Short Film Polish: Pass 1

Click HERE to download the rough cut of the film after two rounds of blocking and into the polish pass on the first two-thirds (to download, just click the "free" button towards the bottom of the page - you'll be required to wait a minute or so, enter the password, and you'll be able to download. Sorry about the hassle, but my website host is down at the moment.)

Things are starting to shape up a little bit, but honestly, what I have now is what my SECOND pass of blocking should have looked like. I'm not exactly sure why I got so stuck. It probably had something to do with being depressed after I moved back to Utah, and something to do with it being so long since I had actually animated after no animation assignments during Class 5 (Story Development) and getting scared of the animation process a little bit.

I've been reading David Mamet's book On Directing Film and it has really helped me solidify in my mind how to analyze and strengthen my film as a whole, how to approach the creative decisions involved in making a film - "do I need this?", "what's missing here?", "what is the purpose of this shot?", "what happens if I take this shot out?", etc.

They are questions I've already been asking, but not on this level. The more I work at the film, the more it tells me what it needs.

It's the classic artist struggle - how do I get what's in my head out there on the screen?

I've had several breakthroughs in my animation recently and i'm finally applying a lot of the principles and coming up with a workflow that seems to work for me, which is exciting. I have never been more challenged and have never grown as much. I've also never worked as hard, though that has happened in fits and spurts. Despite the rockiness of being part of the first class to go through, I do not regret my decision to learn at AnimationMentor.

I am currently considering retaking the short film class to give me more time to finish my film.

Promotional Poster

"Sole Searching" Rough Blocking - Third Third

Click HERE to view the final third blocking of the film.

Of all of the blocking I have done so far, I am probably happiest with this "chunk".

It was great to start to flesh out these performances. This marks the first time I have had characters actually interacting -- touching. KISSING no less! It really took things to a new level for me -- they seemed more real. They felt more alive. They are reacting to each other.

It felt like I was discovering their personalities, their histories, their feelings. A very surreal experience. Sometimes I feel more like an archaeologist or a social psychologist than an animator, but that's one of the main reasons I got into this art form in the first place -- the element of time in conjunction with the moving image opens so many doors.

...And, of course, presents so many challenges. There are times things go pretty smoothly and other times that I feel I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. But from what I've learned, that is the life of an animator.

C'est la vie.