Sound Recording

Sound Recording

For my trailer I wanted the script to sound like someone was reading the book aloud, so that the idea of the book coming to life was still there.

Originally I was going to cast a narrator and three separate voice actors for the speaking roles, but once the narrator started recording I decided it sounded better if it was all done in the narrators voice but changing slightly for each character. I thought this sounded more theatrical and similar to children's story time programs.

In the first recording I asked the narrator to do the full film script so he could get a feel for the characters and the story. He read the script aloud a lot quicker than I had done for my recording for the animatic. I preferred this because it had a nice, quick rhyming rhythm which matches the story.

If the sound recordings don't work so well with the animatic I may get the narrator to record more lines from the full film script to add to the story, as I had removed them originally to keep to the shorter time scale of the trailer.

Narration style story research

For this research I looked at the bed time hour on CBeebies, This is when a celebrity comes into the studio and reads a story aloud, this is usually accompanied with an animatic style of visual using images from the book the celebrity is reading. I think this fits in well with my film because it is very similar to what I am doing with the book I have chosen.
In this video David Tennant is reading the story and I think this is similar to what I am doing with my audio because he is narrating the story as well as changing his voice for the individual characters as well.

When I leave university, I would like to do similar projects but instead of using stills from the book being read I would like to animate the story in stop motion. These will be similar to the animations of Chris Randall, Second Home Studios, who does stop motion animations to stories children have submitted into CITV called Share A Story.

First Recording

         

The first recording went really well and we managed to record the first page of the script three or four times so that when it came to the editing I had different recordings to go from. I got Bryan Hancox (Narrator) to say the lines in different styles and emotions, ranging from lighthearted to angry so that when paired with the animatic I could see which style suited the story best.
I wasn't very familiar with the Soundtrack Pro software, I asked James Booth to step in and help me with the recordings. For my next recording I feel I will be more confident to do this process myself.

Based on the book Here Be Monsters text © Jonathan Emmett 2013 and illustration © Poly Bernatene 2013, first published by Macmillan Children’s Books. 

Character Traits Research

Character Traits

Greed

In my synopsis I mentioned that my main character, Captain Cut-Throat is a treasure hungry pirate. So I think that the trait Greed is appropriate for this character. He stops at nothing throughout the story to get to his end goal of getting the treasure, even if it means putting himself and his crew in a lot of danger.

Greed is the desire or longing to possess the status or power of something more than they need. This means that the person believes that they need this item or thing but in reality they just have a desire to have it. Ref1

I think that children relate to this because they don't understand the difference between want and need. 

I found an interesting blog post from a parent trying to teach their children the difference between their wants and needs. Ref2

She uses columns and news paper clippings to teach her children to prioritise what they want.

I think this is very helpful but I think that books and animations can also be a helpful teaching tool for children to understand this as well. Also this could be done in the form of a story so the child doesn't necessarily realise they are learning a lesson.

In the book "Here Be Monsters" it shows Captain Cut-Throat boarding other ships in the attempt to steal gold and jewels, he comes across many set backs and short falls, costing him his crew. This should make the child reading or watching think about the costs of things they want and is it really worth it in the end. Captain Cut-Throat finds out the hard way that stealing and greed wasn't worth all that he went through and eventually looses his life because of it. I think that this was a very extreme way of proving this point but sometimes it takes a big shock ending to prove a point. This is mainly known as a worst case scenario ending. Ref3

References

1. Greed - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greed

2. Needs And Wants - http://www.icanteachmychild.com/teaching-children-the-difference-between-wants-and-needs/

3. Worst Case Scenario - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worst-case_scenario

Based on the book Here Be Monsters text © Jonathan Emmett 2013 and illustration © Poly Bernatene 2013, first published by Macmillan Children’s Books. 

Mid-Semester Presentation

Based on the book Here Be Monsters text © Jonathan Emmett 2013 and illustration © Poly Bernatene 2013, first published by Macmillan Children’s Books. 

Character Sheets

Character Sheets

Character sheets give the animators a feel for the character through a series of images showing pose and expression.

