Bread

breakthrough

2007-10-29T15:43:00.000Z

eertffetg

2007-10-13T15:16:00.000+01:00

ignition2

2007-06-12T11:56:00.000+01:00

ignition

2007-06-12T11:41:00.000+01:00

departuretime

2007-06-05T14:00:00.000+01:00

so, bread is being marked and has already been shown at a few places, but will be premiering officially at the riverfront, newport on 22nd june 2007. for now, check out departure time, my new music project. www.myspace.com/departuretime

8 Days to Go

2007-05-03T12:35:00.000+01:00

8 Days to go:

Today, I brought in my backed-up DVDs of old footage (especially, the first few animatics) and coded the buttons for the DVD. It's quite a packed little DVD, with an outrageous amount of special features. It's taking a while right now to transcode it (optmization prior to burning) but I'm confident I can get most of the DVDs burned today.

As well as all 7 animatics, the DVD also includes: 12 pencil tests, 3 scene deconstructions (showing step by step how they changed), deleted scenes and a short film about trolleys.

This is all part of the Production Folder which will be finished next week, and my showreel will also be burned today if possible.

~breadmaker

9 Days to Go

2007-05-02T14:11:00.000+01:00

9 Days to Go...

See above, the last shot to be animated for Bread - Toast rack guy 2!
He took a little while, as I was going to boast how many keyframes required to animate him - but then it turned out he had waaaaay too many, so I cut them down and now he looks much better! Much more subtle.

I went through the credits, including the shiny University logo template, and added it to the end of the film with some extra editing.
Last night, I wrote and recorded the 'End Theme' to Bread - plus some addition music for the DVD. This was also added to the film.

I spent another 30 mins editing sound for the sandwich being picked up: as the editor, Derek said it was required. Thing was though, my minidisc was on charge, so it excreted this horrible buzzing noise over my SFX, so i spent a long time trying to get rid of it. I shortened it and shortened it, before nearly giving up. Then, I did the exact opposite - and illongated the track, so I could fade in/fade out while the voices are playing, so it's actually there for longer, but less noticeable!

Only in Animation! :o)

Still, all of this work, plus some more de-interlacing means that...
THE FILM IS FINISHED!!!!!
100% DONE!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

So, to celebrate, I worked on the DVD layouts and clips, editing some stuff together and will hopefully complete that AND my new showreel by tomorrow, so that on Friday I can buy Final fantasy III DS and play that all day...!

YEAH TOAST!
~breadmaker

THE FILM IS FINISHED!

Trolleys

2007-05-02T14:07:00.000+01:00

Here's the trolley picture I promised earlier too! :o)

The Video still won't upload onto YouTube, so you'll just have to wait until the film!
~breadmaker

10 Days to Go

2007-05-02T14:02:00.000+01:00

10 days to Go...

Today, (Tuesday) I animated all 177 frames of the Toast rack guy on paper. Then, I traced it digitally and got it into After FX. This took a little longer than expected, as I'd forgotten most of my processes and the little things that kept everything running smoothly during the animation previously. Oh well.

Still, I got the first scene done, but it looks like he is lunging towards the end, because of a slight shift in his weight. I'm not sure whether I like it or not - but against the static Toaster that sandwiches the shot, it will always look like too much movement - and especially because he has had my temp voice and no movement which I have become accustomed to.

Tomorrow - the goal is to complete the film...

~breadmaker

11 Days to Go

2007-04-30T13:45:00.000+01:00

Ok - The Countdown has begun!

The deadline is nearing, and my goal is to have the film completed by Friday!
Last Friday night, I recorded my friend and bandmate, Steve Jones, for the part of Toast Rack Guy. We recorded it in the computer suite in our Church's conference centre, upstairs in the dark (purely because we couldn't find any lightswitches).

I have taken this today and re-mixed the soundtrack, choosing the best takes, slotting it into the timeline and re-timed the shots. I then doped both shots featuring him, and this makes a total of just over 10 seconds to animate. I prepped the paper, (guillotened and punched) and have set everything up so I can animate everything tomorrow. By Wednesday, I hope to have it all digital traced and animated in After FX.

Meanwhile, I will continue to build up my production folder. So, the wait might finally be over and a finished film could be ready within days! I am very excited - and always pleased to be actually animating again. It feels like when you make a film, very little of it is the actual animation...

Over and out.
~breadmaker

Editing

2007-04-26T11:30:00.000+01:00

Aloha!

Well, today's been cool - let me tell you about it:

I got in today to find out the editor guy, Derek would be here. I wasn't going to see him as I thought my film was quite tight, but when I asked James for his opinion on the new trolley sequence, he referred me to Derek.

