Project Title: Slime Dystopia

Authors: Haobo Wang, Katherine Wang, Rebecca Marcus, and Xavier Apostol

Submission Date: May 3, 2017

Abstract:

  • Our final project took the form of animation. Using stagnant images of slime texture we created, we cut out “characters” and animated them over a physical environment. Through the  development of a “slime society”, we aimed to recreate some of the power-structure problems evident in history and in today’s world.

 

Objectives:

  • The main goal was to recreate some world issues concerning power (i.e. – one community wanting the entirety of a good/resource without regarding the effects on other communities).
  • We knew the initial tone of the video would feel light-hearted as our main characters were slimes. We aimed to combat this by creating darker toned audio.

 

Implementation:

  • In order to achieve these goals, we decided to animate over a physical set. Animating our characters would give us the most control over their movement/emotions – we could continue to make adjustments on the fly. Additionally, adding these animations on top of a physical background would allow for more depth.
  • Filming: we used the standard Sony a6000 with a Laowa Macro Lens. The lens allowed us to get more depth with our 4×5 ft. set.
  • Physical Props/Set:
  • Audio: using Garage Band, we were able to manipulate folly sounds, mainly developed through mouth, into monstrous roars and screams.

 

Outcomes:

  • Success: As a group, we did a  good job at creating a light, yet serious atmosphere. Additionally, the animation of our characters came out pretty good. Animation was not a strong fit for any of us, but we learned a lot through practice.
  • Failure: Although you can follow the general outline of the story, some shots disrupt the flow. This is due to the complex nature of the environment (i.e. – animations over a physical environment). Our initial plan was to film more scenes that involved camera movement, however, it was difficult for us to stabilize our animated slimes onto the background. Due to the lacking camera movement in the final video, we found that we lost some clarity for the direction in which slimes were traveling, the layout of the set and how the slimes operated within it, etc. If one of us had more experience with After Effects and general animation, this wouldn’t have been as much of a problem.

 

Contribution:

  • Story: Haobo Wang, Katherine Wang, Rebecca Marcus, Xavier Apostol
  • Set Design: Katherine Wang and Rebecca Marcus
  • Videographer: Xavier Apostol
  • Slime Animation: Katherine Wang
  • Footage Compositing/Editing: Xavier Apostol
  • Sound Production: Haobo Wang
  • Sound Design/Editing: Rebecca Marcus
  • Final Edits: Katherine Wang, Rebecca Marcus, Xavier Apostol

 

Photo Documentation:

Citations:

  • Rumbling Sound Effect (Creative Commons)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqBJatlDoS0
  • Explosion Sound Effect (Creative Commons)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FaSDt94cEY

 

Related Works:

  • Neighbours – Norman McLaren (1952)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YAYGi8rQag