Captain Cut-Throat

First Mate
Sneaky McSqueaky

Look Out
Quilly Von Squint

Ship's Cook
Findus Spew

Based on the book Here Be Monsters text © Jonathan Emmett 2013 and illustration © Poly Bernatene 2013, first published by Macmillan Children’s Books. 

Presentation Feedback And Review

Lecturer Feedback

Choice of concept interesting & clarity of content?

A clear, well presented account of your aims and pre-production so far, which effectively covered the content and visual and technical approaches.  You have focused and meticulous application, showing a mature understanding of the pre-production process requirements.  It is commendable that you have approached the illustrator and publisher, acting professionally and aspiring to create something that has an external link and thus future collaboration potential.

Visualization/Technical Approaches

You demonstrated that you will be working from existing drawn characters and translate these into 3D models.  You have worked hard so far, evidencing the character designs – research character sheets and develop your characters further, exploring expression and gestures in more detail so that each one’s personality comes through.

You show strong content planning skills through storyboarding and the animatic. 

Research other Stop Motion children’s productions and analyse the technical and aesthetic approaches as part of your own visual/technical justification.

Research linked to practice?

Are there other animated book adaptations that you can analyse/critique?  Another area that could be researched contextually/culturally is the narrative in contemporary children’s viewing which would enable you to position your own production aims and understand the cognitive effect your film might have on your audience.

Brainstorm and establish a few areas of research that will inform and develop your practice.

Great progress so far, showing potential for a really slick and thorough pre-production pitch.

Cathy

My Review

I feel that my presentation went well and that I got across all of the points I wanted to make.

I needed to include other stop motion artists that I had looked at and to also include other children's books that have been made into animation productions and how they were approached.
These points can be included into my presentation ready for when I pitch again in week 10.

In my next presentation I want to include how I have changed production this year to be a trailer instead of the full film and to reflect on the changes I have to make to do this.
This could also lead to me researching other stop motion trailers and what parts of the film they have used to get the viewer interested without giving away too much of the story.

Overall I think my presentation was good and it showed what I have done towards this pre-production module and also what else I need to do.

Making The Props

Props

Jewels/Eggs

To make the jewels, I have used the plastic egg out of a Kinder surprise egg and covered it in paper mache.

Then painting the eggs in bright colours to make them look like jewels.

Captain's Quarters Furnature

Using the left over wood from making the walls of my set, I needed to make a table, bookcase and a shelf.

Bookcase

My Dad helping with the wood cutting.

All the pieces stuck together. some weight needs to be added to the one side so that it levels out.

Painted

To make the books for inside of the bookcase I am going to cut a rectangle of polystyrene and shape the side facing out to look like book covers and then paint it. This will save time from making individual books.

Shelf

To make sure that the shelf stays in place, I have added small brackets to be glued to the wall.

Painted

Table

In this scene the characters are stood around a map on a table.

I was originally going to have a four legged table, but decided that a big chest that they have used as a table would be more sturdy and will hide any tie-downs or rigs from the characters.

I have used this image as a reference for the size and colour of the paintwork.

Painted

Ship's Wheel

Using Sculpey I moulded the shape of the wheel and the cooked it in the oven to make it go hard, once it's cooled I can carve into it and the paint it.

With the hole in the middle this can then be attached to a box that I am going to make. I was thinking of trying a split pin so that the wheel can still turn, if this doesn't work I will loosely put in a screw.

Swords and Daggers

These are to used as accessories for the pirates to carry.

Saucepan

Mop and Bucket

To be placed in the background of the top deck scene.

Paper Weights

These will be made from small balls of baked Sculpey and then they will be painted.

Candle Stick

For the scene when the pirates are around the table, I wanted there to be some light shining up to their faces, so I thought putting a candle on the table and then lighting my scene slightly from below would work well for this.

Pint Glasses/Tankard

Barrel

In the scene with the ship's cook, He is hiding within a barrel when the monster slithers around him.

For this I made the barrel out of Sculpey so that I could push the bottom of the armature into it before baking. This will then help securing the armature to the barrel later on.

Telescope

Painting In A Frame

Based on the book Here Be Monsters text © Jonathan Emmett 2013 and illustration © Poly Bernatene 2013, first published by Macmillan Children’s Books.