Videos, videos and more videos!

Hello everyone!  Here’s yet another update on whats happening.

Before I start, I just want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Amazement Square today!  They hosted the first film festival where I was a guest speaker and I am eternally grateful for that.  Have a GREAT celebration this weekend!

I hope you all like the new look for the blog.  I made it wider to host more high resolution drawings and videos and changed the look a bit.  This post, I’ve got a bunch of videos!

Check out this video first:

Watch live streaming video from chaostoon at livestream.com

I’m going to start creating my own Livestream show.  I wish I had visited the site and read the tutorial a long time ago, or I would have started using it when I animated that Dragon for GoAnimate.  I’m gonna start creating a “Making Of” series of videos for Jamari Animated and my web cartoons and just turning it on and welcoming anyone that just wants to stop by and watch me work.  I’ll keep the Facebook and Twitter updated with when I turn it on.

Now, check this video out:

From Word To Image Contest Winnah! from Karen J Lloyd on Vimeo.

I won the storyboarding book, From Word to Image by Marcie Begleiter on Karen Lloyd’s blog!  Yay!  Thank you Karen, Muk Muk and Margie!  Sorry about the Twitter stalking, Karen, but I’ve learned so much from your blog.  When I get done with thumbnailing these storyboards, I’m totally asking paying for your guidance and I’m sure I’ll learn a lot from Marcie’s book!

Okay, last video:

GoAnimate.com has launched a brand new contest this month in which entrants must promote a charity of their choice.  Of course, I created a video for Fractured Atlas.  I designed it to be a fun video that any member could use to embed in their blog or website to briefly talk about what Fractured Atlas is.  They could use it to introduce their fiscal sponsor or what have you.  As far as I can tell, it’s the first GoAnimate hosted cartoon to feature a character with real lip sync.  It was fun to make, even if I threw this together over a weekend.  Fractured Atlas liked it so much, they put it on their blog and Twitter.  Thanks Adam!  Of course, I put it everywhere, hee hee.  

The first part of qualifying to win is being among the top 4 in views.  At the time of this writing, I’m number 5.  Help a guy out and watch a few times?  No biggie if I don’t win though, the prize is a Wacom Intuos, and I really need a Cintiq, especially for my Livestream shows.  If I win, I’ll keep the Intuos and hand my trusty Wacom Bamboo down to Jamari.  I dunno though…  I really like my Bamboo… maybe I’ll give Jamari the Intuos, hee hee. 

Now, some thumbnails!  Here’s a random selection:

This technique of thumbnailing has really helped me.  It showed me that my film was way too heavy in backstory and setup in the front, so I’m simplifying the beginning and focusing on the middle and end.  Instead of having Jamari’s Bible powers materialize near the ending, I’m giving him those powers from the very beginning and simplifying how he uses them…  I’m getting rid of all the unnecessary flashy crap and just telling the story… not at the expense of the stereoscopic though, still planning that as I go.  I’m also redoing the ending and it is so much more satisfying and meaningful now.  Thanks again Karen!  I can’t wait for her to rip it all apart and help me make the story unbelievable!

I’ll keep you informed!

Storyboarding, a Successful Contest and Some Old (but cool!) News

Hello everyone!  Sorry for the long wait for the update.  I know you have been wondering what in the heck have I been doing!  Well, here’s the deal:

If you’ve been following my Twitter, you know that I’ve recently admitted a dirty little secret – I have no formal storyboarding training.  When it was time for me to take the class at SCAD, they weren’t offering the course that quarter, so I had to substitute it with another class.  Not that learning about comic strips with visiting artist Robb Armstrong wasn’t cool… but its not helping me now.

I did storyboard this thing out…  the next step is to take the storyboards and the audio from the actors and create a little movie called an animatic.  You do this to get an idea of how your movie is gonna look.  Well, I did that, and it’s not working for me…  not the whole thing anyway.  My friend Brian said he didn’t like the timing, so that’s what I thought the problem was.  So, I went back and reworked the timing over and over…  and it still didn’t work for me.  So I went back to my storyboards… and slowly remembered that I really don’t know enough of what I’m doing to fix what I’m feeling is wrong.  So, I did a Google search to see what I could learn online about storyboarding... and I found Karen Lloyd.

On her blog, she has a short series of posts where she critiques the storyboards of Aidan Casserly.  I learned SO MUCH from that.  My storyboards were similar to his in that they were more like comics than storyboards (thanks Robb).  She really showed me what I was doing wrong by proxy.  She also has a handy little series of posts about shots and WHY to use them.  AAAH, just what I needed!  So, I reached out to her on Twitter.  Hopefully, she’ll have the time to help me when she’s not as busy on Kid vs. Kat…  and that’s fine!  I’m having a BLAST digging back into my boards and they’re WORKING!  Between the knowledge from Tuck and Karen...  I think I'm gonna be alright.  -sigh of relief-

Here’s some of the thumbnails from going back to the storyboards and revising.  It will require some light re-recording from my actors, but I can probably do that in post-production, no problem.

Why am I thumbnailing on legal pads?  Well, there's something soothing about doodling on lined paper.  Reminds me of my childhood and doodling in class...  plus, they're just thumbnails.

If you are a storyboarder or indie animator, please check out Karen’s blog here.  It is SO worth it.

http://karenjlloyd.com/blog/

So, I will update you all on the story as it goes.  I’m working on it, Joe, I’m working on it…

Other updates: My first social media contest went GREAT!  I threw a contest for whoever used my pre-animated dragon and got the most views with it.  The winner was Juan Ramirez of Madrid, Spain.  You can see his winning entry and the other entrants here.  http://bit.ly/dragonchaos

Also, I forgot to mention in previous posts…  I was named a “Filmmaker to Watch in 2010” by Hollywood Shorts!  Yay!  Check out their article in LAist magazine about their African-American Filmmakers Celebration.  They said they were saving a spot for me next year!  OMG!

http://laist.com/2010/02/26/african_american_filmmakers_celebra.php

Looking forward to the OSCARS tonight!  C’mon Secret of Kells and Logorama!  I’m rooting for ya!