Keyframe planning (Gregor's Transformation)

After the violin scene I am planning out the the different frames for Gregor's transformation. I wanted to show his character as a human so that I could convey the distress and ill treatment his family have shown  him has been to the human being that he is - he is not a monster but a person struggling with this devastating change. In addition i felt that i could display more emotion in this form as well as conveying a metaphor. As Grete plays the violin Gregor connects back to when he was a human and appreciates the sad and beautiful melody being played. However when he is seen and the hostile behavior towards him is continued he returns to his bug form.

Violin animation

The first gif shows the 15 key frames that i planned in my sketchbook (to convey the whole scene.) I found this process one of the most exciting as i could edit and play around with how exactly i wanted to portray the scene. I really liked seeing these collection of images making an animation (As simple as it was) work. The video footage that i captured of my model playing a 'violin' helped me incredibly when understanding the movement of her arms, face and even her feet (even though they are not in the shot - the model stepped into her bow.) After mapping out the main 15 frames I then added the in-between frames which i really brought the animation to life. It was a lot smoother and enabled me to play around with editing flowing hair and expression in the face as well. The overall animation was drawn out and this meant i could see exactly what worked in the animation and what didn't. For instance how the arm moved back and forth without looking to stiff. After completing this stage I moved on with drawing over my guide lines. I edited my guidelines to a green line so that it was easier to draw on top. I started with what I thought was the most difficult but important to capture; the facial expression. I wanted the transformation to come from Grete's face. In the beginning of the scene she is playing a beautiful and sad song - this is where i want her face to be calm and also sad. However when she turns and sees Gregor, I wanted her face to completely change into a hostile and mad look. I feel that i was able to accomplish this in the animation as your are able to see this change of emotion in her face. I was most difficult to draw over my guide lines as i had to ensure that proportions and features of the work flowed and they were correctly drawn. It was quite 'fiddly' and was the longest part of the process. I did each section of the body in different parts, starting with the face, then the hair and body - after completing the right arm violin and bow before lastly doing the left hand. The left hand I animated last because i needed to capture the playing of the violin.


Videos that I also used as reference when drawing the playing of the violin:
Lord of the Rings Medley - Lindsey Stirling
Nicola Benedetti - The Lark Ascending
Epic Violin Girl - Lindsey Stirling

Life drawing

Below is the life drawing that we did for the metamorphosis project - here we explored the body as a bug.

Animation Tests

The idea that i originally got from my metamorphosis story was a melting man - the skin o f the bug melts away and the man is revealed when the violin plays its song. He feels connected to the music and it reminds him of being human - in order to see whether i could create idea i then did many small animation tests to see how it could work. The most basic to the most completed all  hep me to develop this idea further.

Sketches and Ideas

Metamorphosis Franz Kafka
"And yet Gregor's sister was playing so beautifully. Her face leaned sideways, intently and sadly her eyes followed the notes of music. Gregor crawled a little farther forward and lowered his head to the ground so that it might be possible for his eyes to meet hers. Was he an animal, that music had such an effect upon him? He felt as if the way were opening before him to the unknown nourishment he craved. He was determined to push forward till he reached his sister, to pull at her skirt and so let her know that she was to come into his room with her violin, for no one here appreciated her playing as he would appreciate it. He would never let her out of his room, at least, not so long as he lived; his frightful appearance would become, for the first time, useful to him; he would watch all the doors of his room at once and spit at intruders; but his sister should need no constraint, she should stay with him of her own free will; she should sit beside him on the sofa, bend down her ear to him and hear him confide that he had had the firm intention of sending her to the Conservatorium, and that, but for his mishap, last Christmas-surely Christmas was long past?-he would have announced it to everybody without allowing a single objection. After this confession his sister would be so touched that she would burst into tears, and Gregor would then raise himself to her shoulder and kiss her on the neck, which, now that she went to business, she kept free of any ribbon or collar.

"Mr. Samsa!" cried the middle lodger, to Gregor's father, and pointed, without wasting any more words, at Gregor, now working himself slowly forwards. The violin fell silent, the middle lodger first smiled to his friends with a shake of the head and then looked at Gregor again...  Meanwhile Gregor's sister, who stood there as if lost when her playing was so abruptly broken off, came to life again, pulled herself together all at once after standing for a while holding violin and bow in nervelessly hanging hands and staring at her music, pushed her violin into the lap of her mother, who was still sitting in her chair fighting asthmatically for breath, and ran into the lodgers' room to which they were now being shepherded by her father rather more quickly than before. "  

Quote source (Online-literature) Franz Kafka - Metamorphosis

The idea that i decided on using for the animation inspired by Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis was the scene when Gregor's sister is playing the violin and Gregor has this connection between his sister once more. I feel that this scene is very emotional and shows a key part of the story - in addition it is also the penultimate scene before Gregor's death. I feel that this scene gives Gregor his humanity back before it is taken back again. As he listens to the beautiful melody he is able to appreciate the song (unlike before) - I feel its the last time he is able to feel human and feels close to his family and in particular his sister - he is rejected.

When planning out concepts for this project I had this initial idea or shot in the animation of the bug Gregor melting away over and revealing the human within so we can see Gregor worn away in his human form - and so that the audience can connect more with his character and emotion. When working on storyboards I started with this concept and then looked at the book to understand more about the characters and plot. I also decided that i wanted the sister to have a change of expression before and after she has seen Gregor watching her play her music. This is so that i can emphasis the way that she has changed not only in this particular scene but her transformation in the overall story. 

Above are some of the doodles that I generated to explore character design of Gregor's bug state. I was finding drawing a creature for him quite difficult as i needed to make him look hideous and disgusting. I decided to do the above excercise to free myself. I drew a selection of blobs and then drew the bug inside.

Above is a scanned image of my sketchbook and how i have developed from my storyboard. After selecting a scene to use i will then video a reference for me to understand the movement and expression of the character that i want to portray in my animation. I have then separated the video into key frames and how many in between frames i feel i need in order too make a smooth enough animation. Above is the violin scene - where the sister plays her violin and then sees Gregor- underneath the thumbnails i have written notes to help me when creating the work such ass where the arm is moving or a blink etc.

Metamorphosis and the Trip to Brighton

Metamorphosis

The book metamorphosis is a sad tale about a man that wakes up one morning as a giant bug like creature (although not described fully in the book we are presented with vivid imagery of a cockroach looking monster.) The story focuses around the idea of change - not only with the main character but with how his family react and in particular his loving sister. His sister has the most hostile change as she blossoms into a new character as the story develops she because manipulative and 'stronger' because of her power she gains from being thee one to look after her brother in his 'disgusting' state. The  effects of  the change shows how humanity can be harsh and brutal. This sad story ends with the death of Gregor after a horrible rejection of his family.

Above are a couple of photographs that I captured on the trip to Brighton. These images that I have picked, I feel present features or concepts that represent metamorphosis (and the story, metamorphosis by Kafka.) For instance the first image shows a shadowed landscape of Brighton pier with surrounding dark clouds. I feel that this image reflects a sad tone that the story conveys. I have also photographed the exhibition that shows strange deformed creatures which creates this weird atmosphere of strange beings. Other images that I have included photographs that reminds of dark features reminiscent of the book for instance the twisted tree branches or a brown tiles that conveys imagery of cockroaches.