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The newest season of Idol Master anime really gave me a lesson here being an artist or running a studio.
1. Producer's role: to discover the strength of each character and find jobs suitable to them. Every member is important, even the one that's sleeping can turn out to be a sparkling gem.
2. Producer's role: need to assign jobs, and public presentation that fits the talent.
In a way, this series is an artist handling 13 characters all and all, it's not a small number to write, or to handle at any point.
I took at look at how I handled my characters, I haven't been doing that. Not even to some of my best characters, I haven't found all of the best fitting model to present them. I need to start doing that. I also haven't given them the roles they will like most of the time. I haven't explored all aspect of what they can develop into. I need to make adjustments to the way I handle them.
For a moment I did feel convicted. (think: omg I made all the producer's beginner mistakes)
"Use your lowest of low to rise to the highest of high."
I felt that in later episodes, it was moving.
Family and unity: "When everyone is standing on the stage together to put up a good show, that's when I feel most like an idol."
For some reason that line also touched me.
I handle my characters like my family too, for they are the memories of what my family is about, it is my biggest joy to bring them to the readers/audience. Even if they are fictional characters.
I am suddenly reminded this is what I need to do as an author.
Forget marketing, forget trendy appeal for a moment here...
and find what's best to sell "my idols" to the public with what's available.
Each of them will have their own uniqueness to offer to different people, and I have to find what's best for them.
I am glad I realized it now, even if this show is under attack from the game fans, it has my appreciation as an author, it has certainly touched me deeply.
I have been trying to find a suitable, doable animation style for Shenshu's series.... so i keep trying.
A random japanese song, 08-2 - Sakamoto Fuyumi - Asia No Kaizoku on radio (traditional music mixing with J rock) somehow sparked the spirit for doing this clip for Shenshu series. Then i just somehow completed it in 1 day while working... (this is my distraction, very productive....)
Tian is a ghostly figure... this series come back to haunt me from time to time.
How to animate using Sai
And YES.... I think i know how to solve inconsistent drawing issues with different animators with this tutorial now...SMART animator, and hardcore, he would check the drawings like that... that's literally flipping 1 page at the time.... eek!
At this stage of Edepth reputation its going to be hard to raise 10k in one shot. (though we actually need more than that... but just 10k is going to be a challenge)
But the production can't wait we have to move on. If we wait past the summer it's going to be 1 year extension to the animation production because of all the free help we are likely to miss from the students. Serious issue. Serious serious issue.
The longer it drags, the less people have the time, power, and patience for the project the less chance the project will succeed.
I think a more effective way is for me to break up the production fund raising and only raise for the amount we need at that stage.
Right now the 3D is going but it will help if I can raise 2000 USD for the modelers, 1k for each person, to have the money to work on the model for 1 month each and survive.
I'm going by how much we need to survive and do this, not how much we actually deserve for the skill for the time being. (lets dream.)
Next stage is to raise 3000 -4000 for the final animatic, 1000-1.5k for the sound, another 2k-3k for the artists. (who have nearly 300 scenes to finish, it will take two full months at least when we are not full time.)
For the sponsors for each stage, we will reward them with giving them a part of the production official files/art work after we register it with the copyright office. Hopefully that's a good incentive to give.
A test of a scene for Shenshu, the clip came to me during summer vacation, and won't leave my head until i get it out somewhere. O_o I think i am getting the timing down now.
I just felt like doing something not on my to do list when i am tired. (still cleaning my pages for printing. An incredibly boring task)
I animated another more cartoony style thing today too but need to clean it up before i dare to show it anywhere online. lol~
Animation reel is finally up, should probably get this to my site soon and submit another ver to vimeo because people in china can't see youtube. :P (other wise i love youtube)
Unlike other classmates who already completed their reel the moment they finish thesis, I totally procrastinated until now. *smacks self* (I have good reasons though! I really do!)
I still can't help to get critical looking at work that's barely 1 year old. OTL
Need to get better.
Our team's recommended equipments for at home recording for perfect sound delivery:
A perfect sound Audition:
Must be in WAVE or AIFFs
Must have no pops, no noise, no hitting red zone.
Must all have clarity of dialogue, and expression. No BGM, no added sound effects unless requested.
Roles: You are welcome to pick any characters I have that has not been cast if you think you fit their voice. Just act off any page with their lines on my manga. Or you can just send me the best Demo you have. Make sure you meet our requirement, other wise you will not get response.
Vocal recording quality: Regular lines record at -3 db
No louder than that, or you will peak into red zone.
CLEAN record is MUST.
MUST have clarity of dialogues, believability of character and acting.
Yelling and Shouting lines-Record at -6 db, peak no more than -3 db Focus on the acting of the lines, not volume, the volume will be artificially raised afterward.
Other things to pay attention to: Vocal with effects- (robots, flash backs, TV) Record at -6 db to -3 db range (you can go from -6 to -3, if you fall out of range you need to redo the lines)
Clean record is must, pop filter is must.
No plosives (p, s, ts) no sibilance, unwanted reverb, noise will be more recognizable)
If you spit or have ps, tiks, sound easily, you must use pop filter.
Vocals with ambience or music: (don't need to do this unless directed)
Record on Average of -9 db, to -3 db.
Once you picked a voice level, whether it's -9 db, -6 db, or -3 db, you must stay consistent on that voice level, you can only have 3 db fluctuation. If you go more than that it will not work with the rest of the sound and have to re-record.
