Stop Start Animation Research & Analysis - 'Doughnuts'

This stop start animation of the making of doughnuts is a great insight in to how to make a stop start animation look smooth and professional. The animator did a great job of doing small precise movements in every step so the movements are fluid. This is done by taking a photo, making a tiny movement to something, and then taking another photo. Repeat this a lot of times and you will have a smooth flowing stop start animation. 

In this stop start animation the director used clever shots to make the glass fill with milk. The glass moved every so slightly each time, making it really look like a video rather than lots of separate photos. When the glass went behind the milk carton it filled up slightly more before circling around the cartoon again. This was a very effective shot, and showcased the what is needed to make a stop start animation look good. The shots of the play-doh character at the start of the animation will be similar to what we will create. We will be using a Golliwog in our production so these slight movements will be similar in the way we will make our golliwog move. The director was very accurate whilst making this at the start of the animation and looked at every detail to make it look professional. The play-doh doll looked left and then right, and then slowly moved towards a recipe book. The looking to the left and right, although a very minor adjustment, was done very well as the director took there time and took lots of photos so it was smooth.

We will use this video to help us film our camera angles as some angles will work better than other angles in a stop start animation to capture certain movements. One key element we learned from this YouTube video of the production of a stop start animation is to keep the camera in the same place for the shots, so that the movement can be precise and clear to the audience. If you move the camera whilst filming, it can be hard to show the objects moving fluidly. We also learned that the smallest, precise movements are much better than large changes, as the more photos taken, the more fluid the production will look. This encourages us to take our time with our production, and ensure each scene is done very well.

Storyboard 5

This storyboard shows how the protagonists will realise the golliwog is possessed and moving on its own. Both the brothers will walk out of the house to the car. They will drive off and when they come back, they will notice the golliwog isn't where they last saw it. They will then look around the house until they find it, and when they do, they come to the conclusion that the golliwog has moved on its own. The younger brother will realise that it cannot have been his older bother this time, as he was with him the entire time. 

The bottom three shots of the car driving away will be filmed from a combination of a camera and a drone, creating multiple angles to make a simple shot of the car driving away slightly more interesting for the audience. The drone will be able to capture the car leaving the driveway and driving down the road away from the house.

Storyboard 4

This is the scene in which we will use the drone. The drone will start in the first window, film inside and then fly around the corner of the house and film from the second window. When the drone films from the second window, the golliwog will have moved positions. This shot will create a voyeuristic angle as the audience feel they are spying on the golliwog. On top of this, the audience will also know extra information that the protagonists don't know.

Storyboard 3

This is another scene for our short film that would work in a similar way to the last. The protagonist would be in the bedroom getting ready for bed with the golliwog sat on the bedside table. As the boy walks to the bathroom, the golliwog begins to move towards the hall. The younger brother brushes his teeth and then heads back to the bedroom, walking past the golliwog that has moved from the bedside table into the hallway.

As the young boy begins to walk through the hall on the way to brush his teeth, we would do a cut and begin a stop start animation of the golliwog moving. We would see the boy brush his teeth and then cut to the antagonist moving once again with a stop start animation. We would then film with a tracking shot as the boy walks back to his bedroom, walking past the golliwog sat on the floor.

Storyboard 2

This storyboard utilises the multiple Golliwogs that we have available for our production. The storyboard shows the younger brother in the kitchen, taking something from the fridge. The golliwog is perched on the kitchen counter watching on. The protagonist then walks into the living room and the camera pans around. The young boy then walks to the window, has a look for something/someone and then heads back to the kitchen to begin cooking lunch. Without realising, the golliwog is now back in the kitchen in a slightly different place.

In the production of our short film, we would film the boy walking into the other room, then we would show the golliwog moving with a stop start animation and then film more of the younger brother walking to the window. We would cut to the golliwog and stop start animations, before filming the protagonist walking back into the kitchen with the golliwog in a new location.

