The Forest of Atramentous Birds

The 11th Hour

2010-09-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

OK, I have reiterated this point since post number one, I am doing this blog to document the process of making a short film in Ireland. I want this blog to be not only honest, but respectful. People in the industry say NO, films end up on the cutting room floor, simple. Such is life.

Update:

In September 2009 BBCNI gave the project a letter of interest for both broadcasting and funding, this letter allowed us to win funding from BCI. In march I met the BBCNI who needed to pass the project with other individuals within BBCNI and that I would return to talk about it with these individuals, I never got re-invited but I am assured that it is being dealt with.

It is now the eleventh hour, our funding extension for forest from BAI (former BCI) is about to expire and the €65000 we have been awarded will be lost.

1 day left.

Exciting

Getting stuff made all hangs on the Broadcaster.

2010-09-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

OK, NI Screen said..... NO, cant help, dont make short films. period. OK, cant really argue with that. They did notice there was Irish in it, unlike some other people..... and pointed the finger at ILBF.

So we met up with the really sound Aine Walsh, and Brendan, who i once worked with in Waddell Media, also really nice. They kindly showed interest in the project, but also made it very very clear nothing could be done until the broadcaster had committed fully.

Northern Ireland Screen

2010-03-07T05:49:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, we met Catherine and Jonathan from NI Screen to talk about how they may be able to support 'forest'.

With the recent success regarding animation in Ireland its about time the north pushed something forward.

The last piece of beautiful animation I seen produced in the north was the incredibly stunning IFTA funded and BAFTA nominated, 'Crumble Giant' by John McCloskey but that was nearly 3 years ago. So......

Anyway

There seems to be some enthusiasm for the film, so hopefully we can make it work

Next Steps ' previs '

2010-03-07T03:22:00.000-08:00

OK, first cut of the previs has been created and feedback collected. So obviously, we are going to address some of these issues, I can imagine maybe 2 - 3 more editions of animatic before we move on to previs.

For all of you that don't know what a previs is or why we make one, its very simple.
(this may not be the case for all studios) however for us, the animatic lets us know if composition is working, general pace, are we hitting story beats, and setting strong poses.

Previs allows us to push this to the next level visually, however, more importantly it allows us to start planning the build/production. The previs is created using 3D assets in softimage, the application the final animation will be created in. So we create the scene using basic objects and primitives, this may seem like a bit of a waste of time considering we will have to build all those assets again in greater detail, but, what is invaluable is our ability to lock down exactly what needs to be built based on our camera move, example we can fine out we only need to build half a house cause we only see half and we only need detail in the top corner because the rest is out of focus. This process ultimately ends up saving time.

Another reason is the overlap of talent, the scene scale is set the temporary objects are in place and the 3D characters are roughly animated. This same scene can then be handed to many different people and they can begin their task ie the modeler could start replacing the temp props with the detailed ones they create, and the animator can take the rough ani guide and begin refining this and turning it into a beautiful performance. Then all scenes can be merged together for lighting then render :)

Soon we will be pushing the promotion for this film, and during the creation of the trailer I will document and upload the stages we talk about.

Forest Animatic Cut 001

2010-03-06T03:53:00.000-08:00

Forest Animatic Cut 001 from Black North on Vimeo.

TO VIEW YOU MUST REQUEST A PASSWORD

contact: studio@blacknorth.tv

This is the first cut of the Animatic, by one of Ireland's Finest editors, Jim Agnew.

Jim Currently works in the www.picturehouse.tv but is on the project to oversee and the editing in 'forest.

CHARACTER DEV PAUL

2010-03-02T16:02:00.000-08:00

Untitled from Black North on Vimeo.

More character development updates.

developing shaders and textures

this object is lowpoly so the shadow pass/normal map, creates glitches.

Look Development 'Animation'

2010-02-08T01:11:00.000-08:00

We are still in look development, but now needing to focus more on the style of animation we want the characters to have.

one company that seem to get it right every time is studio aka, infact later in the month I will be posting an article on Oliver Jeffers and studio aka's adaptation 'lost and found'

but for now, I want to use their Loyds TSB adverts as an example.
Nice speed and and nice weighting.

inspiration for creating the birds

2010-02-03T05:54:00.000-08:00

what a lovely wing design! by Benja Harney a self-taught Paper Engineer

http://paperform.wordpress.com/

Rendering the Forest Dog

2010-02-02T04:20:00.000-08:00

Again I want to show exactly where I have got my inspiration for creating the visuals for the 'antagonist' in the story.

JAMES JEAN. http://www.processrecess.com/

ANTHONY MICALLEF http://www.antonymicallef.com/

On next stage of deal memo

2010-02-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

for all you people that want to get a film made, prepare to wait! Passing documents between companies is a very time consuming process, I must say, none of the companies involved are dragging their heals, it just seems to take a long time. So prepare, have other work going because with out it, the lights may not be on come day 1 of production.