Other notes:
Do not have your mic backed to a wall, keep it in the center of a room. Keep it away from any reflective surfaces, pile fuzzy blankets around because they take away sound. Normal smooth blanket will still bounce unwanted sound into the mic.
Ear phone: (studio quality headphone our sound engineer Greg Lim recommends, it will make all imperfect recording obvious to your ears)
Mic: (mic price range is around 50-99 USD.
*Accessories like pop filter will perfect the sound further, but not required if you can deliver clean sound without it. )
Blue Snowball= great for instruments
Samson usb= good for singing, but picks up room noise easily, pc friendly with usb port. Blue Microphones Spark Condenser Microphone, Cardioid: *newest recommendation* is best.
Speaker: (around 100 USD) Recommended by Greg Lim, for sound testing.
Recommended foam: (for serious sound people who wants to make their own studio)
Building a foam box with the mic, recording in a quiet room, gives fairly professional result.
Do not record in an open room nor a corner of the room, it tends to get reverb, any reverb disqualifies the voice recording for our production. Our production standard is for official products and DVD playable in surround sound setting, so all sound delivery must be perfect.
I had not have this much fun animating, the awesome voice from Brian Tubbs just makes my day.
(voice actor + air force + dad = awesome)
I still can't believe he's working for me and helping me out on this. XD What joy, the description of other directors who said "He just come in the studio and nailed it in one take" is true with this voice actor.
Toonboom is pretty easy to learn but just very limited on online resource because it's such a niche program. Because it's really designed for all kinds of animators, stuff's everywhere, still better organized than Maya in my book. lol
Animating in this program reminds me of first and second year at SVA. It has very old school terminology and layout adapted for older animators and flash animator. Great line art, for the first time my line art look like something I would draw on paper. The Rotary Table is very good, how I can just hot key and turn it is a two thumbs up.
Interface control though.... After Effects and Flash still has some up sides... I was annoyed that I couldn't shrink my timeline all the way to how they have it in AE. And I have issues with the sound layout, I have to move all of them separately in the sound menu if i need to re-align them, it's very annoying.
I shall try to finish this 2 minutes clip within this two months.
This clip will be the first clip to show how the voice will merge with the character Randy.
Sadly, E-Depth's production has been held off for almost 2 years already; started 2009 Feb; because of voice delivery quality problems and 3D, and my busy schedule, I hope we will raise enough money by Jan, Feb of 2011 so I don't have to look for work else where and just do this. In a sense, I am asking the audience to "hire" me so i can work on my dream project for them. lol
I storyboarded and did the background for this. :) So glad to see the vision come to life. I regret not making the building look more detailed.......... *is ashamed*
I wasn't quite sure how detailed the animation will be.... and the animator did so well on this.... *is embarrassed*
I still hate myself for recording the reaction in the theater then deleting it while i was half drunk. I prepared for that!!! I prepared for that!!!! DANG IT!!! I will never get it back again!!!!!! My first screening in the theater!!!! T_T I am so mad at myself.
Anyways.... what's passed is passed.
I am not thrilled with my work anymore anyway, but i still love it, right now i am just too tired. 2 days screening straight.
Again, thank you SHELLY for letting me stay over at your place. If it wasn't for your kindness I would have to hang out there in a cafe/pub until 4 am in the morning. XD
Then a bunch of other things, too much screenings, too much city.
i want to curl up in bed, shut myself in my room for 2-3 days, and not care about anything in the world.
To be honest, I feel like shit right now, from the tireness, and from the critiques I have been getting on its imperfections. And needles gets me more than honey at this point, as much as i want to treasure the good comments, the praise, and knowing there's no perfect film.
I know it's good, I know I can improve, and I can't say "I am done and I don't care anymore."
I want it to be better, what sucks is that... I thought I could feel better than how I felt after my second year and third year screening, but it turned out I felt the same, like crap. Not very satisfying.
With all said and done, i still enjoyed the time at the screening, us friends congratulating each other, and so on so forth.
Maya 3 and 4 outcome... it's more like Maya 3 outcome. Since I didn't do anywork at all in Maya 4. I had.... 1 day, to put this together. There's nothing about it that I am happy with, but I am glad I went through the whole process now I know how to roughly put together a reel, film or something from Maya.
It's a third year class for Computer art people, but my outcome is like... a second year computer art student? If people have something to show from the second year at all.
Good for a laugh, and show how novice I am about Maya. :)
From these 4 classes, and 1 that I dropped (wish I didn't) I learned what I like and what I don't like in Maya.
I absolutely HATE animating in Maya, even if I got good at it, it will be a painful job to me, i think I rather not bother anymore. I hate how the FK never works the way anatomy should work in typical rigging, it just doesn't make any sense to me how I have to pose and move the digital doll in the computer, absolutely painful.
I love playing with the 3D camera, that might be my favorite thing to do in 3D. (cuz you can't do it with 2D)
I am ok with modeling but I am not great at it, I give myself a C right now, because my model just doesn't look the way I want it, I need much longer to get good at it.
No, I'm not a rigger, not at all, but I can handle limited basics like setting up joints, IK handles, constraints.
I'm ok with textureing but UVing... pain in the butt.
I rather composite in AE.... OTL
I am so glad I stayed in 2D, a 3D thesis sounds completely painful to me.
