Period 5 - Final Exam

My favorite animated short is Paperman.
This film is my favorite because it has a sweet story that really expresses the characters' emotions. The animation looks so simple, with clean lines in black and white, yet it is very effective in moving the audience's hearts.
Also, I really love the incorporation of paper airplanes. Paper airplanes are a favorite past time of many children, and the airplanes make the animation especially sweet because it gives the animation a puppy love-like quality.

Your favorite animated series is probably The Flintstones.
I chose my answer because I remember you mentioning something about this series. We also watched an episode in class.
The series incorporated modern-but-caveman-like things, such as technology and names.
The series is set in a fantasy version of the Stone Age.
The series has many running gags such as animal-powered-technology.

My best work this year was my Illuminati animation. It follows the story of two teenage superheros who attempt to save the world, but fail miserably. The animation starts out with a scene with the Illuminati and his sidekick Yoshi in space. The scene then changes to a conversation between the two superheros, Alexis and Tyler. The superheros fly out to space, but the Illuminati soon takes over. The animation ends with a closeup of the Illuminati's face.

My last animation was Grumpy's Special Day. The animation stars Grumpy, a character who tries his hand at a few different activities in an attempt to find his true talent. However, he is discouraged by the boo-ing of some people. He returns home, only to find that Taylor Swift has appeared with her hit song, "Shake It Off". Grumpy is encouraged by the song's upbeat rhythm and dances to the song.

Last animation: Grumpy's Special Day
http://msj2danimation.blogspot.com/2015/06/grumpys-special-day.html
1) I like the flurry of words I added to the end of my animation.
2) I like how I animated Grumpy's ballet dance moves. However, this does not show up in the exported GIF format on Blogger. :(
3) I like the way the song is incorporated into my animation.

Grumpy's Special Day

When the character Grumpy is sliding across the screen, he is supposed to be running in the marathon part, and dancing in the second part. Unfortunately, Blogger does not support the movie-in-a-movie mechanism that I used in Flash. I have not figured out how to change it. Also, the audio does not export in GIF format. On Monday, I will try to reupload it so the audio plays.

Self-Assessment of Project

Story Rewrite: I would give myself a 4 because I tried really hard to improve my original plot line. My original plot was quite boring and did not have much detail. After much revision, I have improved the plot into a much more interesting story.

Character Illustration: I would give myself a 4 because I drew all my characters using a computer mouse rather than using pre-made shapes. This way, I got to customize the characters the way we imagined them. I also used color in my animation to reflect the ideas we had when conjuring the characters up from our imaginations.

Title: I would give myself a 4 for the title "Illuminati". I feel that this accurately outlines the plot in which we have the Illuminati as the main antagonist. We chose this title because it is simple, yet effective.

Credits: I would give myself a 4 for the credits because the credits showed who did the work.

Text: I would give myself a 4 for the text because I used uniform text for all speech bubbles in order to make reading the text easier and smoother for the audience.

Color: I would give myself a 4 for color because I used color in my animation to reflect the ideas we had when conjuring the characters up from our imaginations. Also, I took the time to add in color where appropriate such as the stars in my space background to give a sense of dimension.

Characters: I would give myself a 4 for characters because we took the time to make up our own characters. We used the animation tools in Flash to accurately depict the characters as we imagined them.

Story: I would give myself a 4 for the story because I think the story is quite smooth. The plot is simple yet humorous.

Illuminati

This is my animation, called Illuminati.

When the character Alexis is sliding across the scene, she is supposed to be running. Because I had to upload this as a GIF,  the movie-in-a-movie mechanism that works in Flash is not supported. In the original animation, Alexis is running across the screen and near the end, the Illuminati's arms are supposed to be wiggling.

Illuminati Story Rewrite

Illuminati

Act 1: Illuminati, along with sidekick Yoshi, are hovering in space destroying planets one at a time. In the background, we see the lovely planet Earth. On Earth, two high school students (top of their class and future valedictorians). notice the strange activity in the sky. The guy, Tyler, decides to investigate. He and Alexis transform into superheroes, and they fly to the outskirts of the solar system.

