Digital media research x Writing (Appendix One)

Yellow-

Development Journal, everything from timetabled sessions

(Appendix Two)

Blue-

Written media research x writing (Appendix Three)

Purple-

Tests, drawings and examples of work I have done-- Pre-Production, production and Post Production. (Appendix four)

White-

Initial ideas- checklists and project proposal

Red- Bibliography, Figures List, Appendix. (Appendix Five)

I have always thoroughly enjoyed looking at animated films concept art and hearing about the illustrators initial ideas for the character, and how they grow and change through the creative process.

In my previous project, I used concept art to build upon my ideas as I had been struggling to develop my project, but this time I would like to perhaps make that the centre to my whole media project.

Some things I would like to explore:

-Horror, character and background design, concept art from horror films and books.

-Literature, character design

-Music, design a character from lyrics

-Building on character design from an already created movie or production ( My own interpretation)

His work has always been a driving force for my inspiration, so it would be foolish of me to not do some research into his work for this project.

Because I am leaning more towards something scary for my final project, his concept art is a great example of what I would like to aim to make for my own work.

When it comes to what Burton uses to create his concept art drawings it's pretty basic. Coloured pencils, crayons and HB'S are very prominent through his work.

A clear love and fascination for clowns and 'miss understood' monsters are prevalent in his work, and really interest me.

The first film of his I ever watched was Alice In Wonderland, and the characters have always fascinated me.

The concept art for Alice In Wonderland, and in a vast majority in his body of work really emphasises features. Noses, moths, heads, hair and limbs. Almost like a caricature, for some reason I find this visually appealing.

His concept art for The Nightmare Before Christmas has the same exaggerated features, and gruesome monsters. This is something I would like to take into my style when creating my final project.

I have done a really simple drawing of Shelly Duvall's character, 'Wendy Torrance' if she was the one to have gone mad.

I have done this as a simple drawing as it's something I would like to develop further into the project after doing some more research- I'm unsure if I definitely will, but I would like to include this test in my journal as it's part of my research.

ghost Huns, I like scary films

animate my own clip to a scary story

concept art for a scary story X

character design for a scary story

My own interpretation of concept art (?)

Design sheets

Rigg a character design of Alice (X) (Focusing on research instead)

Lynn character design, full (ghosthuns story)

Concept art is used for all kinds of creative mediums, like film and tv, to adverts.

Concept art brings an idea to life, giving the creators a chance to properly map out the piece of art they are creating, and give the project some direction. An original blueprint of the piece.

From an animation perspective, concept art is the literal foundation of the artwork. No matter the medium in which the animation is made, be it digital or through clay, it is important that the idea is mapped out through concept art to give the animation the opportunity to be changed or developed.

This process was quite popular in the 1800's, and has modernised overtime, instead of stone its a plastic or metal sheet for the base. Its nice to see people maintaining these older art forms to create modern day art.

Creating concept art for a Claymation movie can be done in many different ways as I have show, and digital is one of them.

Some artists prefer to create digital concept art because it can be developed in ways that elevate the design.

He wrote well-known books such as It, The Shining, and Pet Cemetery.

I have chosen to do some research into Steven because of his literature, and how his descriptive language is a perfect foundation for drawing inspiration.

It allows you to perfectly shape each scene in line with how you want to produce your animation or story. You can use a storyboard to help aid any aspect of your story, and detail aspects you would like clearer in your scenes, like, colours, timing, designs and maybe even sounds or music. It's also a way more time efficient way to demonstrate your ideas for an animation or production. I personally find it really helpful when mapping out my characters and how they would behave in my animation.

-

I dabbled with a bit of storyboarding very briefly in the previous project, when I made an animatic for my final prototype but I'm hoping and aiming to pay more attention to it this time as I'm really honing in on the animation aspect of this course.

I then created my own version, using the same process but with an animated movie and myself.

I chose to take a clip from Coraline, where she is 'Walking around the world' and then a rotoscope of Wallace from Wallace and Gromit walking and then running with them.

I used OBS, to get the clips and then after effects for the rotoscoping.

I achieved this by simply creating my own characters, backgrounds and props, drawing them out and taking pictures for each frame and then editing them together.

For this workshop I chose to continue my previous prototype idea, ' A bond Beyond Words' a story of a cat that goes missing and his owner, a seven year old girl goes looking for him.

I kept the drawings for this quite simple as to not overcomplicate things for myself.

For my animation, I chose to have the young girl, and the cat walking beside each other in the garden.

I have created papercut animation before in my previous education, making a papercut animation for Chesterfield museum so I know the more I add the longer and more difficult it can become.

I do enjoy creating papercut animation, and this was a nice way to get me doing drawing again, as I had a time away from drawing over Christmas break.

Though I enjoy this method of animation it isn't my favourite, I find making sure the cuts between each photo quite tedious, and I enjoy the drawing and creating of the characters more than the rigging, and editing process.

I chose to do an image composition of a cat, because that follows the theme of building upon my original prototype, from Creative Synergies.

I essentially crated anchor points and put one or two on the tail, and named them tail.

I used the 'puppet pin' tool, and chose 'puppet position pin' tool, and clicked the points where I wanted to create movement. This enabled them to create a swaying movement similar to a real cat's tail.

In the dropdown, I could access the keyframes, and add more or take away to create a more realistic animation.

I did enjoy this workshop, but I do find sometimes after effects can become a bit tedious for me as I tend to loose track of where I'm at, but this was a great practice and has intrigued me into creating something else using this program.

The reason behind this task was to prompt us to research further into the subjects, themes we have chosen and demonstrate the importance of data sets within games.

I chose for my top trumps theme to be Coraline, an animated movie released in 2009. This is one of my favourite animated features, and heavily inspires a lot of the work I create.

I began by drawing out 8 characters, then adding stats and aspects for each of the 8 characters.

Once I did this, me and my peers had a go which ended up being quite fun.

To follow this, we added another set of 8 cards, this is called deckbuilding and is used to get your deck to an over powered level making the game more intense.

I then added a cost to each card to further develop my top trumps, for example, if once card has 3 in the corner you need at least 3 cards to play that one.

I then added variant cards and other aspects to the cost of the cards, but i felt this became complicated and when it came to playing the game, me and my peers struggled to keep up with how many/how much we needed to play each card.

Overall I enjoyed having some time to draw in this session, it was refreshing taking a break for a couple sessions from digital.

I don't think I will elaborate or further this activity, but it was fun to do in a workshop.

At first we were sceptical but we ended up really enjoying this playthrough. I won!

I chose to use this poem for the animated type, because I think the pacing would allow the type to be really impactful.

I used the text tool and played around with the fonts, colours sizes in the effects control panel.

