Search for the Hybrid Aesthetic

Broken Links -> Editing website

2008-10-16T02:56:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! I'm finally updating my website... well it'll be a "temporary" layout (however long that's gonna be temporary)... and I finally decided to clean my online server so - you may find some broken links throughout this blog. I'm going to slowly go through them and edit the links.

Meanwhile if there's anything urgent from agharti on this blog you wanted to see again - not that there probably is anyway - let me know and I'll try to get it back up asap.

Someone or something wants me to finish Agharti

2008-06-27T05:10:00.000-07:00

I didn't end up getting the job at the major major animation studio.

It was one of those things where I'd be stoked if I got it but alright if I didn't.

For one thing I still have that freelance work to do at Subversive games. I'm glad to be able to concentrate on it.

For another thing... I now have time to go back to Agharti.

So folks, here's my last chance to fix it. And the deadline is December 20 so... here I am a year later still feeling like I have unfinished business. Someone or something wants Agharti finished and it ain't gonna let me move on until it's done.

1st Class Honours

2008-06-27T04:57:00.000-07:00

This post, although very much unworthy, is dedicated to all the people involved in Agharti.

I should make a remark that I graduated on May 20th with 1st Class Honours. Thank you everyone who made this possible. Thanks Fiona for planting the idea in my brain to fight for that extra mark.

Bwahahahah... It doesn't matter that I got a low High Distinction, as long as my certificate says "1st Class Honours," right?? lol.

Anyhow, I also graduated without telling many people. I told my parents and Ray. Why? Because the friggin ceremony was in the middle of the week and I had to wake up early the next day to get to work so I didn't have time to celebrate or anything afterwards... and it seemed selfish of me to ask people to attend a snoring awards ceremony without rewarding them with food and/or beverages afterward. Plus I didn't go to their graduation ceremony last year since I had work on that night too.. >.> It was a Tuesday night so the next day would have been a work day, I didn't want anybody to feel guilty for not coming because they had work the next day so... I just kept quiet. Had boring chicken soup for dinner at the UNSW campus food court and went to bed early that night.

At first, I felt lonely since Ray didn't come. Although my parents attended. I kept telling myself that was good enough... for most of the night it was. Then two of my friends, Albert and Tim who attended the awards night anyway because of another friend of theirs was graduating - ran around and tried to hunt me down. That was awfully nice of them. =) I felt better.

The Rebuild of Agharti

2008-06-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

Obviously this title is a parody to the "Rebuild of Evangelion" but anyhow...

no it's not an official title... it is still called "The Poisoned Rain of Agharti."

Anyhow, here's an update of what is happening. I've been busy this first half of the year with ~~a few~~ - no, sorry, that's an understatement - A LOT of different things. Some of which you can read further about in my other blog - http://arutea.blogspot.com/. (Which I also need to update. lols!) Long story short, I totally overcommitted myself. Now that I know my limits, I promise won't do it again. XP

My personal deadline to rebuild the Agharti Animation is December 20th. If I don't do it by then, I'm releasing it on the internet and moving on with my life. XD

So here's the plan - My full time work is ending on July 4th. After which I will be working at home on a freelance project for Subversive Games. At the same time I also applied to work at a MAJOR MAJOR animation/film studio here in Sydney... I hear that they're bringing in someone who worked at Disney so the chances of me getting the job are pretty slim. If I do by some miracle get that job, I will release Agharti and call it finished. If I don't, I will rework Agharti and hopefully finish before December and submit it to Sydney Film Festival and Annecy.

So that's the news.... peace outside!

Federation Square screenings CLASS OF '07: AUSTRALIAN GRADUATE EXHIBITION

2008-02-08T04:30:00.000-08:00

Alright after a month of no updates, I finally have some news I can post up here.

*edit* I forgot to add the URL: http://www.fedsquare.com/index.cfm?pageID=301 *edit*

My supervisor, Steve, entered last years Digital Media pieces into Federation Square Screenings. Agharti was one of 10 that made it in! (out of 28 entries from CoFA.)

The only qualm I have is that they spelt my name as "Althea Asholte." =___= all because one of the students who did the screening titles spelt my name like that at CoFA Annual. Uhm... THANK YOU VERY MUCH *cough*sarcasm*cough*

Anyway... yeah, that's really all the progress so far.

2007 Show Reel

2007-12-12T06:42:00.000-08:00

I've recently finished cutting together a new show reel which is available on my website:

http://www.altheaaseoche.com

Hmm... that is all.

This Calls for A Celebration!

2007-12-07T03:51:00.000-08:00

Heeeey! 52 posts in this blog! Awesomeness... =D

This is officially the most up-to-date blog/website/journal I've ever kept. And I've started a BAZILLION blogs and websites. (bazillion meaning about 20-30...)

I also got my 'results of assessment' for this honours project today. =D I did pretty alright! (Well, better than I was dreading anyway..) I got 80% for my paper which I thought was.... pretty amazing... XD considering all the mistakes and how bad I am at writing essays. And 85% for the studio practice (that's the animation project) which barely scrapes in a high distinction. (same result as last year. o_O hmm).

That makes me a Class 2 Level 1 honours... (dang... missed Class 1 by a FEEEWWW marks... oh well.)

I don't normally like to brag my marks... but I thought I had to share it with the awesome people who helped make this project happen. Thank you guys!!

Honours Paper (OK... I admit I edited it. A bit.)

2007-12-07T03:40:00.000-08:00

Alright... I've finally forced myself to sit down and edit this paper. ~~I couldn't believe how many mistakes there were in it. But oh well.~~ Overall I was quite pleased with it. It's the best paper I've written so far. =P (Well, duh...)

Just one key point:

- I wrote this before I wrote the SECOND alternate ending. The original ending was the ending with an elevator scene. The FIRST alternate ending was when Nuru and Karin turned out to be ghosts. The SECOND alternate ending, they aren't supposed to be ghosts. They just barely escape the soldiers. =)

And that's it... Ta for now~

.
.
.

Oh yeah! Here's the PAPER. hahahah...
(2.1MB, PDF file)

Quick Count

2007-11-30T06:36:00.001-08:00

OK. I've done a quick count of the amount of animation frames in Agharti (so far). The running time was 6 minutes, 17 seconds.

There's 1035 which is..... actually a lot less than I thought there was (since I went through 4 1/2 reams of paper which equals to about 2250 individual sheets. (Oh the trees!!)

But then again, i had a look at the pile of discards (meaning the ~~ugly~~ frames that didn't make the cut):

Plus if you count the ones I scrunched up and chucked away in frustration and... the separate file I keep to the right of the first photo in this post (which I forgot to take a photo of) then that sorta makes sense... =D

I got heaps more to post including a fixed up version of my honours paper and a sneak treat of Melly, Tim and Albert's work .. but I better head to bed cuz I got to go back to work tomorrow! (For the first time in 3 months!!) I'll post it soon... la di da... yes soon.

COFA Annual 2007

2007-11-30T05:32:00.000-08:00

OK! Forgive me for yet again another delay... I believe I was just recovering from being overwhelmed from the events earlier on in the week, starting from the trauma of the possibility of not finishing on time, to another trauma of handing in a bad compression file... to the absolute relief of having compression issues fixed (thanks to two of my supervisors Will Burdis and Steve Weymouth), not to mention a lack of sleep and then a night of just....... running around in yet another overcrowded night at CoFA (I can't believe I've done it twice now!!) showing people around and trying to squeeze through the crowds (I think there was a bit more people this year compared to last year!!) while trying to avoid touching the artwork of condoms on the wall (seriously what was that person thinking? *shakes head* artists...) and gasping for air in sauna-like conditions of F112 (where the groundwork of Agharti was displayed).

Well, that was a long sentence! Horrible grammar I know.... to make up for it, here's a couple of photos.

