Zack Ryder LI animation Playblast

WOO WOO WOO! YOU KNOW IT!

One for Long Island

Hey all! Been doing some more 3D this morning. I started with a bit of reference footage of throwing up the LIs. Using the footage, I came up with this:

Note: This is a Playblast render, not representative of the final render.

So from here, I'll be adding some more motion, as I've just done the key poses. Then I'll be cleaning it all up. 

After this one is finished, I'm thinking possibly a Broski Boot, then a Rough Ryder (separate clips). Give the "Beefy" model a KO vest, perhaps? Then, if I'm feeling brave, finish off with a Pop-Up Powerbomb?

This is all future, though. Let's go a step at a time.

WOO WOO WOO! YOU KNOW IT!

Back To Basics Day 7 - "Immediate Future Vlog"

Back To Basics - My way of getting those creative juices flowing! And this time I'm showing you some behind the scenes behind key parts! 
Day 7- "Immediate Future Vlog"

A vlog to inform you of the immediate future of the series.

Back To Basics - Day 6 "Another Look At Arcs"

Back To Basics - My way of getting those creative juices flowing! And this time I'm showing you some behind the scenes behind key parts! 

Day 6- "Another Look At Arcs"


Apologies for the look of the example, it is a new style I'm trying and haven't got the hang of it just yet.


This episode of Back To Basics takes a quick look at arcs when used with a character.

Back To Basics - Day 5 "A Brief Look At Arcs"

Back To Basics - My way of getting those creative juices flowing! And this time I'm showing you some behind the scenes behind key parts!

Day 5- "A Brief Look At Arcs"

This episode of Back To Basics takes a very quick look at arcs of action. This is just a set up for tomorrow where I will look further into multiple arcs with a character

Back To Basics - Day 4 "Timing and Spacing"

Back To Basics - My way of getting those creative juices flowing! And this time I'm showing you some behind the scenes behind key parts! 
Day 4- "Timing and Spacing"
This episode of Back To Basics takes a quick look at Timing and Spacing and how easing can make all the difference in the appearance of how something can move.

Back To Basics - Day 3 "VLOG"

Back To Basics - My way of getting those creative juices flowing! And this time I'm showing you some behind the scenes behind key parts! 

Day 3 - "VLOG 1"

This episode of Back To Basics is a look at what I want to do with Back To Basics and also who I am.

A different form from the previous 2 episodes, this is something I want to drop into the mix from time to time, just to give that human touch to the whole project.

Back To Basics- Day 2 "Bowling Ball"

Back To Basics - My way of getting those creative juices flowing! And this time I'm showing you some behind the scenes behind key parts!

Day 2 - "Bowling Ball"

A look at the bouncing of a Bowling Ball.

Back To Basics- Day 1 "Bouncing Ball"

Back To Basics- Day 1 "Bouncing Ball" - So this week, I'm going back to square one with animation and skill building, not only to enhance my animation in general, but to get some much needed inspiration and motivation.

Day 1 is starting work with the Bouncing Ball. From here, I'll be experimenting with other materials for the ball. But that's another day!

Halloween Short

Creating a Halloween Short

Okay, so I've been posting my updates to Facebook and not on here, but when there's not much to talk about with it, why worry?

I'm planning a Halloween short, so I have a strict deadline for it. I have the idea, so now it's just making the stuff! The short has a couple scene changes, which isn't too bad, and only two characters. I wont give away the story, though.

I began sketching out the base of the character

Then building up to the final design

Same process for the second character

And there we have it! Two characters!

Creative Block and me

Hey all! Creative block hits all kinds of areas, from writers, artists, animators, musicians and so forth. It's a shame when you really want to just make something and you have no inspiration or drive. It happens to me a lot, either I lose interest in my personal projects because I have no drive, or I just can't bring myself to actually start one. Right now, I have an idea for a Lore-Breaking Fallout video based around Cats and Deathclaws. I know what I want to do with it, I just can't find that push to do it. It's a shame, because I really think it would be a funny short, and would be instantly hated by the Fallout community, or loved by them for poking fun at the game we all like.
I have another project I'm slowly chipping away on which Alnwick North fans would enjoy, the successor to A Week In Barresdale, which I have created an Establishing shot for. I've got the episode planned out with sketches and everything, it's just sitting down to make them.
Then there is wanting to learn Toon Boom...