Annoyingly, the computer wasn't working in my favour, and I was running out of time after putting my text in and making it sync enough with the audio so the images had not filled the space. I was unable to mask the 'BOOTS' with the video behind it, but that was my vision for the video.

If I get time in the future I will fix it and slot it in under the first attempt.

I really enjoyed playing around with this workshop task, I would like to do it again but maybe relating more to the theme.

Grey Boxing is a method used to draw out a map, simply using grey boxes or shapes.

We had a selection of games maps we could base our own on, but I chose to play around and make my own.

I warped some shapes to create dead ends and false entry ways to add some more fun to it.

Because we couldn't flesh it out with colour and details, adding some more to it like that made it more fun to create.

I tested out playing the maze and added some false stairs to further play around with the software and develop my maze.

I struggled to make all of the shapes neat and flow seamlessly with each other because the mouse is hard to work with, but I tried my best.

I also watched some tutorials to help me fully understand how the model would interact with the shapes I placed down.

Overall it was fun to actually look round unreal engine and try out the things I haven't seen or used before, but I honestly don't think its my thing. I find that digital gaming software really hard to use, and maybe because it isn't what I'm interested in I just didn't mesh with it well.

I am grateful for the experience though and I'm glad I had a go.

I found this super interesting to look through and see how each artist takes inspiration from Stevens writing and articulates it through a drawn image, I also enjoy some of the character design from some of the books which have been made into films, for example IT.

I can see myself taking great inspiration from this book.

I've chosen to do this because, as a child this book and film used to really unsettle me so I thought it would be an interesting idea to create a scarier version of Alice.

I began with an imported video of an explosion and a video of the cantor corridor, I tracked and stabilized the track camera.

Once it had brought up the colourful axis, I clicked on one which become the 'second camera'.

For some reason, from here it went a bit pear shaped and I couldn't attach the explosion to the 'second camera'.

Because we had to move onto Unreal engine, I didn't quite have time to figure out what was going wrong, but I have still documented this process even though it was unsuccessful.

I first had to remove the background for the video on after effects before importing into Unreal, and set up a folder on Unreal to store my 'Green screen' in.

After I made the folder, I added in the files that I made from After Effects and made a shape for the green screen lady to go onto.

Once I did this I used the new media source to add a video texture.

This then added the lady into my Unreal world.

I then videoed this and added it into the space above.

I found this lesson quite difficult, as its a lot to remember, but I found the multiple video tutorials helpful to follow along with throughout. I'm glad I took part in this session and have learnt this skill but it definitely hasn't been the easiest workshop I have taken part in. I can see this being helpful when doing digital animation in the future.

I have chosen to document this as media research because it has heavily influenced my idea for creating art around an existing story.

In this comedy podcast, Hannah and Suzie have segments where they each tell a scary story they have each sourced. As this podcast has developed, they have introduced more segments like 'Creep Of The Week' and 'Tarot Reading'.

They also have a Patron where they partake in actual ghost hunts, but that isn't as important to me as the actual stories.

I have always really enjoyed being scared, as I have mentioned in the 'Wanna hear a scary story?' research, and this is just another example.

What I would like to do is take one of these story's and draw either a character design of one or multiple of the protagonists, or perhaps try to animate a scene from the story using some of the skills I have learnt at uni, or that I have researched into myself.

Since I watched these when they came out, around 5 years ago, the episodes are now on other streaming services.

This video series is around scary stories. These story's are then animated and the narrator voice overs the story being read out.

I have known about this video series from when it came out, so this was what first inspired me to maybe animate a scry story myself.

I have attached above a sequence of these story's as an example of what it is, and what the animation style is like.

This seems to be a simple digitally drawn animation on Procreate or perhaps Adobe Fresco, which are both platforms I am very familiar with.

The ultimate aim for a character design sheet though, is to keep a consistent and concise look for the character or characters you are designing. This is a common practice, among animators and illustrators.

I briefly used a rough design sheet for my previous project, so I am familiar with its layout and process but I can see myself needing to use this process more in my media project.

I'm not particularly into the anime/manga animation, it isn't really my thing, but I can appreciate the work and dedication it takes to animate a show, and draw so well.

I wanted to look into Junji's work because, he's an animator and an artist who uses scary stories to display his artwork.

I really enjoy his style of drawing and the way his animation flows so well.

I have taken inspersion from his art style to experiment with character design for a separate scary story.

I began importing an asset into adobe animate, played around with sizing and made sure to name each of the separate layers. I did this just encase I lost my place, I knew which part of the body I was working with. This proved to be really helpful and made my life a whole lot easier in terms of adding null's to the rigging process.

Once I was happy with the size, I went ahead and rigged all the limbs together. I did this by selecting the bone tool and click+hold to each limb/body part. This creates a Skelton for the asset, allowing the whole thing to move as lifelike as possible when the animation begins. This is the process which makes the drawings come to life in animation, is the same with physical media but instead of them being digital anchor points, they are real anchor points with a scaffold like look to them.

When making my anchor points I had to make sure I was being careful where I put them as you cant have more than one anchor point in a layer section. For example, two anchor points on one arm. When it comes to making NULL points, it allows you to create more movement to the rigging process, but sometimes this can be unreliable. A solution to this would be separating your layer, so, the hand from the arm, gives it its own anchor point witch gives you the freedom to control the arms properly.

Once I was happy with how many points I had, I arranged them in each section, frame by frame to make an animation. I kept it basic, just having the character dong a dance and then standing still again, but I am very happy with the outcome. I was cautious going into this I would find it really difficult and I wouldn't get on with it but I have impressed myself with how much I enjoyed it.

-

I thoroughly enjoyed this session today, I feel like I've come away wanting to explore it further into my own designs which is a refreshing feeling.

My next step with this programme is to explore it further, making some NULL anchor points to make my drawing more mobile and give it some more life. I definitely want tot have a go at doing this with one of my own drawings.

These gothic horror stories are usually characterized by dark, gloomy cloudy settings, often set at night time- or the unnatural occurring's happen in the dark. (This then plays on the reader or watchers fears of the dark.) Pathetic fallacy is often used to communicate this also.

Examples of gothic horror would be, Dracula, Frankenstein, and Pet Cemetery.

This genre plays on faith and religion which usually means the unnatural happenings in these stories is a manifestation of the characters worries, wavering faith or love. A character example of this is 'The Priest' In the Steven King novel, 'Salem's Lot'. This story is about a vampire epidemic that takes over a small town, Jerusalem's Lot in Maine. In the story the vampires can effectively brainwash the people of the town to do as they wish, but this shouldn't effect a man of god..

Unfortunately, the priest has been struggling with his faith, in turn he gets taken by the vampires. This demonstrates a key theme of the gothic horror genre.