Sorry I'm not much of a photo taker (I get conscious about people thinking I look like a tourist or a paparazzi) except when I see pretty clouds. This is seriously more than I've ever taken in one go (not including when I had to be a photographer for events) ... and what a horrible camera I had to use! I managed to take some before the exhibition when there was no one around but not as many when the room was packed.

The exhibition is on until next Friday I believe - so I'll go back in on monday, re-fill my business cards (FINALLY printed some...) and take some photos with a DECENT camera.

Oh and I'd like to mention a special thanks to Phil George and Vivienne To for helping me set up the exhibition on the Saturday. =)

And now, of no particular relevance, here's some clouds... pretty pretty clouds... *___*

Ok... I'll stop now.

Whoooo hooo!! heee hee hee

2007-11-22T17:43:00.000-08:00

I've been up all night so... I'm a bit hyperactive on caffeine. I just felt the need to express my... excitement. Even though I still have a gruesome (and impossible.. haha) task of finishing a heap load of work by Monday afternoon.

I just gotta say, I'm so happy with the sound, backgrounds, music, 3D and titles... they're so good it'll distract from my amature animation skills... bwahaha... but now that I've told you that, you'll probably notice if you're reading this before the exhibition. Oh well. At least I've warned ya. ;)

Sorry, nothing to post up this time, this will be my last entry until the exhibition night (Wednesday). After Wednesday I have a .... huuuuge load of stuff I wanted to post here... So, I guess, until then, hang in there gang! =D

The Hills Are Alive...

2007-11-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

As the saying goes.

It's 5 am and I've been up all night inking the loooooongest sequence I've had to ink so far. I'm hoping it IS the longest sequence over all. (I have 5 more sequences left to animate and... less than a week. whoo! Go me...)

So as I sit here suffering from RSI you might as well enjoy this sneak preview of the intro scene to the Poisoned Rain of Agharti. This is the first time I'm releasing the wonderful work of Cyrus Oliver II (Voice of Nuru), Crystal Lonnquist (Voice of Karin), Ferdinand Malaihollo (Sound Guru) and Keith David Allen (Musician).

The backgrounds are still mainly Viv's Colour Keys (Haven't had a chance to switch them to full render yet), animation is finished. YES it's choppy and the lip sync is terrible. I'm sorry.... I'm running out of time. T___T

In other news I also recieved the final renders of 3D animation (kudos to Tim and Albert!) post a quicktime in the near future. =) And some life saving backgrounds from Melissa Mai which I've been intending to post with some cel animation for a while... just haven't gotten around to it yet. ^^;;;

Without further ado, enjoy. =) (you might have to press play...)

The Invisible, Poisoned Rain of Agharti

2007-11-16T20:58:00.000-08:00

Viv and I were talking on the phone the other week and she popped the question - "Have you done some rain tests yet??"

"Err..." I admitted, "no... not yet." T___T

"Yeah, you should do some soon," she said, concerned, "otherwise you might have to change the title to 'The Invisible Rain of Agharti'."

"That's INGENIOUS!" I grinned.

OK... am... am I the only one who found that hilarious? XD Meh..

stealing anime background techniques... mwehahah

2007-11-10T22:30:00.000-08:00

You need quicktime to view.

I was thinking of using this method at first (I tried it in Ehushu and it sort of worked) but I was worried it would look odd with all the detailed backgrounds. Anyhow Vivi said it was used in Fruits Basket... I also had a look at Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu which has more detailed backgrounds and they also use the same technique... so.... I think it's sort of getting there. XD

Nuru and Karin.... redesign...?

2007-11-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

Ok.. IF I had another 6 months left to do Agharti... they might look like this.

Actually I've been cooking up a new idea for an animation (has nothing to do with Agharti) but the characters would probably wear funky street fashion like this. I drew this about a week or so ago... when I was going through all my old concept drawings to prepare stuff I wanted to exhibit at Cofa Annual. Here's some of the ... let's say "BETTER" drawings I did throughout the year:

OK... I do admit I drew over some of these to make them look better. XD Particularly the Nuru ones cuz I couldn't draw boys back then.

Nuru Character Design

2007-11-07T18:56:00.000-08:00

Finally got around to colouring this in.

It gets quite annoying whenever I try to prepare the colours for the animated sequences and I forget what colours Nuru is. Ok, he might look green to you but I keep forgetting whether it's the jacket that's darker or his pants or his socks... @___@

Now I have a print of this on my wall. Ah. *Breathes a sigh of relief.*

He looks so much older than I originally planned. First he was 10 years old... then 11 then 12.... then 13... then 14.... I think now he's somewhere in between 14-15. @__@ lol.

Next batch of animation...

2007-11-07T03:46:00.000-08:00

OK! Good news... I've got half a scene left to animate and I'm finished!! T______T Bad news is it's probably the longest half of any scene and I've got 2 weeks left. GYAHHHH!! O_____o

Here's two of the handful of sequences i recently imported and I'm inking right now. I'm Sooooo sleepy. So soo... sleepy. I can't even speak properly when I'm talking to myself. So - I'm going to take a nap.

Background Process

2007-11-04T02:23:00.000-08:00

Kinda doing this as a little guilt trip (I edited the previous post as I originally didn't credit Viv properly for drawing and colour-keying the backgrounds Fi detailed) but I thought it'd be cool to do this anyway. XD

Plus you get to have a sneak peak at Viv's latest renders. (2.20 and 3.10.) =3

The Poisoned Rain of Agharti Storyboard to Rendered Backgrounds Process © 2007 Vivienne To, Fiona Darwin, Althea Aseoche. Not to be used without permission from ... all of us. =P

Fi's Help~

2007-11-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd post some of the stuff Fi's been doing. All hail the Fi and Viv! *bows down*

Viv sketched and did the colour key. Fi added the detail.

Both images above are © 2007 Vivienne To, Fiona Darwin. Not to be used without permission from artists.

Also, I wanted to exhibit my colour script at CoFA annual but unfortunately I accidentally deleted the printable (i.e. high resolution) version. I wanted to put it next to Vivs to show process... So I started painting over it... you might notice the colours are totally different. ^^;; I'm still pretty horrid with colours but I think I'm getting better. =)

Baby, you're my forever girl. ~ Aang.

Having a stab at backgrounds

2007-11-01T15:04:00.001-07:00

I think after seeing Viv's backgrounds I got this huge compulsion to paint some of my own. XD Anyhows, I had a go with painting clouds (it's not too hard for me... I had to do so many cloud BG for Ehushu last year in a short amount of time.)

Fiona's helping Viv paint the main backgrounds so she's been promoted from being assistant BG artist to a full BG artist... hehe. Then there's Melissa and I assisting with the not-so-scary backgrounds.

So I've been sitting here starting to composit some of the animation... then painting clouds whilst waiting for movie files to render out with The Art of Spirited Away and The Art of Howl's Moving Castle opened up in front of me.

For now... it's time for me to hit the sack (9AM) and... I'll be back to the drawing board when I wake up to do more crazy animation. The stuff I'm compositing now is ... quite horrifying. T___T Animation is soo choppy.... and just... ugh..... *shakes head* (well, I haven't had much practice so... it's really... bad.) I'm sure the newer sequences are better though.

On a side note... (It's a bit late but anyway) I'd like to welcome Tim Gaul to the Agharti crew who's kindly helping us out with 3D animation and 3D rendering/shading.

Paper: Missing footnote and Imprintlife's quote

2007-10-24T03:03:00.001-07:00

I was showing my mom my paper the other day because she started a part-time course recently and was commenting on how strict referencing was now-a-days. To my horror my eyes landed on page 23 of my paper and I realised footnote #31 was BLANK!

Well my only excuse is I was sick for the whole week. (Yes I have a doctor's certificate.) And I didn't get to proof read it properly before I handed it in.

