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!

The Money Shot

Hi folks,

This week I finished the most challenging shot of Ladies Knight: Shot 3-19, in which Doofus tap-dances up a tree as it falls into a river, then is joined by a quartet of tap-dancing frogs. This shot took me an estimated 50 hours to animate, and it's only 8 seconds long. Such is the life of an animator. Amazingly, I am still on schedule.

There are, of course, things I wish I could fix about this shot -- for example, the frogs sort of blend in with the bright scenery -- but it looks good enough, and fulfills its purpose, and I'd better get to other shots if I want to finish this film on time.

Just a screenshot for now -- I'll upload a video when I have time for an export...

Song 3 Animation!

Hi folks,

Check out the new backgrounds and animation in Song 3 at this youtube link! So far, about 1/3 of the shots are finished. Enjoy!

Chugging along

Hi folks,

This has been a busy, busy week of animation. I've completed 11 shots from Song 3, including the Busby Berkeley-esque shot pictured. I expect to finish a couple more shots by classtime on Wednesday. Point-wise, Song 3 is 32% done, and that was in less than 2 weeks! I'll bring the new animation to class on Wednesday, and post it here on the blog as soon as I get a chance.

This week I enjoyed an hour of socializing with friends, plus a trip to Yogurtland (which is directly below my apartment). I also enjoyed various fantasies about playing video games or reading books. Finally, I indulged in writing this paragraph exaggerating my intense work schedule. But now, back to work.