Act 2: On their way, they encounter Illuminati and Yoshi. They fight, but the Illuminati inevitably wins. Barely alive, the two heroes regain consciousness and fly back to Earth to warn the residents. Meanwhile, Illuminati and Yoshi destroy Mars.

Act 3: Once notified, the entire military force of Earth begin preparations for war. They fire at the Illuminati but to no avail. Seeing that Earth was getting weaker, Tyler and Alexis try to help. They are destroyed along with Earth by Illuminati.

Logline: Civilians fight against Illuminati in a hopeless battle to the death.

Opening Credits

1. Finding Janet 2.  3. Lavender, White 4. Eras Demi ITC 5. Alexis, Janet 6. Grace Cui

Texts and Fonts

Fonts used:
Berlin Sans FB
Impact
Hobo Std
Poplar Std
Kristen ITC

The Little Things Add Up

Three early images in "The March of the Penguins":

1. Iceberg in ocean. This is where most of the movie takes place.

2. Icy mountains on Antarctica. The penguins must pass through these mountains in order to reach their breeding ground.

3. Icy mountains against a sunset backdrop. The penguins must finish as much of their journey as they can before the sun sets.

Identifying Sounds

Today we watched and listened to Tom and Jerry's The Cat Concerto and Tom and Jerry in the Hollywood Bowl. My favorite sounds were the pop when Tom hit Jerry on the head with a tuning fork, the slow orchestral replies to Tom's piano playing, the frantic piano playing when Jerry was manipulating the piano strings from inside the grand piano, the squeaking of the piano chair when Jerry cranked the chair up, and the applause from the audience.

The pop was probably made by popping a bottle cap.
The orchestral replies were made by string instruments.
The piano playing was made by a piano.
The squeaking of the piano chair was made be cranking an electrical cord storage unit.
The applause was made by clapping hands.

Five Sounds

My group recorded the five sounds but we were unable to figure out how to import the sounds to Blogger before the class period ended. I have emailed the sounds to myself already and will figure out how to import the sounds tomorrow in class.

Frog Project

I am finished with my Frog Animation. My animation is below.

1. I used Actionscript 3.0.
2. I chose Actionscript 3.0 because Mr. Briano taught us to use it.
3. I traced the frog by using the image as a base image and tracing the frog on a different layer.
4. The master animator Richard Williams was the animator who worked on many animation projects such as The Pink Panther and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
5. I Googled Richard Williams and gathered information from various websites.
6. The stage was 550x400 px.
7. I used the Adobe Flash CS6 software.
8. I used two layers.
9. I chose my background because it contrasted the most with the frog outlined in black.
10. We created a frog because it is moving. It is more complicated than animated a ball and less chaotic than a whole city.
11. I exported the animation as a GIF movie and uploaded it as a picture to my blog post..
12. I created 7 frames.

I would give myself a 3 for the Brushwork and Fill category because I tried my hardest to trace each line perfectly in the drawings.
I would give myself a 3 for the Frame Sequencing category because all my frames are in a logical order and the transitions are smooth.
I would give myself a 3 in the Background category because my white background is consistent throughout the animation. White contrasts the best with the black-outlined frog.

Green Lantern vs. Wonder Woman

In our class, we watched animations about Green Lantern and Wonder Woman. While both were animated, there were many key differences. Green Lantern is set in the future (also in frontier space) while Wonder Woman was set in ancient Greece (also the Amazons' private island homeland). Both stories, however, involve superheroes with alternate identities. The main character in Green Lantern is Hal Jordan, an ace test pilot who leads a double life as a Green Lantern superhero. The main character in Wonder Woman is known in her homeland as Princess Diana of Themyscira, princess of the Amazons in ancient Greek mythology. She is sometimes known outside her homeland as Diana Prince.

Three-act Story Outline

Log line: Tyler Robinson and Alexis Worth fight to stop the power-hungry Illuminati and his sidekick Yoshi from demolishing every last planet in the Milky Way solar system. Only one side will prevail; which one will it be?

Act 1: The Illuminati is seen smashing planets together until they disintegrate. His sidekick Yoshi giddily obeys his master's orders, flying around recklessly, further damaging the solar system.

