly. (There was a specific scene I had in mind that I thought I could recreate. It was the scene where Kelly was dancing with Jerry the Mouse from Tom and Jerry.) I later thought that recreating some of the scenes in the film would take too long, so I stuck with my flower idea.
I storyboarded myself in a grassy field in a short amount of time. Then, when I was ready, I went downstairs to the Green Screen room to film myself, which did not take long at all. After that, I edited my shot in After Effects, complete with the hand drawn flower from Photoshop. Even though it turned out to be 12 seconds long, it took a lot of hard work to determine how I would complete this project. It looks easy, but it is definitely as hard as they say it is. I kept having trouble with making it look like I'm holding the flower. I had to mask the flower numerous times to make look like it is in my hands. (I had to ask for help from the teacher a few times. He was my guide and helped me with masking and keying.) From key framing to masking, I learned quite a bit about incorporating green screen with After Effects. We learned about Keylight, which helps you light your clip. We also learned out Color Key, which also lights and colorizes your clips. Another effect, Simple Choker, helps get rid of the Green Screen bits and pieces that should not be there.
WHAT I LEARNED: Professionally, I learned how to manage myself in a short amount of time. I used my time wisely to work on my project. I also learned how green screen can be used in other ways, like in movies. My teacher showed us various clips that use this criteria, including a how-to video, and I wanted to try and implement the same way that professionals would do.
If I had to do anything differently, I would take my time in thinking of a new idea. I could not help that I had to rush to think of something, but I need to go slow with this type of work. An idea is not going to come to you right then and there.
I would not have done anything the same. Animation always differentiates itself. Next time, I will think of new and creative ways to complete a project like this if I ever get the chance to do it again.
I have learned so much from using the green screen. It was a fun experience with something I have never done before, especially using the camera with it. Maybe I'll use it for a typography or a character animation!'
In conclusion, even though I felt a bit rushed through the project, I had a fun time using the green screen. I did not have a lot of time to do it, but that didn't stop me from finishing it. I always kept track of deadlines and I never got behind. It was interesting to see what the top-notch professionals do with green screen. I learned new things about After Effects that I never knew it had before, like Chroma Keying and masking an object.
And now, my project. Here is the storyboard and final video! The storyboard and video aren't very long, but that's okay! I didn't want to make it too long that I couldn't finish it before the end of the year.
SEMESTER SUMMARY
For the year and the semester, I would say things turned out pretty well with all my projects. I never lost track of any of my projects or my deadlines. I mostly worked with After Effects all year, and I would say it is a very reliable program. Everything worked well, from typographies to book animations. With my book animation, the book I chose was just right for animating! (Bob and Larry's Silly Slides) Even though there wasn't a lot of movement, I still had tons of fun working on it! Illustrator is a nifty way of drawing over vector-based objects and looked great in After Effects. My group stop motion did a wonderful job and my very first typography hit it out of the park! I also made a typography. stop motion, and I entered my book animation for E-Magine! As luck would have it, my VeggieTales typography got nominated, so I must have done something pretty well to impress the judges! For my fourth quarter project, I feel like the green screen assignment was a bit rushed... At least I have a bit of knowledge on how to do it! I thought my idea worked well. Yes, it was definitely a fun year animation-wise, and I can't wait to see what senior year will bring!