These stories often involve an obscene amount of gore, violence and fighting. There is a wide range of how this genre can display American horror, a great example being American Horror Story- which literally delves into various themes and displays of American horror. Another example being the 'Terrifier' series, which mainly focuses on women's fears, gore and fighting.

Moral panic, witches and religion are common themes in this genre.

An example of this genre would be the film 'Midsomer' a film about a woman who travels with some friends to a Swedish summer fayre, which turns sour. It turns out that this group of people are a cult, with many things being uncovered throughout the film. This is one of the best films I have ever watched. It perfectly encapsulates the folk horror theme.

I haven't yet fully watches this film all the way through, but it's something I intend to do in the coming weeks.

Post watching this film, I'm not 100% sold on the story. Most people I have asked have told me to watch the first version as i's much scarier and gives the vibe I'm looking for a little better. I felt like this feel didn't translate as well as I originally hoped it would, but that's okay as I have more ideas in terms of character design ideas for Lynn.

This redit is full of peoples (mostly) made up stories. It's where a lot of people go to tell their darkest stories, making it a great place to pluck inspiration from.

The reason it's called 'nosleep' is because when you read them, they're supposed to be so scary you get no sleep...

Lynn is very kind, intelligent and thoughtful. She's always been the no nonsense type of person. Being childish, or trying to scare me is not something she'd normally do. She doesn't even like watching horror movies. When we first started dating she agreed to watch The Shining with me because she knew how much I loved horror. She was so scared that she didn't even make it through half of the movie before we had to turn it off. She isn't into anything creepy, and has never been into pranks. It's just not her cup of tea. And that's fine. But that's what was so strange about this. It's just so unlike her. 

I should also add that she never had any mental health issues and as far as I'm aware it doesn't run in her family. I know some people are able to hide their mental health problems, but in the six years we've been together I think I'd have seen some sort of sign. Two months ago, I was in the kitchen making myself some coffee before work. I was running a bit late that morning and knew I wouldn't be able to make it to Dunkin Donuts for my usual morning fix. 

I took a sip of my coffee as I hurried down the hall towards the front door, when I happened to notice Lynn peeking at me from around the corner ahead of me. I could only see her eyes, and a  strand of her long dark hair hanging against the wall. The rest of her body was concealed behind the corner. I nearly spilled my coffee when I saw her. I did burn the shit out of my lips. "Geeze, Lynn." I said, wiping a few drops of coffee from my pants. "You scared the shit out of me." 

She immediately popped out of view like a little kid that had been caught. I heard her scurry off towards the living room, and by the time I got to the front door she was out of sight. It was really weird, and just totally out of character for her like I said, but I also found it kind of funny that she was being more playful and a little less serious. I shouted that I loved her, and called her a weirdo. As I shut the door behind me I heard her laughing.

Her behaviour was a bit odd, but it certainly wasn't something to call a priest over. I forgot about it by lunch and by the time I got home she was her normal self. I didn't bring it up and neither did she, and life went on. The next incident happened three days later. It was around 2am and I had woken up to get a drink. I was standing at the kitchen island, jug of Oj in hand, when I felt a strong feeling that I was being watched. For whatever reason I looked down at the floor and saw my wife's smiling face staring back. She was peeking at me from the other side of the island, staring up at me with wide unblinking eyes and grinning. Grinning like the Cheshire cat. I screamed, I'll admit it. Not out of irritation but fear. For some reason at that moment I was scared. 

At the sound of my scream Lynn scuttled backwards out of my view, her hands and feet smacking the tile floor as she hurried out of the kitchen on all fours.  I didn't run after her, or even yell after her. I just stood there frozen in shock, wondering what fuck had possessed her to do that.

 It took me a little longer than I'd like to admit to go back upstairs, but I eventually did. When I got to our bedroom, Lynn was lying on her side, asleep. Or at least pretending to be. I stood there for a while, watching her breathing to be sure she really was asleep. I had the feeling she might jump out at me the moment I got into bed. But she didn't. I climbed into bed and she didn't even move. Her breathing was soft and deep and I was starting to wonder if I'd dreamt the whole thing. 

The next morning I waited for her to come down for coffee and after handing her a mug and kissing her cheek I decided to ask her about it. "What was that about last night?" I asked, keeping my tone light so I didn't offend or embarrass her. 

She frowned over her cup of coffee, shaking her head like she had no clue what I was referring to. "You were peeking at me again. From over there." I said, pointing to the spot on the floor by the kitchen island.  She followed my gaze, and when she looked back at me she burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that I couldn't help but join her. "You creep me the fuck out sometimes, you know that?" I said. She giggled and set her cup on the counter and wrapped her arms around my neck. "You creep me out all the time. So I guess we're even." She teased.

We said our goodbyes and left for work. As I drove I kept thinking about how creepy it had been seeing her grinning at me from behind the island like that. The sounds her hands made on the floor as she crawled away. I told myself she was just trying to be silly. Just trying to join me in my love of all things horror…. It's not like I was afraid of her. But it still didn't sit right with me. 

I started seeing her peeking at me more and more. Sometimes she'd be peeking out from behind the couch or living room curtains. Once she even managed to get inside her grandmother's old trunk that sits at the foot of our bed. I might not have even known she was there at all had the trunk's old hinges not given her away. 

She'd had the lid propped up just enough so that  only half of her face peeked through. She'd been grinning like an excited toddler. It was unnerving. I didn't even know what to say to her. All I could do was stare. When I finally found my voice, I asked her why on earth was she doing this. She didn't answer, but she had slowly closed the lid, shutting herself inside the trunk. I just walked away, feeling disturbed.  I didn't understand why she was doing it, but it clearly made her happy. I just hoped she would tire of the game quickly. Lynn didn't peek at me for the next two weeks. I started to think she was done with her weird prank and I was relieved. We were watching a show on Netflix one night and I jokingly said that I hadn't seen her peeking at me lately, and that she must have given up on her spy game. She looked up at me with a small smile and said, "Maybe I've just gotten better at it." I didn't say anything but I wondered whether or not she was joking.

For the next few days I couldn't stop thinking about what she'd said. Was she still peeking at me when I wasn't looking and I just hadn't noticed? And if so, what the hell was she getting out of this? I started to feel paranoid, constantly checking whether she was watching from around the corner, or behind a door.  I was jumpy whenever I was home and she wasn't in full view of me. I felt stupid and a little crazy. But after a few weeks without another incident, I began to relax.  I stopped checking behind furniture and walls and told myself it was just a bad memory. Then a few days ago things got so much worse....

Written By Redit User ; Maliagirl1314

Around 9pm I hopped in the shower and as I was washing the soap from my hair, I felt that awful feeling that I was being watched. I slowly opened my eyes and almost had a fucking heart attack. 