I've found that there are ways to get yourself into "the zone" through different methods. Sometimes just doing some exercise helps. It clears your mind for a while, lets you think solely on certain areas, like, if I'm on a treadmill or exercise bike, I tend to think about the progression of story in 30-60 second sketches so they don't drag on or end before you can grasp what's happening in the scene.
But on the flip side, I walk 2 miles to work, making a round trip of 4 miles, plus being on my feet for 8 hours. When I get home, I'm physically drained and just want to sit down for a while. Animating may not be physically demanding, but when you're tired, you feel mentally drained, too. I don't always feel like drawing. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can't. It's tough sometimes.

Music! I listen to a wide variety of music. From metal and rock to pop. Recently, I've been listening to a bit Hayley Orrantia (you may recognise her from The Goldbergs). When really getting into animation, I like to get some metal on. Epic guitar riffs like in Iron Maiden are great for keeping you going. Lighter stuff like Hayley Orrantia and a-ha work well when you're already under way. At least, that's how it works for me.

TV! Sometimes not animating and watching some TV works well. For A Week In Barresdale, I would watch The League of Gentlemen a lot, now I have that and the Scottish comedy Burnistoun, shows which are based around characters in the same town which rarely interact with characters from outside of their sketches, save for perhaps mentions in passing.

Even just cleaning your room can help. A tidy area leads to a tidy mind. Or play with your pets. It's a fun distraction which gives you mind a break, so when you come back to working on your project, you can feel a little refreshed.

I'll leave you with a little sneak peak at the establishing shot I mentioned earlier. It's a throwback to an old cartoon, so, can anyone guess which cartoon? It was towards the end of Alnwick North's run, so some of you may still remember it.

Be sure to follow the blog to keep up to date with what I'm doing!

Deep Dive into CMANIM - Depression, Life, Cats.

Inspired by a blog post by Jack Rollins, Horror Author with Dark Chapter Press, I've decided to give a look into a side of me I don't particularly enjoy talking about, but it's one which has made me who I am and has heavily impacted my story writing and animation.

I am depressed. I have depression. Luckily I've not had a bad turn for quite some time, although I know it's always there.
I was first diagnosed with depression in 2010 and was on medication to help me cope with it. I don't know what the trigger for it was, just one day after getting home from work, I sat at the end of my bed and just began crying for no reason. I had been feeling lousy for so long and I just couldn't cope any more. I would hide my feelings through comedy and laughing, so people wouldn't think anything was wrong, laughing off anything that may have slipped through the cracks. I was up and down on a daily basis. I just didn't want to admit I needed help. I didn't want people to see me upset. I felt it made me seem weak. I only opened up to a select few people about the issue and for the most part was supported by them. I ended up losing some friends through this time and I wouldn't be back in touch with them until this year, 2015. I was on and off the medication, taking the full dose of it until the doctor and I felt I had things under control and would then steadily lower the dosage until I was off completely. This would happen a few times, as I would keep falling back into the downward spiral and feeling like I was just a burden on everyone and would be better off just being gone. Around the time of University, things were looking good for me, only with a couple slips here and there. My major one around this time, I had got home from work after working a night shift, sat down with the cat, Tippy, held him and began crying telling him "everything will be okay...", he just purred at me. I owe that cat more than he will ever know. For a while, I was going on only for him. It's stupid, I know, but I needed that anchor. Tippy relied on me and I couldn't have him be hurt or anything like that. I kept going for him. I love that cat.

Tippy and I more recently

I told my team leader and friend about this and told her I just felt weak and pathetic about the whole thing. She told me something I would never forget, crying isn't a sign of weakness, it takes a strong person to cry and open up about it. Thank you, Rachel.

I would later leave my job. The stress of working and second year of Uni was just piling up and with the whole depression looming over me, I needed to be selfish for a while and focus on me, and of course, Tippy.

That was the end of 2013, leading into 2014. 2014 was a much better year for me. I was able to focus on my Uni work, which dragged my grades up massively, getting firsts and being 5 marks off a first in one project (still boiling about that, haha). I went to Lithuania with an Erasmus trip and met some great people there. Stress happened when I was low on money over the Summer and ended up spending a month back home, with a week of it on holiday with my brother and his two boys. That was fun, even if I wasn't particularly great to be around at that time.