He's a really nice guy, enjoyed and laughed at the film (in the intended way, not durogatory) and gave me some tips.

> 1st scene, pull out Andrew's audio a little
> Bread Title - maybe put over a supermarket bkg. Not important, but may be nice.
> Fred - centralise and zoom in tighter [COMPLETED].
> Sandwhiches - Add SFX for picking up the bag
> Trolleys - Fine, nice space.
> Toaster - add a beat after first scene [COMPLETED].

As you can see, I've already completed a couple, two were just comments and the other two are just sound-remixing issues. Easily done.

So, the trolley scene is completed, rendered and implemented; it wasn't hard picking the right length and shot, I batch produced the frames through Photoshop, and even made a short 2-min Easter Egg for the DVD, documenting the trolleys. :o) YOUTUBE doesn't want to uplaod it today, but if I can get it to work I will post it here.

Hopefully going to get the Toast rack guy's new voice this weekend. Let's put an end to this delay!

~breadmaker.

Checklist April

2007-04-24T10:11:00.000+01:00

Aloha!

Hope you ahd a great easter - Africa was truly amazing - God did some fantastic miracles and we saw hundreds of lives changed, with hope and faith for their futures!

But, it's back to Bread. Yesterday I filmed trolleys around Tesco's on Cardiff Road and will try to get them implemented as a beat near the end - in the style of 'The Office'. Mike Bithell showed me a couple of episodes so i was able to realise what was required.

Here's my list of things to do in the next 3 weeks:

TITLES:
New Voices
End

RE-EDIT TOASTER:
New Bkg
Edit
Time

RE-RECORD TOAST RACK GUY:
Record
Edit
Dope
Animate
Digital Trace
Implement

TROLLEYS
Transfer
Timeline
Export Frames
Render
Replace
Sound Mix

EYES?

FINISH PRODUCTION FOLDER:
Complete Schedule Weekly
Evaluation
Production Stills
Festival Entry Form
BackUp All files onto DVDs

...so it's not really that much. Most jobs are small and easily done.
Stay Tuned.

~breadmaker

Post First-Cut

2007-03-28T12:49:00.000+01:00

Aloha!

Well, the first cut crit seemed to go ok. It was almost empty though.

The comments made were alright too - the main criticisms were the unfinished parts that I knew of, and the only thing that really stuck out was they asked for some negative space inbetween a shot near the end - just of nothing.

I didn't really get it at first, but at my week-early-suprise-birthday-party last night, Mike put on The Office to show me what they meant. I think I get it now, but just need to find the right action or object to compliment the end of the film.

I haven't changed anything else more right now, as I am trying to get everything ready for my mission trip on Monday, (this time next week I will be in Zambia, leading people to God, and being led by God) and so I maight be able to think and shoot some stuff by the end of the week, but it is unlikely.

There's time when i get back to finish everything off though...so I'm sure I'll be ok. Production folder is nearly done too. :o) There was an unfair comment at the end, where the tutors said "if this was a real production, nobody got paid" - which is quite off since a few of us have worked so hard and so long on these films...

but I'm not going to let it bring me down!

~breadmaker

First Cut Hand In Day

2007-03-22T11:02:00.000Z

Aloha!

Well, today is First Cut Hand In Day (FCHID). It's always funny (and a little unsettling) to see so many people putting finishing touches on it this morning, or the suprised looks when you tell your peers "no man, it's today, not tomorrow"...

But thankfully, my first cut has been done for a little while. On Monday I swithered whether to hand it in or not, but instead thought "no, let's make this better" and applied some extra effects and post production elements like de-interlacing all the footage, addign the shaky cam and other camera elements onto the bread falling scenes, and also when through my Master audio files and re-mixed the film. Now, it shouldn't pop the speakers during the loud points, since the levels do not max out anymore. It's the kind of jobs that really make the film, but are constantly overlooked while you're making the film, saying "yeah, I'll do that next week" but it won't really happen.

So, all in all I am happy with my first cut - there are still 2 shots missing, but they have been set up so everything apart from the final animation and lip sync is there. This way, it won't be a distraction when it could've cut back to the animatic. The film is looking very polished and aesthethically looks more complete than any other film I've seen in the studio. Whether it will stand up as a good film among my peers on Monday's Crit, will be the true test. I am confident, but also humbled by the help I've had in blending and making it look nice, plus all the favours I've asked for the actual photography and voices...so I won't be arrogant or pretentious come Monday if I have to present it - but quietly confident that the film will entertain and speak for itself to a large extent.