As Greg Maguire from Zoogloo told me when starting up Blacknorth

"Cash Flow, Cash Flow, Cash Flow."

good advice.

Psst3 by James Wignall and friends

2010-01-19T12:29:00.000-08:00

Great piece of animation by James Wignall and friends.
http://www.mutanthands.com/motion.html?project=psst3

Some shots and lighting setups are very similar to what is planned for forest, however
I dont plan to go as cell shaded.

I hate to say it but I love a good lens flare :)

Forest Character Development 'Paul'

2010-01-10T13:29:00.000-08:00

FAB_predev_cd_paul_lp_001 from Black North on Vimeo.

FAB_predev_cd_paul_lp_001 from Black North on Vimeo.

I although I am the director and will be passing modeling/character development over to others so I can focus on directing, I just could help but build the main character while I wait for the production to start. I have worked on many productions as part of the character dev team so I decided to jump in and start modeling.

This is the low poly model, ready to be passed through road kill, subdivided, digitally sculpted, shaded, rigged, simulation, then ready characters are ready for animation.

I have some of the modellers I usually work with ready to start, but I will need a few more to join the team.

contact studio@blacknorth.tv if you are interested.

Waddell media discussions

2010-01-10T13:19:00.000-08:00

Well, its been nearly 5 months now since my story was successful in the IBF funding round. To be granted the full amount is amazing but at the moment production cant move forward until all parties that helped source the funding are happy with exactly what they are getting out of if.

SO.... we have a meeting with waddells on wednesday, and hopefull we can sort it out.

Forest - emFLUID 2

2009-11-26T16:23:00.000-08:00

Forest has a sequence that takes part among the clouds, and during that time our characters fly through them and around them. These clouds will be created in ICE.
One of our options is to use the emFluid2 solver.

http://www.mootzoid.com/html/XsiCorner/emFluid2.html

If anyone has any good or bad news please comment.

Early Concept artwork

2009-11-23T14:44:00.000-08:00

Created back in May 2007, this was one of the early beat boards.

Andrew Hem's Birds

2009-11-22T05:47:00.001-08:00

Andrew hem's birds are very similar to the way I will render the birds in forest, long skinny silhouettes, changing shape as they fly and spit their language at the unfamiliar faces oof the forest. Check Andrew Hem out, http://www.andrewhem.com/ I real fan of his work.

Earlier in the year I completed a short film for the bbc called the 'Grandparents Grave' for this film I wanted the birds to represent the oppressive belarusian government in the story I will be doing a similar thing in forest to represent the sometimes not welcomed irish language in Ulster.

Week 5 of negotiations

2009-11-13T15:26:00.000-08:00

Its a been a bit of a baptism of fire for me this last month as we have had to start negotiations with waddell media about the logistics of a co production regarding forest. As excited I am about the future of this project it seems a long way off.

BCI Agrees to fund Forest Full Amount!!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

Cant believe it, It was a success! Broadcast Commision of Ireland give the thumbs up.
This is amazing news! I am to over the moon to post more! will update later, it is now up to BBC NI to deliver what they agreed to, discussions between Blacknorth and Waddell Media, some good will, then production will begin!! cant wait!!

Coffee and TV

2009-08-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

This is probably the most pointless post I will make.

"Do you go to the country
It isnt very far
Theres people there who will hurt you
Cos of who you are

Your ears are full of the language
Theres wisdom there youre sure"

FAB really has a simple structure,
It worked to tell the story of a animated milk carton.

Professor Dónall Ó Baoill

2009-07-23T05:30:00.000-07:00

The similarities to my story felt almost surreal. After I climbed the stairs of an old building in queens university, I gingerly approached a door labeled Professor Dónall Ó Baoill. I Knocked the thick wooden door. A muffled almost inaudible sound passed through the knotted wood.

"come in"

As I opened the door warm light filled the dark staircase revealing a room full of books and literature that filled the air with that more-than-familiar smell of education.

Through the sea of books and nestled in the corner sat the Professor.

He could not have appeared more friendly and welcoming. A gentle man with a wealth of knowledge about Irish Language and Culture.

One of my main reasons for arranging this meeting was to check the legitimacy of my characters and environments, for example the earl, he was symbol of how Arts culture and heritage was once shaped by the Irish earls, before they were driven out. This was a topic in which I didn't want to get my facts wrong, it is a positive story and I don't want to offend anyone.

However not only was my depiction accurate but Professor Dónall Ó Baoill added more depth and meaning to the character, by pointing me in the direction of old poems and literature that not only explains who the earl is but why he would be doing what he does.

