Video walk through - Mark

Firstly, I opened a new document, and set the size to 20cm by 12 cm. I then imported an old scroll texture, lightening it slightly.

Creating a new layer, I used the lasso tool to draw out the ground, and then filled it with the gradient tool to give the illusion of depth to the image.

For the background mountain, (purgatory) I used the same technique then added a lighter gradient.

Finally, for the far away hills, I drew them with the lasso tool, and then added a light peach gradient to give the impression of depth.

For the sun, I used the circular marquee tool and used a gradient that faded to nothing for the suns colours.

Finally, I turned all the layers onto multiply, so that the texture of the paper could be seen through.

For the forest, I used the lasso tool to draw the leaves, then added the branches in the same manner, starting with a darker colour scheme then using a lighter one the further forward I got.

then , using the animation bar, I created a motion tween tool to make the trees slide out of view one by one to leave the desert bare and visible.

For the blinking eyes on Virgil’s wings, I created 20 separate frames and set them to the time scale 0.1 seconds per frame. I then drew each individual eye on each frame, adding a layer above for the half opened eyelid, and another above that for the fully opened eye. Then I made each eye open separately and close again so that the whole thing could be played on a loop without any flaws or jumps in the movie, and so that the eyes looked natural.

For the precipice and the whirlwind in limbo, I created a new document the same size as the previous and filled in the background a dull blue colour. Then, on a new layer, using a 12pnt brush, I painted on the precipice and shaded it. Using the gussian blur filter, I blurred the image so that it appeared to be far away. For the smoke whirling up, I drew on the smoke on a separate layer using a hard brush, and used the gussian blur tool again to make the image look more smoke like.

For hells gates, I used the rectangle marquee to create the initial shape, then on a separate layer I filled the door in with the paint bucket tool with a cool grey colour, and repeated this action to create the detail within the doors. I then used two textures, the bone texture to create the main doors, and the marble texture for the surrounding stonework. Then using a custom font, I wrote the Latin equivalent to “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” In a deep red to symbolize blood.

I then added a motion tween to make the door slide up onto the movie as the words “and upon a gate leading to the pit and the lake the words-“ where spoken on my audio.

Finally, for the end scene, I made a new layer and filled it black, then added a motion tween so that the words “This way there never passes a good soul” faded onto the screen.

For my audio, I recorded two associates voices for Virgil and Dante. While Dante’s voice was left untouched, I added an echo to Virgil’s, making it sound demonic and otherworldly. I also added a Gregorian chant in the background, to give a religious yet creepy feel.

Mark evaluation - Dantes inferno digital story

What were you asked to do?

For my project brief, I was asked to create a 2 minute long digital story with audio and visual. I was asked to contain small amounts of animation to tell my story.

What did you make/present?

I presented a 2 minute long animation based around the poem, Dante’s inferno, mainly focusing around the introductive canto and the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th canto depicting Dante’s journey through hell to find inner peace. I also produced an audio file that I had recorded myself and edited in final cut pro.

What did you want to communicate?

I wanted to communicate the horrific feel of the poem, and how it could put the fear of god into anyone, and also how twisted and surreal the poem was, for instance, how it communicated even through old English the gory details of the demons and the torture souls had to endure.

Who was your intended audience?

My intended audience where people who where not originally interested in old literature such as Dante’s inferno, so that I could convey to them that it is actually a very interesting subject and holds many different morals and sub stories.

What materials and processes did you experiment with?

I experimented with the use of different textures that I would usually try to avoid for instance, photographs of bones instead of flat textures. I also experimented with the settings on the scanner as I scanned my images, making them appear different before I even edited them in Photoshop.

What materials and processes did you reject?

I rejected the use of pencil sketches and marker pens, as I dint like the restriction in colour and effect, I also didn’t like how easy it was for the materials to bleed into each other and cause problems when drawing with them.

What materials and processes did you use in your final designs?

In my final designs I used large amounts of computer designed images without the use of traditional art, though I did use initial designs that I scanned in and drew over to create my character concepts and backgrounds.

How do the materials you chose to use help you to communicate your message to your audience?

They helped me connote the feeling of destruction in the audience, as well as the feeling of horror and uncertainty due to the ripped and crumpled pages the drawings appear to be written on. They also made it easier to animate and create a natural appearance.

What did you do to ensure you worked with tools and materials safely?

To make sure I took regular breaks from working on the computer to rest my eyes, I also made sure to keep all liquids away from the equipment I was using, in case of a spill that could lead to a malfunction or and electrical surge.

How well did you manage your time?

I used my planner to help me organize my time, though I found it hard to maintain both my work and my college work, as my job took up a lot of spare time. It was also difficult to work through as I struggled with other classes’ work as well as this project.

What were your strengths in completing this project?

My strengths in completing this project would be in my research as I go into large amounts of connotations and denotations as to understand how other images worked well and how others do not. I also work well with my research as I gained a lot of different images to study and learn things from, meaning I could improve my own project.

What would you like to have done differently?

I would have liked to start off in a different way, as I struggled with using blogger and my first little book, and I preferred to layout my work in an a3 pad, as I am more familiar with this. I also would have liked to work longer on putting more detail into my final, as well as a larger variation of images and characters.

What will you do to ensure you improve for the next project?

I will insure to improve my time management, especially when it comes down to my job and college education. I will also add further detail into my work, as well as go into deeper depth with my research. This will make the whole project a little bit easier to work with on my time scale. I will also spend longer working with the program in my spare time so I can understand how it works better, and thus improve my finals in the future.