Anyway, here is the paragraph:

Created by Americans, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, Avatar, the Last Airbender (2005-current) draws influences from Asian mythology, Kung Fu, Yoga and Eastern philosophy and anime aesthetics. According to Tasha Robinson Aang’s six-legged flying bison, ‘Appa’ has likeliness to Hayao Miyazaki’s Catbus in My Neighbour Totoro.[31]

And here what was supposed to be the missing footnote:

31> Tasha Robinson, 2006, ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Reviews: Anime in Sci-fi Weekly, viewed 14 May 2007,

I think I was intending to just put (2006) next to Tasha Robinson's name and take out the footnote.

Scrolling through it, I don't see any other footnotes I missed.

One other thing, the quote from Imprint Culture Lab is NO LONGER ON THE WEBSITE! *horror* I found out the night before I had to hand in the paper. It's a really good quote! Why don't they value it more...? Perhaps when they put their videos up it'll be in one of them. It was in their promotion ads (which, conveniently were also pulled off the website.)

Karin Character Guide

2007-10-24T02:40:00.000-07:00

I did this recently because I thought I needed something more updated on my wall to reference.

Viv Starts to Work Her Magic...

2007-10-19T02:43:00.000-07:00

Click on the pic below to see more.

Ghibli quality!!! O______________O

Just incase anyone's new to my blog, NO I'm not the amazing artist who is doing the backgrounds. My generous friend, Vivienne To did this (click image above to go to her sketch blog.) I also have Fiona Darwin, Melissa Mai and Matthew Beresford helping out.

Yes.. my project is staffed by the "2006 BDM graduates help Althea finish her honours brigade" and others I work with at a Jewellery store. XD

By the way... thanks to all those who keep reading this blog! =D Makes me feel like it's worthwhile keeping up to date. I've been posting practically every day for the last few days. ><;

I just realised one of my footnotes are empty in my paper. T_______T *CURSE YOU THROAT INFECTION* It's just my luck to finally work my butt off to finish the paper early and I get sick...

I'll fix the paper up when I'm bored and post a link here soon. =)

Heaven Is (All That We Are), Hiedi Limebeer & Rodney Alexander

2007-10-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

When you work on a project and give it your all, everything and everyone you encounter, everything you experience, you tend to think, "how can I fit that into what I am doing?" Particularly if you're running short on time, the pressure pushes you to make the most out of all that's in your grasp.

I was on a bit of an unscheduled time-out with Ray one Friday afternoon. At sunset we were walking through Hyde Park towards St James train station. As we drew nearer I heard Hiedi Limebeer and Rodney Alexander performing. I caught a glimpse of a gorgeous orange sunset through the cityscape of grey monotonous buildings and felt a moment of peace and melancholy. Then Ray and I parted cuz I had to catch a train to Parramatta for a party.

Hiedi's voice and Rodney's guitar echoed through the tunnels as I marched to the train gates amongst the rush-hour crowd. Something started nagging me, telling me to turn around. The voice kept saying, "come on, there's a reason why you're here. And this could be it. Turn around. Just talk to them." And so I did.

Anyway, I've just got an email from Hiedi. (Check out her myspace page) And I'm pleased and excited to announce that we have an ending song!

Heaven Is (All That We Are)
written and performed by Hiedi Limebeer & Rodney Alexander
Produced by Tai Rotem for Artist Development Services
(Sydney)

I really love the idea of being able to use music by Australian musicians (cuz there's a hell of a lot of talent here.) Thanks so much to Hiedi for letting me use such a beautiful song!

More animation...

2007-10-16T22:43:00.001-07:00

.... I'm hungry. >_>

These look a little too fast cuz it's made in imageready but they'll be better timed in AE..... I'm pretty much animating on 3's so..... the final stuff is gonna be in 8fps. (I found out that Nausicaa was actually also done on 8fps as well. Saves time, labour and money... altho results in a bit of choppiness.. but I didn't notice. XD) Most of my animation will probably be either 8fps or 12fps.

By the way... yes... sometimes it looks like they disappear... that's because the only thing that's animating is either their eyes or mouth and you probably can't see it cuz it's too tiny. =P

Speaking of improvement....

2007-10-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

This is what I meant about my animations turning out half decent. (By the way, I'm comparing drawing quality, not animation... cuz the first one is only in keys.)

BEFORE

AFTER

Squee! It's getting there. XD

I'm probably going to exhibit this sequence at CoFA annual... IF I am exhibiting anything on the walls.

I wish I started off as a good drawer.... see, I'm finding myself going back and re-keying/re-tweening sequences because I can't draw as crap as I used to. >.<;;;

Latest version of Colour Script in!

2007-10-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

Got these colour keys from Viv today (they look so yummy...)

I've just put it together as a colour script.

My animating is starting to look half decent. XD

2007-10-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

I thought it's about time I start pumping out some stuff to show you guys on my blog. Some of my OWN stuff. XD hahah..

Well these ones aren't gonna be anywhere near impressive... but it's the first of a handful I'm importing and preping for inking/colour today. I'll be back later to post a few more...

(sorry the middle one's a bit dark.)

I would have thought animating tiny figures wouldn't be so bad but ugh! It's really hard just BECAUSE they are so small. ><; it makes me think what's the point of animating something so tiny... but you see, if I don't move them, that makes me look lazy. Thus requiring me to do such vain exercises... =_=;;;;

Alternate ending VERSION 2!!! Happiness... =^.^=

2007-10-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

OK!! Just got off the phone with Viv.. supposed to take a shower but.... must express my elativeness in a new decision.

After being depressed about the alternate ending where the kids turn out as ghosts... I thought of a way to make this work another way. I spoke to Steve Weymouth yesterday and he suggested I COULD end it as if.... they weren't ghost. They just make their escape. The only bad thing is there won't be much about the story. It'll be just about the kids running through alleyways. That didn't bother me as much as how people have been reacting to a recent cut I've done with the alternate ending. They were... confused.

Steve explained that it's because introducing the idea that they're ghost in the last 30 seconds isn't enough time for them to digest it. I'd have to introduce that idea earlier... and that'd probably have to be through dialogue... and that's another whole process. @___@ and with 5 weeks left.. that wasn't gonna happen.

I figured it'd be better to leave people "slightly unsatisfied with the ending but dazzled by the artwork" than "slightly unsatisfied with the ending, dazzled by the artwork but INCREDIBLY CONFUSED."

here's a recent rough sketch of one of the "we've escaped successfuly" shots we're ending with for the CoFA annual version. Nuru's gonna confirm they got away... then they're gonna walk off. OK so it's not as GREAT as my original elevator ending but I think it's heaps better than what I did with the ghost ending. The ghost idea was good.... it's just there was not enough time to implement it properly.

In other news... I handed in my paper ON TIME!! I was happy with it too. I have Maureen Burns to thank for that... she helped me heaps.

I actually worked on it so I'd finish it a few days before. But I got throat inflammation on Sunday and spent the last few days sick. Knowing my luck I'll get a bad mark for spelling and grammar errors. >.> bah.

As a result I didn't get time to do a proper proof read. T________T But oh well. At least it's something over and done with. And I managed to say everything I wanted to say in the paper so.... *shrug* I gave it my best shot.

A Story About Rain

2007-10-09T00:17:00.001-07:00

I should probably talk about where the story of Agharti came from.

In the past few years Australia has been affected by what is thought to be the worst drought in 1000 years. [1] I remember last year, particularly throughout summer, there were water restrictions because of this drought. It was the highlight of the news. Even someone like me who doesn't watch television or read the news knew about it.

Then 2007 came. Just because El Nino had ended and we were blessed with heavy rainfall throughout June and July, people have started to think that the worst is over. They even bought a bloody water cannon truck that cost $700,000 just to keep riots down throughout APEC. They didn't even end up using it. I'm not much of a rioter myself but even I was considering rioting... not because of corporations but because of that water cannon.[2] It's like the drought had never happened.

