Some New Scenes

I have composited a couple of completed scenes together to check how well the cuts and timing work.

Explanation Shot

This scene is the explanation shot of the environment layout. I kept the colours and detail simple in order to make the set up clean and easy to read. I also exaggerated the size of the anemone so that it would be  the obvious goal for the octopus.

Introduction Scene

Here is some rough animation for the reaction scene for the octopus' first encounter with the anemone. I'm considering adjusting the curve of his path further and also speeding up the somersault. In the background there will be small heart shaped bubbles forming around him as he spins.

Clean Ups

Here is the cleaned up version of the octopus' opening scene. I still have a few things to adjust with the animation, and I am considering doing a cleaned up version of the background. I have also included a clean up of the seagull.

First Scene Test

I decided the best scene to start out with would be the introduction of the main character. In this scene, the camera pans down to show the octopus observing a pair of crabs in love (I have yet to include these in my tests). He then swims over the rock, taking one last glance at the crabs, and swims  off in to the distance. I began by sketching out a rough plan of my animation, and then plotting the necessary key frames, followed by the breakdowns and  inbetweens.

Animation Tests

I created a simple swim cycle in order to iron out any problems with the basic anatomy of the octopus character. The main problem I found with this animation was the placement of the legs in conjunction with the octopus' head; the legs seem to come out of the back of his head and also not to join at a specific point. In order to create a similar sideways cycle I will need to tilt the head more upwards and have the legs join at a lower point on the body. I also think the shape of the head is too awkward for ease of replication and turn arounds etc. so I will be sticking with a basic circle in the design from now on.

Here is the rough animation test of the seagull from the opening of my animation. I used video and photo referencing to create a simplified take off with some minor exaggeration.

Initial Animatic

This is the animatic I made using my first storyboards. I have since made some changes to the style, but much of the storyline remains the same.

Environment Design

In my initial environment designs I worked with a more complex style. However, as my characters are very simple in design, I felt that the animation might not mix too well with the backgrounds. In my later designs, I tried to unify a combination of simple yet varied shapes to keep the environments both complementary and interesting.

In the below design, I experimented with a paper cut out style feel to the piece. I feel it captures the combination of simple yet visually interesting that I was hoping to achieve, whilst also adding a sense of childlike naivety. However, I believe the first colour choice is too bold and clashing, and also fails to create the sense of being underwater. In the second image, I used a blue overlay in an attempt to help with this. I feel the second image also does a better job of creating the sorrowful mood of the octopus, and allows him to contrast well against the background.

Character Design - Anemone

The most important aspect of designing the anemone was to make sure she had the appearance of an octopus whilst also looking like a sea anemone. I tried several different designs before deciding that the best approach would be to adapt the octopus design to create the character. I added frills to resemble a skirt, and a heart shape pattern to promote her femininity. Proportionately, she is about half the size of the octopus, both to show an extra difference between the species and also to give her an air of vulnerability. Her relatively small size would also allow for the octopus to feasibly be able to carry her to safety. 

Character Design - Octopus

I experimented with a variety of different designs for the octopus, ranging from more realistically detailed to simplistic and cartoony. Whilst appeal was one of the strongest influences of my design, the practicality of animating the characters with dynamism and flair was my paramount concern. I quickly discerned that a design with all eight legs visible at once would be too impractical to animate, and equally the designs with stubby legs would not move well enough to be appealing. The octopus would be required to pick up objects, which meant that his legs must contain a certain amount of flexibility. His ability to squash and stretch would also add another dynamic to his character, and would allow for a variance in movement important for captivating the audience. 

The variation below is the one I decided to take forward in to the final design stage. The circular shape of his head would be simple to reproduce, whilst also containing a soft and rounded feel to his character. I particularly liked the idea of his legs looking as if they were standing up, as it gives him a more humanized element, whilst still clearly representing an octopus. 

In the below version I have stream lined the octopus further in to having more exact shapes and anatomy.  I have also reduced the number of legs to four due to practical reasons concerning the animation. I experimented with different poses in order to test the various moods the character will have to perform.

Story Development

After researching what elements in animation and film evoke the strongest emotional responses, I decided to develop my storyline based on my findings. Firstly, I found that bittersweet scenes have a higher impact than scenes that are either happy or sad. However, the ratio of 'bitter' to 'sweet' needs to be tilted further towards the negative than the positive. My initial thoughts for this were that my main character in some way sacrifice must himself to achieve his goals. I did not want it to be as one dimensional as a simple act of heroism, but instead felt there needed to be more subtle implications that were more open to interpretation. I had already decided on the location and species of the two characters - an octopus in the ocean and an anemone in a rock pool - and the barriers that these two elements provide. A difference in species suggests to the audience a sense of hopelessness from the onset, whilst the contrasting environments implies a further suggestion of cultural differences.

The major association with rock pools is the changing of the tides. I felt that changing water levels would provide a good pace setting for the animation, but also have the darker undertones the hazard of low tide can bring for creatures that live in rock pools. This gave me the idea that the octopus could believe the anemone was in danger as the tide receded, and therefore attempt to rescue her and take her in to the ocean. The dual ending could then come from the octopus not making the journey, but sacrificing his life so that she may live. However, I felt this did not give a happy enough ending for the octopus, as it did not complete his ultimate goal: to win the love of the anemone. Therefore, I felt the scene would have the strongest impact if the anemone had remained seemingly apathetic towards the octopus up until the end moments, where she reciprocates her love and the octopus dies happy.

