Ideas for the Next Community Project

[largento]

And... if we can move fast enough, we could have it done by Halloween!

[robcat2075]

There are many good ideas here, enough to last us for years of projects.

 

 

 

The bottom line however on any idea seems to be that one person is willing to...

 

... supervise it, get people to make the required common assets, make sure they all work and fit together, define the guidelines for participation, set a schedule, collect all the entries, figure out how to make them fit together when someone didn't follow the guidelines, edit everything together, post it and promote it.

 

 

that's all it will take to get going!

[fae_alba]

There are many good ideas here, enough to last us for years of projects.

 

 

 

The bottom line however on any idea seems to be that one person is willing to...

 

... supervise it, get people to make the required common assets, make sure they all work and fit together, define the guidelines for participation, set a schedule, collect all the entries, figure out how to make them fit together when someone didn't follow the guidelines, edit everything together, post it and promote it.

 

 

that's all it will take to get going!

 

so in your experience when you did the last few community projects, what was the time spent on editing, marshaling, hand-holding, etc.? I'm thinking if we go with the Monsters idea, then we need to shoot for a release of at latest one week prior to all hallows eve, which would mean a release date of the 24th. We would have to set some pretty hard and fast deadlines to make it happen (all properties in by x date, post starts on y date, done on 10/24). I'd be willing to tackle it under the auspices of Pappa Bear Studios donating time to the community, released to the community, property of the community. So folks have roughly 2.5 months to write, storyboard, model, rig, light, choreograph, and render. My suggestion is really make this a community effort, have forum members team up in say groups of 2 or 3, split up the tasks, and put together perhaps 4 or 5 team pieces, instead of 20 individual ones.

 

I'll volunteer to handle the post-production. But we gotta get rolling. All in favor, say aye!

[largento]

I can commit to doing a segment.

[robcat2075]

I'm thinking if we go with the Monsters idea, then we need to shoot for a release of at latest one week prior to all hallows eve, which would mean a release date of the 24th. We would have to set some pretty hard and fast deadlines to make it happen (all properties in by x date, post starts on y date, done on 10/24)

 

I realize it was my idea but I'm doubtful about Monster Audition at this date. I don't think most people will be able to get a proper monster done and animated in just two months. I think we should save that one for next year and launch it earlier.

 

 

My suggestion is really make this a community effort, have forum members team up in say groups of 2 or 3, split up the tasks, and put together perhaps 4 or 5 team pieces, instead of 20 individual ones.

 

On teams... the paradox about projects i have observed is that individual efforts are more likely to get done than groups efforts. It's possible that small groups might get very elaborate segments done but it only takes one person to fall out to cause the other team members' efforts to be wasted.

 

 

BUS Stop and Pass the Ball were ideal because it didn't matter if anyone dropped out, everyone else's work was still usable.

 

so in your experience when you did the last few community projects, what was the time spent on editing, marshaling, hand-holding, etc.?

 

I've only supervised Bus Stop. I spent more time agonizing over having to do it rather than doing it, I suspect. It did take me a while to come up with an order that appropriately paced the long vs. short segments and gave them all their due.

 

Looking at my AfterEffects files... I can see that I got started editing that thing in earnest on March 6 and got the "release" version out on March 16.

 

A more modern editing app might speed things a bit.

[fae_alba]

I realize it was my idea but I'm doubtful about Monster Audition at this date. I don't think most people will be able to get a proper monster done and animated in just two months. I think we should save that one for next year and launch it earlier.

 

I had that gut feeling as well, which is why I suggested the team effort to streamline it a bit. But, that being said, what idea will we do? How about Rube Goldberg? Every one creates their own device, just need a common element to tie it all together.

 

 

Looking at my AfterEffects files... I can see that I got started editing that thing in earnest on March 6 and got the "release" version out on March 16.

 

A more modern editing app might speed things a bit.

 

Ten days seems reasonable.

 

My offer still stands of managing this. My first official task is to set the deadline of this Friday to settle on a theme....so from now until Friday 5pm, all ideas are on the table, list them here starting ..... now.

[fae_alba]

I'm recapping Robcats ideas here to freshen folks' memories

 

1) Next Room. A character walks in to a room, does something and then either he or some other character exits to the other side. Then the camera shifts to pick up what happens in the next room. (I'm not real keen on this one anymore)

2) Rear Window. Peering into rooms in a hi-rise office or apartment complex.

3) Ani-Jam. We had some limited success with

where you pick up exactly with whatever the last animator did, but many people found this difficult.

4) Pass the ball. I think we've done this twice before.