Lynn was peeking from behind the shower curtain, her entire head stretched into the shower, leaving just her body outside. Her long dark hair hung against the curtain, the ends dripping with water. Her mouth hung open in a terrible grin, eyes wide and red, as if she hadn't blinked in a while. I screamed and jumped back against the wall. She didn't move nor did her smile waver. Her makeup ran down her cheeks in two black streaks. She looked giddy and completely deranged. I was fucking terrified. 

We stood like that for a few moments, neither of us saying a word. Finally after what felt like forever, she slowly pulled her head back out of the shower, and I watched her blurry figure  through the curtain as she moved backwards towards the bathroom door. 

A second later the bathroom door slammed shut, hard enough to rattle the mirror. I screamed again, and jumped out of the shower to lock the door. I stayed inside the bathroom for over an hour. Maybe I overreacted to some of you. But joke or not, I wasn't going to put up with the crazy shit anymore. That's what I kept telling myself as I paced in my bathroom, stopping to listen at the door every few minutes. 

Suddenly I heard a muffled sound, and I pressed my ear against the bathroom door, straining to listen. I couldn't hear anything but I envisioned Lynn standing on the other side of the door, giggling at her joke. 

I felt a surge of anger. I was beyond pissed at being made to feel scared in my own house, and made to hide in the bathroom for an hour. All for what? Some joke? If it was a joke it was an awful one. 

"What the fuck Lynn!" I snapped. "This shit is getting really fucking annoying." I waited for her to apologize, or to call me a jerk. But instead I heard a faint moan, so quiet I wondered if I heard it at all, and then complete silence. 

"Lynn?" I called out, not able to even hide the shakiness in my voice. I got no response. Just my own heavy breathing. 

"I swear to God, just fucking stop it!" I yelled, pounding my fist on the door. 

I waited for her to cuss me out, something I would expect from me talking to her like that. I never screamed at her before. 

But there was nothing. Just the occasional drip from the shower head. 

I won't deny that I was scared. Too afraid to open the damn door and face my own wife. I waited another 30 minutes or so, which feels like a fucking lifetime when you're scared. Finally I decided I wasn't going to spend the night hiding in my bathroom, so I got down on my knees and peered under the door. I almost expected to see her face peeking back at me but thankfully I didn't. I could see straight down the hallway to the top of the stairs, but no Lynn. I didn't know if I should be happy about that or not. I looked for a few minutes, waiting to see her head pop up over the top step, but it never came. 

I stood up, my hand hovering over the door and mentally prepared myself to open it. I slowly turned the lock with shaky fingers, and was about to yank it open when I heard a sound that still makes me feel nauseous when I think about it. 

A moan, louder than before, but this time I was able to tell just where it was coming from. I turned my head to the closet door as if in slow motion, and locked eyes with my wife who was peeking out at me from the slight gap.  

Her eyes were still wide as ever and her mouth was hanging open in the most grotesque gaping smile I'd ever seen. I didn't even scream. I was too scared for even that. Her hands were clasped to her chest, body trembling with sheer delight, as if she could barely contain her excitement. A short raspy moan bubbled up from her throat, deep and raw, sending a shiver through my entire body. 

Somehow I found the ability to pull the bathroom door open and ran as fast as I could all the way down the steps, snagging my keys and phone from the table in the living room before running outside to my car. I could hear her shrill laughter behind me but I didn't hear her getting closer. I didn't bother shutting the front door. I drove away from the house faster than I legally should have, shivering the entire time, either from fear or the cold. Maybe a little of both. I hadn't grabbed a coat or even a pair of shoes. I was still in my boxers and my hair was still damp. 

I drove straight to my brother Chris's house about 40 minutes away, ignoring any and every call and text I got. I didn't check my phone until I was safely parked in my brother's driveway. Lynn had called 4 times and sent a flurry of texts, all wondering where I'd gone and why I left "like that." 

I threw my phone at the dash in a rage, furious at her nonchalant attitude. My brother and his wife were surprised to see me, especially dressed in just a pair of boxers, but told me to stay as long as I needed. Chris lent me some clothes and asked me what happened. I told him Lynn and I had a fight, but didn't get into the details. I didn't want him to think I was overreacting, leaving my wife over a prank, even if it was a strange one. I mean, hadn't I encouraged her for years to lighten up instead of being so serious all the time? I had wanted her to relax and loosen up, but this was definitely not what I'd had in mind.  

 Written By Redit User ; Maliagirl1314

The mere thought of going back home gave me anxiety. I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Chris ended up giving me a sleeping pill so I was able to get a little rest. My sleep was filled with terrible dreams. All of Lynn's smiling face. 

I woke up just as the sun started to rise. My sore body ached from the sofa, and I felt drained. I knew I'd have to call Lynn at some point, but I didn't know what to say to her. I wouldn't be going home unless she gave me her word she'd never do anymore creepy shit. 

I just wanted my wife back. Her normal serious self never looked so good to me. 

I was contemplating calling her and telling her that, when that familiar feeling came over me. I was being watched. I was staring at the ceiling, my heart in my throat. I didn't want to look away but the longer I ignored the feeling the worse it got. 

My eyes drifted away from the ceiling almost on their own. Her face was pressed up against the window beside the couch, staring down at me with that same gaping smile. Drool dribbled down her lips, leaving two long streaks down the glass. I didn't know how long she'd been there, but something told me she'd been there quite a while, possibly all night. 

I didn't bother screaming, though I was afraid anger trumped any fear I felt at that moment. I jumped up from the couch and pounded my palm against the glass. 

"Lynn! Are you crazy? What the hell is wrong with you? Just go home!" I shouted. "Now!" 

She didn't move, and her ghastly expression never changed. If anything her smile only grew, as if she had never been more elated. 

I could hear Chris and his wife moving around upstairs. As if Lynn could hear them from her place outside, her head twitched slightly in their direction, and she began to close her mouth slowly. 

Chris called my name from upstairs, obviously concerned. I turned to see him and his wife Rebecca hurrying down the steps. When I turned back to the window Lynn was gone. The only sign she'd been there at all was the two streaks of drool still dripping down the glass. 

I tried explaining to Chris and Rebecca about waking up to see Lynn watching me through their window. They were skeptical, who wouldn't be? Chris and I went outside to the spot in front of the window but there were no footprints in the dirt, just a slight indent. Animal probably, Chris guessed, and I didn't argue. He and Rebecca assumed I dreamt the entire episode but they didn't understand, and I was too tired to explain it to them.  

