Teaching Myself Cinema 4D

About a week ago at this time I started teaching myself Cinema 4D. I really want to expand my portfolio into much more 3D motion graphic work. In lieu of that, I have decided to join the sensation of Cinema 4D 'tiny animation' GIFs much like the ones you find on sites like Tumblr. So, this is my first test. I'm hoping to get at least one done a week until the new year to keep sharpening my Cinema 4D skills. Keep updated for more to come!

Below is a test text animation I created while working off some tutorials. Its the very first thing I ever made in C4D.

October 18, 2013: Midterms are Over

It has been awhile since I've last updated my blog, which is both a good and a bad thing. It means I've been too busy to update it, which is good; however, it also means I can't share what I've been "too busy" working on, which is bad.

Now that midterms for the Fall '13 semester, I have a free weekend to keep everyone up-to-date with what I've been up to.

I've been working on two large projects: a 4-part series of instructional motion graphic videos with Kresge Arts in Detroit and my junior animated film. Other side projects have been worked on and completed, but nothing as time-consuming as these two projects.
 

My junior film, which you can view updates to at arborfilm.blogspot.com, is a 1-2 animated film in pen and ink I'm working on all this year. It is a story based off the idea of "metamorphosis" or change in oneself. The film is intended to non-linearly reflect ideas of self-discovery and "unmasking" one's true identity through the metaphor of bark being peeled off a series of different trees. Up to this point in time, I've been working on pre-production work; nonetheless I have finally got the green light to go ahead and start animating now that my storyboards/keyframes are complete. Being a traditionally animated film done in India ink, it is going to be a very time-consuming process to animate this, being as each sheet of thick animation bond has to have time to dry.
Keep visiting the "Arbor Film" blog to keep updated on progress!

I have also been working on a 4-month-long internship with Kresge Arts in Detroit on creating a series of motion graphic videos. Unfortunately, these videos and sample clips must remain private until their release date. Visit kresgeartsindetroit.org to see the videos go live November 1st!

 

In addition to this all, this past week my very first public broadcast commercial aired! Seen on channels such as PBS, and NBC - the commercial is an advertisement for the Detroit Opera Houses' show, "The Flying Dutchman". Be sure to watch TV during the times "Jeopardy" or "Saturday Night Live (re-runs)" airs to see the commercial these next few weeks!

I also have been taking a Type 1 class this semester, and here is an update of some of the things I've been working on in there.

August 1, 2013: Keeping You Updated

It has been almost a month since I've last posted. Being the Summer Program Assistant for CCS's Pre-college and Continuing Education classes, I've had my hands full with inspiring artists ages ranging from 6 to 12. However, after my second year teaching summer classes here, I'm about ready to end this chapter in my life and start on a new dream:

My goal to score a summer internship in California. 

Yes, yes - I know that it is an entire year away...and this summer hasn't even ended yet. But to endeavor on a goal like this, I would imagine, takes plenty of time and preparation. So I've decided to get started now!

I've been doing my share of research on animation studios in California, and I have a solid list of goal studios located anywhere from L.A. to San Diego.

However, it is a long process - figuring out living situations and rent and travel costs and every little thing. So I've only touched the surface for now. As far as I'm concerned, however, thinking about all these little details this early is the first step.

July 10, 2013: Keeping You Updated

I've been very busy these last few weeks.  I've worked 40-hour weeks, I've worked on commission jobs for Kresge Arts in Detroit and Gabriel's Garden Candles and a handful of other companies, but most importantly I've traveled.

Traveling is a very important part of every summer for me. It helps refresh my environmentally-driven brain and recharge the creativity within me. So far this summer I've traveled well over 1600 miles within the state of Michigan - voyaging from the rush of city life in southeastern Michigan to the open air and laid back towns along northern Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay. From Empire and Glen Arbor to Charlevoix and Petoskey; the cities I've visited this summer have kept me busy and kept me feeling happy. This is the only time of year I get the free time to travel, so I've been feeling very happy and thankful with where I've gone and how my travels have been.

In a few weeks I will be making my third trip this summer up to Mackinaw to go camping. I've never been to Mackinaw Island or Mackinaw city so I am excited to see the wonders they have in store for me.

In the mean time, I will be trying to harness all the energy and creative spirit I've accumulated to work on new projects outside of all my commission work.

Updates soon!

Summer GIFs

May 20, 2013: GIF Animation

After running across this website the other day, I've decided it would be cool to make 1 GIF a day all summer, in between my prep for the summer animation project I'm working on and my 2 summer jobs. 

This is my first one, just getting the hang of creating an animation in photoshop. I do not own or have experience with flash, so I've decided to create these short GIF animations in photoshop under its "animation" feature. 

Look for more GIFs to come! Hopefully they will be a bit more complex than this one.

May 16, 2013: Summer Inspiration

Lately I've been doing a lot of research on animators whose style really speaks to me. I've come with with a pretty solid inspirational list of animators whose aesthetic I really want to harness in my own work over the summer when I make the transition back from motion graphics to experimental animation.