It was because of the drought that I wanted to write a story about rain. It started as a fairytale called "Chaela's Wish." The story was about a princess named Chaela who lived in a city where it always rained. One day she wishes the rain away. Because of her wish, the city falls into a severe drought.

The story evolved but I kept the idea about a city of rain. The city became known as Agharti. Throughout a world-wide drought, Agharti became prosperous because of its efficient water storage system. Agharti traded water to other countries. When the drought finally reached Agharti, the city stopped trading its water supply. The other nations became desperate and attacked the city. For unknown reasons, Agharti's rain became poisoned. Agharti's citizens were forced to live underground to hide from their enemies, away from the poisoned rain.

Some said the poisoned rain was caused by other nations. Others speculate that the Agharti's government did it to their own city whilst others say it was God's punishment on mankind.

This is the whole back story to The Poisoned Rain of Agharti which was cut out of the final animation. Before it was narrated by Nuru (Cyrus Oliver II). We spent a lot of time trying to get it perfect too. ><;;; But alas..... you can't fit such a huge story in 7 minutes.

The Water Towers (image above) are found all over Agharti. They were part of Agharti's water storage system. I thought it would represent something unique about Agharti city... and hint at this big back story. The Water Towers range in height from a 5-story building to as tall as the Sydney Centerpoint Tower - (305m). Some are extendable. At the top is a contractable funnel-shaped umbrella which collects rain and stores it in an underground basin.

---------

2. Like I said... I'm not much of a rioter so I didn't... =P

Cartoons Are STILL for Kids? Wot...?

2007-10-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

My honours project requires me to write a 5000-word exegesis about a topic that interests me. It is due this Thursday which is all the less reason why I should be writing this blog entry but let's consider this a warm-up exercise.

My paper is called, "Search for the Hybrid Aesthetic" (hence the name of this blog.) It engages in the subject of the mushrooming[1] popular culture of anime and manga and its impact on the West. Specifically, it explores hybrid manifestations - works of manga, film, comics and animation that have emerged in recent years, their creators influenced by (but not limited to) anime and manga. Films such as The Matrix (1999), Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) and animation titles Afro Samurai (2007) and Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-present) are mentioned. Of course, the main focus is how my animation, The Poisoned Rain of Agharti fits into this picture.

Which brings me to the main point of this blog entry. I am a huge fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I probably enjoy this series equally if not significantly more than a younger audience. Perhaps it is because I am studying animation that I can truly appreciate the work that goes behind this series. Not to mention it has a great storyline and awesome characters.

Reading up all these articles and books about animation, particularly about Pixar with it's recent release, Ratatouille it comes to no surprise that much of the media has realised that "animation is not only for kids." It was something I began to take for granted. I thought it was a belief that Generation Y had finally managed to stamp out. I did not know anyone personally that still held on to this belief.

It was the other day when a friend of a friend said that her fellow colleagues studying law didn't want to watch Ratatouille because "it is a kids movie." Fair enough if "animation is not your cup of tea" but for a handful of people my age to believe that animation was for kids was beyond profound. I was in shock. I did not know people like that still existed. John Grant (2001) says that it is because most of us encounter animation in childhood that animation is assumed to be purely a childish interest.[2] I did encounter animation as a child but I also grew up with film and television. Rather, I think it is because of this belief that we continue to make animation for children and not for older demographics. Of course, the exceptions are animated satires, The Simpsons, Futurama, South Park, Family Guy, American Dad, Beavis and Butthead... etc. But what about other genres? Imagine if the television series Heroes was made as an animation?

If we are supposed to stop having an interest in animation once we hit high school then why is it that anime and manga have managed to permeate into Western entertainment industry so successfully? Because Japan has realised a market for anime and manga targeted to all demographics. Young and old. Women and Men. It doesn't matter who you are, there is bound to be a manga or anime written for you. Anime and manga cover all genres. Just like television dramas they are just another medium to communicate a story. Stories are written to help all sorts of people pull through reality. And we are only beginning to realise this in the West.

In the West, animation began as shorts that would be screened before feature films. In those times, animation was never created purely for a younger audience. Walt Disney was one of the major influences in animation[3] and perhaps it was partly because of his affinity for fairytales that people still believe "cartoons are for kids."

"One can get TOO familiar with vegetables." Now what was that about Ratatouille being a film for kids again? If anything I think Ratatouille was a little more mature compared to other Pixar films. I thought it was a brave step for Pixar and I admire the studio more than ever. I was less impressed by the charade of trailers before the movie. The first time I watched it was not too bad. But the second time were trailers for Bratz, Underdog and other films targetted specifically to young audiences. (Before you start saying I'm being hypocritical, I'm talking about movies with STORYLINES written for children or young teens.) Now this was in the middle of the day on Tuesday with all the kids locked away at school. I looked around the theatre and realised everyone was either my age or older than me. Now there's just something really stubborn about this idea that's been etched so deeply into the Western conscious. I wish I could reach into my television while watching Fooly Cooly, grab that giant iron and iron it out of people's brains.

--------------

1. Phillip Brophy, 2005 uses this ironic word. Much of anime and manga's visual language owes to masters who witnessed the horrors of World War II, the most terrifying image being the mushroom cloud of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 100 Anime: BFI Screen Guides ( sorry.... I'll try to find the page some day... ^^;; but I'm sure it was Brophy who said it...)

2. Grant, J, 2001, Masters of Animation, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, p.7.

3. Despite not being an animator himself. Walt Disney above all else was a storyteller and a performer. Ub Iwerks was responsible for animating much of Disney's earlier works which made Walt Disney famous. (Grant 2001, p.60-76)

Alternate ending blues and Viv's Sketch Blog

2007-10-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

Had a really sore throat this morning and all day yesterday. =___=;;; Slept it off and now I feel better. I really can't afford to be sick!! My paper's due this Thursday. Eep! And I still have to get it print and bound.

I worked on the animatic for the alternate ending last night. I have to say... I really don't like it. But anyway, got only 5 weeks left and so what can I do?

Viv's started to keep a blog of her background sketches. [ link ] They look absolutely awesome.... ><;; They'll look heaps better than the animation.

Ugh.... I'm up for a serious revising session over the summer........ re-animating scenes, adding what we took out. I just can't leave Agharti like this... I know I should move on but I feel like I gotta do this. I'm going through a phase where I think my drawing looks crap. =____=;;;

Robot Sexiness (Albert Morrissey Models)

2007-09-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

I think it would be awesome if I could afford a 3D print of this. T___T

Anyway, this is done by my 3D guru, Albert.

6 more weeks left!!! DAI PINCHI....... ><;;;;;

And we have decided to go with the alternate ending. Viv's brought me down to earth again... lol. But we both don't like the alternate ending so... at this stage, we're determined to go back over the summer (that's winter for you Northern Hemispherians) and change it back plus add in a few little details/fix ups (cuz I know my animation skills at this point are still crap.)

The ending scene is actually not that hard for me in terms of animation. I've actually done the keys for it too. It's mainly the outdoor scenes that have been really painful.

Anyhow, back to work! but first I need to fill my stomach with fuel...

She's no longer limping!

2007-09-23T05:26:00.000-07:00

If you see me walking like a zombie, don't worry. It's just side-effects from doing this project.

When I imported this sequence into the computer... she was limping. It was really ... crappy looking. I fixed it so she's not limping. (Yay!) Although the animation still looks crap but oh well.. >.>

WEEK 9: The alternate ending...

2007-09-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I got a suggestion for an alternate ending from Iain McCaig at the Smoke and Mirrors workshop.

It cuts 3 minutes of my animation out but it totally changes the message I wanted to convey through the story.

Basically, the touching elevator scene is thrown out the window... in replacement of a shorter sequence showing the children turning transparent. Yes. They ARE actually ghosts. THEY DIED.

Y___Y ahh poor Nuru and Karin... my poor children.... Just like Setsuko and Seita.

