Song 2 & 3 Vimeo Uploads!

Hi folks!

I've uploaded Songs 2 & 3 to Vimeo. Here's a link to Song 2, and here's a link to Song 3. Password: "knightly"

Please let me know your thoughts!

Also, animation is officially 51% complete! It's all downhill from here!

Joe Dreams of Knightly

Hi folks,

By class time on Wednesday, Ladies Knight will be 50% animated, point-wise.

Songs 1 and 3 are finished, and Song 2 is close. At my current pace, I'm on schedule to finish all of the songs by spring break, leaving me about 3 weeks to complete the surrounding dialogue scenes (which are generally less difficult).

I need to be considerate of my composer, who needs time to underscore the dialogue, so I'll probably self-enforce an early picture lock for his sake.

Since Friday, I've been animating 24 points per day instead of my usual 14 in order to catch up from Song 3's undervalued tap-dance shots. In theory, that's 24 hours of work, but in practice, it's maybe half that. The workload is definitely taking its toll -- when I sleep, I tend to dream that I'm working -- but I'm also gaining confidence that I can finish the film on time with few or no more edits.

I'll upload exports of Songs 2 & 3 before class on Wednesday, so stay tuned!

End of an era

Hi folks,

Fantastic news -- Song 3 (not including the surrounding dialogue) is completely animated! Tap-dancing, singing, finale, et al! One minute and forty-five seconds  of uninterrupted, complete animation.

However, I don't present in class until next week, and as I'd like the class' reaction to be fresh, I'll wait to export & upload next week. I hope nobody's terribly disappointed.

By next week, I should have plenty more to show, as well. Tonight I'll start animation on Song 2, and during the week I'll do backgrounds to catch up on points.

Stay tuned for the video upload next week!

Tap Dancing Complete!

Hi folks,

I finished all the tap-dancing shots!! Hooray! Here's a link to the youtube video of the export.

Compared to tap-dance animation, everything should be a cakewalk from here on. (Famous last words...)

Song 5 Backgrounds

Hi folks,

This weekend I took a break from tap-dancing (my legs are tired) and finished many of the backgrounds for Song 5, "Kissin' Spree."

(I did return to tap-dance animation on Sunday, and I should be done with all of the tap-dancing by classtime on Wednesday. I'll upload a video before class.)

Here are the new backgrounds.

Before the song starts, during the dialogue, the castle is gray and yellow.

During the song, the color scheme transitions to bright purples and reds. Why? I have no idea.

This one's an overhead view of Knightly and the Princess dangling from the ledge.

Looking down on the Dragon as he flies upward toward camera during the song's climax.

The reverse shot, looking up at the Dragon.

Since backgrounds don't take me nearly as long as animation, they're a great way to catch up on points after a long tap-dance shot. There may be another batch of backgrounds coming this weekend.

Stay tuned for new animation Wednesday!

Latest Animation & BGs

Hi folks,

The bear shot rages on, but it's almost finished. I've been working on BGs to keep my point count up.

Here's a youtube link to the latest animation, including most of the bear shot. I'm aware that there are still tap sounds playing while Doofus is flying in the air -- they won't be there in the final.

Here are some new backgrounds from Song 3 and Song 5.

Dragons and horses and bears, oy vey

Hi folks,

This week, we re-recorded Song 2, "Dragon's Song," at a slower tempo, and it no longer sounds rushed. Malcolm gave a hilarious top-notch performance as the Dragon.

Animation is progressing nicely. Aside from completing the flying segment of Song 3, I'm working on the longest shot of the film, Shot 39, clocking in at just under 15 seconds. This is the shot where Doofus tap-dances with the Bear. It should be complete by tomorrow.

I'll upload the latest animation right after I finish this shot. Stay tuned!