Tyler Robinson and Alexis Worth seem to be normal high school students, but little does the public know, they both lead lives as superheroes. Tyler's alter ego is Shower Boy. Alexis is not so extravagant; she simply goes by her real name. One day while studying astronomy, they notice that the planets Neptune and Uranus were missing from the celestial sky. The act closes with them heading out to space to investigate.

Act 2: Tyler Robinson and Alexis Worth transform into their superhero forms. Tyler Robinson becomes Shower Boy. They fly out and circle the scene of destruction from a distance. They see the sidekick Yoshi hopping and flying about, shrieking and crashing into stars as he pleases. The two superheroes fly closer to investigate, near the planet 

Artistic Review: Green Lantern

     The first two episodes "Beware My Power" of the Green Lantern: Animation Series centers around the adventure of Hal Jordan, an ace test pilot who leads a second life as Earth's guardian Green Lantern. He is called back to Oa, then heads to the frontier space without permission with fellow Green Lantern Kilowag to investigate the culprits behind a series of Green Lantern deaths. They capture a Red Lantern, Razer, who second guesses his reasons for being part of the Red Lanterns.
     Overall, the episode of Green Lanterns was very entertaining. It was a welcome change to the usual documentaries. The episode featured many examples of the 12 Principles of Animation, including staging and appeal. I also particularly enjoyed the choice of music in the background, which crescendo-ed as action increased and dialogue ceased.
     The episode also utilizes dramatic irony. For example, the audience is informed that the Red Lanterns are an organization, while the Green Lanterns are not aware and think that there are just two at first. Also, the audience knows that Hal Jordan is a Green Lantern, while Carol, his love interest, does not. The animators created sympathy for the alien that Hal and Kilowag saved by showing that he had a wife and a daughter, making his death a lot sadder.
     In conclusion, I enjoyed the first two episodes from the animated series Green Lantern. It was very entertaining and utilized concepts that we learned in class.

Privacy and Vulnerability

1. Empathy drives a feeling of connection between two people while sympathy drives a feeling of disconnection.
2. By "silver lining it", Brene Brown means to try to make something seem better than it actually is with a response.
3. To write about a character who is smarter than you, you must offer the audience all the information needed to make deductions. Then, have the "smart" character conclude in a completely different way that is nonetheless reasonable. This creates an illusion of unnatural knowledge.
4.




















5. In his speech, Glenn Greenwald discussed Eric Shmidt of Google, Mark Zuckerburg of Facebook, and the Internet itself.
6. Privacy matters even if you did not do anything wrong, because everyone has things that they want to keep private, and would feel shamed if others knew.
7. No, Brene Brown did not originally like being called a story-teller because she felt that it lowered the status of her job.
8. If you can;t measure it, it does not exist.
9. Courage is the ability to do something that is right or good even if it is frightening, while being brave is showing no fear in doing what you are doing.
10. It is not possible to selectively numb feelings.

Dialogue

Alexis: Knock knock.
Spock: Excuse me?
Alexis: Knock knock.
Spock: I do not believe I know what you mean.
Alexis: Say "who's there".
Spock: Is this a joke? GET OUT

Half Past Autumn -- Gordon Parks

Part 1

1. On the day Gordon Parks was born, how did the doctor save Gordon's life? -- At first, Gordon Parks was stillborn. The doctor plunged him into a tub of cold water and he screamed.
2. Where was Gordon born? (what state?) -- Gordon Parks was born in Fort Scott, Kansas.
3. What did Gordon's college adviser, Ms. McClintock tell him about college? -- Ms. McClintock told Gordon Parks that very few African Americans go to college and it wasn't worth his parents' money.
4. How old was Gordon when his mother died? -- Gordon Parks was 15.
5. Where did Gordon move after his father die? -- Gordon Parks moved to St. Pauls, Minnesota to live with his aunt.
6. Did Gordon graduate from college? -- Yes, he graduated from Princeton.
7. How did Gordon begin his fashion photography career? -- Gordon Parks got a job in St. Paul, Minnesota for a women's clothing store owned by David Murphy.
8. What is a "double exposure?" -- A double exposure has two exposures which seem to create one image.
9. Who was boxer Joe Louis? -- Joe Louis was a heavy weight boxing champion, whose wife Marva convinced Gordon Parks to move to Chicago.
10. What instrument did Gordon play? -- Gordon Parks played the piano.
11. What was the purpose of the Farm Security Agency? -- The FSA was created to help combat American rural poverty during the Great Depression.
12. When Roy Stryker hired Gordon for the FSA, what was Stryker's first assignment for Gordon in Washington, D.C.? -- Gordon Parks' first assignment was to watch a particular movie.
13. Who was Ella Watson? -- Ella Watson, an African-American woman in the FSA, was the subject of Parks' American Gothic.
14. What was the inspiration for Grant Wood's American Gothic? -- Grant Wood was inspired by the segregation he saw in Washington D.C.
15. What did Gordon learn from Stryker about photography? -- Stryker taught Gordon how to approach his subjects.