Which is ironic because I spend half of my essay arguing how different my animation is to Grave of the Fireflies, despite people saying it's the first thing they're reminded of.

*Sigh*

I don't know... I'm trying my best not to resort to the alternate ending... which cuts out a siginificant amount of work... at the same time it cuts out the most beautiful sequence of the entire piece. If I do resort to it, there's no chance in hell I'm leaving it like that... Come december I'll fix it back. XD But at the rate progress is going... it's looking more and more like the only solution.

It's not a bad suggestion - because it's quite a shocking twist. But I absolutely don't want people to see the piece like this at all.

Anyway... I'll just end this depressive rant with this ... small half-tweened elevator sequence. (No... the animation is not finished yet... I was just seeing how it looked.)

Oh... someone please help... =_____=;;;

Good Procrastination

2007-09-08T11:17:00.001-07:00

There was someone who posted on CoFA forums that there's always good procrastination and bad procrastination. Bad procrastination is waking up and deciding to drink beer all day until you're fast asleep again. Good procrastination is going to watch a movie then finding something that inspires a new idea or a solution to a problem.

I tend to do the latter on the internet. You'll usually find me procrastinating on forums, youtube and crunchyroll. A lot of the things I've discovered, I've channelled into something I can use for this project whether it be an idea, a technique, a quote for the exegesis I have to write... etc.

Take this quote for example:

"There are ideas that change the way many people think, spend, and live. Some people ride these waves of ideas and are carried forward, while others tread water and let the waves pass through them. A few harness these waves and channel them in new and more powerful directions that impact everyone."
IMPRINT Culture Lab Website

When I read this I thought this was the perfect way to introduce my paper. The way I discovered this was... through HappySlip who mentioned it in one of her recent vlogs.

Something Pretty... (i.e. The Art of Vivienne To)

2007-09-08T11:01:00.001-07:00

Ah, finally, something pretty to feast your eyes on.

I received these ages ago but I kept forgetting to ask Viv if I can post it up here. I finally got around to it recently.

All images on this post are background art for The Poisoned Rain of Agharti © 2007 Vivienne To. All Rights Reserved. All images above may not be used without written permission from the artist.

Now.. these three are COLOUR KEYS (no, they're not finished.) They're just rough colours to help me determine the colours to use for the characters in each shot) but still.... they're really pretty. *____*

And these two are in sketch mode. I've received colour keys as well... but I think you should also enjoy how beautiful her sketches are as well.

Seasons Reminisced

2007-09-05T05:42:00.000-07:00

Aw I might as well post this up too.

I was attempting to write lyrics to the ending song some time ago... but instead came up with this sorta... lullaby.

There's a twist. XD Yeas.

It's a kinda lullaby that emerged from the oppression of the citizens of Agharti who now live underground. Being trapped in the underground landscape of man-made tunnels and machinery, this is as close to nature as they can get; reminiscing about it through a 'folk song.'

------------------

Seasons

Do you remember summer evenings
The drying landscapes and cicada songs
The sweeter watermelon deserts
And the fireworks all night long

Yes I remember autumn sunsets
The reds and oranges that coloured everything
The cooler breeze beckoning the colder days
Through the baring branches it would sing

And I remember winter middays
The sun would peer from behind gloomy clouds
The snow falls gently on the playground
Falling softly on the swings without a sound

Oh I remember morning springtime
When the petals of the trees fall like snow
Painting the world a pretty picture
Newer seedlings sprout from the ground and grow

Newer seedlings sprout from the ground and grow

Blue As the Sky

2007-09-05T05:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been animating and working on my paper so I've neglected my blog. ^^; It's hard for me to post up progress with animations since... at the moment it's a stack of paper. <.< But I'll be importing a new bunch on Friday so hopefully... I'll be able to put some more up.

In the mean time, one thing I've been looking forward to is writing the lyrics to the ending song. I'm so enthusiastic that I've started to write lyrics even if I don't know what it will sound like in the end. Hahah.. probably totally different but oh well.

So these lyrics............ are .... temporary but anyway, it gives me some ideas of what the song will be about. I have a tune in mind for it but whenver I sing it... it sounds stupid. >.>;;

--------------------------------------

Blue As the Sky

She guides me with her smile
Beckons me with her gentle song
She sings to me an ancient story
From the sidelines she watched a man
Rising to his glory
Blinded by the golden rain
And the shouts of praise
He fell from grace

Her voice echoes in the wind
Resonating an aching melancholy
Tears falling fuelling rivers
Hoping one day he would rise
once again and be
Just the ordinary man
She grew to know

CHORUS
Blue as the sky,
restlessly she wanders
Through his hollow streets
and violent thunder.
Endlessly she screams,
piercing walls of silence.
Lifeless; he stares forever
scars etched deep at her expence.
She calls to him in his sleep.
She calls to him in his sleep.

She looks to me with foggy eyes
Whispering her longing dream
She prays for peace and my well being
She urges me to rise
From the memories
scattered mounds of ash
And burnt debris

CHORUS
Blue as the sky,
restlessly she wanders
Through his hollow streets
and violent thunder.
Endlessly she screams,
piercing walls of silence.
Lifeless; he stares forever
scars etched deep at her expence.
She calls to him in his sleep.
She calls to him in his sleep.

--------------------------------------

What relevance do these lyrics have for Agharti? Well... this song tells a separate story... on the surface I guess it tells the story of a woman (either a mother or a lover or sister) who watched a man rise to glory and fame but then something happened for him to "fall from grace." (He attempted suicide and turned into a vegetable? Oh I don't know. Something corny like you'd see in B-grade hollywood drama movies.)

But... if you take the "she" character as a metaphor for nature and the "he" character as a metaphor for a city, specifically Agharti city then I guess the lyrics take on a new light. The voice of the person singing could be either child. (Nuru, Karin, or... well, anyone who can empathise with the children.)

Anyhow... I better get back to other things I'm supposed to be doing. =P

I fear not failure but only if I regret.

2007-07-31T14:09:00.000-07:00

Some people tend to think I dream too much and keep my head in the clouds. I don't deny it. In fact I think it's what keeps me sane and down-to-earth.

I got home yesterday sleep deprived and angry at another bus that never came. I was depressed and confused after getting feedback on my major work. The characters aren't deep enough... you can use dialogue to make them deeper and at the same time cut your workload... なんとかなんとか... either way it meant revising my animatic for the one thousand nine hundred and fifty seventh time... I've already told everyone I'm working with I wouldn't change it again or it'll drive me insane.

So I slept for more than twelve hours in a state of melancholy then woke up and dragged my ass around, getting ready for (retail) work. Then I got an email which reminded me of how I felt last year, doing space alien ehushu. It also reminded me not to give up.

I went to a goal setting seminar at the beginning of this year from which I learned a lot. You shouldn't fear failure. Failure is part of success. It is from failure that you learn the most and can move on towards success. What you should fear is regret... regret that you didn't try hard enough.

I think that's what's kept me going throughout this year, no matter how ambitious this project seemed. I hope this message reaches those who need to hear it.

Things are moving... yes they are

2007-07-30T02:49:00.000-07:00

I've got a presentation tomorrow. Big and scary. ><;;; But yeas ... I've been animating. Mainly got key frames at the moment but I have started tweening a few sequences.

I'm a month behind schedule... har har har.... =___=;;;

I'll be releasing on Voice Acting Alliance the pre-release version of the animatic (one with citizens) some time this week.

As for progress:

Sound effects: I've got a draft

Backgrounds: Got some sketches

3D: Modelling close to completion if not completed

Music: musician backed out. ^^;; But we've found a new one... so got to sort that out.

Now... back to the drawing board.

The Story of the Smoke and Mirrors

2007-07-10T09:58:00.001-07:00

Mistakes often turn out to be the solution to my problems.

