Compositing.

The compositing process was rather enjoyable. It was the process of bringing all the visual elements together and as an artist and animator, I could see the animation come to fruition as a finalised version. Previous experience using After Effects made me confident in my ability to composite the sequence from a visual perspective. It also enabled me to make sure that the project, from a visual perspective, was as close to what I intended.

This process allowed me to tweak and refine my animation where applicable. Tweaks and refinements include changing the animation scale, repositioning the character(s) within the scene, adding additional effects such as a glow, and altering the camera angles. In retrospect, I do not consider myself someone who sees the storyboard or animatic as a finalised template for the animation but merely a guide. Instead, I like experimenting and exploring how to alter a scene or shot if it improves the project's overall narrative, structure, or visual quality, given if there is a timescale in which I can do so.

I previously made a loop-animated background with a charcoal texture. This became the background layer; therefore, any animation would be subsequently on top of this layer as I felt the textures were a necessary component, given that there are no environmental backgrounds.

I exported the finalised animation with a transparent background from my iPad and transferred them onto an online drive. Next, I accessed the online drive using my laptop and downloaded the content onto my hard drive. I then imported the footage into After Effects, naming the file with the scene details accordingly. I would then review the animation within the timeline, noting any mistakes that may have been overlooked or adding suggestions to make the scenario more visually appealing. One concern I considered was that there are so many effects and possibilities when editing the animation that it could have overcomplicated the process unnecessarily. I, therefore, kept the compositing and editing process straightforward to keep matters simple.

Once I had tweaked and refined the animation to a standard I was pleased with, I exported the animation to its appropriate folder. When the animation had been exported, it was ready to be imported into the animatic.

One issue I have had previous experience with is my lack of organisation concerning the import and export of sequences. It was a flaw that I was determined not to affect the productivity of this project and therefore, I labelled each shot accordingly. However, this issue only arises when I feel under pressure.

Timelapse of compositing process:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZEqqxZdA0Q