After deciding on the motivation of the main character, I then had to decide on the path the octopus would undergo to achieve his objective. After discovering the anemone, the octopus then has to set out a plan for courting her. In order to do this, I decided to show three different attempts to woo her, each one bringing him closer to her than the last. However, to add more dynamic to the piece, I thought it would be more interesting if something went wrong with each of his attempts.

I have also recognised the need for certain plot devices in order to show the audience the octopus's decision making process and to help the narrative flow. Initially, I want to show the octopus drifting sorrowfully across the ocean as he notices other couples. This will alert the audience of the octopus' mental state, and also build up the meeting between the octopus and the anemone.

Market Research

In order to assess what most strongly evokes an emotional response from animation and film, I conducted a public survey on a holistic range of people asking a variety of questions on the subject. I felt this would help me to better understand why different people can feel moved by emotional events in fictitious circumstances, and also to help me develop a storyline accordingly.

The first question I asked, past gender and age, was 'do you often feel effected by emotional scenes in films?' The results show that 89% replied with either 'occasionally', 'often', and 'very often', with only 11% answering with 'rarely'. Despite several people describing in later questions that they do not feel very emotional towards films, it was reassuring to see that no one replied with 'never', and that the majority of people despite age or gender still feel emotionally attached to movies.

In questions four,  five, and six, I asked about movies that are able to bring people to tears. Crying is one of the strongest human reactions a person can have towards a situation, and is therefore a good measure of a strong emotional response. 55% answered with occasionally or above, which I found to be a surprising majority, considering the strength of connection a person must feel to be moved to tears by a story that ultimately has no correlation with their own lives. In question five I asked people to list the movies that made them cry, and in question six I asked them to name the number one film that had the largest emotional impact upon them. The most frequently recurring movies were: 'Up', 'Dumbo', 'Toy Story 3', and 'Grave of the Fireflies'; all of which are animated movies. I was quite surprised to find this, as the majority of those interviewed were adults and therefore not the target audience of most animated movies. I was not aiming to target my animation towards children specifically, and instead feel it should have a more universal appeal, and this has reassured me that adults can still feel a strong emotional investment in cartoon characters. This is further confirmed by question 8, in which I asked 'do you believe you are more or less affected by emotional scenes in movies than when you were younger?' To which the majority voted 'mostly more' and 'more'.

In question seven, I asked the participants to describe the impact of these films with the options of 'happy', 'sad', and 'happy and sad'. 42% replied with 'sad' whilst only 3% replied with 'happy', but the majority of 55% replied with 'happy and sad'. This has confirmed my theory that bittersweet scenes, with an emphasis on the negative side, have a stronger emotional impact than just one or the other. Bittersweet endings and scenes with more than one level of emotional complexity were also frequently mentioned in my final question about reoccurring themes that evoke strong emotional responses.  This is the feeling that I hope to achieve in my own animation.

For question ten, I asked, 'Do you find it more easy to connect with a realistic character or a personified one?' The answers were fairly evenly spread, with 'neutral' taking the majority vote. Again, I was impressed to see that a personified character could weigh up against a realistic one. However, whilst a realistic character has the advantage of familiarity, I believe a personified character can have a different advantage of naivety and an appeal to an adult's inner child. This can often give the audience a desire to protect personified characters, and therefore feel strongly empathetic when something bad happens to them. 

 

Primary Research

In order to research the environment of the animation I would be working with, I visited a beach and an aquarium to take reference photographs and sketches. The observations I made helped me to gain a better understanding of the environments with which I would be working, as well as the movements of the creatures I would be animating.

To the right are some natural rock pools at Whitley Bay.  Observing the tidal cycle and wave patterns was very informative, and also helped with my consideration of colour palettes. I feel that my finished piece will be considerably more bright and tropical feeling than the English beaches that I have referenced, but the basic rock pool principles were still relevant to my research.

The sketch to the left is an observational overhead drawing of the inside of a rock pool in the aquarium. In reality, the layout of a rock pool is very complex and quite confusingly cluttered. However, I would rather sacrifice this element of realism for the sake of clarity and appeal in my animation.

Here is some video reference I took of an anemone retracting in to itself. Anemones do this naturally when eating, sensing danger, or storing water for survival in rock pools.

Setting the Mood

 In order to get a feel for the world I would be working with, I started by creating simple sketches of environments and their inhabitants. I was unsure of the kind of style I would be working with, so I started off with more basic and traditional drawings and decided to work from there.

These pictures show a style reminiscent of traditional animation, with a small amount of stylisation to take away the sense of realism. I wanted the design of the background and visual effects to match the style of my characters. However, whilst the style of my character designs is fairly cartoony and simplistic, my environments were a good opportunity to add a level of complexity to my piece.

Ideas and Beginnings

In the initial drafting stage of my idea I knew that the major focus of my project would be the emotional impact of the piece. Like many other people, I was brought up with animation as a staple part of my childhood entertainment, and the effect of these cartoons remains with me to this day. I therefore chose a simple and timeless premise - unrequited love - but with an innocent twist reminiscent of children's animation.

The animation's protagonist is a lonely octopus, who dreams of one day finding love. He stumbles upon a rock pool, where he first encounters a beautiful anemone. It's love at first sight, but the anemone is non-reciprocating of his advances, causing the octopus to make various attempts at wooing her. Despite the anemone being unresponsive, the octopus never gives up on her, going so far as to risk his own life to save her and win her over.

The animation will be 2D using ToonBoom and Photoshop.