Going into my final year of uni, I was having a hell of a time. At some points, I just felt I shouldn't have been there and could feel that shit feeling creeping back in and was even thinking of leaving Uni, but I stuck it out. This feeling would return at the start of this year, the final half of my final year. Everything was going wrong with my work. My final presentation, I broke down into tears. I was stressed, feeling shit, no sleep because of this, my work was nowhere near finished, and I just felt like I was never going to make it. My lecturers told me they could see the hard work that was there and that I'm doing well. I had a few days to tighten everything up and have it ready for hand in. That day, I went home, didn't do any work. Had a bath, played some PS4 and just took a day to relax and de-stress. Then, over the next couple days, I worked my bollocks off. Even finding time to relax while rendering by painting some models. I handed my work in early. I finished University with a 2:1. I got back into work recently, not in Animation, but back in retail as a Butcher/Fishmonger. I now animate in my spare time, looking to work freelance. I was recently at HorrorCon in Rotherham where I was helping Jack Rollins and Dark Chapter Press, showing my Seance animation and promoting myself. I shifted some business cards, which puts my name in their pockets at least.

5 years ago, if you told me I'd be graduating University after studying animation and being happy with who I am, I'd have laughed in your face. But once those floodgates opened and my depression came out, I worked harder than I ever have in my life to be the best I can be. Someone my parents can be proud of, someone my brothers can be proud of, someone my niece and nephews can look up to and be proud of. But most importantly, someone I can be proud of. 

I don't know how many people will read this post, but to anyone who is going through a tough time, just remember, it really does get better. fight it. It's a hard fight, yeah, but it's a fight worth seeing out until the end. Talk to people about how you feel. It's not weak to admit your faults, it only makes you a stronger person.

I might not be out of the woods yet, but I'm doing everything I can to keep positive and try not to fall back into that pit. There's always up and down days, but the downs make the ups better. Remember that.

And get a cat. Cats are awesome.

I'll leave you with a message my friend Pat Ryan left on something I posted on Facebook about negativity.

"Yeah, there's a lot of shitty stuff in the world, I see some of it at work, but what I tell my clients holds true everywhere: the world is great. People are fucking incredible. If you can't, won't, or don't see the amazing, then that means its your turn to get up and make it incredible. People are greedy? Pay for someone else at a restaurant. People are cold and disconnected? Tell the person who serves you coffee how nice they look. People don't care enough? Call a friend and tell them you love them. Bad things happen to you? Help a stranger. Love stupidly, smile broadly, care selflessly. The world isn't against you, the world doesn't give enough of a fuck about you to want to hold you back. The only person that is obsessed enough with you to ruin your life is you. So, y'know, stop it."

PreRoll Animation

I've created a little PreRoll animation which plays after the cartoon has loaded.
http://www.fastswf.com/bCnC7P0
It's a simple piece, but it tells you who I am and gives you the link to my website. It's nothing crazy, just straight to the point, which is important, because if you have a long advert for your site, people wont really want to watch much more. So a quick splash card and onto the movie is a plus!

I'll look at putting some sound into it later, as it's quite plain right now

Hunting High and Low

HUNTING HIGH AND LOW - the new short from Chris McEwan Animation. The alternate ending to the 1985 smash hit by a-ha.

I used this as a bit of an experimental project. The way I have highlighted the characters, the way I made the backgrounds, all different to how I used to do them, and I quite like the effect on the highlights. The backgrounds need work, yeah, but I'm not exactly a wizard with Photoshop.

Graduating Uni, Bojack Horseman, a-ha... The life I lead!

Alright! So I've finally finished Uni and got all of my results. My last two projects (Advanced Anim and the Masterpiece) didn't give me grades I was jumping for joy with, but the final results for my three years at Uni gave me a 2:1 which I am so damn proud with! Yeah, obviously, I'd have loved to get a First Class Honours, but I knew I wouldn't have got that. I always said a 2:1 is the minimum I want to get, as if you don't have that, places wont even entertain you, so getting a 2:1 has really given me that huge push I was needing after the slump I hit this year. So a huge thank you to anyone who helped with feedback on my work, anyone who helped with my dissertation and anyone who just put up with me talking about nothing but bloody Uni work! It's been a stressful 3 years, full of ups and downs (And Inbetweens - get it? Animation? Inbetweens? Ahh, forget it...) it's not something I'm going to miss, if I'm honest with you, but I did love it. I'm just looking forward to getting some money, now!

After my final hand in, I went back to my hometown of Alnwick for a week to see family. I also got into watching Bojack Horseman, I only found out yesterday that it is actually made in Flash! And there I was, thinking it was Toon Boom! So take that, anyone who says 2D is dead and Flash is useless. One of the funniest shows at the moment is made in Flash.