I called out of work that day and turned my cell off. I didn't want to face Lynn. Just talking to her was too much for me at that point. I really started to believe something was irreversibly wrong with her. That no matter what promises she made we'd never be the same again. The thought saddened me to my core. I cried most of the morning. By noon I figured I was ready to confront her. Give her one last chance to explain herself. I could at least give her that after 6 years I told myself. I turned my phone on and saw the dozens of texts she'd sent, all from a seemingly concerned wife. 

"Can we talk?"

"I love you."

"Please call me." 

"I'm really worried."

"Can you answer?" 

"Just come home."

And more of the same. All texts telling me she loved me, and she wanted me home. How worried she was….Not a damn one addressing the crazy shit she pulled. Like she hadn't been acting like a character from a Stephen King book. 

Even her texts were different. She normally texted novels just to tell me to pick up a loaf of bread! You'd think she'd have more to say to me after her bizarre shenanigans. 

I know it probably seems childish to some of you who are miles away from this situation. But if you saw the way Lynn had looked at me, how she scampered away on all fours like some wild animal, grinning at me from inside the closet like a lunatic…..then I think you'd find my reaction was warranted. 

I ended up staying with Chris and Rebecca for another night. I didn't wake up yesterday until after noon, and thankfully I didn't see Lynn's face watching me through the window. 

"I don't want to pry, because it's not my place. But is this fight something that can be mended?" Rebecca asked. She'd made us both a sandwich for lunch and I knew she wanted to breach the subject without seeming to be nosy. 

"I don't know. I just….. She's like a different person." I said, choosing my words carefully. I still wasn't ready for her or Chris to know the full extent of the bat shit craziness I had been dealing with.

"People change Ben. But she's still the same woman you married. Maybe you both just need to talk through your issues. Whatever's going on, I'm sure it can be fixed." She said, ever the peacemaker. 

"I think it's beyond that now. I don't think talking would help. I just don't trust her." I said. The words stung in my heart. I missed and loved my wife. But how could I live with someone like that? Living in constant fear didn't sound too appealing. 

"Lynn loves you. She has to be absolutely crushed." She said.  

"I don't know about that." I said. 

"Well she certainly seemed like it to me. I've never seen her so upset. Very much unlike the Lynn I know." Rebecca said, shaking her head sadly. 

It took a full minute for her words to really sink in and when they did, I felt dread worming its way through my skin. 

"Wait. What do you mean? You saw her? You saw Lynn?" I asked, my mouth suddenly dry. 

Rebecca nodded casually as if that fact wasn't nightmare fuel. Maybe for her it wasn't. 

"She stopped by this morning just after Chris left for work."  She said, cleaning the plates from the table. "I didn't see her car though. Maybe she took an uber or something." 

"Becc. What did she say? Did..did she come inside?" I asked, sweat starting to break out on my forehead. I began looking around, examining corners as though a predator lurked behind them. 

"No. She just asked if you were awake yet and I said that you weren't. I asked if she wanted me to wake you but she said no. Just said to let you sleep." She said as she washed the dishes. 

"That's all? She didn't say anything else?" I asked. 

"No. She looked awful though. Like she hadn't slept in days. I think you should call her."

I got up from the table and thanked Rebecca for lunch. 

I felt a little bit better at the knowledge that at least she hadn't come inside. Still, I needed to double check that the doors were locked. 

I sat for a while trying to figure out what to do next. I didn't want to go home, but I felt that I owed it to Lynn to help her if I could. Hadn't I swore an oath to love and honor her through sickness and in health? Clearly she was very sick. 

If she was sick, which I truly believed she was, I had to try and get her the help she needed. But I didn't even know where to start. I didn't want to call the police, and besides, what the hell was I going to tell them? That my wife was peeking at me? That she was being creepy? As bizarre as she'd been, she still hadn't committed any crime. Not yet anyway. The police would have probably said that I was overreacting. But this wasn't some prank. It felt wrong. Dangerous even. Like something sinister lurked beneath her smile.

I knew as her husband I was well within my rights to have her committed, but what if she simply acted normal in their presence? She'd obviously been able to fool Rebecca into thinking she was just a concerned wife. As long as the doctors didn't find her a danger to herself or others, they'd have no choice but to release her after 72 hours. I felt lost and overwhelmed. 

Written By Redit User ; Maliagirl1314

I called her mother.

I didn't want to, believe me. 

Her mother, Marianne and I were never on the best of terms. We'd never fought or anything like that. 

She just wasn't a very warm person, and wasn't really easy to get along with.  She hardly ever smiled and when she did, only her lips would move into a thin lipped smile, leaving her eyes as blank as before. She gave off this aura that felt like she was permanently on the offensive. 

I'd only met her twice and both times were for such short visits. I got the impression she didn't approve of me for her daughter. Lynn always ushered us out quickly, as she didn't want me to feel uncomfortable which I was grateful for. Being in her mother's company felt almost unbearable. Like walking on glass. I was glad when we moved three states away so we didn't have to see her often. I was happy to avoid the woman, but I needed her help.  

I really didn't want to talk to her at all but I had to talk to someone and someone who knew Lynn better than I did. So I grit my teeth and did what I had to. 

"Yes?" She answered, already sounding irritated. 

"Marianne, it's me Ben. Do you have a minute to talk?" I asked. I could hear her cluck her tongue in irritation. 

"I'm in the middle of writing some checks, but if you insist, I suppose I can spare a moment. What is it that you want to discuss Benjamin?"  She said, coolly? 

"It's about Lynn. She's been... acting strangely and I was wondering if you had any idea whether there was something - " I was quickly interrupted. 

"It's a bit difficult to follow your rambling Benjamin, what is that you want from me?" She asked. I could almost see her standing there in her thin sweater and slacks, tapping her fingernails impatiently on the table. 

"I wanted to know if you'd ever noticed any odd behavior? Or possibly any mental health issues?" I asked. There was a long, uncomfortable pause  that I couldn't tell was because she was just thinking, or ….something else. Finally after a few seconds she spoke. 

"I'm not sure if this is one of your jokes Benjamin, but if so I don't find the humor in it. Now I do have business to attend to as I've said,  so if you don't mind -" she said, but I cut her off before she could get rid of me. 

"Marianne, it's not a joke. I'm sincerely concerned about Lynn's mental health. Her behavior has been very erratic lately. I'm very worried about her and I figured as her mother you would be as well." I said, my frustration evident in my voice. 

"If you're truly concerned then I suggest you get the health professionals involved. I don't know what you expect of me." She snapped. I could tell she was seconds away from hanging up and for some reason I was desperate not to let her. I had the feeling that she knew a lot more than she was letting on. 

"Please. If not for me, do it for Lynn." I tried. 

I heard a faint shaky intake of breath, as if she were trying to hold her steely persona together but failing. 