Storyboard 1

StoryboardThat is the website we have previously used to create our storyboards. However, this time using it we encountered an issue, we cannot insert images onto the storyboard. This was a big issue because the main character, the antagonist, the Golliwog, needed to be inserted. We tried to resolve this issue by taking a screenshot of the storyboard and then inserting the Golliwog onto the background (storyboard) on Photoshop. This came with its own issues, the screenshot of the storyboard was blurry so it looked horrible.

We tried to resolve this issue by saving the storyboard and downloading it in HD quality. However, storyboard decided to create another obstacle for us to climb. This time by putting their watermark over the six plot steps, thus making it look very unprofessional for our use. 

Our settlement to this was to get the high resolution image of our storyboard, but not download it. Instead, we zoomed into the image using google's zoom feature to enlarge the image, as well as putting the Mac into full screen mode. We then screenshotted this, maximising the quality of our storyboard without the watermark. We then placed this on Photoshop, cropped the edge of the image and inserted the golliwog into each plot step, allowing us to finish our storyboard.

This is one scene we will use for our production. The two brothers are having a conversation on the stairs, and without knowing the golliwog is moving behind them. They continue their conversation in a relaxed manner as they are not aware of the golliwog behind them edging closer towards them down the stairs. When the older brother gets up and leaves, he walks past the golliwog which would have stopped moving, and just been sat on the stairs. He doesn't realise that the golliwog wasn't there at the start of the conversation and so continues on as normal.

Equipment List

The equipment we used in our production:

• DJI Phantom Drone
• Nikon D3100
• VolksWagen Polo 1 litre 2001

Prop List

Props we will be using in our production:

• Golliwog 1
• Golliwog 2
• Blue Tac
• White thread
• Black thread

Asking For Use Of A Drone

We emailed Joseph Gray about the use of his drone for our short film. His drone would allow us to film a variety of extra shots, including many establishing shots to help set the scene for the audience and show the time of day. We would also be able to film some crane shots and high angled shots from various positions. One shot we will film is from outside the upstairs bedroom window. The drone would be hovering outside the window, filming inside to crate a sense of spying and thus voyeurism. The drone is very stable, and when it moves the camera gyro self-stabilises so the quality of the shot is never effected. 

I kept the email very formal and polite, trying to show that we are serious and professional when it comes to our work. If he didn't take us seriously, he may not have trusted us with the use of his drone and not allowed us to use it.

Joseph replied allowing us to use his drone. He explained to us how it worked so we could film to a good, high quality standard. He gave us his address so we could collect it, and his mobile number incase we had an queries about it on the day and needed help. Joseph was very helpful about with all the organisation, and was very kind to allow us to use it for our production.

Sound

Camera Angles

For our short film, we will utilise quick and short cuts to show movement of the Golliwog (an inanimate object) creating a stop-start animation. We did this by taking lot of pictures of minuscule movements of the golliwog at different camera angles. These angles are representative of our short film as these small adjustments will be copied for our film. We looked at a long range, side on perspective shot of the golliwog moving along a table. We then filmed a close up and an extreme close-up of the golliwog from slightly different angles, creating slightly different effects for the audience. A low angle of the golliwog gives the impression that the golliwog dominates the audience.

We then filmed a tracking shot of the character walking through a hall which is something similar to what we will film for our actual production. This shot showed the characters movement as they walk, and in our production we will see the character walk past the golliwog that is sat on the floor. We will then film a close up of the golliwog as it moves along the wall in a stop start animation. A cut to the younger brother walking will follow next as he walk towards and then past the golliwog in a tracking shot and low angled shots.

Other shots we will use in our production are close-ups and low angled shots of the golliwog walking towards the draws by using white thread to hold the golliwog upright, as if walking on its own. The golliwog will then be filmed from multiple different low angle shots climbing up some draws. This will be done by using blue tac to position the golliwog and ensure each movement is gradual for the stop start animation. The golliwog will reach the top of the draws, and we will change the position of the camera on top of the draws so that we see the golliwog's head appearing from the side of the draws. The shot will be a close up of the golliwog as the body slowly gets higher and eventually stood up on top of the draws. We then will reposition the camera to a medium angle to show the draw opening on its own. This could be done by using thread, however the draw is a light brown colour meaning the thread will be visible. We overcome this issue by placing some thin books under the back legs of the draws, creating a slight slope so the draws would open automatically. We then realised every draw opened, so we blue-tacked the hinges on the draws so only the second draw from the top would open. This created a mysterious effect where the draw opened by itself, allowing the golliwog to jump in the draw and sit there. We filmed the golliwog jumping using blue tac on the feet to stick to the draws, and then tied thread to the hands so we could show the golliwog falling into the draw.