:o) I'll post a report on Monday/Tuesday

~breakmaker

Bread Nose Day

2007-03-16T14:34:00.000Z

Happy Red Nose Day! :o) Hope you too are proudly wearing your red nose! If not, customise your desktop with this background I made at lunchtime!

Featuring: The Mischeivous Toast!

"It's a Bit of Fun!"

~breadmaker

RE: Re-Working, Re-Coming Together

2007-03-13T13:00:00.000Z

Aloha!

Everyday in the studio, I am asked by at least 5 people: "How's bread coming along?"
Same question. Same answer: "It's coming together"

The last few days have seen all the scenes be re-lit, re-shaded and re-animated.
Today, I am trying finish off the final supermarket scenes so that they are all ready. These have been completely re-worked, with face re-tracking, complete overhauls in re-animating and re-timing stuff...it's crazy, but it IS looking far better than before; exceeding my expectations.

I normally dislike doing any kind of re-drafting animation, but the keyframes in After Effects make this a little easier. It is also very rewarding to see the dramatic changes! I should do more passes of animation in the future!

I also got the pictures for the Mischeivous toast last night, so will process them tomorrow and get them up here by the end of the week hopefully...not long 'til the first cut, and I'm hoping to stand out as a 'near-complete' version. ;)

~breadmaker

PS: NEW VIDEOS AND IMAGES BELOW! BE SURE TO CHECK THEM OUT AND COMMENT!

"It Takes 2's Baby..."

2007-03-09T15:05:00.000Z

Every now and again, you feel proud and rejuvanated by a day's work. This shot is a sneak-peek at the other 58 seconds I completed today, of animation tweaking. The keyframes are now in 2's, and the shadows and backgrounds for most of the film are now completed :o) ENJOY!

~breadmaker

New Pics

2007-03-08T14:38:00.000Z

Aloha!

Here is those background tests that I promised....each one has many adjustments to it, using Photoshop's adjustment layers, blurs and shadings. I would really like some advice or comments on how to make them better, and blend nicer. Here's a few I've done so far...

It's been a hard week trying to obtain these images and then process them. There's a few "thank you's" to be entered later, since this kind of design-eye is a major thing I lack...

Enjoy!

~breadmaker

Bad day

2007-03-01T13:05:00.000Z

Ray Charles would've had a hard time performing without his backing singers.
And Jeremy Clarkson would have a hard time presenting Top Gear without a car.

These two, seemingly unrelated facts collide with the next installment in the humorous but tragic tale of making Bread.

Yesterday, Helen and I took a trip to IKEA in Cardiff so I could sneakily take pictures using my camera phone of the kitchen displays, so I could modify them to be my backgrounds. However, the car decided to smoke from the bonnet upon entering the car park and we dashed out before it exploded.

Thankfully, it didn't actually explode. But we were out anyway.
We got lunch, tried to take the pictures and they weren't going so well. As I'd feared, price stickers were everywhere blocking all the good shots and there was actually a few staff on the floor this time (a rare find in Ikea) so I was unable to take any decent pictures that would be useable. I suppose as well it could've been hard to get copyright for images I'd taken against company policy.

We spent most of our day in the car park, dejected, before then towing back by rope later that night. Towing isn't fun. At all.
The car isn't a write-off, thankfully, but will cost a wee bit to get it fixed!

And so, I will now have to spend next week touring some freinds' kitchens to get the backgrounds I need...but I also feel that then they will be a better quality for the prints I will have to supply the university with.

All in all, things are going to be better....I just wish it didn't take a dreadful day to work that out.

Back to the drawing board, finalisng my dissertation and sending out showreels to pass the time...none will be wasted.

~breadmaker

Links Galore

2007-02-23T11:12:00.000Z

If you have found yourself so bored that you've clicked onto this blog, then check out these bread-related links...

Dr. Toast's Blog - DJ and also the best bread blog on the intermoweb.

Toast Leaner's Club - The ONLY practical way to cool off toast...

Toast By Post - Yes, you can actually BUY slices of Toast...many styles to choose from...

Toast Club - MySpace-Cadets only. Check out my thread plugging this film. Shamlessly.

Live Long and eat toast!

~breadmaker

Halfway?

2007-02-21T12:18:00.000Z

Aloha!

Things are happening so quickly at the moment - it's very exciting!
You may be pleased to hear that I now have 1'05 animated so far, which is just over halfway. Distinct lack of tests uploaded here since they are not fully finalised, but I'll try to get some more shots up soon.
I did a photoshoot for the second half yesterday, including the extra elements for the conveyer belt scenes, the Toaster and the toast rack (unbelievably hard to find! and such little choice!) after some hunting around some shops.