5) Commercial block. Everyone makes a 10 second commercial. ( or 5? Or 15?)

6) Who dunnit? I've been watching mysteries lately and they're all basically a bunch of seemingly unconnected events until they get wrapped up at the end. Is there a way to make a collaborative pot-luck project out of that without prescripting it too much?

7) Previously... on "Dynasty". Everyone does a scene that is like a recap of what happened last week on a soap opera.

8) Olympic event. Everyone's character does the same event, like the shotput, or high dive or...

(my favorite!)

9) Waiting room. Camera watches various people waiting for the doctor(?) to see them

10) Airport security check.

11) Coach class. Camera peers into each row of seats in a jetliner.

12) Bees and Flower

13 Hey, Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!

14) One big continuous Rube Goldberg machine. (Similar to pass the ball but more than a ball is passed)

15) How about using the farmerstractor , that I posted in the wip section and let everybody do something with it?(with enter and exit points)

16) Egg Hatches

17) Thing. Everyone animates a hand of their own design poking out of the box, doing something , going back into the box.

18) Walking to an instruments only music track.

19) everyone makes a character then one by one they join on stage to sing we are the world the world on AM finish with a group shot on the group

20) "Monster Audition" (not for Halloween!)

 

EDIT: in entering all of these I'd say no new ideas, pick one from this list.

[John Bigboote]

Looks like we backed-up a step here today... let me hit you with some 'outside the box' thinking...

 

I've got an idea I've been sitting on... it is just a germ of an idea... it may already be a commonplace thing, but I think if we did it it could get us a LOT more eyeballs...HITS!!!

 

It involves animation in A:M (any of the ideas above, modified to fit) but INSTEAD of just getting a movie at the end with 'cut-next-cut-next-cut-next etc...'... that you put up onto Youtube and ask your freinds to please watch... it would INSTEAD be a full Youtube channel, and the movie files would be LINKED together and INTERACTIVE via the Youtube ANNOTATIONS feature...(Which is really-really easy to use.)

 

To get an idea of what I'm rambling about... take a look at this video where I put an interactive annotation at the end with links to other youtube videos that in turn...link to each other... so round and round you go. It is simple interactivity, not gaming quality... and the page could be 'skinned' by making a custom look to our Youtube channel...

 

The link is towards the end... you click on it.

 

I'll be interested to see if this spurs any further idea-ation. I would gladly volunteer to be the Youtube-programmer, and as I have a history of 'leading' A:M's collective projects in the past, I would see it thru with ample participation... If it does not fly and anyone else has a great idea of using this technology on Youtube--- count me IN!

 

 

WARNING! The sample clip provided is animations of my stupid bikini girls... jiggling and giggling... please do not proceed if offended by such... and I apologize.

 

 

 

COOL! I see other people are already doing this kind of stuff:

[robcat2075]

If I had to declare one right now, I'd go for "Rear Window"

[Ilidrake]

I'd say rear window or monster audition. I've been practicing alot and I'm really up to entering something, though I haven't uploaded anything in a while. I feel I do more if I spend less time on the net.

[Glob Studios]

I could go for rear window. I'm looking forward to trying to participate this time around.

 

-Vance

[Walter Baker]

I'm good to try anything.

I have a bunch of small things I work on but no direction. Just a lot of piddling.

( ooppps that didn't sound good )

Need just one thing to focus on instead of a lot of little things.

[mouseman]

What about a slight variation on Monster Audition ... just an audition? The benefit of that would be that you could use any model (including but not limited to monsters). Participants animate a character doing an audition ... for anything. Then the camera goes to a panel of 2 or 3 judges that react to what they just saw, preferably with some off-the-wall remark, and then on to the next audition. Maybe somewhat similar to "[Your Country's Name Here] Idol" or "[Your Country's Name Here]'s Got Talent" or "Siskel and Ebert" (am I showing my age?) or the Muppets Statler and Waldorf.

 

We could use either the stage that the Can-Can exercise in TAoA:M uses, or the one with the Bugs dancing and Marvin clapping/stamping foot.

 

The panel set could be very simple, just a single chair model duplicated many times, and maybe a table or desk in front of them, and a wall in back.

 

This would require some people to write dialog for the judges, do the voices, and animate the judges after everyone did their own individual audition animation.

 

Title: "Animation:Master Idol"

[Ullis]

I think that the "rear window" idea would be fun.

[fae_alba]

So by my count rear window wins by a landslide.

 

4 for rear window,

1 for monster audition,

1 for either or

and 1 I'll do anything

 

 

So ready set start animating rear windows!

