March 2010 Archives
Nicole graduated from the diploma course in Animation at FTI in 2004. She followed her studies with Flash based work, before being attached to Raging Pixel Productions as a Trainee Animator. This position was funded through ScreenWest's Producer Enterprise Package, a fund designed to help facilitate the corporate and project development of active, local WA companies. With Raging Pixel, Nicole learnt After Effects, Photoshop and Illustrator, doing motion graphics for TV commercials before working on The Big Picture and Time Trackers (Taylor Media/ Gibson Group), on which she received a screen credit of "Trainee Animator". FTI asked six questions of Nicole:
How would you describe the animation sequences on Time Trackers?
Most of the animation was in the time/space shots of the ship flying between big glowy time nodes and connecting/disconnecting to the wormholes, so there was repetition in the work - the main purpose of the animation was to compliment the live action story. I don't think Time Trackers would have worked if it had been made up only of shots inside the ship with dialogue from the actors explaining what was happening outside. I have always felt that a little animation used properly is much more effective than a lot of animation used just because you can.
Who else was involved in making the animation sequences?
Gareth Lockett, the Technical Director, did the 3D animation components then he and Aaron Kennedy, the Animation Producer, would do the main 2D VFX work. As the shots progressed through the pipeline they would often get passed to me to do effects tracking and some effects work as layed out and designed by the technical director. The effects in each scene were repetitive: they involved making nodes pretty, making the ship propulsion lights shimmer, making the wormhole look realistic and not like some sort of giant time/space tree and adding masks, lots of masks. I used the initial scenes as a guide for consistency.
There were a few shots that involved the wormhole connecting/ disconnecting to the base of the ship, through this shaft that had an edge, so you couldn't just use layers to cover up the wormhole. It had to be masked in, frame by frame. They were fun, and by fun I mean about an hour per shot with my face an inch away from the monitor flicking between low res footage - so I could work at a reasonable pace - and high res - so I could make sure I placed the mask correctly.
What was the production process like (Animation)?
I was on the tail end of the animation, so this is a general picture. Gareth and Aaron would receive the live action footage and a list of animated shots the director wanted for the scenes. Storyboards were created and once approved, Gareth would produce the 3D components for the animated sequences, and then these would be rendered out so that Aaron and myself could finalise the 2D effects like motion blur and camera depth of field passes. If it was a basic scene, for example, ship goes from right side of the screen to the left; I'd apply the light effects. If it was anything more complicated, Aaron and Gareth worked on those parts first, and I could then use this work as a template for subsequent similar scenes. It was tedious at times, because the work involved a lot of copy/ pasting effects from other scenes. However, I still found it fascinating; learning how much you can do with effects from what is basically a single piece of footage. It is really interesting how just adding a bit of a blur here, or a small light effect there can make a big difference to the overall look of something.
Which filmmakers/ animators are you inspired by?
I grew up watching Disney movies, so they were definitely a big inspiration for me. I'm a huge fan of traditional animation. The sheer amount of work that goes into producing one is insane. Not to say that CG animation isn't as much work, there's just something about an animation created by hand drawing in, frame by frame, each little movement that I find amazing and really beautiful.
More recently, Pixar and Weta Workshop/ Digital have been added to my list. Time and time again Pixar have been able to create movies that are both beautiful to look at and a story that you can listen to over and over again. I have watched 'Up' multiple times already and it still makes me cry every time, even though I know what's coming.
Weta are responsible for some of the most insane effects and props I have seen to date: just watch the 'behind the scenes' footage for District 9 to see for yourself. It's completely mental what they had to do to achieve the look and the effects for that movie. It's a dream of mine to visit either Pixar studios or Weta Workshop, preferably both.
What advice would you give someone about to make their next short project?
There will be delays. There will always be delays, but don't let this get you down. Stick to it, and don't be afraid to ask for help from all the people willing to give it. Listen to anyone that is willing to give you constructive criticism. Don't be afraid to try something different too. If you want to make a silent, stop motion animated expose on climate change using nothing but vegemite and a length of white plastic, then do so.