One book in particular The Poems of the Disspossed covers topics such as the preservation of the forest. Something that fits perfectly with the story.

Many Thanks to Professor Dónall Ó Baoill

Look to the forest

2009-07-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

They travel across the snowy hill to a top to see the paw prints lead to a dark forest. This is a real beat in the story, the point in switch the story turns from good to bad.

I started the illustration based on the story board sketch below.

You can see how the layout remains very similar to the first thumbnail, sketch. Something I learnt of Paul Bolgner (disney), quickly scribble ideas down and as a thumbnail you will know if the compostion works. for this I did about 20 thumbs untill I got the pose and comp I wanted.

Camera setup in XSI

2009-07-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

At the moment we are going through the story chipping away at the structure, making sure it all makes sense. When that has finished the shot will all be locked off and given a number and we begin Previs. Previs is basically the animation roughed out using simple objects in XSI, lets us check camera angles and scales before the project gets chopped up and giving to the specialists,for example, the guy in charge of clouds and the guy doing the animation of the characters through the clouds will be working on the same scene, so we give them the previs XSI scene which has all elements blocked out, then they can begin work at the same time.

So name scenes will be very important, to ensure this happens I have created a custom camera that allows the user to type the shot and scene name into a custom parameter set, and this will display on the previs captures.

BBC provide support, and see the potential this film has in encouraging a multi cultural society in Northern Ireland

2009-07-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

BBC have agree to a christmas slot and a very generous contrabution to funding.

You have no Idea how happy this news makes me. I dont want to make an Animation that just entertains, or its only aim is just to win foreign awards, I want to make animation that addresses issues, changes peoples opinions.

The BBC are the first to commit I hope an Irish funding body can also see the potential.

Professor of Irish and Cetlic Studies

2009-07-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

The Professor of Irish and Cetlic Studies at Queens university, has agreed to chat about the story and its symbolism. This is a great opportunity to check the legitimacy of the stories references and get an opinion from someone who has dedicated his career to this topic.

Evelyn's Mind Map Technique

2009-07-10T06:51:00.000-07:00

Taking positives from mondays meeting is hard work, IFB are not obliged to give feed back and I am sure the guys are really nice and would be happy to, I wont bother because I am feeling kind of battered and bruised from the whole experience. I keep thinking, why would they short list me, then, drop it. I want to investigate. Before the interview we did a mind map, a technique Evelyn brought to the table to clarify the reasons for making this and the symbolism contained within this simple fairy tale.

On its simplest level.

The Forest of Atramentous Birds is story of two non Irish-speaking children entering a forest in Ulster rich in Irish Culture and language. After an exciting adventure they return home with their missing cat, and a new language.

Through symbolism, what am I saying.

Ulster, like all provinces in Ireland, is rich in history, a history that sometimes feels foreign to its own people. This disconnection from history and language needs to be seen from fresh eyes and the children.

How it will work as a story outside of Ireland.

It’s important on this journey that the characters experience the universal themes of anyone discovering a new culture: the awkwardness of not understanding, the fear of disconnecting oneself from where you have come, and the fear of not being accepted into this new culture.

After going through that, and presuming they read the documents provided, the complexity of the story cant be the reason. They might have just not liked the story?? if so, why shortlist it? Was it my pitch?? I hope not, I am an Animation Director, I tell stories visually and its a scheme to grow the latest irish talent.

Maybe they just didnt like the cut of my gib.

IRISH FILM BOARD FRAMEWORKS SAYS, NO

2009-07-07T12:22:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I am surprised more than gutted, can't believe it, I have never been on a project were people were so generous and excited to get involved. I keep pinching myself hoping I have misunderstood the news.

But the reality is, they do not want to tell the story. As upsetting as this might be and as devastating as the consequences are to the people, lined up and ready to get involved. I cannot complain, as animators we are at the mercy of the panel and must accept their decision and respect their reasons for not choosing it.

I must be honest was a tough day with the IFB, I was encouraged to enjoy myself, and usually I do, but it wasnt to be. I must have totally fluffed it.

My whole angle was: I want this to be a very clean and clear story, regardless of all my symbolism, reasons for characters and plot. I cant feel disappointed in myself, I really did repeat that fact.

I explained how the very simple story arc would work universally and people for every culture can relate to hearing a foreign language. The kids in this story spoke english, but they could speak any language, the point is they dont speak Irish, the language of the forest, maybe I didnt get the point across, that in the north, as sad as it seems, Irish to alot of people is a foreign language, its not its a language in ulster that all its people feel welcome to learn.

Anyway, I went down to dublin to pitch a story,

The story is about two childern searching for there auntie's cat in a forest where they dont speak the language, they discover a new language, the cat and make it home.

the reason I didnt get it they thought it was too complicated.