My tendency to procrastinate on forums lead me to find Steve's very brief post about a workshop being held at CoFA called "Smoke and Mirrors." I replied to the post asking a few more questions and hoping there would be a link that lead to more information... but the thread didn't move after my post. All it ever said was that it was a "Smoke and Mirrors" workshop held by fantastic individuals who came from all the way in America. It could have mentioned names as well but I was just so excited about a "smoke and mirror" workshop that I didn't ... really read into it.

Naturally I assumed this workshop would literally be about generating visual smoke and reflective effects in... Maya or something. I thought, cool. I need to find out how to create smoke for my animation anyhow so I signed up for it.

Two nights before the workshop, my friend Viv sent me a message saying it was actually Iain McCaig (a concept artist/storyboardist amongst many many other things) and Paul Topolos (a matte painter who works at Pixar) who were teaching the workshop. Viv said to me, "I think the title's metaphorical or something." I said... "OH." >.> then started kicking myself for not looking at the CoFA page for more info earlier.

But I went anyway with thinking, "there's gotta be SOMETHING that'll help anyway... something new I'll learn." Even if I were growing shorter and shorter on time with my major work and couldn't really afford to loose 2 days. The first day left me thinking, "well... this woulda been great. If I had done it MONTHS before." I think the people who could have taken full advantage of it were second year students... it's half a year before they have to do their first major work and this is really the time to learn all that stuff... not 2/3 of a way through Honours year. O____o;;;;;;;; Plus the weather was sh!t cold and raining (hailing at one point) so I was totally not in the mood to even step foot out of my house.

I was familiar with the whole process of writing a script and storyboarding but I do have to admit I learned quite a lot. Seeing their work was equally depressing as it was inspiring. *sigh* It made me feel incompetent as a so called "artist." At the same time my desire to improve really kicked in. I'm thinking of taking life drawing courses after this year.

At the end of the second day I took the chance to show both Iain and Paul the latest Agharti animatic (with the voice recordings at 98% complete.) They were kind enough to stay back quite late just to see it and give me feedback. I really valued it because I'm making really hard decisions but at the same time really good changes to the story.

I've just finished doing rough thumbnails of the new scenes. I'm estimating I'll be able to cut out about a minute off the total time - which I'm totally ecstatic about. But not without a price. I have a feeling I'll get flamed for saying this (by Ferdie, my sound guru and all the voice actors) but I'll be cutting out the voiceover with the back-story and the flashback sequence which means... cutting out the citizens.

Not to fear, I will still be airing the animatic as it is on YouTube and posting it on VAA... So at least... the original sequence with the citizens be appearing in the pre-release version of the animatic. I'll also definitely put it on the DVD which hopefully I'll be distributing by January 2008.

Confessions of a headless chicken

2007-07-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

I admire people my age who know their position on religious beliefs; who have found their faith and are comfortable enough to just live and breathe what they believe in through their actions, thoughts and words. As for me, my journey has only begun. I'm slowly finding my God, wherever and whomever God may be. I think God tries to speak to us in many ways. We just have to listen.

Recently I've been thinking about postponing the production of Agharti for a year. I talked to a few friends and my parents about it who were supportive and said it was my decision to make. I was 90% sure I would apply for a study leave. I was ready to adopt my workmate's dog. I told my boss I could probably take some extra shifts the coming months. I was starting to kick back and relax while I filled in the application form. Then something changed. Something called for me and told me I had to finish what I had started by the end of this year.

I believe in facts and I love science. If I wasn't studying art, I would be doing a physics degree. I'm a skeptic like Dana Scully which makes it hard for me to find my own position on religion. I'm open minded but at the same time, I wouldn't put my money on something unless I was 100% sure about it. When I mention tarot readings I hope people don't start thinking I'm into voodoo or the devil. I had a reading (just for the sake of it) back in March which motivated me to start this project. It basically said this project could be internationally successful (yes... I got the World card... twice.) But I had to be made aware of something (the tower card) that would cause my world to come crumbling down. It also said that I should go overseas. Specifically to America. I guess it changed me in a good way because I felt I had more direction in my life. I've already made up my mind that I'll be going to America some time in the next few years, even just to work in the industry for a short period of time. I want to be a part of really good projects. I think that would really fulfill me.

I went back to the same reader last Saturday. He seemed a bit tired in the afternoon so my reading was quite brief. I told him about my decision in the exact words, "Would it be a good decision for me to make if I took a break from my studies this year?" He asked what I studied and I said "digital media; animation" he mentioned "Finding nemo" and I said... "yeah, sort of." I also said I had to do a project for my honours year, but I've been thinking it's way too much work and I wanted a break from it. That's as much as he knew.

We asked about the project in general. I drew the world card again (and a bunch of other happy looking cards.) He pointed to one of the cards.... (Uchkkk... I can't remember which one) and said, "look... there's something about this project - I dont know if it's the way you're working or whatever, but it's going to make you (he points to the world card) internationally successful. Not necessarily this project but it will lead to it. But that doesn't answer your question." So we asked, "Is it in your best interest to finish the project this year?" And the cards said yes. They said if I don't finish it this year, I'd miss a lot of opportunities and I would regret it. They said, even with the work load, somehow, I will be able to do it. I know I have the capacity to do it.

I guess... it happened to be the kick in the brain I was looking for. Now I'm up 2.30 am... supposed to go to a workshop tomorrow and I'm writing these thoughts while drawing a new design for the characters. I'm all pumped up for it again. It's kind of been like this all year. Everything has pointed me to being able to do this project. There are people who have come to me and offered to be a part of it. I found my perfect voice actors a lot more easier than I thought I would. I have a very good and very skilled friend doing most of the background art. (It's going to be beautiful *___* ) I've had another good friend offer to help with 3D. I coincidentally found 3 people at work (I sell jewellery... yes... >.>) who are also now a part of it - my script editor, my main sound effects dude (and his friends), and my musician. It rains everytime I feel inspired (yes... it's raining now.) There's a NEW teacher at cofa, Will who's built me and a few other 2D enthusiasts an animation table. I don't know what to say, it's just been such... SUUUUCH perfect timing. It's really felt something like my calling. (Lol, yes, I was destined for this project... o___O;; ) I feel like I'm gliding on ice.

All that's left is for me to do my part... For me to perform the magic on ice... All I can say is that... it'll be a slippery, tight few months. I can't let my form slip up now.

PANIC ROOM

2007-07-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

I started animating then realised there was no point cuz I didn't know how long each shot needed to be. So I started doing detailed dopesheets (I got this awesome one from Steve at the beginning of the year and used it as a template) and I'm in the middle of going through the entire 8 minutes ... I swear every time I do a part of the process that doesn't involve animating or drawing it's really painful. >.>

I think I'm starting to go... insane. (Well, a lot of people already think I'm insane for actually doing this project.) Like seriously, can't I just think up simpler stories?? Y_Y Like 3D anthropomorphic animals... whoo hoo let's baa like a sheep. Grrrrr!! I swear if I see one more dancing penguin or talking moose I'll tear the bloody POS advertisements with my bare feet.

Why do my ideas always have to be so EPIC... At the beginning of the year I was contemplating on whether I should defer for a year just so I can have a break from study (and work a bit more so I can gain money.) But most people told me I should just get it over and done with. I'm partly thankful because I may not have started this project at all and wouldn't have met all these lovely people who have been so willing to help me out. But a part of me just wishes to get away from it sometimes... and just have fun like an average geeky 21-year-old into anime. I need a remote control that stops time but still gives me internet access. SERIOUSLY. Please? That's all I ask...

I've been sleeping on my artroom floor recently instead of my bed. See, if I sleep on my bed, I could sleep up to 14 hours. But if I sleep on my artroom floor, the most I sleep is 5 hours before my body convulses in pain. Plus I don't have to keep moving the heater between the rooms. Well, it's good for the back anyway. Apparantly. And I can actually control my sleep...

OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Colour Storyboard

2007-07-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a rough colour palette I've finally finished. TT___TT Oh my god... 8 minutes of colour... makes me think I shoulda made my animation black and white or something. Lol.

