Fantastic Voyage - Antibiotic thumbnails 1-15

Following on from my idea to utilize a WW1 aesthetic for my antibiotic designs. I've begun experimenting with possible designs for the little chaps.

 

I've tried to maintain an almost capsule like shape in their design, so that they are not completely removed from their function. I feel like this will help in the animation process, as they're not too complicated shape wise - though I might have to omit the scarf on #9 and #14, as while it looks pretty cute, It just adds further complication in the animation process.

 

 

 

I think I'll take a couple of these into sketchbook and play about with some colours, whilst also thinking on more designs. 

Fantastic Voyage - Bacteria #2 - Making him scary.

Okay, so I've worked on #2 a bit more, and he's definitely looking more ferocious, and definitely a lot more readable as an aggressor.

Fantastic Voyage - Bacteria #2 further development

Here's a rejigged design based on feedback received, now that end one is mean lookin'. Out for antibiotic blood, or whatever constitutes that in the macroverse.

I honestly don't know why I thought stubble should go there, but I'm enjoying its presence nonetheless.

Fantastic Voyage - Bacteria #2 development

And, as I said earlier, I've developed one of the previous thumbnails a little bit; mainly trying to explore the notion of these things getting bigger and nastier, in order to whittle the antibiotics down.

Now, back to those mood boards!

Fantastic Voyage - Bacteria thumbnails 1-9

So, here's a few ideas for what my kaiju-esque bacteria could look like. I myself quite like 2, 5 and 8. And, time permitting, I don't see why I couldn't include a couple of different designs in the final animation, perhaps to show off different adaptations against antibiotics.

I want these things to kind of look benign, almost stupid looking creatures that don't really know what effect they're having, even though the effect is horrendous and destructive. So I've gone with a slightly vacant looking expression on each of them. I like the use of ungainly long limbs, and I feel like it makes them look kind of uncanny, and a little unsettling, but hopefully not too much, what with my chosen audience.

More are coming; currently working on a mood board in order to gauge what kind of colours I'll be using. And I've explored thumbnail #2 a little more, in terms of chronicling its growth as it adapts.

Anyway, to photoshop!

Cheers,

Crouch.

Fantastic Voyage - Target audience and research

Further to my extended reading into animation as a learning tool. It seems like something as engaging as an animation can do a lot of good in schools. In the Journal of Science Education and Technology, Miri Barak and Yehudit Judy Dori write... "that animated movies support the use of diverse teaching strategies and learning methods, and can promote various thinking skills among students. Findings also indicated that animations can enhance scientific curiosity, the acquisition  of  scientific  language,  and  fostering  scientific thinking."

I also found an interesting article discussing the "7 ways animation can help learning in the classroom", which reads almost like a mantra of do's and dont's - something I think could be quite useful as long as I don't take it as sacrosanct all of the time. In it, the idea of the "animated agent" is suggested, in that there is a familiar character that takes viewers through the animation with them. I think this is to suggest that children are more likely to keep focused on the animation if the teacher isn't there to do so.  I think there's scope to establish a narrator/guide character that will accompany viewers throughout the animation. Certainly if this is to be used as a teaching tool, then I should succumb to the very real idea that it should definitely engage children, everything else should be built around that ethos.

The article also discusses the notion of "no age barrier" on animation, it's just an interesting thought. One that could inform the decision to make my animation more universal if need be.

I'm working on some thumbnails now; I'm still pursuing the idea of merging a WW1-like aestheticism into the animation, for previously mentioned reasons. I've started the thumbnailing process, and have a few things prepared for a separate post that will follow this one.

Cheers,

Crouch.

Links

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225262564_Science_Education_in_Primary_Schools_Is_an_Animation_Worth_a_Thousand_Pictures

http://www.innovatemyschool.com/ideas/item/997-7-ways-animation-can-help-enhance-learning-in-the-classroom

http://www.fractuslearning.com/2013/12/06/animation-in-the-classroom/

Depth of field, Radial Blur and Luma Key in After Effects

Quite interesting session today, I particularly enjoyed seeing how the culmination of these effects adds to the immersion in a scene.