BEAT BOARD 002 - IN THE FOREST

2009-07-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

Obviously its gonna feel scarier and more dramatic if the lighting changes as we enter the forest and the characters are only lit by the few rays of light that break through the dense tree tops.

This illustration is very rough and is really just a Beat board, testing hues and tones, but is enough for a lighter/shader to set the scene up correctly and the compositor to put the passes together correctly.

Model making begins

2009-06-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

Another key member of the team is model maker Robin McFarland. Together we started converting the characters I illustrated into 3D objects in clay. I feel this always makes for a better final CG model, something you can spin around in the real world and make the imoptant desicions like proportion and style long before you switch a computer on. Next stage is to take these models to Axis three to be scanned and used as a CG modelling guide.

3D Model Scanning at Axisthree

2009-06-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

Many years ago, in my early days of a career in animation I helped develop a 3d scanner, during that time we tested its potential for use in many different industries, one of which was animation. Although axisthree (the company developing the scanner) have focused on the medical industry now and my only relationship with them is as a shareholder and a friend I asked could we pop in and use the scanner for 'the forest of attramentous birds'. Being a bunch of nice guys they said, yes.

Flickerpix and was originally a claymation only studio with vast amounts of experience and skills in model making so it only felt natural to make all our models in the real world first and use the scanner to speed the modelling process. When making a CG model, topology is extremely important, so we will always need to make the model in XSI however if we have the Axisthree scanned model in the scene we can snap our points to its very high poly mesh ensuring our proportions are just as we liked them when the clay makette was signed off.

Anyway, thankyou to, Paul and the rest of the team at Axisthree!

FAB Shortlisted by the IFB

2009-06-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

Amazing news!! All our hard work has brought us one step closer to frameworks! We have been shortlisted and will attend an interview in Dublin on the 6th of july. Brilliant! cant wait. :)

Enviornment test 001

2009-05-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

We probably wont get any word back from the IFB until at least June, but until then outside other projects I will continue to develop the story and do some pre development tests. As I am quite a strong XSI generalist, I like to test and push techniques before handing them over to a specialist. I want the render in this production to mimic the style in which I paint. This is not a new process for me, I tried it before in a short film created for the BBC called 'Blue Chopper'
this was part of the Flickerpix series Days Like These.

This was a great success, as it was picked up by Richard Curtis who loved it and another film I styled then commissioned Flickerpix to create a 3 min animation for comic relief about malaria.

It was shown at 9 o'clock BBC one and recieved 12.5 million viewers

Bord Scannan na hEireann/the Irish Film Board

2009-05-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

Well after a intense few days of getting all the application form together it has been submitted to the Bord Scannan na hEireann/the Irish Film Board.

Snow hits the Glens of Gormley

2009-05-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

During the winter we had heavy snow fall for a couple of days. As any good or at least enthusiastic director would do with a project in mind I headed out through the fields to get some reference photos. After returning these where compiled and I created a couple of movies using a technique called pixelation.

Forest Beatboard

2009-05-19T13:27:00.001-07:00

Normally we create beatboards for animation productions, but with this they are allready created as it is an adaptation of my book, and although it wasnt requested I am sure it wont do any harm adding this to the Bord Scannan na hEireann/the Irish Film Board application form.

Storyboard Complete

2009-05-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

144 illustrations later the storyboard is complete, then given to the latest person to join the project, Tory McFarland. She will quickly colour the plates in and lay them out on the flickerpix storyboard plates. During all this, Ian is refining the diologue in the script so Tory can paste it in to the storyboard. After all is complete we print them out, and check it is working.

The Core Team

2009-05-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

Our first plan of attack is to gather a team. It starts with.

Joel Simon
Eveyln McGrath
Ian McDonald
Greg Maguire
Kris Kelly

From here we can start Pre development, and apply for short film funding. Our first application will be to: Bord Scannan na hEireann/the Irish Film Boardfor their frameworks scheme. For this we must complete Logline, Synopsis, directors notes, budget and a full colour storyboard.

Film Logline

2009-05-19T09:08:00.001-07:00

A brother and sister discover a forgotten heritage of language and culture as a family funeral becomes a journey into a perilous world of wonder.

Introduction

2009-05-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

Over the next few months this blog will document the making of short animation, The Forest of Atramentous birds.

The film will be produced by Joel Simon at animation company 'Flickerpix'

The project began as a short kids book, illustrated by myself. A personal project that showed potential to to be a short 5 min film.

My first step was to show this to flickerpix head of development, Ian Mcdonald.

Ian has years of script writing for broadcast experience, and has published many novels over the last 20 years, so I felt very comfortable working with him on this.