The rest of this week will mostly be spent doing the Sandwiches scene, which has been altered thanks to some input from Leonie. It was not clear that the sandwich had been turned over halfway through to show the flip side of it, (the male face) so this action now depicts the flip moving to the other side of the screen, following the classic 180' rule. Directorially, this works a lot better now, although will have to adjust the animation a bit....

The backgrounds will also feature some hand-drawn elements within them to help blend the bread into the world I'm creating. I hope to visit IKEA in the next week or so to take pictures of some kitchens to provide the settings, which I can then manipulate later. Watch this space.

Still recieving good feedback in the studio so far about the movements and style...the studio is such a great place to work *plug* so come join in the fun!

PS: Aimee is going to print a Bread t-shirt for me as well, so I'll have a nice picture of that up soon too! :)

Progress Report

2007-02-13T14:06:00.001Z

Aloha!

This weeks activites have been nicely on schedule, despite the snow and travelling home for the weekend. I managed to get more than my 'one test done' by also completing the first of the "Mischievous Toast" sequences as well.

Today, I completed the "Barry being sliced" sequence. In animation, why does it take an entire morning just to slice a peice of bread? It's insane! Why is animation so long and complicated??? Anyway, after some initial worries about how to keep the slices consistent against the back of the loaf and falling flat dsespite my poor photography - I managed to get it looking really good.

Premiere pro is also becoming just a place where I am merely inputing the final sequences and rendering pencil tests - as After Effects is the most effective and fluent software for actually compiling all the stuff I need to. Go figure.

Still, I now have 27 seconds in total of near-complete animation - now I need to work on backgrounds and also have at least 5 sequences done by the end of this week.

Can I build it? I think so....

~breadmaker.

Fred Warp Test (details below!)

2007-02-07T13:55:00.000Z

Mesh Warp Tests

2007-02-07T12:08:00.000Z

Aloha!
OK - so this week has only had 3 working days for me, as I am going home for my mum's birthday tomorrow (snow permitting) and so have been trying to complete my first test for making the bread pictures move.

I found a 2D Warp effect in Photoshop - this was good, but had to be executed frame-by-frame.

I then considered using after effects, to see if it had the same effect, but could be manipulated smoother using key-frames. Thankfully, this was the case and the work screen looks a little like this:

The grid that is supermimposed over the photograph is what I control to formulate the moves, layered over the pencil test to track the movement. I then put the eyes/mouth on another layer above the final image.

This has been hit and miss so far, and the test above represents the third attempt at getting the keyframes correct. It is tricky to do, and takes about 15 minutes to render each attempt, but it does look kinda cool....any thoughts???

Video processing on YouTube now...

~breadmaker

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Photo Day

2007-02-05T13:54:00.000Z

“No, that’s not a Ruth…”

It’s been a peculiar morning – since today is the day I start photographing the textures and real-life elements for the production of Bread. I searched the shelves of Sainsbury’s to find some real life bread to use, looking at shapes, colours, textures and trying to make them fit to what I have drawn.

I imagine I looked quite stupid, or student, picking up loaf after loaf and shaking my head, muttering words like “It’s just not quite the right shape...” or “Barry wouldn’t have seeds on top of him.” Calling Bread by names in public doesn’t go down well. I would avoid it if you can.

Still, after Sainsbury’s (and discovering that 90% of bread is pre-sliced, to my annoyance, as this renders it almost useless in my film) I stopped by my local, Wren’s Bakery, and the nice lady waited patiently as I leaned over the counter choosing loaves very particularly, pointing my fingers and guiding her grasp to acquire (and then wrap specifically) the bread of my choice. I did however inform her I would be photographing them, so she understood I wasn’t a nutter.

So, the film is shaping up nicely – all pencil testing completed and photography will be rendered and edited in Photoshop over the next few weeks for characters, backgrounds and then final animation production. I’m still not sure exactly how this is all going to work – but I have plenty of time to do it so I am optimistic!

~breadmaker

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First Scene!

2007-01-29T13:40:00.000Z

Wednesday Update

2007-01-24T09:55:00.000Z

Aloha!

As you see below - I'VE STARTED ANIMATION!
It does have sound, so check it out! It's the first lip-sync peice I did for Bread.

Progress:

- 90% of film doped.
- 35 seconds animated so far.
- Only voice required to re-record is Toast Rack Guy.
- I'm back on schedule!

Today I will continue animating the sandwiches scene, which is by far the longest (23 seconds). It's wierd when you are animating sandwiches, looking forward to your lunch which is sandwiches and then return to animating sandwiches....

...but Helen and I are going out to dinner tonight with some friends, so that's OK! Nice couples night out while we raise some money for our Mission trip to Africa in April.

