production experiments for my video game project

1. Experiments
Sam Johnson

2. Process
The process behind this initial experiment was simple enough, through merely creating 5 separate layers excluding the
base background layer, I spelled out the word ‘LOSER’ as to animate each entity individually. With this I Made the L layer
fade in first, by changing the opacity of said layer over the course of multiple frames. Once this process had carried out
its course and hopefully peaked the interests of the viewers, I gradually moved the letter to the left hand side of the
frame as to make way for the remaining letters. After reaching its required destination, I organised the letters into place
and using the visibility function I made it look as if the letters had popped into place one by one, making up the word
‘LOSER’. Leaving me with the remaining task of including one more surprise for the viewers to enjoy, being the picture of
Michael Myers in a fat suit. This was done by simply layering said image above the rest of the existing layers and then
making it visible in the last frame, of which I made last marginally longer than the previous frames as to give viewers
some time to comprehend the material. Finally I made a backing track behind the animation using beepbox which was
implemented using adobe premier, to combine the rendered video file and the mp3 download.

3. Reflection
• What elements of your experiments will you
include in your final product?
The surprising elements found in this animation are features I
would want transferred over into my final product. None of
these surprising aspects are particularly intricate nor difficult to
produce, yet they add a comedic characteristic to the animation
which left out would have seen the creation bare of any
substance. On top of that, something which is entirely
unexpected brings about euphoria, as it keeps viewers intrigued
about the on goings of the product, especially when things seem
stale for a period of time; it almost snaps people into attention.

4. Process
For this Pac-man influenced experiment I created the background first using an upscaled frame of the one in which I was
going to animate in (as seen in the video above). This was done as to give the impression that the character model of Pac-
man was moving by scrolling the background along to the left hand side of the frame, using the arrow keys over the course
of multiple frames. From there I decided to take my Pac-man themed animation to a more educational level, by
implementing informative text aimed at younger generations (whom this game already appeals to) at both the top and
bottom of the canvas which carried on through every frame there on out. From that point I needed to animate Pac-man in
his open and closed state, which would change within frame depending on when the pellet was in his mouth. So I created
two separate layers using the shapes tool in circle form and kept one circle whole and cut out a portion of the other,
leaving both models in the exact same position to the left of the screen. Finally I added different coloured portions to the
pellets, resembling the colours of the ghosts within the actual game of Pac-man, this in turn made the pellets look like
harmful narcotics, of which Pac-man had become addicted to. Finally, once the video was rendered, I created a backing
track to go behind it, in tune with the visuals on display, including a portion of audio reminiscent to how the real Pac-man
moves.

5. Reflection
• What elements of your experiments will you
include in your final product?
The background which was created using an entirely separate
photoshop document and then transferred over to the main
canvas, enabled me to create a background ten times the width of
the standard animating frame and therefore gave the illusion that
the character model of Pac-man was moving. This saves me the
task of incessantly animating the characters movements frame by
frame, with the scrolling background doing that for me. Of course
the detail on show for my experiment isn’t entirely complex nor
exhausted with intricacies, however for the sake of this particular
experiment it works to great effect and merely displays the
fundamental necessity of such an asset when working with such a
small time budget; therefore giving enough reason to include said
element into my final animation.

6. Process
My inspiration for this experiment derived from my love for adventure games, much like ’Legend of
Zelda’ of which started off in 1986 with an 8-bit art style and simple narrative for the player to follow.
The map seen in this animation was traced off of an existing image using the pencil tool, for a simpler,
less time intrusive experiment. The animation itself was very simple, as all I had to do was move a blank
square around the canvas frame by frame using the arrow keys, with a few minor adjustments here and
there as to squeeze said square through the different spaced gaps between the walls of the maze. Once
this was achieved and the square had made its way to the centre, I introduced a large white square into
the animation, of which I increased the opacity of 5% each frame, giving the impression as though the
’level’ had come to an end and/or the character escaped the maze. Finally I created a light hearted tune
using beepbox to back the animation, which to me sounded reminiscent of many ‘Legend of Zelda’
themes (e.g. ocarina melodies), as a way of paying homage to the inspiration it gave me.

7. Reflection
• What elements of your experiments will you
include in your final product?
The satisfying motion of the blank square moving around the
frame, is a factor I would very much like to include in my final
product. Clunky animation turns off viewers and will always be
an aspect of harsh criticism in any received feedback, therefore
I’ll be certain to keep a smooth and consistent flow of frames
and be sure to give it a few looks over by the end, as one
misstep in animation can cause an outbreak of visual frustration
between myself and most importantly the viewers themselves.