Here is a list of animators who I have really been into lately:

• Ryan Larkin
• Caleb Wood
• Michèle Cournoyer
• Laurent Coderre
• Erica Russell
• Juan Camilo González

 The following films are animated shorts that I really enjoy their simplistic, yet interesting and visual method of storytelling. There are many common themes throughout these pieces, like the use of little to no background yet strong depth and environment in each piece. Also, just by looking at each thumbnail you can immediately tell that there is a constant use of strong line and contrast in each piece, making gesture and timing very important in each animation. I hope to continue to watch these animations and find more formal similarities between them so I can reinterpret these techniques in my own summer animation with our team of students.

Walking - Ryan Larkin from zazie on Vimeo.

Stay Home from caleb wood on Vimeo.

                       

Accordion by Michèle Cournoyer, National Film Board of Canada

Les fleurs de macadam by Laurent Coderre, National Film Board of Canada

                           SiSiSiSiSiSiSiSiSiSiSi (2011) from Juan Camilo González on Vimeo.

STAMMER (2013) from Shen Jie on Vimeo.

Summer Collaboration Announcement

Its official - summer has started for me and I'm ready to get to work on my summer projects!   

I've got a handful of things to do this summer already, starting off with balancing two jobs: my job working as a summer mentor and office assistant for CCS's youth summer program and my freelance position as a motion graphics artist at The Park (Team Detroit). 

In addition to those two day jobs, I am the main initiator of a group of animators/ illustrators at CCS to create a 3-5 minute short experimental film over the summer that we hope to submit to many film festivals in the area. So far I have 3 very talented, dedicated, and successful students that are part of the team: 

• Grace Millard
• Sarah Visel
• Patricia Lentini

If anyone else would like to help out with our production, feel free to add me on facebook and  talk to me about what you would like to help with! The most difficult part about this entire voyage will be getting together in person to discuss ideas. With people living all across lower Michigan, we will be doing most of our idea brainstorming via facebook and dropbox.

So far it looks like May is going to be our set-up month - to collect ideas, to storyboard, to build a solid team and gain insight from each team member, and to come up with a defined and sturdy idea by the end of the month. June and July will be huge work months, where we will all be hard at work on animating and coming up with a proof of concept by the end of June. As August rolls around, I hope to have a very good direction with where we are heading, perhaps a 1-3 minutes of animation we are happy with. August into early September will be the wrap-up months, since I don't want this project to leak too far into the start of our school semester.

I'm confident we can make this work and that in a matter of 4 months or so we will have something new to add to our portfolios! We have a lot of support from our friends and faculty members here at CCS, and I'm really happy to be working with the people I am working with.

Keep the good vibes coming ~ its going to be a successful summer!

May 6, 2013: Short Logo Animation

Created a short animation of my
logo for my site and updated reel

May 1, 2013: Animation Finished!

After my big hard drive crash this past weekend, I worked for 72 hours day and night on catching up on creating a new motion graphics piece by today. Thankfully, last night at about 5:30 a.m. I finished everything, with stereo sound design and all.

I'm hoping to submit this to a few Michigan websites, such as the National Parks Association and the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Lakeshore in hopes that they will display it commercially.

Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Lakeshore | 2013 Infographic from Melissa Oakley on Vimeo.

April 29, 2013: Hard Drive Crashed but I'm Still Doing Great

It is unfortunate to say that this past Friday my external hard drive crashed. Although I back my stuff up at the end of each month, I had done a lot of work that had not been backed up in a handful of weeks and I lost everything except a few Photoshop files for my National Parks Infographic.

The only place with any recollection of what I had started on my infographic was this site, and unfortunately everything on here is rendered at draft quality.

However, with only a week of school left to get everything done, I am determined to end my sophomore year at CCS with a solid motion graphics piece for my demo reel. So I've been working non-stop since Friday on a new infographic! Only aiming for 1-minute long, I decided to narrow my idea and focus on one specific national park.  I've got a lot to go, but I'm super determined to get this done, polished up, and ready for finals.

April 19, 2013: Progress Prt 2

I'm starting to run into some problems in the animation, which is normal. A few odd skips and jumps in places, and a few design problems; but I've made it to 1:25 worth of animation. Monday I will be syncing all the kinetic type and transitions up to the voice-over. But for now, here is my progress:

April 17, 2013: Progress Prt 1

The outline I wrote up for this infographic is divided into 9 different parts, and as of now with 40 solid seconds of animation I am on section #3. Not even a week into animation, I feel pretty confident with the time I have remaining. My next step is to write up a polished script and record the voice-over for syncing up kinetic type in the animation. Here is where I have gotten since the last update this past weekend:

April 13, 2013: Animation Started

 

Been making progress on my final motion graphics piece. Getting the concept solid and fine-tuned is by far the most difficult part.  I want to make this piece smooth and I want it to tell a persuasive, yet informational story from beginning to end. After gathering all the illustrative elements for the composition this past week, I am finally moving onto the actual animation portion. I've tried studying other infographics I've seen on the internet for transitional elements and have taken notes while doing so (as shown above).

