Size & Compostition

Since we are working with a digital camera that is not manufactured for making movies, the size of the images is different when capturing than the size of the images we are going to use. (wow, long sentence ...).

For this movie we are working with a Fuji FinePix S2Pro.
It can capture images at the size of 4256 x 2848 px.
The images that we actually need, so we can print into 35-mm film, should be at the size of 1828 x 988 px.
WRITE THIS DOWN GEEKS!!

It is not only the amount of pixels that is to big it is the proportions of the image.

It is therefore difficult for the photographer/animator to work with the picture they see.
He/she have to imagine it inside the picture they see.
There is some advantage in that. It gives the director a possibility of choosing another framing after the scene is soot, and even make movements.

An example from the latest scene is here.
The director have to mark for the animator the area in the image that will be used.

Complicated take

The next task after the first take was done, was to build the scene for take no 2.
This appeared to be more complicated than we anticipated.

Running from and to 3 different positions, changes in focus and shadows all over the place, is a hard task to plan.
At this time we were in Copenhagen but we could sneak in to a public library to try to look at the positioning of Spot.

We found that the picture was to tight, and that Spot had to run much closer to the camera. This took the rest of the day and the day after to build as Spot has to cover about 1,5 meters in only 10 steps. In some of steps Spot is actually in the air!

3 days later Mikael is still struggling with this take but hopefully we'll be able to look at it tomorrow.
meanwhile we got early and partial versions of the take.

The control web-cam, standing in a different angle, normally used for "line tests" is the one angle you normally don't see.
The other one is the correct picture.
Mikael had to move the line test camera since Spot was running directly at it, in that he created a spontaneous cut "on the fly". We should try this more often :)

Hopefully we can persuade Mikael to write his own experience of this take. Until now he and Erik have been very shy.
Click on the picture do watch a q-time of both angles at the same time. (Please wait until the movie is loaded. It can take some time).

The 1.st shoot

The first take is done.
While we were away Elinor animated Splodge laughing until he gets a snow boll in the face.

Since we didn't have access to the Internet we couldn't watch it and it was frustrating for both the team in Trollhättan and us in Malmö. Is it good? then they can tear the set down and put up a new one. Is it not good? then they'll have to redo the take.
Finally Erik took a decision that the take is good enough and they could go on with their lives ...

Click on the picture below to view the take. (Q-time).
Note that it is not yet retouched or have correct colours.

Some delay

Today was supposed to be the day of the first shot in this film production --> Splodge gets a snow boll in the face ...

Elinor has already made about a second of animation when we got to see Splodge for the first time (until now it was only Spot that has been working).

Unfortunately we discovered that some of the colors around the eyes, the nose and the shape of the teeth were not really the way we wanted them to be.

So both puppets are now on the express way to Stockholm for some makeover.

Storyboard

The storyboard in now ready. The development was a strait forward process of adaptation from the book, and Paco that did all the drawings came with some nice suggestions.

Here is page 14 (with Swedish Dialogue).
Klick on the picture to see it larger.