"Marianne? What's wr-"  I started. 

"Benjamin, I don't know what to tell you. My only advice would be to seek professional help. Do not call here again. Goodbye." I tried to call out to her but she'd hung up. 

I tried to wrap my head around the call and her refusal to help me. Even if she didn't like me, why wouldn't she want to help her own daughter? I couldn't understand that. I tried to replay the conversation, desperate to find something I missed.

 After a while I almost gave up, until I remembered her last last words to me. 'Seek professional help' she'd said those words with a bit of urgency. I could have just been grasping at straws but no, I was sure her voice had changed ever so slightly when she'd said that. As if they were very important.

What had she meant? I assumed she'd been referring to medical professionals, but maybe she was referring to someone else. Someone that she didn't, for some reason, feel comfortable saying directly. Or maybe I was just desperate. 

I waited for Chris to get home and after a very long and exhausting conversation with him and Rebecca, I convinced them that Lynn truly needed psychiatric help. I didn't tell them everything. I wasn't prepared to go into it yet, but I told them about our last encounter. How she'd hidden in the bathroom, peeking at me from the closet. 

They were obviously shocked but thankfully they believed me. They too just wanted to help her. Still they didn't think it was all that serious. Weird, maybe but not dangerous. They just kept saying that Lynn had to be playing some kind of weird joke. "Maybe for YouTube?" Rebecca offered, if only half-heartedly. 

Chris didn't think we should involve the police just yet. He offered instead to go with me, and I readily accepted. He reasoned that calmly talking to her, trying to coax her into going willingly was the best recourse. I agreed to do it his way. At least I wouldn't be going into that house alone. 

We drove over this morning, just after breakfast. There was no way I was going at night. When we pulled into the driveway my stomach began doing somersaults. Her car wasn't there, but I still didn't let my guard down. 

The front door was ajar, and for a split second I thought we'd see her eyes staring through the gap. I was shaking and starting to sweat. Chris however was fine. He waited for me to open the door, his hands in his pockets like he was going on a fucking stroll through the park. I envied his ignorance.

I pushed the door open and was immediately hit with the stench of rot. Chris smelled it too, and he walked in the house behind me with his nose scrunched up. 

"What do you guys use to clean the floors around here, shit?" Chris mumbled. 

"Shut up." I said, my eyes darting around for any signs of Lynn.

The house was deadly quiet and dark despite being 10 in the morning. All the curtains were closed up tight, refusing to allow any sunlight inside. If I hadn't left it just two days prior I'd have thought the house to be abandoned. 

We moved through each room, carefully checking any place that she might hide, occasionally calling her name. 

"Why the fuck are you looking under the couch?" Chris asked eventually. "Aren't we looking for your wife?"  He was looking at me like I was a moron. 

"Let's just go upstairs." I whispered. He shook his head but followed me up the stairs to check the bathroom and spare bedroom. On the way up my shoes crunched over pieces of glass that looked to be littered over a few of the steps. 

I noticed that one of Lynn and my wedding portraits that hung on the wall along the staircase had been smashed. The frame hung crookedly, all the glass removed. I stared at the picture, a lump forming in my throat. We had taken the photo just after leaving the church, after saying our vows. She looked so beautiful in her white gown. I looked at Lynn's beautiful face. I never dreamed her face would ever be a source of terror for me.  

We climbed the rest of the steps and checked the spare bedroom, but it looked completely untouched. 

I was hesitant to go into the bathroom, my fear from that night coming back to me all at once. Chris noticed, and offered to go in by himself but I couldn't let him do that. So we walked in together, checking the closet and the shower. The bathroom looked as if it hadn't been touched since the night I left. 

"I don't think she's here Ben. Why don't you pack some clothes and we'll try coming back tomorrow or something." Chris said. I nodded and went into our bedroom and shoved some clothes into a duffle bag. When I checked inside our closet I came across the source of the smell and gagged. 

Chris took one look and lost all color in his face. He had to go stand by the stairs to get away from the sight and smell. 

 I gazed down in shock at what lay Inside my bedroom closet. Soaking into the rug, were at least a dozen eyeballs, all carefully laid out in pairs. Some were as large as a quarter while others were as tiny as a marble. I stared down at the eyes she'd collected from small animals and I wondered how she'd gotten them, and shuddered at the thought. 

"Man, I thought I had it bad with Becca's shoe addiction. But fuck me. Your wife's in here collecting eyeballs." Chris said, gagging.  "Ben, I think we should go."  He called from the hall. "I'm getting nauseous."

"Alright." I grabbed my duffle and shut the closet door on my new nightmare. I stepped out into the hall and took a deep breath of air. I could taste the rot on my tongue and I couldn't help but gag. 

"Who the fuck lines up eyeballs in their closet like that?"  Chris mumbled. 

"I tried to tell you she needed help." I said. 

"She doesn't need help, Ben. She needs a fucking exorcist." He said. "You coming or what? I can't stand the smell any- " his words died in his throat, and his eyes grew wide with fear. 

I didn't ask him why. I could feel it. Someone was watching me and I didn't think it was the eyes in the closet.  I turned around, my eyes slowly scanning the bedroom. 

Written By Redit User ; Maliagirl1314

She held her hands together just under her chin, and they were shaking eagerly.  

Now that she knew she'd been found, I could hear the quiet noises she was making. A sort of hiccuping sound in her throat, as if the excitement was just too much for her. It was unnerving to say the least. Wide eyes, and that same huge smile. 

Everything in me told me to run, but I forced it away. This was my wife. No matter how twisted, she was still the woman I married. I had to help her. 

"Lynn…"  I said softly. She didn't respond, but her head bobbed back and forth in two quick little movements as if she were nodding. 

"Baby. I just wanna help okay? Can you…. Can you let me do that?" I asked. I had taken a single step forward, approaching her like some kind of dangerous animal. 

"I love you, Lynn." I said softly, taking another step closer. She let a tiny moan escape her wide open mouth and I had to resist the urge to run.  Her shoulders were starting to quiver, and her eyes grew as large as saucers. 

I crouched down so I could see her better, and immediately saw the blood. Her hands were covered in it. They trembled more the closer I got, as if she was barely able to contain herself. 

"Lynn. Are you hurt? You're bleeding." I said. She bobbed her head again, her bloody fingers moving up and down as if playing an invisible piano. They occasionally grazed her chin, leaving smears of blood on her skin. 

I wanted to recoil in disgust. The smell that was coming off of her was revolting. I could feel the vomit trying to climb up my throat.  Her lips were dry and stretched thin, blood seeping between the cracks.

I knew she wouldn't come out on her own, but I didn't want to leave her in the state she was in. 

