Friday, February 26, 2010

Demo reel

demo reel update from Katie Patno on Vimeo.




My animation demo reel.

Flatbook cover


This is the cover to my flatbook I'm putting together. I am feeling extremely official.

Monday, February 22, 2010

School of Athens

So back in 2005, I went on a high school trip to Greece and Italy. We eventually made our way to Rome and were lucky enough to get into the Vatican (which so happened on that same night, the Pope died). It was a lot of fun and my only regret is that I saw all these amazing pieces of ancient Renaissance art before I even really knew anything about it. So now in 2010, and as a senior in college, I have been working night and day on the biggest research paper of my life on Raphael and the Stanza della Segnatura. Turns out I was in this room at one point in my life, and even took a picture of the famous fresco in that room, the School of Athens, which I've just finished writing about in this uber long paper of mine.


At the time I took this picture, I didn't know anything about it. It was a "ooh, pretty picture," moment and snap goes the camera. It's incredibly weird to me that I know so much about this painting now when at one time I had actually seen it in person so many years ago.

I don't know. It just makes me a little sad. I would definitely appreciate it more now if I ever go back there some day.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Float!


So now I am going to do a little promotion for my short film Float which I will complete my senior year. I'll go into detail of what my film is about so just sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Story Synopsis

“Float” is about a man who is anxiously waiting to get to work at a bus stop when suddenly, he is lifted off the ground by no will of his own and floats up to the sky. The more he tries desperately to keep himself earthbound, the more he floats, higher and higher. Its not until he finally lets his fears go and starts to enjoy himself that he finally learns how to safely get back to the ground.

Story Outline

The story is about an overworked and tired man named Johnny, who is standing at a bus stop waiting impatiently for the bus to arrive. Briefcase in hand, he is sleepy-eyed and weary but also anxious to get to work. He decides to close his eyes for just a moment, but when he opens them again, he realizes to his confusion that he is hovering slightly off the ground!

The others at the bus stop notice this strange event but try to ignore him, except for a little boy with a yellow balloon who finds it all fascinating. Johnny then begins to float upward higher in the air, not before dropping his briefcase at the boys feet making him let go of his balloon. As Johnny ascends, he tries everything he can to remain on the ground. He floats in between two buildings connected by clotheslines and he grabs a hold to some old woman’s underwear. Unfortunately for Johnny, the unsympathetic woman knocks him on the head with her cane through the window and he makes his way up again floating higher and higher. Johnny passes by a large skyscraper and tries to get the two window washers attention but they only notice for a moment and continue on with their work.

Johnny is now high above the city still terrified about the whole ordeal. It is not until he looks down at the city and sees the beauty of the world below that he begins to actually enjoy what’s happening. Now with his worries out the window, he stops floating up and smiles. The yellow balloon from the boy at the bus stop catches up to him and Johnny takes it in his hand. Johnny is now able to control his flight, and after a few graceful moves through the air he slowly and safely lands on the ground back at the bus stop.

Handing the balloon back to the boy, the bus finally comes. As everyone gets on, Johnny stays behind- watching the bus leave with the boy smiling at him with his balloon through the back window. With a new spring to his step, Johnny picks up his briefcase and walks away with a new and carefree outlook on life.

Treatment

For this film, I intend to draw and animate my characters using Flash and create the city landscape and backgrounds in Illustrator. I also hope to add watercolor and ink to my backgrounds so my characters can standout more in contrast from the colorful city.

The use of vivid and expressive colors will give this film an overall uplifting feeling and mood. I will animate my characters using the puppet style technique, which will give the overall aesthetic a smooth and clean feel.

I’ve decided to use Flash because I like the flat but expressive style Flash has to offer and I feel that I can express the characters emotions and body language with more success this way.

Storyboards









Shotlist

Bus stop sequence

1. A man named Johnny is preparing to go to work. He is at the bus stop with a briefcase in hand. Other people are waiting at the bus stop as well.

2. He is tired looking, anxious (keeps looking at his watch) and he seems easily agitated

3. He closes his eyes for a brief moment. When he opens them, he realizes he is floating a bit above the ground. The people around him notice this, too, especially a little boy with his yellow balloon

4. Suddenly he floats higher and higher

5. He drops his suitcase at the little boys feet, causing him to let go of his balloon

6. He is extremely disturbed by the fact he’s floating away. The more panicked he gets and the more he tries to fight it, the more he floats higher and higher

City Sequence


7. He floats in between 2 buildings where people hang their clothes on a line

8. He tries various times to grab a hold to the clothes he floats by but he just takes them with him

9. An old woman hits him with her cane through her window when he grabbed onto her underwear

10. He passes by men washing windows of a building, waving his arms at them to get their attention. They see him, but then go back to work.

Sky sequence


11. He continues to float up in circles and loops by the random direction of the wind

12. He closes his eyes tightly in fear, opens them and sees the city

13. When he looks and sees the city and the sky, and when he sees how beautiful everything is, he begins to enjoy what’s happening to him

14. When he learns to relax, he has control. He stops floating up, and the yellow balloon from the little boy floats up by him

15. He grabs a hold of the balloon and flies gracefully by his own will


Ending sequence


16. After a few graceful moves, he lands safely back on the ground

17. He hands the balloon back to the little boy

18. The bus pulls up and after a few moments takes off again but Johnny is still at the bus stop

19. He watches the bus leave and the little boy smiles at him from the back window

20. He smiles and walks off in the opposite direction, having a new spring to his step

Character sheets




This is my main character, a hard working but exhausted working stiff I've named Johnny.

Here's the little boy character along with his bright yellow balloon




These are some other characters who wait at the bus stop with Johnny

Scene design

These were my concept drawings I made of the city this story takes place


Here is a layout of what the city will most likely look like

Reference material


These are some reference material I found that really inspired me in the making of my film

Animatic