Grime City Blog

It's Done.

2010-07-28T03:15:00.000-07:00

Been quite busy recently, so you'll excuse my lack of updates.

You'll be pleased to know that Grime City is ready. Done. Finished. It's locked, loaded and ready to roll.

Platitudes aside, it is ready, and will be screened at the Cube Microplex in Bristol on Friday the 13th of August. Unlucky for some, but will be lucky for you should you come. Because it's a good film.

So come one, come all. It's been a while, and I for one can't wait to see it on the big screen!

Further Update Five: Almost... There...

2010-05-26T09:02:00.000-07:00

So, the animation on Grime City PD is almost done. Almost. It seems like I said the last thing in my last couple of posts, but this time, it really is done. Maybe it's a case of spacetime warping, so the closer we got the end the little bits seem to take longer, or it might be because I haven't been able to work full time on GCPD for quite a while. Sam and Ben are finishing the last few tweaks over the next couple fo days, then next week it gets sent to the magical sound places where music and noise will be added.

It feels quite satisfying to see it all coming together.

The next update will most likely be an announcement of it's premier at some Bristolian cinema, so keep tuned, for soon(ish) GCPD will be unleashed on the world!

Further Update Four: The Final Furlong

2010-04-30T05:35:00.000-07:00

Hello readers

It's been a while since the last update, but incase you were wondering what was going on the world of Grime City, it's good news. The animation is almost complete! I've been going in now and then to lend a helping hand, whilst Sam and Ben (a fairly new addition to Grime City's slowly expanding credits) have been busy animating, pausing only to write scripts for other projects, to struggle with editing software that refuses to co-operate, and to play scrabble on Facebook (speaking of the ubiquitous Facebook, Captain Jack Hersey now has his own page, so go add him).

All the hard work is paying off, and now, as of yesterday, there are only three scenes left. So the finish is in sight. Well, then there is the editing and sound, which aren't trifles, but it's a major step.

Soon the film will be finished, and the people will rejoice and eat cake, for it will be magnificent.

Stay posted.

Be seeing you.

Further Update Three: All Quiet On The Home Front

2010-03-11T02:26:00.000-08:00

Hey there readers.

It's been a while since the last update, so please forgive me and allow me to explain. Work has ground to a standstill. For a few weeks I have been working on another project, and then just a few weeks ago Sam, along with his wife Sally, had their second baby so he's been understandably rather busy, leaving Grime City on hiatus.

So congratulations to Sam and Sally. I will of course keep you folks posted of any developments in regards to Grime City, just there hasn't really been any for a while. Unless there has been and nobody told me about them!

I'll remind you all to have a look at the lovely Grime City website http://www.grimecitypd.com/ in the mean time.

Hope to hear from you soon. Or, rather, I hope you hear from me soon. Communication is rather one sided. Bye!

Further Update Two: Behold, A Wonderful Site

2010-02-01T17:05:00.000-08:00

How do.

Just a quick update today. I'm currently working on a different project, so I haven't been able to do much Grime City stuff over the last week and a half. However, I hear that Sam's endevours have allowed Grime City to break the 8 minute mark. So yay to that.

Also, and this explains the enigmatic title today, the Grime City website is up and running. You can, and should, take a trip over to http://www.grimecitypd.com/ and browse the glorious internetty bounty there within.

I'll be back on the Grime City case next week, so another update should be fairly soon, hopefully.

Further Update One: Helping Hands

2010-01-17T04:21:00.000-08:00

Greetings readers.

It's been a while since the last post here. There are several reasons for this. Christmas and New Year have been and gone since the last update. But the main reason for my silence is that, whilst the film was still far from complete, my time on the project had technically come to an end. The important word there is "technically". There was enough money to pay me for ten weeks work, and that well has ran dry.

But that isn't the end, oh no.

I'd like to see this film finished. Hence, I have offered to continue working on the film gratis. It's not feasible to work on it five days a week as before, but a couple of days will be much appreciated by Sam.

And I'm not the only person willing to work on this project for free. A few other folks have also worked, or are doing work on this film pro bono (okay, okay... working on an animated short, as good as it will no doubt be, doesn't perhaps count as pro bono publico. But I wanted to fit that phrase into here somewhere, damn it).

So with the efforts that I and the others (whose names I shall insert in recognition once I remember who has contibuted) the project rumbles on. The animation stands at 7 minutes done (at least, I think that's what Sam said, I'll check that figure ASAP, so we're well past halfway.

Well, until the next update folks, take it easy.

Week Ten: All Good Things...

