Proposal Pt.1

For my final project for this digicell class, I would like like to make a faerie tale short aimed at the sci-fi and fantasy audience. I have always held a strong interest in faeries and monsters from the mythology and folklore of various cultures. I would like to make a cut-out animation on the myth of the Western European "black dog". Black dogs, also known a "barghest" and a host of other titles, are faeries of the night that take the form of gigantic, monstrous dogs with huge, fiery red eyes. In folklore, they are known for following solitary travelers on old country paths, terrifying them, and in the worst cases, mauling them to death. Most black dogs are seen as bad omens, and appear in graveyards or places where ancient treasure is hidden. However, there are also tales of benevolent black dogs who protect young women and girls. black dogs were made well known to popular culture partially due to the influence of the Harry Potter books, in which they are called "grims". Within the context of my animation, I will refer to my black dog using the term "barghest". The barghest character's code name is "Rachel" for the sake of file organization, but this will be of no consequence to the content of the film.

Rotoscoped Run Cycle

Double-Suspension gallop using a creature I literally dreamed up called a Pincer Face. The keyframes (obviously the cleaner drawings) were rotoscoped from Muybridge's photographs of a running whippet. 30 fps.

First part of the rotoscoping exercise.

Jumps

Here are some jumps animated in Flash. The clown puppet was made by my professor, the dog puppet is my own. Both were cut out and animated by me. I still need to learn how to properly rig characters in Flash. I'm guessing it has something to do with overlapping layers.

Bouncing Ball Tutorials

My first ever Flash animations, made using a tutorial. The yellow ball on the purple background was animated using Custom Ease in and Ease Out, while the animation of the blue ball on the orange background was not.

Illustration Inspiration

The collages of Max Ernst are playing a large role in inspiring my character designs for this project. I have always been fascinated with chimeric designs such as the ones present in "Un Semaine de Bonte". The dark atmosphere of these collages will likely also be reflected in my project.

Character Concept Sketch

Here is a concept sketch of a character that I may be using for my animation in this class. Her name is Rachel, she is a Barghest (a dog-like specter known for haunting old roads and graveyards in western Europe). While her body is that of a large dog, her face is mostly human. I imagine that her jaws are lined with vicious fangs. More sketches will appear as I progress with this project.

My Favorite Animated Short

Before I showcase my own animation, I would like to show all of you my favorite animation on the internet:

Adam Phillips is a phenomenally creative animator and his Brakenwood films are all beautifully done. I will be looking to his films as an inspiration for my own project. You can see more of Adam Phillips' work here: http://www.biteycastle.com/

An Introduction

Hello, My name is Shannon Spoler. I am a fourth-year animation student at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I was born on June 6, 1987, meaning my signs are Gemini and Fire Rabbit Looking At The Moon. This blog will be used to document my progress through Digital Cel Animation I. I will be posting videos from my YouTube account in order to showcase my work.