BRIEF:
GROUP PROJECT: The Indecisives
- Amy
- Elena
- Vlad
- Favor
- Olga
- Virgil-Pai
We had to choose six words from word cloud and write a story. The final outcome was to deliver a 30 seconds video. Once we had chosen the keywords, we each worked on concept ideas.
The Key words used were: Tiny, huge, decay, hope, disruption, trust
PRE-PRODUCTION:
INITIAL CONCEPT:
Once we had chosen the keywords, we each worked on different concept ideas. Everyone tried different ideas, such as flying stories, treasure hunting, weird characters, and insect adventures. Eventually, we agreed on the insect story, which then evolved into the caterpillar and ant looking for a berry. We called the story Journey for Berried Treasure. This started as a pun, and we decided to stick with it. I struggled with this part of the process because I became stressed about finding a story idea, but I did agree with the final concept. This is something I need to work on, as I get stressed very easily when I am asked to think of a concept under pressure. I also need to realise that there are no bad ideas.
Concepts from group:
Initial concept: Two ants (or otherwise tiny creatures – later changed to a caterpillar and a ant) are travelling the forest floor to make it home, but must cross a log submerged in a puddle. They cautiously try to make it across, but the log is rotten and breaks apart when the second one is halfway through. The second one loses hope and thinks they will drown, but must trust their partner who helps them back up. Relieved, they continue to head home to their colony.
Initial script: Two bugs, an ant and a caterpillar, set out to find food before they starve. They travel through a rotten, lifeless forest and reach a gushing stream that looks impossible to cross. The ant studies a map while his hungry, clumsy caterpillar companion waits beside a small boat made from leaves.
The ant looks up and sees ants flying overhead. His wings flutter, but they are too small to lift him. Annoyed at first, he regains focus when the caterpillar calls to him. They board the boat, with the ant steering, until it suddenly lurches. The caterpillar has been eating the boat, and they begin to sink.
The ant is angry, but seeing his friend in distress, he grabs him and pulls. His wings push out and flap desperately, and after a struggle they reach the other side, right in front of the berries. They hug in relief, and the ant is proud of overcoming his struggle. If there is time, it cuts to an overhead shot showing how small the puddle really was.
STORYBOARDS:
My storyboard:
We all focused on creating a storyboard for 1 scene. I found the process difficult because I kept drawing blanks in my head. This was before we had a clear idea, so my scene kept changing. My original idea was to have the ant looking up and seeing ants flying, then looking down at his own wings trying to fly. Because the story and scenario kept changing after teacher feedback, this idea was eventually scrapped and redesigned to fit the final version.
Other storyboards from the group:
The storyboard process was stressful and changed many times. We made several storyboards, but none of them stuck at first. When the teachers checked it, we were told it the story was not clear enough. We had to keep changing the scenario based on feedback, which made it feel like we had to redo the storyboard many times. Eventually, it was green lit, and we were able to move forward.
INITIAL SKETCHES & CHARACTER DESIGN:
In the beginning, we all worked on sketches and concept ideas for the characters. Everyone tried different ideas and designs to see what would fit the story. We went through several versions before settling on a final direction. Some ideas were scrapped because of time management and how difficult they would be to animate.
My sketches & character design
I made several sketches at the start. One idea I liked was a worker bee that could have been a background silhouette, flying to flowers or doing normal worker bee things. I also focused more on sketching the ant, as I am more comfortable drawing sharp and pointed shapes. I struggled with the caterpillar because it had a lot of round shapes, which made the process stressful for me. Because of time and story changes, most of my ideas were not used, but I still made sketches in my free time for fun and practice.
Sketches & character design from others in the group:
Other people in the group also made different designs for the ant and the caterpillar. We tried out multiple versions, including different body sizes, shapes, and accessories. In the end, we chose a design that stood out more, with the ant being short, angry, and wearing a scarf, and the caterpillar being big, round, and goofy, and carrying a backpack. The final design felt more clear and fit the comedic tone of the story.
Final design
Feedback
We received feedback from the teachers during the concept stage. Some designs and ideas were changed because they were not clear enough or would take too long to animate. We redesigned the characters several times based on this feedback. Even though this was frustrating at times, the feedback helped us simplify the designs and choose concepts that worked better for the animation.
ANIMATICS:
After the storyboard was approved, we moved on to animatics. Several people in the group made different animatics with different scenarios and endings. Some of them were red or yellow, meaning they were not clear enough. Only one animatic got the green light from the teacher.
We chose that animatic because it was clearer, funnier, and easier to understand. One person made the animatic that we used for the final animation. Once it was green lit, we were able to move forward into production.
Green lit animatics:
Favor
Other animatics:
Amy
Amy
PRODUCTION:
After the animatic was green lit, we moved into production. At first, everyone was given specific roles, but because of time management, we could not fully stick to them. If everyone stayed in separate roles, it would have taken much longer, so everyone had to pitch in and help where needed.
