Synopsis
You only get 5 tickets—how would you spend them?
In this animated film, a young girl grapples with how to use her tickets to make the most of her day and help her new friend have the best experience at the amusement park.
Objective
For this project, I set out to create a short animation with a simple minimalist storybook setting that would still have a deeper meaning, all by myself. With this lofty goal, I got to work.
Pre-Production
I started by scripting out my film in its entirety. I had an idea floating around in my mind about a little girl attending an amusement park and making friends. Once the script was in place, I began sketching out ideas and concept art.
Once the sketches were finalized, I was able to create characters in Illustrator and rig them in After Effects.
Above is the artwork for Billie. Through the use of the plugin Limber, I was able to give each limb bones.
Using the plugin Joysticks and Sliders, I was able to create an animatable joystick that controls her head.
I then created the remaining assets as they arose during production.
Production
I began animating using my rigged models. While animation was difficult, it was much easier than it could have been. This is why I chose After Effects. It allowed for greater efficiency and ultimately enabled this animation to be done by one person rather than an entire team.
Organization was key at this point as well. With many scenes and assets to keep track of, I developed a system.
Essentially, each scene had a dedicated folder where each shot in the storyboard was animated and then put together into one final timeline.
Once all the assets were finished, all the animations were done, and all the shots were laid out in the timeline, it was close to finished.
Finishing Touches
I took the product I had to colleagues and mentors to get their feedback, and one thing was clear: nobody had any idea what was happening in the story. With weeks left until delivery, I did not have time to animate many more scenes, if any at all. That was until I received the suggestion to lean into the storybook idea and add words to the scene. With a bit more work, I was able to put clarifying text that helped explain the characters and their feelings, and then, with a classic vignette, it had finally fit the children’s book mold I intended.
From this point, I added SFX and scored the music. The project was ready for delivery.
Reflection
200 Hours…
When all was said and done, that was how much I put into this project, and when I look at my goal of creating a short, simple animation for children, I have achieved it through hard work and problem-solving.