More animation soon!
~breadmaker

Animation!

2007-01-24T09:54:00.000Z

2007-01-23T10:32:00.000Z

Back to the Drawing Board

2007-01-11T13:41:00.000Z

Aloha!

Or rather...Happy New year!

There's been a lot happening in Bread land this week. I've had to hit the ground running if I'm going to get this film made as best as I can.

After the critique, it was made clear that the script still wasn't good enough, so after enjoying my Christmas break with now work, a clear head and a good mood, I have completely re-worked the script. Only about 4 characters survived into the new draft - but here's some sketches I made while writing....

Trying to re-work the Toaster gags....this has since been scrapped.

The only frame kept is the top right. Except, now the lines read "I'm ready to come out now!" from a distressed, but still cooking peice of toast in its plea to be ejected before being burned.

The top left character, with the nose-like object, being made from the bag that he is wrapped in, is our opening character. Each character has much more unique design now.

The nose man and his wife again, stuck in a traffic jam (on a conveyer belt in a supermarket) and a new flirt, the guy on the toastrack.

Here's an extract from my Script Draft Analysis document:

Draft 6 – 8th-10th January, 2007

The most drastic change yet. In the last crit, it was made quite evident that the script still wasn’t working. The ideas were there, but not being executed effectively. So, I went for a radical change in all factors of the script. It couldn’t just be a matter of changing characters’ lines, as that is all I have really done so far. Instead, I wanted to start as if from scratch – to allow my mind to see how much further the idea of Bread could go. I thought about lots of different scenarios, about why bread is being interviewed, its reactions to a particular event and such like, before going back to its roots, and making it all about observational commentaries on human life through bread. I also kept a few drawings that appear like cartoons, just one drawing and a gag, which is how most of my better films have been created. Different shapes and characters grew from this and allowed me to have a far harder time with writing, and relaxed over 3 days. Just to make sure it is good. Most of the previous characters have changed, or been omitted. This draft is also shorter again, but if it means the film works better for not being slow, then I’ll take that any day. The scenes are shorter and more focused, and longer scenes have multiple characters so they can bounce off each other and keep the momentum going. The idea about the supermarket seemed the strongest idea of the new script and so used that as my lead story.

----

So, a new animatic has just been rendered, and will be critiqued by next week hopefully. This does put me back at least one week on my schedule, but it will be worth it if the overall film is better. Cocordantly, the new animatic is only 2.05 seconds, which makes it far easier to produce in the timeframe i have.

I'll keep you posted!

~breadmaker.

Feasibility Study

2006-12-13T11:37:00.000Z

Aloha!

Well, the feaibility study critique was on Monday...havent had a chance to put in my thoughts, but here we go:

The presentation went well. The tutors were in a stiff stance, trying by fire every idea presented. They were hard, but fair. Still, the PowerPoint came across nicely and I talked openly and with detail...people seemed engaged [most importantly] and I was optimistic.

The film had problems with the sound; i.e. the room volume controls were on full-whack so everything peaked. This is not the case with the film, the speakers were just too loud. Watching people watching your film with fingers in their ears is not a nice experience.

But, I ventured on through, un-fazed, and accepted the critique given. Basically, the script still needs work and the visuals were questionned, but I don't think it's a big issue.

All in all, I came off a lot better than others, but there's still room for improvement.

Watch this space.

~breadmaker

Evaluation

2006-12-06T12:08:00.000Z

Aloha!

Well, the deadline for all my pre-production is almost here, and I've been busy the last few days just pooling everything togetether into a presentable state. It's all going fine and I'm happy with what's come out so far.

I have a few more character designs (drafted) but blogger refuses to let me upload them today. So, what I will do instead is deliver a copy of my Evaluation here, finish up the presentation and DVD for Monday's Feasibility Study Critique...and I'll be back on here to offer my thoughts and direction after that!

EVALUATION:

I have continued with the same idea that was presented in my negotiated proposal. This idea was received very well and I was confident I could deliver what I had proposed. I talked this over with lecturers, and prepared for the initial Animatic critique.

I began by studying Cartoon Modern by Amid Amidi, a book concerning the styles of 1950’s animators, as recommended at my initial proposal. I also followed my proposed avenues of research, which is documented in my production sketchbook.

James Manning also proposed that I should try new characters and allow the Animatic at this stage to be much longer than intended, to get a good overall critique on my ideas.

The film was considered too long and slow, plus some voices were not as funny as others. In response to this, I recorded some new ‘scratch’ recordings and then trimmed the length of the Animatic. This was a significant edit, reducing the screen time from 4mins 15secs to 2:55. I achieved this by eliminating the characters that were found least funny by the audience, such as the French Stick and the Bread Roll, and edited out lines that were not required, thus tightening the script also. This was an imperative process and one that makes me feel a lot better about the film. I went and experimented, even though they did not work particularly well.