The colours may be exaggerated a bit here. I am... relying on Viv to help me with the colour cuz I totally need lessons or something. ~.~;;

Final Storyboard and Animatic report

2007-06-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

OK! I did end up finishing the visual part of the animatic as I said I would in my goals. =D Yay...

But I spent hours trying to figure out how best to put it up on the web without quicktime. I had to resort to lowres youtube. >.>;;

I don't want to post it up until at least the voice recordings are complete (because I don't want to broadcast the version with my own recordings and very lame accent.) Also I've sent it to my sound crew and I'm hoping.. we'll get started on the sound very soon.

So for now, here's the final-ish version of the storyboard with the exception of one camera angle which I may have to change:

And... yes. Oh! Goals. OK:

This weekend I'll be spending a bit of time with my background artist going through and planning everything. So:

GOAL #1: Prepare files for background
- list of backgrounds (including data such as length of shot, any camera movement...etc).
- Colour palette for each scene/shot
- reference photos for each background

by: Friday Night.

Also! I'll be in at work so I can drop off a copy of my animatic to my musician. So:

GOAL#2: Prepare files for musician
- animatic
- storyboard
- music examplars

by: Thursday Night.

And... I still need to design three more things for 3D. Y_Y

GOAL#3: Designing other elements:
- Fighter Jets
- Surveillance camera
- Elevator gears

by: Monday 25th June, 5pm

I'm supposed to have started animating beginning of June and I've been delayed three weeks due to being sick and having to re-do my script/storyboard/animatic. So:

GOAL#4: Start thumbnailing!!!

by: Tuesday 26th June, 2pm

And finally, admittedly I'm a procrastinator so:

GOAL#5: Get over Facebook and don't find any more new sites to distract myself.

by: NOW!!

OK.... I'll do what Lisa Simpson did. If I can hold off not logging into Facebook until Friday, 12am.... THEN I should be over it. Going cold turkey. Yeah, that's the way. >< Everytime I think about logging onto facebook... I'll read a page of a book instead.

The Kappa Soldier (Design finished!)

2007-06-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping this isn't too detailed to model. =/

Kappa Solider 07

Voiced by Lucien Dodge.

Just as the children approach their destination, they encounter an enemy soldier.

He wears a technologically advanced armour suit to protect him from physical attacks as well as the contaminated air. The suit gives him a cyborg/robot-like appearance. Personality wise, he is a lazy, inexperienced soldier who is a conscript and just wants to do his time then live a peaceful life.

He is soldier K07 of the Kappa unit, sent to investigate the outer regions of Agharti city for any clues as to the location of the speculated remaining clean water supply of Agharti city.

It was believed that most of the citizens perished in the flames of Agharti's first boming raid or have fled the city. Many enemy soldiers believe that the entire city is haunted by the ghosts of dead citizens.

Animatic........ ahhhrr yes the robot's coming..

2007-06-18T03:23:00.001-07:00

I went to see the animated shorts yesterday at the Sydney Film Festival. It was great seeing the things people were making all around the world. At the same time, kinda scary. They were ambitious projects and for some of them I thought, "Hey, that's sort of like what I'll be making. I'm sure I'll be able to do it then!" Then I saw a list of six names under "animators" and I cry every time...

My crew credits so far:

Script
Me

Script editor
Kaitlyn

Background Artist
Viv

3D Modelling/Texturing/Rendering/Animation
Albert

Sound Crew
Ferdie and his friends

Music
Vartan

Director
Me

Producer
Me

Character Design
Me

Storyboard
Me

Animation
Me

Inking
Me

Colouring
Me
Possibly Sue, Fiona and Mom.

Y______Y

Maybe I should put

Animation by Laens Studio so it doesn't sound so.... lame. XD

Ok. So, writing goals down helps you achieve them.

My goal is to finish my animatic tonight (I just finished the second scene). Ugh! It takes so long to get the timing right... mainly cuz AfterEffects takes so bloody long to render out some things... >.>;;

I also got indulged in Cyrus' latest recordings... and recording some of my interpretations for the new retakes. =_=;;; that was addictive... I shamelessly admit.

And tomorrow I'll dedicate to drawing/designing the Robot, elevator gears and camera. Sorry Albert! Y___Y I know I've kept you waiting....

I think I've got procrastination out of my system the past week I've been sick. =)

Time to buckle down and work. O_O o____________o;;;;

Huzzzaaah!! Must finish animatic now!! I... oh-- aww... time to eat dinner. >.>;;

Yet another script update...

2007-06-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

OK... Big update to the script.

After the first version of the animatic was shown to our small Digital Media Honours group I got some really good feedback (that churned my stomach because changes meant delays). Otherwise it was beneficial ... the main contributer was my fellow BDM honours student, Laura Phippen.

I value her insight into films and her elaborate, very strong critiques. She brought up a few very good points which I couldn't ignore. Her main critique was my need to "set up the story to suit the ending" - which meant rearranging the opening sequence, starting with the children underground THEN having the narration. Also introducing the important bits of information much earlier:

- Nuru's goal throughout the film is to make Karin understand why he has to leave the city
- Nuru wants to join their father on his research team to find a solution to clear the rain of the toxic
- Their mother is sick (and dying) because of the poison and there is currently no cure

This is originally what I had in mind which didn't seem to come across very clearly. It also seemed quite strange (and structurally weak) to introduce it all in the last two minutes of the film.

My main supervisor, Steve Weymouth kindly spent late Tuesday afternoon last week going through my first animatic draft and telling me how I can improve my shots. (Introducing pacing to heighten action scenes, he also added I could put more voice over narration during the boring running bits - which is good because that means it lets me introduce much more elements I originally wanted to add in but was afraid it would make my animation far too long.)

Lynne Roberts-Goodwin also mentioned camera shake and giving the camera more purpose - placing the audience within the film. I should read that book on cinematography I bought a year ago... ^^;; It's gathering dust on my book shelf...

This is the last time I'll update my script... or else I won't ever ... finish this on time. >.>;;

In other news, I've got a sound crew and a musician. =D Also an incredible artist for my background/matte painting, my good friend, Vivienne To. I've got a 3D guru, Albert Morrissey who will be working on the robot soldier and hopefully a few more 3D elements and then of course, my script editor whom I've already mentioned, Kaitlyn Nguyen.

I've also been working a bit with Cyrus Oliver II, my voice actor for Nuru. I've got recordings for the Soldier (voiced by Lucien Dodge), the radio (voiced by Crystal Lonnquist) and a handful of people for the citizens, including a 3-month-old baby girl named Lacey! Over the next few weeks I'll be working with Crystal (who has been casted for Karin) and Cyrus to finish the voice recording. =)

I'm so excited about it and I'm looking forward to working with everyone!

Preliminary Cast Announcement

2007-06-09T04:26:00.000-07:00

The animatic will feature the preliminary cast for The Poisoned Rain of Agharti. Final casting will be confirmed when the audio is finished (hopefully by end of July to Mid-August.)

Cast in order of appearance

Karin
Crystal Lonnquist (Main Actor)
Li Parks (Understudy)

Nuru
Cyrus Oliver II (Main Actor)
Klaymen (Understudy)

Citizens
Crystal Lonnquist
metcannon
Lucien Dodge
Robert Howard
Casey Mongillo
Li Parks
Edwyn Tiong
Lacey Parks
Nathan Barrass

Soldier
Lucien Dodge

Radio
Crystal Lonnquist

Casting Done at:
Voice Acting Alliance

+++++++++++++++++

Thank you to everyone who sent in auditions!

My Global Cast

2007-06-09T03:02:00.000-07:00

I've had so many fantastic auditions come my way thanks to

Voice Acting Alliance

and several other forums I've spammed including:

Eminence Online
Animesuki
S.M.A.S.H.
Hidden Forum

To be theoretical, artistic and deep (being an honours student and all), I would like to now comment how interesting it is that I was able to cast my animation and find voice actors online, what's more, their location 3/4 around the globe from where I live. (Yeah. That's right. America.)