We will film many shots with the drone (if we get permission). The key shots will be establishing shots, providing a setting for the audience. The drone would film from high up, showing the village and the house itself. These establishing shots will help the audience visualise where everything is happening, and the setting can then be used for the audience to create stereotypes and their own opinions on the area and the people living there.

Another shot we plan to use the drone for is to film a shot of the driveway, showing the two brothers getting in the car and leaving the house. We will use the drone to film a crane shot that will pan from the sky, following the two brothers. We will then cut to the camera, filming an extreme long shot of the characters sat in the car, about to drive off. We will then film a birds-eye view shot of the car from above from the drone, creating a different angle, but telling the audience neither brother is at home.

The last shot we intend to use the drone for is a panning shot outside of the upstairs bedroom windows. The drone will film through the bedroom window, showing the golliwog sat on the pillow on the bed. The camera will then pan around the corner of the house to film through a second bedroom window, and the golliwog will have moved along the bed. This shot will create the sense of voyeurism as the drone will be almost spying through the window.

Genre - Box Office Receipts

Blair Witch, distributed by Lionsgate, was released on 16th September 2016, and achieved an opening weekend box office of £959,401within the UK. This was the second highest grossing film of that weekend (16th-18th September), behind Bridget Jones's Baby which had an opening weekend box office of £8,111,077 in the UK. This vast difference between the two films in opening revenue isn't just because of the film itself. Universal distributed Bridget Jones's Baby into 641 UK cinemas compared to Lionsgate distributing Blair Witch into 462 UK cinemas. Furthermore, Bridget Jones's Baby is a UK film where as Blair Witch originates from the US. Combined together, this reduces the sales figures for Blair Witch within the UK.

Another horror film, The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Case, was distributed by WarnerBros into 504 UK cinemas. Within the first week of its release, it had a gross of £4,637,862 which is very impressive for a horror film. This can be down to the vast amount of marketing WarnerBros did for The Conjuring 2. They created multiple trailers, lots of adverts and played them everywhere, TV, YouTube, FaceBook etc. This made the public very aware of the film and created lots of anticipation for it, helping to increase sales. The Conjuring 2 went on to make $320,200,000 in box office figures, which is very impressive for a horror films. Another film distributed by WarnerBros is Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It is a US film, distributed into 612 UK cinemas after its release, achieving a gross of £14,621,007 in the UK, on the opening weekend alone. The second weekend, the film made £4,661,9590 in the UK, followed by £2,284,293 in the UK on the third weekend. Batman v Superman went on to make $873,300,000.

The difference between the two films is their genre, because both were advertised heavily on many different media platforms and both are well made productions. The genre is the key reason why The Conjuring 2, and other horror films such as Blair Witch, don't do as well as other film genres, e.g. animations (Finding Dory) and superhero films (Batman v Superman, Age of Ultron). Although the production company does make a big difference when it comes to total box office receipts, the type of genre the film is makes a much larger difference. We are doing a horror short film, so if it were to be distributed nationally, we wouldn't be expecting large amount of sales.

BBFC Classification Certificate

This is our BBFC Classification Certificate. We found a template online by searching 'BBFC' into Google. We then took this background image onto Photoshop and began editing out the bits we didn't need from the stock image, (title, age rating, signatures etc). We did this by using the 'brush' tool on Photoshop to colour over the lettering, which we then put our own titles, signatures, age rating on to make it about our film.