Now that the Animatic had confirmed which characters I would be further developing, I took to making more designs and using textures of real bread, instead of block colour. This was also suggested by James early on. This approach seemed daunting at first, but I have managed to create a compromise of my cartoony-style, mixed with real-life textures. Against the 1950’s style backgrounds, the characters sometimes seem disjointed, but I am blending them to make them work.

My tests have received good comments overall, after being made available on YouTube and my blog. These tests proved how subtle the animation in this production needs to be, and although there are mistakes in both, they work well enough for me to feel positive I can achieve what I have set out to do. I have not received many comments on my blog since the first few weeks, but hope that it will be more vital next semester.

I am confident that this film can function well in entertaining an audience, due to the response to my Animatic thus far. I feel that I can direct the voice actors well enough to get their best performance from them and bring the characters to life. The animation for the Ice Cream film was achieved in under 2 weeks (ahead of schedule) and was some of the most difficult, but effective animation I’ve ever done. I am sure I can also complete this film to such a high standard. My compositing abilities and technical knowledge will not cause me problems in post production either. Until now, my weakness has rested in music. I love music, performing and listening, yet it has never quite been done correctly in my films, so I will not have any, except in the title screen, which has already been recorded to my satisfaction.

Andrew S. Gordon
December 4th 2006

WHOLEMEAL!

2006-11-29T15:04:00.000Z

Here's a new design for the loveable (somehow) Wholemeal character. He'd make a great MySpace avatar if anyone wants it....lol....

~breadmaker

New Set Designs

2006-11-29T14:58:00.000Z

Aloha!

I haven't been in Uni, but that doesn't mean I haven't been working :o) Here's some background's for you to gander at....

This is for the Sandwhiches scenes. This looked a bit flat...

...but this one has too much shadow. So, from herein, I tried making it more subtle!

This is the first shot in the film...

This is one of the last...The Brown Bread's board.

The Burnt toast, before the device that injured him...

"It's Dark in Here...I don't like it!"

Loads more to come...dissertation draft is DONE so expect some more BREAD activity over the next week or two. I'm also preparing the DVD for my end of semester presentation.

~breadmaker

This Morning

2006-11-17T13:22:00.000Z

Aloha!

Another productive morning: I've bagged some new textures to go do some more character and set designs today/next week - plus I've just shaved the Animatic by a good 1min 15 seconds!

It's a much healthier 2'55 now, and already had some good comments on it. Sadly, it's too big for YouTube, but I will be showing it to James and the animation team shortly for its next inspection.
The time has been lost in cutting only 3 characters:
>French Stick: Because only one person found him funny.
>Bread Roll: Because the interviewer voice doesn't work.

I've also cut down some edits so the pace is nicer, plus cut some unneccessary lines from some of the characters, such as the Male sandwhich and a few of the Daredevil's lines. I'll go do a re-draft of the script as well to log these changes.

So, I'll go get that done - meanwhile this weekend I am recording a CD at Pathway Studios, Caerwent with a freind. It's an acoustic worship-CD to go along with a Day-By-Day book that is being sold from next week!

Laters
~breadmaker

PS: Can someone please buy me these for Christmas? I especially like the 'Happy Toast' :O)
http://www.mypapercrane.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_14

Heat Haze Test

2006-11-17T11:28:00.000Z

This is a short HeatHaze test for the interior toaster shots.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cavd_SB5slI

YouTube is being a pain and refuses to imbed the video - but please try the link above - it works this time!

~breadmaker

New texture tests

2006-11-16T13:01:00.000Z

Aloha!

After a busy week of Dissertation writing; I give to you...Texture tests!

These tests represent a very, very short amount of time in Photoshop editing and I'm glad that they at least look better than my last colour tests. The Toaster one I am very pleased with, and if you guys like it, then I will consider turning it into a Flash symbol and warping it along with some animation so it moves and comes to life, whilst maintaining the texture.

Barry isn't quite looking as great (with his rear not being textured) but I am unsure whether I want to texture the whole body or just the face. Any ideas?

The other test is merely a quick graffiti job, as I wondered what it would be like just animating faces onto pictures of bread [I could take]...but we'll see. I don't particularly like it too much, but it does have certain affluency about it.

Please comment!
Coming Soon: Lots more animation tests!
Plus my Pre-Production sketchbook looks all swish now! :o)

~breadmaker

YouTube First test

2006-11-10T13:47:00.000Z

Happy November

2006-11-09T15:09:00.000Z

Aloha!