The success of Anime and Manga in the west is undeniably due to the internet and it's many fan sites and forums dedicated to artists, anime/manga titles,(1) and in addition, youtube, myspace, file sharing and fan-sub culture. What has spawned globally is hybrid culture, influenced by Japan, World War 2, globalisation, the internet ...etc.

I have voice actors from both USA and Australia. One issue that was brought up throughout my search was to consider the english accent. Fixating on a particular accent places Agharti on the global map, which is something I wanted to avoid. Agharti was to be universal. It is no where and it is everywhere. I certainly didn't want it to be misinterpreted to be related to a particular point of reference. It speaks a universal truth for all of mankind no matter their space and time.

In an earlier honours conference the notion of the "universal english accent" came to light. I thought, "what the hell is that?" and I mentioned it in my production manager at voice acting alliance, hoping someone knew but no one really did.

My attitude was, "If the acting is fantastic and the voice suits the part, then they're it. (Whether they're American, British or Australian...etc.)" Only that the accents did have to match in the end. The accent would be determined by what accent the VA for Nuru went with.

Cyrus sent me an audition and in his email mentioned he said he aimed for something "somewhat British." What resulted was exactly "an accent that was neither identifiable as a stereotype of American, British, Australian... etc. but may contain aspects of each." Now, I still don't know what should and shouldn't be "universal english" but it was perfect for Agharti. But OK, accent did play a major role in his casting - but his performance was fantastic as well. His voice really suited the role. On a side note, another important criteria was audio quality (no noise) ... and he cleared that fine too. =D

Agharti is hybrid. It is a reflection on global culture. It is nowhere and everywhere. It's a city spawned from fiction, from the imaginary but it speaks certain universal truths of mankind experiences. Well, I hope it will. ;)

---------------------
NOTES
(1) See John McDonald, "Tribute to a comic-book hero" in Arts & Entertainment, the Sydney Morning Herald, March 3-4, 2007, 16.

Space Alien Ehushu

2007-05-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

Space Alien Ehushu is the project I did last year for my undergraduate final work.

It was a very experimental stage. It is a short piece and was very fun to make.

QUICKTIME | YOUTUBE

Characters in Full Render

2007-05-29T06:22:00.000-07:00

Nuru

Karin

SEARCHING FOR VOICE ACTORS!

2007-05-29T03:25:00.000-07:00

I'm looking for voice actors!

AUDITION HERE!!
(If you don't want to sign up to VAA just have a look at the lines and email me wav or mp3 recordings of the lines)

QUESTIONS HERE!!!

Sorry, I probably won't be able to pay you cuz I'm a struggling student. ~.~ So I'm probably looking for students trying to build their acting portfolios or anyone who just wants to experience voice acting for fun. I'll also send you a free copy once I make the package. (It'll have to be next year though.)

If you live in Sydney, that's a bonus cuz you won't have to worry about sound quality. I'll just need to borrow a day or two (some time in June-August) to record. Otherwise, you'll have to send the files to my email in mp3s. Sorry, I'll have to be picky with sound quality.

Looking forward to your audition!

Scene-By-Scene Synopsis

2007-05-29T01:22:00.000-07:00

I have divided the script into four scenes and written a synopsis for each scene.

The script has changed a lot from it's original 10 to 11 minute form. It is now about 8-9 minutes (-_-);; still a lot of work... but I have cut many things out. I also received a good suggestion from Simon Hunt (a BDM honours supervisor) to add the first scene.

Thanks so much to Kaitlyn for editing my script!

1: The Labyrinth of Agharti
Consisting of a short narration by Nuru to inform the viewer about the city and the war. Meanwhile, Nuru and Karin travel through the labyrinth of Agharti from their underground city to the surface. Karin sees the surface for the first time.

2: The Poisoned Rain of Agharti
Nuru and Karin venture further out into the ruins of Agharti's surface city when it begins to rain. They head back to the underground entrance, only to find the door is locked. Observing that the poison in the air growing to abnormal dangerous levels, Nuru decides they need to try the other entrance, and must brave the rain to do so.

3: The Enemies of Agharti
Running through the rain to get to the other underground entrance, enemy fighter jets zoom passed, heading towards the city. Nearing the entrance, Nuru and Karin encounter an enemy cyborg soldier. An explosion nearby distracts the enemy and they make a dash for the entrance, barely making it behind the rubble before the soldier emerges from the cloud of smoke and debris.

4: The Tears of Agharti
Narrowly escaping danger, Nuru and Karin head back down to their underground dwelling in an elevator. Nuru tells Karin that he will soon depart from the city to join their father's research team.

Best Abstract I've ever written...

2007-05-27T11:05:00.001-07:00

My work contributes to the emerging movement of hybrid animation practice in response to the cultural explosion of Japanese anime and manga in the West. Focusing on the notion of the "global comic ," my research investigates emerging hybrid animation styles, which draw influences from Eastern and Western practice and culture. The Poisoned Rain of Agharti is a 2D cel animation placing emphasis on the importance of narrative, revering animation as an evocative act of storytelling. Drawing on thematic and aesthetical influences from titles such as Grave of the Fireflies and Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind, it tells a story about humanity's struggle to survive and its impact on the environment.

Preliminary Outline Introduction

2007-05-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

Recently, I submitted a preliminary outline of my exegesis. It consists of 1500 words and describes my proposed animation, including the beginnings of my research within the field of animation and comics. It explores the work of Osamu Tezuka and Hayao Miyazaki as pioneers and contributors to the growth of anime and manga. In a context of meshing cultures, it focuses on emerging "hybrid" works towards a global language of comics and animation. This is the Introduction to the written component of my work.

______________________________

In response to the cultural explosion of Japanese anime and manga in the west, The Poisoned Rain of Agharti contributes to an emerging movement towards new hybrid aesthetics, values and methods in Western animation.(1) Using traditional cel animation techniques, The Poisoned Rain of Agharti reveres animation as a medium of storytelling, placing emphasis on the importance of narrative.
My studio practice and research engages with two separate issues, humanity and hybridity. The first word, humanity, describes the essence of the narrative. Set in a post-war era of the near future, it tells a story about mankind and its struggle to survive. War, as part of the human condition, yields great consequences upon the environment and mankind itself. This research paper examines Japanese anime and manga with the subject of humanity and war deeply embedded in its history.
The second word, 'hybridity' concerns with my medium of choice. It examines the context in which the animation was made and its place within the practice of animation. "Hybridity" describes the work as a result of cross-cultural influences of Eastern and Western animation and manga/comics. My research investigates the emergence of hybrid animations and comics around the world in response to Japanese anime and manga international phenomenon.
The most important aspect of my work is its purpose as a story in animation format – to entertain its audience.

______________________________
Notes
(1) Paul Gravett (2004), Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics, Laurence King Publishing, London, 157

The Poisoned Rain of Agharti (Synopsis)

2007-05-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

Where once stood the revered city of rain, now an inhabitable toxic wasteland.

The city of Agharti was once one of the few places left unaffected by the world-wide drought. Before the war, Agharti traded clean water to other countries. Enraged by the price of water, the nations attacked the city, anticipating its surrender of clean water supply. Soon after the war, for reasons unknown, the rain of Agharti turned into poison. To escape the war and toxic rain, the citizens of Agharti were driven to live underground to survive and protect the remaining clean water supply.
The Poisoned Rain of Agharti follows two siblings, Nuru and Karin venturing from their underground dwelling to explore the war-torn ruins of the surface. Their adventure is disrupted when the poisoned rain falls and enemies return to search for Agharti's hidden water supply. Nuru and Karin must brave the toxic rain and enemy soldiers to reach the safety of their underground city.