Here is a quick sample of the start of my animation. Still working with different type and color choices, but the basic idea is here.

*Updated version with sound:

**Updated version April 14, 5:00 a.m.

April 4, 2013: Topic Decided

Finally have decided on a final project for my motion graphic final! Working on an infographic piece inspired by the preservation of National Parks in America, specifically with Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, Yosemite, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and several more. I will have more information posted once my research is completed.

Major topics I am sure to touch on:

• Protect areas of wildlife
• Understanding biology and geology
• Theodore Roosevelt and the beginning of the park preservation
• Preserve unbelievable natural areas that 'mere descriptions' would not do justice for

On another note, I've also been re-inspired by Ryan Larkin's "Walking" animation that was released in  1968. I've been looking for people to collaborate on creating a summer experimental short similar to his.

"The Nutcracker" | MOT Broadcast Spot

"The Nutcracker" | MOT Broadcast Spot from Melissa Oakley on Vimeo.


Uploaded the other 0:30 commercial spot I worked on for the Michigan Opera Theater (in addition to "The Flying Dutchman") to Vimeo - Check it out!

April 2, 2013: Brainstorming

In the creative process of undergoing a new project, coming up with a solid idea is by far the most difficult part for me. Typically I spend the first few weeks brainstorming and coming up with a solid, structured concept, then use the remaining weeks to animate and polish the piece. 

 Right now I've emulated the "Impactist" idea by learning how to traditionally animate frame by frame in After Effects. The next step is to take that new technique I've learned and apply it to a larger concept to be reinterpreted. 

I'm tossing around a few different ideas, mostly being motion graphic-based pieces. To do a 2-minute infographic piece based off a campaign or a cause would be ideal. 

One concept I've developed is National Park Preservation Awareness (more specifically Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Park); however, I have also been asked by the manager of a campaign called "MiLove" which raises awareness about equal marriage rights in the state of Michigan to create an infographic piece.

As I choose an idea and start to develop it further, I will post animation tests. Keep updated!

March 27, 2013: Starting my Sophomore Year Final Animation

As we count down to the last 5 weeks of the semester, I prepare to start my last animation of my sophomore year. Inspired by animated films I've seen recently at the 51st Annual Ann Arbor Film Festival and still influenced by my experimental animation roots - I have decided to mix digital animation and experimental animation for this last project.

Being created in my 2D Animation II class, I am obligated to use After Effects as the tool for this animation.





Above is a video by a group of artists/ musicians called Impactist. They have a series of short animations that help advertise their most recent album called "Undercast is Overrated". I enjoy their simple, yet effective, use of traditional animation - and I want to try to emulate and reinterpret that digitally.

Here is a quick test to show the look I am going for in my final video. I have 5 weeks to complete this, 18 hours being in-class studio time.

Right now I am looking for music (similar to Impactist) to utilize in my animation. If any musicians/composers would like to lend their skills to me, I would greatly appreciate it.

Updates soon!

Connect on LinkedIn

Created a LinkedIn site to showcase my professional accomplishments and connect with potential employers and companies

Connect with me  |   Click HERE  to visit

Michigan (2012) | now posted on Vimeo

Michigan | A short film by Melissa Oakley (2012) from Melissa Oakley on Vimeo.

"A short film by Melissa Oakley created in winter 2012 at the College for Creative Studies in Dertroit. With the use of oil-based clay and under-lighting, this is a 1-minute piece advertising the perks of camping in the state of Michigan."

[UPDATED] Demo Reel | Resume | Reel Breakdown

[UPDATED] Demo Reel | Winter 2013 from Melissa Oakley on Vimeo.

Resume      |         Reel Breakdown

Some MoGraph Tests

My Vimeo Page

Click here for a link to my updated Vimeo page with some of my animations from this past year

Offical News from Senator Hopgood

(Click here for official Facebook post)

Senate Bill 72: Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes License Plate

Over two years ago, Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes won Good Morning America's "Most Beautiful Place" award and I send out several e-mails to various Senators and Representatives of Michigan with a proposal for a Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes-themed state license plate. I heard back from several Senators who were interested in supporting my concept, however, not much action was taken. After a year passed, I received information that my idea for a Sleeping Bear Sand Dune-themed license plate was picked up in Legislature and it officially became a Senate Bill. The bill was thrown around in legislature, and I never heard back from anyone.

Well, today I received an e-mail stating that my license plate bill has been sponsored again by Senator Hopgood and is officially Senate Bil 72. He will be posting my original designs on Facebook tomorrow trying to raise awareness for the bill.

If the bill passes, every license plate that is bought will have funds donated to the upkeep of the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Park and my design will be printed on license plates across the state.

Here are some images of my original designs:

First Post

This is my first post on my blogger page. I decided to create this page after a dry period I went through with my animations these past few weeks. I hope by creating this site I will get to the motivation to continue working on projects by looking forward to posting the progress of each piece on here. I also hope it will help me fine-tune the developmental stage of each animation I have by being able to post journal scans, sketches, and concept art. With hopes to gain followers and views in the next few months, I will use this blog to the best of my ability. 

Good vibes to all~