Sorry about the lack of posting recently...that is because my dissertation has taken the last week away from me, and a little thing called 'life' that gets in the way a lot too...so much to do during the days...

But, I can inform you the first *real* actual-factual animation test for Bread is coming. I started it this morning. I'm trying to go for more subtle animation and more life-like movement. The Ice Cream Film was fantastic in teaching me skills in animation, and my abilities tripled easily. I'm hoping of course to go one better in Bread.

I'll try to post it on YouTube soon... :O)

~breadmaker

Animatic Crit

2006-10-31T12:26:00.000Z

Aloha!

Well, yesterday was the Animatic Crit - which seemed to go down fairly well. There wasn't any major 'laugh-out-loud' moments, but the Barry flashback and Bread Roll went down extremely well. There was a sense it was too long and slow (but it was intentionally left open for criticism, totaling 4'15 runtime) which will be severely edited later.

The voice acting will be more organic - and interestingly from yesterday - perhaps actually held as an interview with my voice actors. This will have to come under lots of direction and careful questionning to get what I want, but could also open the doors for more subtle and improvised lines.

But the quality stood up well against the others - being my most polished animatic to date - so I am still happy with how this film will be made and work alongside my peers.

"But it's definitly going somewhere..." said James.

Fantastic!
Back to the drawing board...

~breadmaker

Animatic Images

2006-10-26T11:14:00.000+01:00

Animatic Day #2

2006-10-25T11:42:00.000+01:00

Yesterday - Tuesday - was spent mixing and editing all the scratch recordings (completed just last night) with my temporary actors;

Dan Sims
Mark Rogers
Mike Bithell
Kerry Dyer
Andrew Gordon

And I also completed all the sketches on Monday afternoon! It was a great process of freedom and some of my best work...easily. I have a good feeling about this film.

Today, I will start peicing it together and see if it actually works...here goes everything...

Animatic Day #1

2006-10-23T08:51:00.000+01:00

Aloha!

Well, today is the first official Animatic Day! I'm going to be doing some scratch recording on my minidisc with some chosen-friends, then start hacking out as much of the rough animation as I can!

Timing is all important in this film...more so than aesthetics right now...

I'd rather get all the proper voice recording done, fully mixed in the studio but time is short to complete the animatic, but at least this gives me a chance to test-run the script with more people and work around some stuff.

PS: More sketches and characters have been written, but may not necessarily make it into the final animatic/film. However, I can announce that a certain loud, brashy and self-absorbed wholemeal loaf could be a runner.

"WHOLE MEAL! WHOLE MEAL! Yeah! I'm no side order! I'm a WHOLE MEAL baby! YEAH!"

:)
~breadmaker

YEAH TOAST!

2006-10-19T12:00:00.000+01:00

Aloha!
Anyone ever heard the Wierd Al Yankovic song; "Toast"? It's great...heard it a few months ago...I'll try and find a link to it. Also, my Dad found a band called "Bread" which may become part of the soundtrack. "Baby I'm a Want You" is a classic. Buy the CD here!

In other news, I did some tests for the interior of the Toaster. There's two, check out the development (not a great deal as the two were both done yesterday afternoon - but there is significant differences). I want these scenes to look very intense and hot...a film that makes people sweat...hmmm...!

Personally, I prefer the bars by far. A base may be added - plus I'm going to see if After Effects can fake some 'heat haze' for me so it moves around and looks boiling in there!

~breadmaker

Kitchen Designs

2006-10-19T11:53:00.000+01:00

Aloha!

Here's some shiny new kitchen designs for you to take a wee look at - Remember - it's all in 1950's style, both in terms of interior design, utilities and following the aesthetics of the animation at the time.

Kitchen 01 - First test; too thick, blocky, but nice colours.

Table 01 - A test for an overhead shot I thought would be cool during the storyboard stage.

Kitchen 02 - Far more dignified and sleek. Check out the funky drawers and the wonderful colour of toasters from this era. I used to have a hoover that was similar...ah, Gerald....

Please comment! :)

~breadmaker

Tutorial #1

2006-10-17T15:05:00.000+01:00

Aloha!

After a good tutorial with James yesterday, I have been thinking a lot more about the content of the film. There's going to be some action taken - so here's a head's up;

Aesthetically - we're going to aim for a slightly-less cartoony feel (not too much away though) by moving towards how we can make it look more like a documentary - ie; some pictures and other graphics manipulated. These will be purely tests for now - but I have a great idea which if it works could bridge the gap between photography, graphic design and the 1950's look I'm going for. Expect imagery by the end of the week.