[John Bigboote]

Yes... what is the premice tho? Does it start with an old tenement/apartment building and then do a super-slam-zoom into a window where anim1 plays, then a pan across the building to another window for anim2 etc? We need to have someone build the building wall with about 30 windows in it...

[fae_alba]

hwo about this...one person animates the beginning and close, thom opens his window, camera zooms thru window, to building across the alley, each contributor animates the next bit of simply what he sees. Since the camera zooms into a window until it is full frame, each contributor doesn't have to worry about the building set, just render off their bit. the rest is done in editing

[Ilidrake]

I think it would be cool to have Thom on a roof with a telescope looking into each window. Anyway how long should each animation piece be?

[robcat2075]

We only need to build one "window" set, enough to cover the view of the camera.

 

Of course "the voyeur point of view", being stationary, would see each window on the building across from him from a slightly different angle, but we can simulate that by shooting the same window from many different angles. Some high, some low, some right, some left.

 

The set we distribute could have all the various camera angles built into it and everyone who joins in either claims one or is assigned one.

 

The transition from one window to the next would be covered by a blurry swish pan carefully edited in between.

 

 

The camera could have a rotoscope on it to simulate the "binoculars" view

[Ilidrake]

Okay if everyone agrees on the piece I'll go ahead and put the set together. I'll keep it simple and upload it. What would be the best format to upload it?

[robcat2075]

Okay if everyone agrees on the piece I'll go ahead and put the set together. I'll keep it simple and upload it. What would be the best format to upload it?

 

Be prepared for opinions and revisions! Expect that you will have to change something.

 

Show us a concept of what you're thinking of before you polish it off. I can think of ten different sorts of apartment windows ans some will be more useful than others

[Ilidrake]

Well I was thinking simple. Just something functional and pleasant. My thinking is the animation is the important thing here and I want peoples attention there and not so much on the set.

[fae_alba]

Well I was thinking simple. Just something functional and pleasant. My thinking is the animation is the important thing here and I want peoples attention there and not so much on the set.

 

As robcat said, do a first pass first. Guaranteed that you will be asked to change some things. The Bus Stop set went thru all kinds of changes before being released to contributors.

 

Also. for those considering jumping in, I think we want to keep this as PG as possible..no gratuitous skin...bummer I know, but we want to give as little offense as possible.

[robcat2075]

I don't think we want to skimp on the set.

 

One reason BUS Stop works is that the set looks great,it makes the movie look like it might be something good from the very first frame and it gives even the most minor efforts a bit of pizzaz. We also don't get tired of looking at it.

 

 

What does our rear window look like?

 

Is it an old NYC apartment? Is it a modern condo with sliding glass doors and a balcony? An office building with a ledge?

[Ilidrake]

Okay I see what your saying. I've been browsing google, as I am want to do, and came across many, many, many building variations. I narrowed it down to two. Let me know what you guys think. if neither fits the bill I'll continue looking. If you have any ideas of your own please post them.

[robcat2075]

I suppose the two extremes would be the old brownstone like you have on the left with fairly small windows and a modern office building where the entire wall is the window.

 

Anywhere along that continuum are trade offs on what can and can't be plausibly done in that setting.

 

Do some more research and see what all the possibilities are.

[mtpeak2]

This is along the lines of a set I already started to build (not finished though).

 

All you need is a room setup for the participant to animate in. Then someone can animate the camera to zoom in on the rooms for the transitions to each animation.

 

[EDIT] I brought this up in another thread, but no one seemed interest in it.

[robcat2075]

Good lookin' set, Mark!

 

of course, those are all "front" windows....

[mtpeak2]

Yeah, but that can easily be changed and fire escapes added instead or something.

[mtpeak2]

You can alway rename it "Peeping Thom", if you go the route of the binoculars.

[John Bigboote]

I like that set! How high does it go? Can we copy paste it bigger? Maybe just add some 'Als Greebles' for electrical conduitry and such not... I don't like 'Peeping Tom' for the negative connotations- I'd be happy if Tom was left out altogether... he is SO 1997 as far as 3D goes.

[Ilidrake]

Really nice set. So this means I can concentrate more on animation

[Xtaz]

Brilliant set Mark ... well done.... Do we use just ext cam ( binocular ) ? Or cam I use a personal cam inside the building ( between start/end shot ) ?

[robcat2075]

Do we use just ext cam ( binocular ) ? Or cam I use a personal cam inside the building ( between start/end shot ) ?

 

 

The concept is "Rear Window". It's entirely from the viewpoint of someone in a building across the street. Much like BUS STOP was entirely from one view point.