I scooted closer and reached out to her. The excited hiccuping sounds got louder and her hands shook, fingers flexing. It was then that I could see the blood oozing from in between her fingers. 

"Oh my God, Lynn. You're bleeding." I said. Instinctively I reached out to take her hand, but before I could even touch her, her hand sprang out towards me. A sharp pain shot through my arm, and I fell back on my ass. My arm burned, and I could see the blood dripping down onto the carpet. 

I looked back at her in shock and saw her grinning madly, her fingers clutching a large shard of glass. 

"You alright in there?" Chris asked from behind me. 

I turned my head slightly, and nodded to him, cradling my arm to my chest. When I turned back to face Lynn, I saw that her focus had shifted. She wasn't looking at me anymore. And she wasn't smiling anymore either. 

She was staring past me, her eyes glaring at Chris the way a hungry lion might stare at an antelope. Her mouth was still hanging open but it was twisted into a snarl.

I got to my feet, and began walking backwards down the hall, afraid to take my eyes off her. 

"Are you... bleeding?" Chris asked. The moment the words left his mouth Lynn started fast scooting out from under the bed, the glass shard still in her fist. 

"Chris. Run. Go!" I yelled. He must have been too afraid to move because a second later I felt my back bump into him. He was still standing at the top of the stairs, staring at the horror that was my wife. 

Lynn had crawled completely out from under the bed and stood in the bedroom doorway, her face twisted in rage. Her whole body was visibly tense. Blood ran down her fingers and onto the floor. 

"Jesus, Lynn..." Chris said, "You uh… playing hide and seek?" I reached back and pushed him towards the steps. 

"Move your ass Chris" I said as quietly but firmly as I could. 

Lynn bobbed her head in fast, sharp motions, and began to grin, stretching her mouth open wider and wider so that her chin seemed to touch her chest. I heard Chris mutter a prayer and then he was running down the stairs. I stood at the top of the steps, stuck between the love for a woman who clearly needed serious help, and self preservation. 

"I only want to help." I said, choking back tears. Her eyes focused on me once again as she slowly lifted the glass, holding it out in front of her. And then she started sprinting towards me, grinning with utter excitement. Thankfully my body took over and I flew down the stairs skipping two or three at a time. I made it to the front door before I felt her leap onto my back, wrapping her arms around my neck, her open mouth next to my ear so that I could hear those terrible hiccuping sounds up close. I shook her off me, knocking her to the floor. I felt a searing pain in my back as she went but I tore open the front door and bolted to my car. 

Chris was standing in the front yard, talking on the phone with the police. I didn't say a word, I just ran to my car and jumped in. Chris took the hint and followed me, still on the line with 911

I watched the rear view mirror, sure I'd see her there, running after us. But I never did. 

I went straight to the ER and got 11 stitches in my arm and 3 on my back. The police asked a lot of questions and went back to the house to do a search but of course, Lynn wasn't there. 

They advised me to stay with a friend or relative for a while and to file a restraining order as soon as I could but none of those things would matter. Somehow I just knew. 

I dropped Chris off at home, and went to a motel an hour away. I wanted to put as much distance between me and Lynn as I could. 

This is where I've been for the last 4 hours. I thought maybe the police would find her, maybe they'd get her the help she desperately needs. 

But now I don't think so. Because 40 minutes ago I got a text from an unknown number. Just three words :

"I found You." 

And a picture attached. The picture was dark and grainy, but I instantly knew what it was. There was no mistaking my wife's eye. 

I started typing this out immediately after. I don't know what to do. I'm alone and scared, and I can't help but feel that I'm being watched….

Written By Redit User ; Maliagirl1314

THIS IS NOT MY STORY.

(Variable meaning whatever number you set.)

This gives the figure the ability to move.

When I was making this it became pretty complex quite quickly, so I just watched some tutorials to keep me on track, but in the end I didn't really finish it.

I found this interesting to learn about, and this might become helpful in the years to come of my degree, but I wont be using it for my current project.

This synopsis demonstrates our inner struggles manifesting into something bigger, real and intimidating. This story forces the watcher to look inside and urges you to face the darkness.

When I fist watched this film, I didn't fully understand the premise. Watching it a second time for this research, I can see the demonstration much clearer and I really like the deeper meaning. This film would fit into the gothic horror category, due to the meaning of this film, not being an actual monster but the manifestations of ones mind.

In relation to my final project, the drawing and animation of the Babadook is, dark, charcoal, and Smokey designed. The movement of the BABADOOK, is choppy, slow and unsettling which I think would work well with the desired outcomes for my animation project. If I chose to animate, I will include the inspiration from the Babadook choppy sinister movements, and if I chose to do concept art for a character design I will use the dark and Smokey design.

This film details an urban legend featuring a video with a plethora of otherworldly horrors, which if you watched you would be left with only 7 days to live. In this film, a reporter is sceptical about his tale, but when 4 teen's die, exactly 7 days post video it starts to raise suspicion.

I have chosen to research into this film due to its folk horror nature and the visuals of Amara, the main spooky character.

When reading the story of Lynn, the peaking wife the visual of Amara came into mind. For some reason, I watched this film a little too young and her face and movements have always unsettled me, which is the feeling I want the watcher of my animation or character design to feel.

When creating an animation, if that's what I end up doing I aim to emulate the characteristic movements of Amara. Particularly when she crawls out of the well in the video, how she contorts her body into an almost animalistic way crawling like a 4 legged mammal. In comparison to the 'villain' in 'The Grudge'

This might be a hard thing to try and animate in the now short space of time I have, but I'm willing wo at least have a go to see what I could make of it.

She ends up meeting an unfortunate end with her mother, after having pigs blood poured over her at her prom. This visual before she ends up going into a rage is quite an inspiring look for my Lynn character design. In terms of what 'Horror' category this film fits into, I am unsure but I would argue it could fit into all three, Gothic, American, and folk. Stephen Kings writing is usually quite folk based- but this one, in my opinion tests the water on American, due to the gore and themes.

In relation to The Grudge and The Ring, they have strong female villains, which heavily relates to the story of Lynn, the peaking wife.

I cant see myself really using much from Carrie for my project, but this was a good point of inspiration for me, especially being a novel by Steven King which is why I have chosen to research a little into it.

(Stang, 2018)

I thought that this academic reading was a thorough take on the representation of women in games, and this peaked my interest as I found it interesting in relation to my project.

This particular paragraph details the representation of women in Bram Stocker's 'Dracula'.

The men being stylish, mysterious, smart to the parallel of the women being, hysterical weak and plain.

This is the case for most female stereotypes throughout the genre of folk horror, and particularly in the story that I'm creating art for. Although Lynn, in her story is "possessed" by something- It's assumed she's gone made, this is because of that stereotype that men put against women in the horror genre.