2009-12-23T01:59:00.001-08:00

Hello folks.

So, the final week of production has ended. It actually ended last Friday, but then Christmas plans got in the way so I'm a little late updating the blog, so sorry for that, but I've done it now.

So, ten weeks have been and gone, and the film is pretty much half done. This is, unfortunately, a little less than we would have hoped, as my paid time on this project has come to an end. The last week was spent finishing the scene mentioned last week, and starting a new scene.

The new scene is fairly simple, Billy and Patricia talking in a bar. Technically rather simple, mostly just cutting back bewteen shots of the characters heads. As this is fairly simple, allowing for the re-use of backgrounds and some characters elements, I managed to complete most of the scene. Most, but not all. But the groundwork for the remaining shots is there.

It's been a good few weeks working on this project. I'd like to see this film completed almost as much as Sam does, so much so that I'm going to do a bit more work on it gratis. At least until something paid comes up!

I'll try and update this blog to let you know how it's going, though it might not be at the same frequency, and it certainly wont be for a couple of weeks, what with Christmas and all.

Anyway, it's been a pleasure. And let me wish you a Merry Christmas. Or Festivus, if that's what your into.

Bye!

Week Nine-point-One: Actual Footage

2009-12-15T03:44:00.000-08:00

Hello readers.

Today I'm updating the blog ahead of the weekly schedule to bring you a special glimpse of some of the actual footage I've been working on. This little section of film shows most of the scene I've mentioned in the last couple of blogs, including Jacks diagonal walk towards camera I mentioned last week. It's cutting togther well.

Anyway, I hope you like what you see.

Week Nine: The Penultimate Chapter

2009-12-13T15:48:00.000-08:00

Hello readers. Of course, by "chapter" in the title I mean "week".

Just one week left now, the time on this project seems to have gone all to quickly. And the week just passed has been rather good, all in all. Some of the shots I've worked on have been the best I've done so far.

It's not all been clear sailing. I was hoping to have finished the scene I'm working on by the end of the week, but a fiddly walk sequence threw me off my stride. Due to Jack's waddling as he walks from the middle-left of the background to the right of the foreground, it took a few false starts to get the placement of where his feet should fall, as well as the angles that his roughly cubular body should be taking.

(I know cubular isn't actually a word, but I think it would be a rather good word to describe something cube shaped. Although, now I think about it, it's not really something that could be used to describe Jack's body anyway, as it's more rectangular. Boxy would be a better word perhaps, or brick-esque. And thats quite enough topic derailment for now)

But I rose to the challenge, and eventually conquered the shot, it just took a little while longer than would have been ideal.

I'm highly confident of finishing the scene early next week, only have one relatively simple shot to produce, and then after that there's some minor tweaking to be done to old shots as Sam (director) wants Sam's (character) lips removed. So all fairly simple, and I'm looking forward to the last week, though it is tinged with some dissapointment as my time on this project will all too soon be over, and it is quite an enjoyable project indeed.

Week Eight: A New Scene

2009-12-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

Hey there readers.

Well, thats another week over with, and the scene I've ben working on over the last few weeks was, as I predicted, completed at the start of the week. I hesitate to say done and dusted, and further dusting may be required down the line, but hopefully wont be.

So I started on a new scene. It actually feels good to work on a different scene, something different. Though this new scene takes place in the same locale as the last scene I was working on, so technically it's not that different. But the sense of progress is rather good.

Also this week, I realised just how long it takes to do shading and colouring. Due to some unfortunate instances Sam wasn't around the studio for a few days this week, so to avoid colouring in and shading the animation I did in his absence, only to find out there was something that needed changing, I left the shots as line art.

As it happens, the scenes were pretty good, only requiring minor tweaking. But this did mean I was left with, at the end of the week, 3 or 4 shots that were good but far from complete. So on Friday I thought "well, I'll get these coloured and finished today, no worries." Of course, this was overly optimistic, the shading and colouring sometimes seems to take just as long as the animation. This isn't a complaint, merely an observation. At least I'll be able to give btter E.T.As on things now.

Just two weeks left now. Hopefully I'll get this scene finished before then, I'm actually hopeful of getting it finished this week, and maybe I can get a quick scene I can finish in my last week... we shall see.

Take care.

Week Seven: Another scene done (well, pretty much)

2009-11-29T10:47:00.000-08:00

Hello readers.

So, the seventh week of production has been and gone, and piece by piece the film is coming together.

I've spent much of the last few weeks working on the same scene, and I'm glad to say it's pretty much done, just a few minor tweaks needed to some background details for continuity. It's something of a relief to see the shots all come together and see that, minor tweaks aside, the continuity holds up well.