[largento]

Why not play against the movie title and make it "front window?"

[robcat2075]

Why not play against the movie title and make it "front window?"

 

 

I like that.

 

 

I was thinking of "Rear-er-er Window" but I like Front better

[mtpeak2]

Here's what I had in mind with transitions between scenes. This could be zoomed in closer so you don't need a window for the set that you animate in, all you need is a room. We could render out a few variations of it.

 

This way the participant can setup "their" room anyway they want, with any props they want to use. And light and render as they please (except for camera settings). Or should there be a base set "room" with lighting already setup for them?

Apartment2.mov

[Glob Studios]

The transition demo looks good! From there, you could continue to zoom into the black window until it fills the frame, and as this happens, cross-fade (when editing) into the contributor scene.

 

As far as a room set goes, it might help people to focus on the animation part if we provide a standard set. But with this way of framing the transitions, people would not necessarily have to use it as they did with bus stop. Or they could change the paint and furnishings on the standard set. I'm liking this!

 

-Vance

[Ilidrake]

I am liking this. I've already got a good idea of what I wanna do with this.

[Rodney]

Very nice Mark. I like it!

[itsjustme]

Great stuff, Mark!

[Ilidrake]

So should I be working on the set or will we be using the one Mark did?

[robcat2075]

Fae Alba is the producer, he'll want to make a call on that, I imagine.

[fae_alba]

Fae Alba is the producer, he'll want to make a call on that, I imagine.

 

the set looks good. Perhaps we could put together a package of room props so contributors can put together their own rooms without scrambling to furnish it. Again, to allow more effort on the animations.

 

for consistency, animate your room scene, the transition to/from your window will be edited in, I'll leave the lighting in each of your sets to you. Are there any other camera/rendering settings that should be set and used through out so it all ties together better?

 

 

basic parameters (taken from Bus Stop)

 

1) you can use your characters or any stock A:M characters

2) shorter is probably better.

2b) Use your good judgment on content. I reserve the grand power to not use something if it's unsuitable for mass viewing but I'm sure that will not be a problem.

 

3) you can add sound or leave your scene silent

 

The camera is set to render to a JPG series. An image series was chosen instead of Quicktime so you wouldn't have to render your animation all in one stretch.

 

Resolution:

 

854x480 when you go to render.

[robcat2075]

On the set...

 

-could we add a dark alley between two of the buildings to break it up a bit? Preferably positioned so the camera doesn't see all the way down it.

 

-like-wise can we make the buildings not all the same width.

 

-we need a lighting scheme that is more "night" because the during day you really can't see into rooms.

 

-could we add some balconies, ledges, downspouts and/or fire escapes so there's more of an "outside" option for staging? If everything has to happen within the small frame of the windows that's gong to be very limiting.

 

-the decal on the bricks is noticeably repeating exactly with the windows and the same on each building. That looks odd. Can that be varied more?

 

-have we figured out the procedurewith which any segment can be followed by any other segment without an obvious jump cut? That's not clear to me how that will work.

[NancyGormezano]

For those who may not be familiar with the movie and it's many viewpoints:

 

 

Might be fun to animate some voyeurs as well as some voyeurees

[mtpeak2]

Robert, there's not going to be an option for outside. This set is only for the transitions between scenes. The transitions will zoom into the room. This will be too much to render with a full set. I could redesign the set to be more like what Nancy showed in the trailer, a large courtyard with the the walls and windows all around it.

[robcat2075]

Robert, there's not going to be an option for outside. This set is only for the transitions between scenes. The transitions will zoom into the room. This will be too much to render with a full set. I could redesign the set to be more like what Nancy showed in the trailer, a large courtyard with the the walls and windows all around it.

 

Are you saying each person is going to put the camera inside the room after the transition?

 

That's not "Rear Window"

 

Look at that trailer, every one of the views of the rooms is from Jimmy Stewart's perch across the street, the camera never goes inside.

 

that's the Rear Window concept i thought we were doing.

[mtpeak2]

I here ya.

 

Here's the rear window set. I could try to duplicate something like it.

[robcat2075]

The set you have is very close already.

 

A courtyard we don't need. The street and sidewalk you have in front of the building is enough if anyone wanted to do something at ground level.

 

My concern is that these double-hung style windows on your set are about half the width of what jimmy Stewart has to look into. That will certainly save on people having to do a lot of decorating of the interiors, but doesn't give much room for visible action inside the room.

 

If the characters could get on a fire escape or ledge or balcony outside their window, that would open up a lot of options for people to do things and still stay true to the Rear Window concept.