We're also going to aim for more content - a flurry of new designs, new characters and new jokes which I can then reduce down later. The animatic may seem a little schizo - but that's ok. Again, I will cut it down, but allow myself the open freedom right now.

Also - Cartoon Modern arrived yesterday and is a gem of a book. I'll be scanning some bits and offering thoughts soon.

Gotta catch the bus - keep smiling!
~breadmaker

Simply The Test

2006-10-12T11:53:00.000+01:00

Aloha!

Well, Pre-Production is nicely working out - I've found it very hard in the past to design good characters and colour charts but they seem to be coming together (but you can be the judge of that!) So - the other day I did some Texture Tests in Photoshop to see how to make the Burnt Toast character - the elements used are written underneath so let me know which ones you like best!

I also took a look at designing the Daredevil Character, of which here are a few of my favourites. There was a cool rough sketch of him wearing an Evil-Kenevil style cape...but I thought it was a wee bit superfluous!

More rough sketches will come as soon as I scan them. I've been doing some cool picture research and have been studying my local bakeries for some cool bread! :)
I also ordered the new Cartoon Modern book - which James recommended - but also check out the blog until then! It's ace!

Please comment!

PS: If you take all the 'evil' out of 'Evil Kenevil' you are only left with 'Ken'. And "Ken the Stuntman" just doesn't have the same ring to it...!

The Scoop

2006-10-09T12:29:00.000+01:00

Aloha!

OK - so you've seen a few images and know about the film...but what is it actually about? I realise I haven't clearly stated this here, so for all you who missed the presentation; here's the scoop:

Premise:
A short tongue-in-cheek documentary discussing optimism and pessimism...as told by bread.

Outline:
This is a short film (3 mins) presented in the style of a documentary, where various types of bread are being interviewed, recounting stories and being viewed in natural habitat - or i some cases; out of their comfort zones - all discussing their lives in either an optimistic or pessimistic way. Each type of bread will be countered with another so that people can see their views being challanged.

Treatment:
This will be a predominantly narrative peice, in a documentary style. My best work so far has been in documenatries (A Bin's Story, The Ice Cream Film, and Don't Panic, I'm Islamic as seen on BBC3) and it is where I currently see myself being fulfilled in the future. It's all in 2D, most likely a blend of Photoshop, Flash, After Effects and Premiere Pro. The background with be provided by a kitchen, styled in 1950's/60's style with loving pastel colours and abstract shapes, with bright block-coloured bread leaping out in the foreground, with a host of colourful characters who currently include a loaf, his sliced friend Barry, a burnt peice of toast who reacts as a burns victim, a daredevil bread being toasted who believes it's the ultimate thrill and test of endurance, a sandwhich which acts like married couple, white and brown bread discussing racism and a cowardly loaf who finds the bread bin a dark and scary place.

My Mission Statement:
I'm not afraid of tackling some issues, raising some laughs and hopefully will allow an audience to think about they've seen, without throwing it in their face or telling them what to think. I believe a documentary should open discussion, but to be fair and balanced must not cling to one viewpoint. All in all, it'll be a fun, vibrant and honestly intimate peice of entertainment, that everyone can enjoy.

So there you have it! Some ideology for you to chew on, while I prepare some more images for you! Keep smiling!
~breadmaker

First Steps

2006-10-06T12:05:00.000+01:00

Aloha!

Okay - so where is the project standing right now? Everything has to crawl before it can stand up (you only have to look outside a pub on a Friday night to prove this). Other times, you crawl, stand, then fall flat on you face back into a crawl. Hopefully that won't happen with this film.

After the Initial Propoal Presentation when down fantastically on Monday, I've been working away to see whether I can actually produce what I have in mind.

There's been some more rough sketches: (see below for the first concept image that the rest of film is based upon!)

Also, I am now on the 3rd draft of the script - which segments of may be posted on here as and when the time is necessary. I will be talking to lecturers during next week hopefully on how to make the script as tight as possible. It's totaling around 15 scenes within 3 minutes - but the pace is nice, open and I'm leaving room for little sweet moments of character.

I also created a nice banner to advertise the film, (top) which you may put on your page and link this site to - or even just to have as lovely decoration! This is based on the colour tests that have been started, which there will be more images of next week...

I'm away for the weekend now, to a Christian Youth Conference in Cefn Lea, so remember to treat your bread nicely and enjoy it! :)

~breadmaker

Aloha

2006-10-06T11:46:00.000+01:00

Aloha!

Welcome to the blog for BREAD - my new animated film. Please bear with me as I set things up over the next few days and get ready for lots of images and other cool information as the films gets made!

Save this address in your 'favourites' and come back often!

Keep smiling
~breadmaker