Finally, a-ha!
Finding out that I did well at Uni has really given me a push to do some Flash. So today, instead of ironing a shirt ready for tonight, I'm remaking a small project I made a very long time ago. So let me take you back... Probably about 2005 (10 years ago, Christ!) I was twisting a-ha videos and songs to make them very strange and dark, as you do for your favourite band! I turned my hand to a small section of the video for Hunting High And Low. Today, I begin remaking that. Hopefully better.
I'm going to try something different on Flash here. I've picked up so many tips and tricks since the old Alnwick North days and I'm continuing to learn things with Flash to this day. Using a tip for highlighting and shading (plus a little bit of my own thought process) I've created a really nice effect which gives a sort of 3D feel. It's a way I've never done before and it needs a little work, still, but it's looking nice, if I do say so myself. It's also got me thinking about how to do the backgrounds. I'm luck for this piece that the backgrounds aren't massively detailed, really. It's a good chance to try a different style, which will need me to use Photoshop, too

Advanced Animation and VFX Week 14-2

I'm preparing for my hand in tomorrow, so I will review my Animation piece with what feedback I gathered online. Also, I will showcase my Showreel.

DIRECT LINK: https://youtu.be/K29MWHOIn9w

My showreel features music from Norwegian band Flare, a band I became friends with a couple years ago. I'm actually featured in their second album under the Thanks section! They're a band I got to know while working as a volunteer on my hometown's radio station, where I was a regular broadcaster which featured bands from across the world who weren't household names and who I had become friends with through Myspace (yes, it was that long ago)

I am friends with the band members on Facebook, where I messaged the band's singer, who wrote the song. Truls Marius Dale (Tiam Dee).
When I had asked one of my lecturers how I could show I had got permission to use a track from a band, he had told me so long as it was in writing, it was fine! Flare are an excellent group of musicians from Bergen, Norway. Thanks to Truls Marius Dale, I was able to have an upbeat, happy rock/pop track to my animation. I was able to have some of the animation hit beats well which really emphasises the animation, I feel, as do those who have seen my reel. Former animation student Alex Wright was not only impressed with how the music complimented my animation style, but also the quality of the animation shown and the range of skills I have shown.

DIRECT LINK: https://youtu.be/q3D9_aRvZ2Y

Reviews of the Wrestling piece were very positive! I mainly got feedback from the website Newgrounds.

Newgrounds gives a visual rating on the page out of 5 stars. The piece has been up since Monday 18th May and has scored 3.68/5

Animator Rob Yulfo (Freelance animator who has been featured on Comedy Central's Trip Tank) said of the piece that it reminds him of Rockem Sockem Robots, which is something I've heard a couple times since selecting those models. Of the animation, he told me that it is of very good quality. As someone who has worked with Maya in the past, he knows how tempting it is to have the camera floating through the scene, which is something I actively set out to avoid since the beginning. My choices of camera angles played the piece well, showing the Face Character being on the back foot until he manages to reverse the Curb Stomp, where the camera is a low angle for the Heel character, emphasising the danger for him.

Simon Jobson, who has experience with animation for web design, commented on the fluidity of the secondary movement and the emphasis before moves are performed. He also followed up with a quote of South Park, "That's not real Wrastling!"

Newgrounds user Mighty Dein complimented the careful attention to the poses within the piece which created an excellent animation for character interaction.

Another user Maddude13pt2 wished I had actually made a full 3 minute short of the fight, suggesting that in the future, maybe think of doing a collaboration with other animators to lighten the load of animating it all.

The reviews were ranged between 3-5 stars, with the overall rating being based off of the views where the users rated (not reviewed).

Advanced Animation and VFX Week 14-1

FINAL PIECE

DIRECT LINK: https://youtu.be/q3D9_aRvZ2Y

Breakdown 01

DIRECT LINK: https://youtu.be/w-8AFuVjPLw

Breakdown 02

DIRECT LINK: https://youtu.be/bIC00dCwMKc

I broke the breakdown into 2 parts as they look at solo animation and interaction animation in their own sections.

Advanced Animation and VFX 13-2

Animation and Breakdowns are completed! I'm going to be uploading them tomorrow for feedback and what not from the general public rather than lecturers and peers.
The animation Breakdowns that I looked at to see how they are arranged:
https://youtu.be/2z_k2z5m6H0 - Bobby Pontillas, Frozen
https://youtu.be/l9uaH6bXI4k - Patrick Giusiano, Epic
https://youtu.be/l-S7wQx_hvs - Jamaal Bradley, Tangled
https://youtu.be/szJ9Ohi2FNo - Daniel Peixe, Frozen (Sven)
I found these breakdowns to be the best examples of how to lay out my breakdowns, from 2D planning to the final render.

Advanced Animation and VFX Week 13-1

I've been working on my Reel this week, looking at what pieces I would like to use in it, finding music I would like to have over it, things like that.