Unless somebody notices a glaring error that had somehow slipped under the radar, the little changes that are needed shouldn't even take a day, and then it will be onto a new scene.

Overall, the progress is going steadily, though as I only have three weeks left on this project I would have liked to have gotten more done. But sacrificing the quality of animation for quantity would just be detrimental to the film. Slow and steady, and all that.

Until next weeks blog, readers, take care.

Week Six: Chipping Away

2009-11-22T10:47:00.000-08:00

As in chipping away at the work, like a tiny bird chipping away at a giant mountain, a sparrow using his beak to reduce K2 to a spec of dust.

Ok, that was a little dramatic and this project isn't going that slow; and it's certainly not as futile as that. But animation is a fairly slow process. I've been working on the same scene, comprised of several different shots, for a couple of weeks now, and the end of the scene is almost upon us. Finishing a scene feels like a minor accomplishment. To go back to a mountainy reference, finishing each scene can be viewed akin to conquering a foothill on the way to reaching the ultimate summit of the films completion.

And each shot in a scene is a small achievement in itself. If a scene is akin to a foothill, an individual shot would be akin to a waypoint (I guess). And between each waypoint you have the individual steps of 1) planning the scenes composition; 2) creating the key frames; 3) adding in the inbetween frames; 4) drawing in the lip sync; 5) colouring in; 6) adding the shading for a superior look. And then usually step 7) making the characters blink as you realise they all have wide eyed stares. Oh, and then on some shots 8) camera moves.

And those are the simple steps.

My point is, each step, as labourious as it maybe, is a further step towards completion. Occasionally you might stumble, or try to rush ahead and place a foot wrong, when you should be going slow and steady. But you're always moving towards the summit.

Until next week folks.

(this weeks blog was really going to be a simple entry about the steps involved in making each scene, but I got carried away by metaphors. Think I got away with it though...)

Week Five: Guidance

2009-11-14T05:47:00.000-08:00

How do.

So, week five has ended, nad things are going okay, and I, thanks to some helpful advice from Sam, have finally got the hang of the characters line quality / thickness etc.

Prior to this advice, my mark making had been slightly off model, most notably on the heads. So in a Karate Kid style lesson, I was shown that the head should be a single, sweeping line. Previously my heads had been drawn with several shorter lines, which lead to a noticably less smooth line, the actual characters were pretty much ok as fvar as proportions go, but the change from Sam's smooth lines to my more sketchy mark making was apparent, making the two different styles contrast.

but it's all ok now. We live and we learn.

As far as the actual shots I'm animating are going, they've been ok. This week I've been animating a scene that involves most of the major characters standing around talking. Not much tricky animation, but it's been a little awkward getting the backgrounds worked out, as the scene is made up of a number of different fairly rapid shots. iIf the backgrounds don't work, the continuity will be broken, and space / time itself will shatter. Well, maybe not the last bit, but the scene wouldn't be as effective.

Well, bye for now folks.

Week Four: When illness attacks

2009-11-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

Greetings readers. You might notice this blog has moved to a new site, as this site seems easier to manage, as well as being much easier to upload images to. Added a few images to the older posts, which I've copied over onto here.

So, how has this week been? Well, as you can possibly tell from the title, I've had a cold for most of this week, though it's been nothing compared to the gastric bug thing that Sam has had. Because of these illnesses production did slow down slightly this week, really not ideal, but it happens, guess we should try to make up for lost time at some point.

Even with the illness though, I feel I've had a fairly productive week, rather pleased with the shot I did of Larry Finn being thrown into jail, and a few other shots have turned out well too. I have had a slight bit of trouble getting the line thickness right at times (Too thin! Too thick!), which is annoying, and there was one shot where the characters were slightly off model, at least until it was pointed out to me.

Errors like this are rather frustrating, as they take time to fix, and really shouldn't happen in the first place, but I'll put those errors down to my cold though, as it's fairly easy to lose concentration when your nose is running like a broken faucet and your focus is broken by sporadic coughing / sneezing.

Still, as only just mentioned, all things considered I'd say this week has been as productive as could be hoped, and I'm already feeling somewhat better (and Sam seemed to be regaining his health last I saw him) so next week should be more productive. Onwards and upwards.

Bye for now

Week Three: It Continues

2009-11-06T03:59:00.000-08:00

(originally posted on 01/11/09 on http://ianhickman.blogsome.com)

First of all, I apologise for the rather lacklustre subtitle of this week’s entry. "It continues" isn’t exactly interesting, but that’s all my brain could think of for now.