BBFC Age Ratings

12 Age Rating

A film that is classified under the age rating of 12 is seen as being suitable for viewership of people over the age of 12, this being due to many different reasons, be that the amount of blood and gore, the language used, drugs, etc. Anyone under the age of 12 can only see a film rated 12A if they are accompanied by an adult. When an adult is planning to take a child under 12 to a 12A rated film they are advised to think carefully as to whether the film would be suitable for the child to see.

Within a 12 rated film the producers must ensure that they do not break certain rules otherwise their film will be given a higher age rating. Some of these rules include those such as violence, which in a 12 rated film should only be given a moderate screen time and should stay away from dwelling on detail, this meaning that there should be any focus on blood or injuries that'd be sustained from the said violence.

Threat is given the same rules as violence within a 12 rated film, this being that it should be kept to a moderate level, as only some physical an verbal threat will be tolerated before having to push the film to a higher age rating such as a 15.

The language that is permitted within a 12 age rating film is fairly moderate as well however, foul language should be kept to a bare minimum, and should be used within the right reasons, buy the right person etc. If any of these rules were to be broken by a slight the film would automatically be bumped up an age rating.

Other things such as sex, nudity and imitable behaviour are prohibited against being in a 12 rated film due to them being seen as non-suitable for the main viewership, which in this case are children around the ages of 12.

15 Age Rating

By the BBFC rules that one under the age of 15 is prohibited from seeing or renting/buying a 15 age rated film, this being due to the amount of un-suitable images that are used within these films.

Just like a 12 age rating but more, a 15 age rated film is allowed all the possible acts such as, Sex, Nudity, Imitable behaviour, Violence, Drugs, and Discrimination. However, the film is only allowed small portions of each one due to it still being shown to a audience that are not fully considered as adults. For example, under discrimination, the BBFC states that the film in a whole must not endorse any discrimination against anything or anyone however, racism, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language are still allowed but only at a small level and when used in a certain manner, this being as under the form of comedy or historical correctness and etc.

18 Age Rating

Films classed as being suitable for viewers of the age 18 and over allow all kinds of things to happen, such as foul language being able to be used freely with no restrictions, this applying to the racial and discriminative language as well, as the viewership is considered to be able to handle the content as they are adults.

sexual content is also allowed to be used within an 18 rated however, if the film includes clear images that of containing real sex, strong fetish material, sexually explicit animated images, or other very strong sexual images will be confined to the R18 category.

Creating a Website

We decided to create a website for our production company, allowing us to be found online and potentially attract more audience members. We used Weebly in order to create the website which was fairly simple to use.

Firstly, we were asked how we wanted the layout of the website to look. We chose the top right image, because we wanted an image across the entire background of the website. The layout allowed us to create a title and have it placed in the middle. We were then able to place images and post our ident, as it will be something that is easy to recognise in any production we make.

We were then asked what we wanted the domain name to be. This is what people need to type into the URL in order to find the website. Our domain name is oblivionproductionsuk.weebly.com. This allows us to have an online persona and are able to reach a larger audience.




This is our homepage. It has a picture of a dark street with a singular light as a background. This is a basic as to who we are as a production company so we gave a brief introduction. Also on the homepage is our ident and our film logo because these will be important if we want to improve our brand and will be something the audience can instantly recognise to be ours.



This is the about page on our website. We have the same heading in the top left of the page. The rest of the page is filled with our logo again and then a paragraph about our upcoming production 'Golliwog'. This is to tell the audience of the website what we are creating and what the production will be like. This page has a dark image of an empty farm with the moon in the centre, fitting in nicely with the text and image.


We then have what could be one of the most important pages in terms of branding. This contact page has our different social media platforms so we can get some media publicity and marketing. We then have a link to our youtube channel so the audience of the website can find our work easily. This will heighten the amount of people that see our work. Lastly we gave our email. This could be used to contact us about our next production, feedback on our last production or maybe even enquiring about potential job roles in our future productions. This contact page is very important as it is what audience members and fans of our work can use to spread the word.

This is a link to our website: http://oblivionproductionsuk.weebly.com/

Our Ident - Oblivion Productions

Ident Research and Creation