Several people worked on rough animation, outlining, colouring, and backgrounds across different scenes. Some focused on outlining characters and objects, while others worked on colouring scenes and backgrounds. One person mainly worked on editing in After Effects and also animated the backgrounds.
ROUGH:
OUTLINE:
COLOUR PALETTE:
COLOURING:
I mostly did colouring. I coloured the ant and the boat, especially the frames where the ant pops up from the boat with the stick. I did not colour the caterpillar. At first, I did not want to use the bucket tool because I disliked it and found it messy if a pixel was missed. However, when time was running out, I had no choice but to use it, and even though I still did not like it, it saved me time and I will use it in the future.
During production, I also screen recorded my colouring process and made a speed painting video including free copyrights music to the show the process, which I shared with the group. I also showed others in the group how to do screen recordings how they thought it was a great way to show their progress.
BACKGROUND & EDITING:
Vlad worked on editing using After Effects. He also worked on the background animation. The teachers gave feedback mainly on the background, especially the grass. They said the grass should move more like it is waving in the wind instead of slithering like a snake. This feedback was taken on board and changed during the After Effects stage so the background movement looked more natural.
All from Vlad
SOUND EDITING:
Sound was worked on by a few people during production. Olga mainly worked on sound compositing, using a mix of sounds that were recorded by Olga, Amy, and Elena, as well as other sounds. Amy voiced the ant, and Elena voiced the caterpillar.
I am not fully sure who did every sound, but I know that Olga and a few others worked on putting the sounds together. The sound design worked well with the animation and helped make it feel more lively and clear.
THUMBNAIL:
I made the thumbnail by myself during production when I did not have anything else to colour. It was my own idea and I worked on it solo. Instead of using Photoshop, I used Krita because it gave me more options with brushes and tools. Everything in the thumbnail was created by me, including all the textures and details, and I did not use After Effects at all.
The reflection in the water was difficult and frustrating to make. I used a mirror tool to copy the shapes to the other side, then coloured them. To make it look like water and not a clear mirror, I added another layer, lowered the opacity to around 50–75%, coloured it blue, and added textures so it looked like a lake. The process was a nightmare, but it worked in the end.
At first, I struggled with drawing the caterpillar because of the round shapes, as I am more comfortable drawing sharp and pointed shapes. When working on the thumbnail, I pushed myself to do it anyway. Even though it looked strange at times, I realised that I can also draw round shapes, which boosted my confidence.
Once I showed the final thumbnail to the group, they liked it, especially the water reflection. I then used it as the thumbnail for the YouTube video.
Made by me (Virgil-Pai)
FINAL VIDEO:
The production stage was stressful because of time pressure and changes, but everyone pitched in and worked together. We talked, shared ideas, and helped each other to avoid slowing the project down.
Credits:
Animators: Amy, Favor, Olga, Vlad, Elena (El), and Virgil-Pai
Characters: Amy, Favor, and Elena (El)
Background & Editing: Vlad
Sound: Amy, Elena (El), and Olga
Thumbnail: Virgil-Pai
Feedback from peers:
Strengths
- Strong voice acting and sound design
- Smear frames and animation motion are very well done
- Feels very Looney Tunes–style and nostalgic of classic cartoons
- Bouncy, fluid animation with clear actions
- Characters are cute, squishy, and full of personality
- Great character expressions and contrast between the duo
- Comedic timing, gags, and pacing work really well
- Perspective changes and camera work are effective
- Warm, lively atmosphere and appealing art style
- Narrative pacing is tight and engaging
- Clear storytelling and easy to understand
Improvements
- Watch out for cropping in some shots
- Some scenes could benefit from slightly wider framing
Final Thoughts:
Out of Your Head was an interesting group project to be in. We worked together well in developing the story, designing characters, storyboarding, creating multiple animatics, and eventually completing our final animation. During production, we learned to collaborate in the animation process, taking roles on who would be doing the roughs, outline, colouring, and editing.
At the start of the project, I felt nervous because it involved working in a group, and I am very shy. However, I slowly became more comfortable interacting with my team and gained confidence in talking, sharing ideas, and being part of the group. Even if I only shared small ideas, I still contributed to character creation and animation decisions. I learned that working in a group means making compromises so everyone can agree. Although this was sometimes difficult, it helped the project move forward.
One thing I learned about collaboration is that people can share knowledge and strengths. For example, I showed others how to use a Mac for screenshots and screen recording, and they helped me with colour choices. This showed me that teamwork is about supporting each other and working toward the same goal. I now feel braver about joining groups and sharing my thoughts.
As a team, we explored different concepts before deciding on the insect story with two characters that had different personalities and sizes. I enjoyed collaborating with creating character designs and developing the concept. We communicated well, especially during group calls where we solved editing problems and shared ideas. Our team’s strength was creativity and cooperation, while our weakness was organisation and time management when sharing files.
Overall, this project was challenging but rewarding. I feel proud of the final animation and happy that I was part of the team. It helped me see that collaboration can be positive, creative, and enjoyable, and it encouraged me to keep experimenting with difficult things and pushing myself in future projects as well as looking to work with others.