Storyboard

Character Meeting (Comic Strip)

My character: Alexis, intelligent, band geek

Derek's character: Tyler, shy, computer geek

Yuting: Rob, builder

Willis: Bor, shy, bookworm

One day, at Mission High, Rob and his best friend Bob were sitting at their usual lunch table fiddling with Rob's extensive collection of tools. Suddenly, Bor, engrossed in his novel, accidentally crashed into their table, sending hammers and nails flying everywhere. Rob was furious; he had devoted the last week to building a pyramid. One of the hammers landed on the foot of an Asian girl named Alexis. Her shrieks could be heard from miles away. At that moment, Tyler walked by to see what the commotion was. He saw the awkward yet hilarious situation and burst out laughing.

Something Special

Something interesting about my character Alexis is that she enjoys playing the French horn. She is an avid music lover and loves playing and listening to most kinds of music, excluding rap, which seems very degrading to women in her opinion.

16 Personalities - Character Development

1. My character's name is Alexis.

2. My character was born in New York City.

3. My character's theme song is Shake It Off.

4. My character generally gets along with other characters, depending on her mood.

5. My character's favorite movie is Titanic.

6. My character's favorite color is blue.

7. My character's favorite hobby is playing the French horn.

8. My character is motivated by her dreams, family, and friends.

9. My character is generally honest, and does not lie, cheat, or steal.

10. My character feels emotions but does not tend to share them with others.

11. My character does not know Mr. Richards.

12. My character is a finance agent.

13. My character does not believe in ghosts and is not one herself.

14. My character is afraid of failure and not achieving her full potential.

15. My character's best friend is Kaitlyn.

16. My character's best friend would describe her as independent and funny.

17. My character's biggest failure was 

18. My character's biggest accomplishment was

19. If my character could have dinner with three other characters, she would choose 

20. My character's favorite musician is Taylor Swift.

Esparza Visit Cartoon

I drew this by uploading the original image onto Photoshop, then tracing over it using colors that were similar to the original on a different layer. After I finished drawing, I deleted the background layer of the original photo, leaving my cartoon drawing of the photo.

Walking Person

Above is my walking/running person animation. Below are screenshots of the 8 frames from my animation. It shows how humans move while walking/running.

Period 5 - Semester Final

1. I believe that I deserve a 92 on my Elements of Art project. First of all, I tried my best to showcase my knowledge of the subject. Second, since we have never been taught how to use Adobe Illustrator, I did what I could to draw the pictures. Third, I spent a lot of time navigating the program while figuring out how to use it.

2. On my Principles of Design project, I believe that I deserve a 95. Since that project had more principles to draw, I spent more time drawing the pictures. Also, I feel like the Principles of Design were more tedious to draw. Lastly, I tried to choose pictures that best showed my knowledge of the principles.

3. Alice's Wonderland (produced in 1923) was the first of Walt Disney's famous Alice Comedies. It is a Walt Disney short silent film done in black in white.

4. In 1928, Steamboat Willie was released. It was the first cartoon with synchronized sound.

5. In 1932, Flowers and Trees was released. It was the first Silly Symphony done in three-strip Technicolor.

6. In 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released. It was the first full length traditionally animated feature film.

7. Pinocchio was released in 1940.

Elements of Art

Principles of Design