Lets Emmanimate!: I R SMART

This week I've mainly spent focusing on the portfolio and I believe I'll be working on that for the most part next week as well, at least getting the basic requirements for my Northumbria interview on Wednesday before adding and improving it for the Newcastle interview on the 8th March. I've spoken to Dave and he's gone through said requirements with me. There are a few things I won't be able to include any time soon as Ashleigh's stepdad wasn't able to get the files from the hard drive (again, thanks for your help guys, I appreciate it!) and I have no idea where the life drawings I did from last year are, bar one, but I'm going to be redoing a majority of the things I want to include, mainly the morph and the loop and I'm able to regain the E4 ident from YouTube (which seems to be the only thing from last year that I'm genuinely happy with).

Here's a photo shot from my phone showing the requirements. The rectangle with circles and shapes was for Ashleigh's 3D character and doesn't apply to me. And if you're wondering why there's a question mark next to the 3D in the list, that's because my 3D attempt from last year crashed and burned so hard that Dave is actually discouraging me from including it. Can't say that I blame him. Or that I mind all that much to be honest.

The 6 or 12 section refers to how I should layout my animation on paper to add to my portfolio. So basically capture 6 or 12 frames per pages and be sure to include the basic movement/story, depending on the animation.

I'm taking comfort in the fact that I have the majority of what I need but I'm also apprehensive that what I have won't be varied enough. It would really put my mind at rest if I could find my life drawings, which I hope I do. I've been considering what I should add exactly though, also considering animation work I did before college. Dave seems wary of this idea but I know for a fact that I want to include my 'Still Life' stop motion photography project. It would be a bit of a break from the traditional work at least.

I'll leave a list here including what I absolutely want to include, in no particular order:

1. Redone loop animation of BF drinking and eye spin
2. E4 ident (also include advertising posters)
3. Circle animatic (IF it can be found)
4. Ruby run cycle (maybe add Snaps eating a banana and dropping the skin for Ruby to slip on? Purely to show more of an interesting sequence than just a character running)
5. Still Life stop motion animation
6. 1st version model sheets for Crumbs
7. Life drawings (if I can find them PLEASE GOD LET ME FIND THEM)
8. New and improved model sheets
9. Storyboard/Animatic for Crumbs
10. Any complete scenes, namely the intro at this point
11. MTV idents
12. Underdog concept art
13. Crumbs concept art
14. Any work done in pencil/pens
15. Include various sketchbooks to present.
16. Cocktail Hour posters
17. Caricatures

... Woah, even with the missing stuff I have a lot to show. Have to admit that helps me feel a lot better.

Anyway, now to get to the real point of this entry, the not-so-smart SMART targets.

S- I want to have the improved loop, improved morph and extended Ruby run sequence done to include them in my portfolio. I also need to hunt down my life drawings to take photos of them. I need to obtain the Still Life and E4 ident animations from YouTube and I need to pick out what exact concept pieces from both Crumbs and Underdogs that I'm most happy with and want to include.

M- I'm hoping that I haven't given myself too much of a task to tackle here. My interview is on Wednesday and I believe that if I get cracking as soon as possible, I'll have the requirements I need. The priorities will obviously be getting the ones I can spend the least time on out of the way so screencapping the animations I already have for the layout should be easy. Acquiring the animations I still need to screencap will be next. Then picking out my favourite Crumbs and Underdogs pieces. Finally then working on the redos/improvements of certain pieces to screencap them. First and foremost once I finish this entry I'll have a rootle around the studio for the life drawings.

A- I'm sure this goal will be attainable if I stick to the above plan. I'm hoping that the quicker tasks could get done in two days, maybe even less than one so I can focus on improving the animations before screencapping them.

R- As everything is going in the portfolio, everything is relevant. There's... not much to say other than that. To be honest, I never got this section. It's obviously important to do otherwise I wouldn't be doing it. It's not like I plan when I have my coffee... although maybe I should start doing that.

T- I have until Wednesday to get all of these done as this is the date of my Northumbria interview as stated above. I'll talk to Dave on Monday about what pieces to include and so by Tuesday night I should be well and truly prepared... hopefully.

For the most part I'm confident but I'm also worried about the missing pieces and hoping they won't hold me back. The main reason I'm hoping I find my life drawings is because they give my portfolio that bit more variety that I know they'd be looking for.

Well while I go and look for said still lifes, here are some sketches I've done over the week in sketchbooks to kind of pad it out and hone my drawing whatsits and blah blah blah.

I wanted to do a sketch of both Lilac and Scarlet puffed up defensively. Lilac just looks adorable to me.

I can imagine Ginger being nervous around spiders but I think it would be absolutely hilarious if Snaps was. And her various over the top reactions. Ruby doesn't seem quite as impressed however.