I have chosen similar films in terms of the premise, so they relate to the story I have chosen to draw from to ensure my research stays relevant and on track.

Ultimately these films all have a folk horror sense about them which makes them all quite similar, but they each have individual drives which make them different. The Babadook for example, preys on the fears of the mother and young boy, similar to how The Ring travels from the fear of who watches the video. This theory also applies to The Grudge. The difference with Carrie is that it verges on supernatural theories rather that actual fear.

I have taken inspiration from each of these for different reasons, art styles, pacing, message and medium. These are all key concepts to an animation.

-

In the animation I plan to have Lynn walking slowly towards the front of the frame, having her face grow more visible through each frame. I've chosen to have her walk this way and gradually show her face, because of the characteristics of characters I have researched during and throughout this project.

I'm now planning on starting this animation, or maybe doing a fleshed out storyboard but that will depend on how much time I have once this is turned into an animatic.

An example being an animated video of animals, voiced by a human interviewee. Making the familiar interview unfamiliar, by having it voiced by animals. In this instance it would make something ordinarily boring, funny.

-

In relation to my project and what I could do to defamiliarize

an animation, I could take a comedy animated film and turn it into a scary animated film. For example, Toy Story but horror.

Instead of the toys coming alive and being friends to Andy, they pray on his downfall. This plays on the innocence of Toy Story and it gives it an edge that would be more likely suitable for older children to adults.

Here I have done exactly that.

I have added some visual tweaks to both Woody and Buzz's face to emulate that they have been fighting.

I have done this in an attempt to make this innocent film look sinister. This defamiliarizes Toy Story because it changes the idea of the narrative.

The way he contorts his body is how I imagine Lynn to be walking towards the centre frame. When I made my animatic of the time sheet, the video format worked better as a 9:16. This emulated the corridor aspect of the animatic which could be a really interesting was to display my final animation.

I have attached a video where she creates some interesting movements, which could be adopted towards a creepy sequence for a film or animation.

In my animation it will be used to set the scene more for the viewer, and allow the character of Lynn to really embody the characteristics I have attributed.

This above is a book recommended to me with some really interesting knowledge and references around corridors ands their use in modern day and past living. I have particularly found this helpful when drawing the corridor background design.

Above are the first few designs and some of the drawing process towards my final background. As you can see it's come a long way from the beginning and is reassuring me that it was the right thing to do brining a background into my animation.

I have attached some images I took of the process on Adobe Animate.

Throught this media project, I have relied heavily on research. I began with a very loose idea of what I wanted to make as an end result, so research was obviously the key to unlocking those ideas for me. All I knew was, I wasn’t interested carrying on with creative synergies and that I was wanting to create something scary so that’s where I focused my research. Personally, I believe all my research was important in regard to this media project. Each step in the research process was so impactful on, not only my knowledge of the tests I was doing and my involvement with the animation process, but also my understanding of the horror genre and subgenres as a whole. One piece I particularly enjoyed researching was Stephen King, and films related to his type of horror. These were fundamental to the development of my media project because they allowed me to think outside the box. Another piece of research that ended up being the main focus point of the project was the Ghost Huns Podcast, as it allowed me to go wild with my imagination and try and create what I saw in my head listening to those stories but through an animation or piece of art.

My key insights from this research process, where to hone in on specific sub genres and their impacts on animation and film and what tests and drawing I could do to develop my own final project idea.

During this project I did a few tests in regard to taking steps to create my final project. Because I spent a large portion of this project unsure of weather, I was going to do just concept art or an animation the tests I did became samey. I did a lot of drawing which took up quite a lot of my time, as well as making those drawings into animatics, creating story boards and time sheets. A lot of the tests I did were heavily influenced by research, mostly because I wanted to learn as much as I could in the time I had about the animation process. I also did the timetabled workshops which I thought would help further my skills and knowledge, which looking back, I could’ve maybe gone further into - I was just a little too focused on making sure everything I did was backed up by research. These tests were very helpful when it came to narrowing down what I wanted my final outcome to be, specifically, learning about walk cycles and creating my own made me want to develop that as my final outcome. I think what I would do differently, is perhaps more tests. At the time, I thought this project would be better if I had a large body of research, because that worked well for me in Creative Synergies, perhaps I could’ve done more experiments to just push myself that little bit further.

The techniques I have employed to communicate ideas within this project, have been understanding who I’m making this project for. The audience, you. Also developing visual communication, colour schemes, scale, art style, rather than using descriptive language to tell a story, I’m attempting to communicate the meaning of the animation through environmental storytelling and movement. I feel like I communicated my intentions well. My intentions being, creating an eerie animation of a walk cycle of a character based on a fiction with support from environmental storytelling, like using sound, colours, tones and choreography. I did a small amount of research into a choreographer and sound designers so I could make sure my animation was authentic to my initial idea.

Feeding forward, I have learnt that research AND testing are very important part of pre and post production and how influential it is for the animation process to go smoothly. I have really improved my skill in researching into important elements to make my final project informed, and making sure it is all relevant and informative especially when researching part of the animation process like creating time sheets and storyboards. In regard to developing skills in programmes when creating tests, my main comment on how I could improve from my last project was to delve further into a programme and get as much out of it as I could, and I do feel I have tried to do this with Adobe Animate. When I decided to do an animation, I was going to use animate because I spent hours on it during workshops and in my own time, trying to learn how to use the bone tool, create assets, and importantly create an animation. I used tutorials from YouTube as well as advice from Anton and support from resources on blackboard. I included this lengthy process in my journal with images and a detailed explanation to why I decided to hand draw, and ‘recycle’ some of my already done drawings. Above all of this, I learnt a lot about animate and how to correctly make an animation using some of these previously mentioned tools, it just wasn’t right for what I intended to create. Though this was definitely my biggest challenge, I now have this tool to ready me up for next year so in my opinion no time was wasted. Overall, I’m really grateful to have had this foundation year to understand myself, what I want for myself and the types of animations I would like to create. I’m looking forward to getting some hands on experience in the animation process, and this project gave me that push to keep on perusing my goal to becoming an animator.

It allows you to perfectly shape each scene in line with how you want to produce your animation or story. You can use a storyboard to help aid any aspect of your story, and detail aspects you would like clearer in your scenes, like, colours, timing, designs and maybe even sounds or music. It's also a way more time efficient way to demonstrate your ideas for an animation or production. I personally find it really helpful when mapping out my characters and how they would behave in my animation.

-

I dabbled with a bit of storyboarding very briefly in the previous project, when I made an animatic for my final prototype but I'm hoping and aiming to pay more attention to it this time as I'm really honing in on the animation aspect of this course.