Flash Animation Reflection

Using the feedback I received from my class I have improved my animation. One of the comments made about my animation was that it wasn't very linear. So what I have done, rather than having a static view and a few rollover animations, I have made it so that there are buttons to go to the next/last frame. Another comment made about my animation was that it needs more animations. This was because only a few of my frames in the comic had rollover animations. So what I have done now is made a rollover animation for every frame. The last suggestion to improve my animation was to add a title and end screen. So what I have done is made a title screen with a play button and an end screen which has a play again button.

Overall I think I did quite well with my animation. It had a good use of buttons and rollover events and most people agreed that the story was quite good and easy to follow. I am also very happy with how the artwork turned out, I think it's to very high standards and some of the best artwork I've done in flash. All the goals I set for myself after receiving feedback I have achieved, so I am happy to have achieved what I set out to do.

Looking back on it now, by using my comic strip for my animation I was preventing myself from being able to create a fully linear animation. If I were to do this again, I would start completely from scratch, and make a fully linear animation, rather than use something I had made previously.

When comparing it to a professional example there are a few things I notice. The first is the aspect of sound, many flash animations are accompanied by sound and music, often making the animation more enjoyable. There is also the aspect, as stated above, of the animations being much more fluid in professional examples, whereas in my animation the action was more repetitive and simple. I also notice that the artwork itself is often a lot cleaner in professional examples, where there are no mistakes and things look as they should, whereas in mine some parts of the art are a bit wonky and warped. Overall however, my animation as a whole wasn't far off from the level of a professional and I am happy with the results.

Here is a professional of a flash animation:

And here is my final animation:

Development of Animation

How Does Animation Work?
Animation, the illusion of movement, is possible because of a phenomenon known as 'Persistence of Vision'. The theory is that there is an after image that stays on the retina for one twenty-fifth of a second, meaning any animations or films close to or higher than 25 frames per second will give an almost seamless illusion of movement.

What is Stop Motion?
Stop motion is where the film or animation is made using single still images to convey movement rather than recording real movement. What you would do is take an image of a still object, then move it slightly in some way and take another image. After a while these images would be able to be put in a sequence, giving the illusion of movement, when in reality they are just images of still objects that change slightly each frame. There are many examples of successful animations that use this method. One company that has made many successful stop motion animations is Aardman Animations, responsible for creating Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run and their recent success The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists.

What Different Frame Rates Exist and Why?
There are many different frame rates used for both capturing and displaying films. Currently, the main frame rates for displaying film and TV are 24, 25 and 30 frames per second. However when capturing the film it could be any frame rate, sometimes going into the thousands, allowing the resulting film to be slowed down by massive amounts, but still retaining the fluidity of the motion.

Stop Motion Project

Stop Motion Project on Prezi

The Dead Linger

After pledging some money to The Dead Linger game, I felt as if I wanted to contribute more to the game. After discovering a section in the forums, "Survivor Creations", I felt compelled to create some 3D models and upload the images of them to the forum.

Here's a few of the models I've made:

For more images of the models I've made go to http://tfpearson.blogspot.co.uk/p/dead-linger.html

Animorph Part 3 - The Old One

I have now named the character and created a bio for him.


https://1444914129542510240-a-1802744773732722657-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/comicstrippage1/swf/Raven%20Head%201.swf

Bio & Abilities

The Old One was there at the beginning of the world, without him the Darkrin would have won the Great War. He is the reason the world is free of chaos.

The Old One has no real name, he communicates through telepathy and resembles an 8 foot tall Raven. He is extremely smart and knowledgeable, hence why he is often referred to as the “all knowing one”, a title he readily denies. He lives in a giant oak just on the outskirts of the village. He prefers quite a solitary life; however he is still friendly to any visitors to his home.  He often wears leather armour when defending the village from the Darkrin that hide in the outlaying forests. He also has the ability to let out a shriek capable of incapacitating any enemy. He also has superior vision capable of seeing for miles and able to use a heat vision ability capable of seeing enemies through objects.


Role In the Game

• This character would be your guide for the game, guiding you on the basics of the game, and helping you now and again throughout your adventure.
• Your character is the apprentice to The Old One.
• He will bestow onto you unique powers once you are worthy.

Animorph Part 2

Here's the second instalment in the creation of my animorph for college. Now the Raven has full body armour that covers the back and part of the wings.

https://1444914129542510240-a-1802744773732722657-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/comicstrippage1/swf/Raven%20Head%201.swf

Animorph Part 1

This is the first part of creating the animorph for College. My idea so far is going to be a Raven with aviator goggles and an aviator hat. I also plan to complete the rest of the Raven's body, with full armour.

I've created the entire thing using flash as I have grown to like using flash and am getting quite good at using it.