Anyway, after a week away from the studio, how, I hear you ask, did this week go? Pretty well, is the answer. Most of this week was taken up finishing the shot I had started at the end of week two. It is a fairly laborous shot, including not one but two walk cycles, and a fair but of animation in general, at least compared to some of the other shots which consist of a talking head or two.

Such work intensive shots have their own problems to work around, not least maintaining the character over each frame. As I discovered, a minor error at the start which is overlooked can turn into a couple of hours retro-actively changing the error in every consequent shot. Of course, the ideal situation is to not make mistakes such as those in the first place (in case you’re wondering, Sams head was too big. Thats the character Sam, not the director), but errors can slip in all too easily.

The shot still needs to be approved by Sam (the director, not the character), but hopefully those little errors have all been ironed out. I’ll let you know next week of course.

Bye for now.

Week Two: Keep on walking

2009-11-06T03:56:00.000-08:00

(originally posted on 18/10/09 on http://ianhickman.blogsome.com)

So, the second week of animation has came and gone. It started with me finishing a walking cycle I started at the end of the first week, and ended with me starting another walk cycle which I shall finish next week. And that explains this blog entry’s title.

I did mention last week the importance of getting the drawings right, and this is going to be something that requires constant attention right throughout the project, as it’s all to easy to get caught up animating, and only at the end realise the myriad of errors, which then take ages to correct in every single frame. But a little attention, early on, is all that is required to prevent major errors.

With that in mind, I’m fully expecting the second walk cycle to turn out better. The first walk cycle is fine, but required a number of tweaks, paticularily to the length of Jack’s stubby legs. hopefully this second walk cycle will be pretty much bang on first time round. It’ll be interesting to compare the two, and I think the second cycle will be a little more soild.

Also this week, there has been a slight more focus on continuity between shots. Continuity errors can really destroy the sense of realism a scene has, perhaps especially in cartoons, where the simplified enviroment makes discrepancies easier to notice. And as both I and Sam are working on the same scene at the same time, but different shots, it would be very easy for somebody’s arm to move position in the blink of a camera cut. It’s a fairly easy thing to avoid, but, as with remaining on-model, requires some attention.

My next little entry will be in a fortnight-ish, as nobody is going to be in the studio next week. So bye for now.

Week One: It Begins

2009-11-06T03:55:00.000-08:00

(originally posted on 10/10/09 on http://ianhickman.blogsome.com)

So, the first week of production is over. How has it gone? I think it’s gone pretty well.

As always, the first week of a project is going to partly consist of getting into the swing of things. Making sure that the character drawings and line quality meet what is required. This isn’t a huge challenge, but it is something that needs constant monitoring and adjusting.

My own drawing style, whilst not majorly different to Sam’s, is still different enough that if I stop paying attention to the details, I can easily find that the characters look slightly different to how they should. Legs can become longer, eyes can become bigger. Hair can become occasionally massive. But I think I’m pretty used to the character models now, and, after having a few of my mistakes pointed out earlier in the week, I’m aware of the slip-ups I’m liable to make, and am able to correct them myself, without Sam’s intervention. Which is good.

Most of the week has been spent on relatively simple shots, a few arm movements here, a head movement there, mostly straighforward. As I said, this first week has really been mostly getting back into the swing of things, learning the character models. The most challenging scene I’ve had to work on so far is one of Jack walking across the room, which I started working on on Friday, and should hopefully finish early next week. I’ll let you know how it goes in the next blog.

Bye for now

Introduction

2009-11-06T03:51:00.000-08:00

(originally posted on 3/10/2009 on ianhickman.blogsome.com)

Hello there

My name is Ian Hickman, and this Blog is being created to document what I get up to whilst working on the Sam Morrison short film Grime City PD.

But first, let me tell you about myself, and how I got to this point. I graduated from the University of the West of Midlands way back in 2005, with a degree in Illustration with Animation. My graduation film, Doom Farm, as well as some of the other things I’ve created can be seen on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/user/thesonandtheheir

Since I graduated, I’ve been working as a freelance animator, and have worked for Sam Morrison on several projects, including the sort-of prequel to this current project, Rocket Science. I’ve also worked on the Channel 4 series Modern Toss, as well as a few other adverts.

Even though I have some experience, I still feel I could learn more and improve, and hopefully, over the course of this project, I will.

Well, thats me, hopefully you’ll be coming back to this blog to see what I’ve been up to. I’m planning to update this blog weekly, in case your wondering.

Be seeing you.