What does your role as Mentor of the Animation Centre's Schoolies project involve?
I was involved in the initial development of the project. I am now an occasional visitor who is available to give advice but Schoolies has a really talented group of people working on it who rarely require much assistance.
Image: Nicole Lush
How would you describe the animation sequences on Time Trackers?
Most of the animation was in the time/space shots of the ship flying between big glowy time nodes and connecting/disconnecting to the wormholes, so there was repetition in the work - the main purpose of the animation was to compliment the live action story. I don't think Time Trackers would have worked if it had been made up only of shots inside the ship with dialogue from the actors explaining what was happening outside. I have always felt that a little animation used properly is much more effective than a lot of animation used just because you can.
Who else was involved in making the animation sequences?
Gareth Lockett, the Technical Director, did the 3D animation components then he and Aaron Kennedy, the Animation Producer, would do the main 2D VFX work. As the shots progressed through the pipeline they would often get passed to me to do effects tracking and some effects work as layed out and designed by the technical director. The effects in each scene were repetitive: they involved making nodes pretty, making the ship propulsion lights shimmer, making the wormhole look realistic and not like some sort of giant time/space tree and adding masks, lots of masks. I used the initial scenes as a guide for consistency.
Image: Time Trackers - time background
There were a few shots that involved the wormhole connecting/ disconnecting to the base of the ship, through this shaft that had an edge, so you couldn't just use layers to cover up the wormhole. It had to be masked in, frame by frame. They were fun, and by fun I mean about an hour per shot with my face an inch away from the monitor flicking between low res footage - so I could work at a reasonable pace - and high res - so I could make sure I placed the mask correctly.
What was the production process like (Animation)?
I was on the tail end of the animation, so this is a general picture. Gareth and Aaron would receive the live action footage and a list of animated shots the director wanted for the scenes. Storyboards were created and once approved, Gareth would produce the 3D components for the animated sequences, and then these would be rendered out so that Aaron and myself could finalise the 2D effects like motion blur and camera depth of field passes. If it was a basic scene, for example, ship goes from right side of the screen to the left; I'd apply the light effects. If it was anything more complicated, Aaron and Gareth worked on those parts first, and I could then use this work as a template for subsequent similar scenes. It was tedious at times, because the work involved a lot of copy/ pasting effects from other scenes. However, I still found it fascinating; learning how much you can do with effects from what is basically a single piece of footage. It is really interesting how just adding a bit of a blur here, or a small light effect there can make a big difference to the overall look of something.
Image: Time Trackers - time virus
Which filmmakers/ animators are you inspired by?
I grew up watching Disney movies, so they were definitely a big inspiration for me. I'm a huge fan of traditional animation. The sheer amount of work that goes into producing one is insane. Not to say that CG animation isn't as much work, there's just something about an animation created by hand drawing in, frame by frame, each little movement that I find amazing and really beautiful.
More recently, Pixar and Weta Workshop/ Digital have been added to my list. Time and time again Pixar have been able to create movies that are both beautiful to look at and a story that you can listen to over and over again. I have watched 'Up' multiple times already and it still makes me cry every time, even though I know what's coming.
Weta are responsible for some of the most insane effects and props I have seen to date: just watch the 'behind the scenes' footage for District 9 to see for yourself. It's completely mental what they had to do to achieve the look and the effects for that movie. It's a dream of mine to visit either Pixar studios or Weta Workshop, preferably both.
What advice would you give someone about to make their next short project?
There will be delays. There will always be delays, but don't let this get you down. Stick to it, and don't be afraid to ask for help from all the people willing to give it. Listen to anyone that is willing to give you constructive criticism. Don't be afraid to try something different too. If you want to make a silent, stop motion animated expose on climate change using nothing but vegemite and a length of white plastic, then do so.
What does your role as Mentor of the Animation Centre's Schoolies project involve?
I was involved in the initial development of the project. I am now an occasional visitor who is available to give advice but Schoolies has a really talented group of people working on it who rarely require much assistance.
