R.A.M Keyframe animation

Here's is my planned key frame animation for R.A.M. I'm going to set up the lip-syncs next.

Rough RAM Test

Rough Test Showing what you can do with the R.A.M model

New Storyboards

As explained we have reorganised the story to make it shorter and more concise. Here are the new boards to fill in the story. It will make more sense in the new animatic.

New Script

Script 28/01/2009

Fades In

Susie-May: Live from the Deep South of America. Brought to you by the thick homemade taste of Aunt Marcie’s Fatback bits in gravy. It’s The Professor!

Audience: Clap! Clap!

Prof: Howdy! Welcome to the show!

Prof knocks award of shelf.

Man in audience laughs

Prof: You know I keep knocking over this award I won at university for my thesis on the advanced growth of bananas. And this got me thinking…people slip on bananas. And what’s the opposite of slipping, sticking, yes. What do people step on that’s sticky, gum, gum, chewing gum. Thinking about gum, gums, we have gums in our mouths. Which is why today’s topic is dentistry.

Prof: A dentist has a wide variety of tools such as drills, mirrors and of course plaque scalars. While I get ready R.A.M why don't you tell the folks at home more about teeth.

R.A.M: Glad to Prof! Teeth are loose bones held to the jaw by soft tissue known as gums. When bacteria enter the gum line it eats away causing diseases.

Bacteria: heh heh heh!

R.A.M: So that's why it is very important to brush and floss your teeth.

Prof realises needs help from audience

Prof: R.A.M

R.A.M initiates picture generator. Lights flash over audience. Stops on Mort. Mort in first row eating a banana. Prof grabs Mort. Mort drops banana.

Prof: To assist me today my good buddy Mort!

Mort: (nervous stuttering)

Prof: Studying at university I witnessed many dental procedures. Now let's get started, make sure you dig in deep. Hmmm having a bit of trouble here. Maybe if I pull a little. GULP!

Ram: GASP!

Light falls down, Mort’s head swells up!

Mort: EEEE!

R.A.M jumps down hops over to get Susie

Prof: Don’t worry it’s all part of the procedure I’m competent

RAM brings Susie back

Susie-May: Don’t worry because Aunt Marcie’s Fatback Bits in Gravy is not only a tasty snack, it is also an all purpose medical treatment.

Mort’s head swells back down.

Prof: Well we have come to the end of our show see you next time science seekers.

Prof slips on banana peel.

Camera pans out over audience. Fades to credit sequence-showing stills from other episodes.

Susie-May: This episode was brought to you by Aunt Marcie’s Fatback Bits in Gravy.
Join us next time when the professor will explain brain surgery
Come all back now you here!

Re-working Story

Yesterday we had to re-work the story again. Kieron felt that it was too big and didn't make sense. So we've shortened it down and moved some scenes around. The problem is new scenes will have to be created for story sense, but I really don't want to bother the voice artists for more dialogue. I'm going to have to be clever about this. This has to be the final time, we need it stable to move into production as soon as possible.

My Scenes

Here are my scenes.

1. Prof puts on Gloves.
2. R.A.M speech
3. Mort's head swells up
4. Prof's goodbye
5. Susie's ending

I've decided to do the Prof puts on Gloves scene first.

P.S. Just for laughs, I've put up the Dentist Song from Little Shop of Horrors

Progress Report

Just a little note on the progress of the film.

1. Mo has finished the R.A.M model and it looks and works great. Super job. Animating with him can start right away.

2. Both John Bell and Kim Crow have e-mailed me their re-recordings. Their great and I am super-pleased. Haven't heard any reply from Chase Padgett though, but he didn't need to re-record.

The scenes were divided up and Mike Smith has suggested that we each take one scene to practice and take it right through the production process to the end. We better get to it then.

Live-Action Reference Sketches for Scenes

Here is an example of the dope sheets I have been using to time out the dialogue.

These are the reference sketeches done for the professor puts on gloves scene.

Here's Mort for that scene and the ones for RAMs speech.

New Production Schedule

Here's the new production schedule made by Al and Daryl. If we get all the rough animation done by the end of this term, we should be o.k.

New Production Schedule

Mo Rigging R.A.M

Mo has done a great job modelling R.A.M. The pictures on his blog are so cool. Unfortunately, I can't seem to open it in Maya 8.5. We've have dished up the scenes today and all the animators are going to go off and practice a scene.

Productions a Go!

Okay guys. Let's start actually making this thing. Al, we need to figure out a new production schedule.

Live-action Film Reference

Here's is some Live-Action Film Reference of me for the film. This was before the story change so I will have to do it again. I was going to put it up here, but I am a little bit to embarrassed. Oh, and guys, please don't put this on YouTube.

New Boards

Here are the new boards that have been added to the film. I will explain. This first board is just a slight change in the dialogue for Susie's introduction.
This is the biggest change. My brother Lewis and I came up with this Jeff Goldblum Esq. rant for the Professor. It highlights the trophies, showing his intelligence, and hopefully, builds up suspense and surprise.

This is a scene added where the light falls on his head, making him look even more foolish when he states "Don't worry, I'm Competent!" Thanks James.

Moving Forward

Well I re-boarded the opening and the group liked it so we are moving forward with production. Ultimately it was my decision and I feel that the film deserves a professional voice cast, who quite frankly can do an excellent Job in my opinion. I have contacted all of the voice artists, informing them of my decision. Production Ho!

Halt to Production.

Well, we were full steaming off a head into production, when yesterday a huge brick wall was suddenly constructed. Kieran had a look at the film. Good news is he loved the premise. Bad news, he thinks the beginning needs to be reworked for an even bigger punch line. I'm back to the storyboards again.

Here's a video from a Royal Institution Christmas Lecture. Just to give me some inspiration.





This is a good clip because their is a live cock up but he keeps his composure. My Brother Lewis helped me come up with this great Jeff Goldblum esq speech for the Professor too.

Cartoon Physics

Just for fun!

Cartoon physics
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Cartoon logic)
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Cartoon physics is a joking reference to the fact that animation allows regular laws of physics to be ignored in humorous ways for dramatic effects. For example, when a cartoon character runs off a cliff, gravity has no effect until the character notices and reacts.[1]
In words attributed to Art Babbitt, an animator with the Walt Disney Studios: "Animation follows the laws of physics — unless it is funnier otherwise."
The phrase also reflects the fact that many of the most famous American animated films, particularly those from Warner Bros. and MGM studios, unconsciously developed a relatively consistent set of such "laws" that have become regularly applied in comic animation.

Specific reference to cartoon physics extends back at least to June of 1980, when an article "O'Donnell's Laws of Cartoon Motion"[2] appeared in Esquire. A version printed in 1994 by the IEEE in a journal for engineers helped spread the word among the technical crowd, which has expanded and refined the idea. Dozens of websites exist outlining these laws.
O'Donnell's examples includes:
Any body suspended in space will remain in space until made aware of its situation.
Any body passing through solid matter will leave a perforation conforming to its perimeter. (Also called the silhouette of passage.)
Certain bodies can pass through solid walls painted to resemble tunnel entrances; others cannot. (Corollary: Portable holes work.)

See you Monday

See you Monday guys. We have got to decide a voice. That's the first thing to do.