Journal search

I have thoroughly searched the library catalogue finding any journal or newspaper article that could relate to my extended essay. Here is the Harvard references to them.

'A FANTASIA FANTASY' 2012, Print, 66, 2, p. 87, Education Research Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 November 2017.

Ward, N 1990, '1940 Fifty years ago', American Heritage, 41, 7, p. 44, Humanities International Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 November 2017.

EWIS, A 2016, 'Disney's Early Days', Hollywood Reporter, 422, 32, pp. 72-75, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 November 2017.

Diffrient, DS 2006, 'Cabinets of cinematic curiosities: A critical history of the animated ‘package feature’, from fantasia (1940) to memories (1995)', Historical Journal Of Film, Radio & Television, 26, 4, pp. 505-535, Humanities International Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 November 2017.

Disney's fantasia is released for 99 days. (1991, Sep 12). Marketing, , 7. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/215012879?accountid=14685 

Corliss, R 1999, 'Disney's Fantastic Voyage', Time, 154, 24, p. 94, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 November 2017.

White, TR 1992, 'From Disney to Warner Bros.: The Critical Shift', Film Criticism, 16, 3, pp. 3-16, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 November 2017.

Gabler, N 2015, 'Mickey Grows Up', Smithsonian, 46, 7, pp. 9-10, Humanities International Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 November 2017.

Schwark, Daniela, 2012, Music, Sound & The Moving Image, 6, 2, pp. 239-264, Humanities International Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 November 2017.Steyn, M. (2001, Dec 01). One man and his mouse. The Spectator, 287, 56-57. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/201234283?accountid=14685 

Sonia Van, G. C. (2010). Defining moment 'steamboat willie' launches mickey mouse and the disney dream, november 18 1928. FT.Com, Retrieved from httpssearch.proquest.comdocview229343174accountid=14685

'The Colony Theatre's Disney Connection' 2015, Marquee, 47, 4, pp. 10-11, International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 November 2017.

Canemaker, J1 2000, 'Un Disney', Print, 54, 3, pp. 94-99, Art & Architecture Source, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 November 2017.

Williams, B. (2002). Walt dinsey family museum. School Library Journal, 48(10), 68. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/211734835?accountid=14685 

Pre-comp

I have created yet another introduction to my project. This time I have added an animation test at the end and also made it brighter so that it can be easily viewed on screen. The timer will assist in planning out the animation in the timeline when it is needed.
Pre-comp from Jack Vanes on Vimeo.

Roald Dahl's books may be old fashioned but they remain classic as they are still being used in primary schools and still on the shelves in children's section today. Not only does he make children's books which are popular amongst children but also they are written in a way that appeal to a broad audience thus adults can enjoy the books as well. Whilst a lot of the books have already been made into a film, there are some which have not such as The Twits.

Essay progress

So far I am currently at 2000 words in my essay. The title is now How has music in Disney animated movies made an influence on the production of Steamboat Willie and Fantasia?

Here is the essay so far: Essay

I have found this journal that explores the early cartoons of Mickey Mouse.

Update

78 rpm
Although this might be a minor update but still an update none-the-less. The vinyl record I recently used appeared to be one that would only be found in the 1970s, so I have redesigned it to make it more appropriate for the 1940s era.

Handles and wood texture
Redwood was a common usage for wooden material in the 1940s, especially when it came to furniture. So I have upgraded the wooden texture to suit the time standard. In addition, I have created these handle-like knobs as it suits the time period.

Background sky and chair
In my opinion, the dark blue sky gives it more of a natural feel, that the time is actually dawn, especially with the help of the lighting. I have also shrunk the chair to make it suitable in size.

Introduction Test

In the final movie, I'm planning to render the scenes with PNG sequences then importing them into After Effects which will give them a decent quality. Since rendering scenes takes too long, I have playblasted the scenes to show how the introduction will go. There are scenes which need to be slowed down as they seem to move quickly. Introduction Test from Jack Vanes on Vimeo.

Rusty Rover

Rusty Rover is a white husky. He is a engineering assistant and guide dog who's often curious about the things that go on in the museum. He loves exploring around the factory and loves playing games. The two clocks attached to his abdomen are not only used as a method of telling the time but also to play games that involve finding things within a time limit.
Rusty Animation Test from Jack Vanes on Vimeo.

3D modelling Rusty

For this character, I will make an attempt at 3D modelling. Here is the reference I have made for this character with the front and side angle, the appropriate angles for 3D modelling.

After displaying the reference, I began constructing the character from a standard primitive shape (square) and then using the extrude method, worked from there but not before adding a mirror modifier to the character so that the mesh simulates the same data on the other side.

After further justifications, the model began to seem more fine tuned and coming along nicely albeit still blocky. However this was the shape necessary to fit the basic construction of the character.

After adding a smooth modifier, the character is now starting to shape. However, there were a few errors such as the conspicuous lining where the mirror modifier separated the character that needed adjusting and although not visible in the image, there were a few unwanted holes in the character that needed fixing.

Now I'm beginning to add the accessories before texturing since these items won't be removed from the character, they don't need to be separate from the character.

Texturing Test
UV Mapping attempt
When I was deciding the coat for this character, I initially decided to make a standard husky dog fur. This experiment didn't turn out very well as there were white lines and strange texture markings in various places that I can't seem to find a way to fix.

Mudbox
I made an attempt to texture the character in Mudbox too. However, this turned out even worse as sometimes the mesh would often blow up for unknown reasons and in rare circumstances when I finally managed to texture it without any problems with the mesh, the texturing just looked rather inconsistent.

Changing the skin
In the end, I just decided to make the character a plain white husky dog as it's not only simple but rather unique when it comes to husky dogs. In addition, I have finished the items, adding the goggles and clock separately.

Rusty Rover

After receiving feedback from the client, I have decided to change the design. This dog design that I presented during the presentation appeared to be the favourite so I have adapted to this character, named Rusty Rover.

Research

These are two books I have issued from the library. 

The first one is Walt in Wonderland: The Silent Films of Walt Disney. The book is as the title suggests, explains Disney's process through the years of creating animated short films before Steamboat Willie. These include Alice Comedies and Oswald The Lucky Rabbit.

The second book is Once Upon a Time - Walt Disney - The Sources of Inspiration for the Disney Studios. This book also explains the progression of Disney and explores the various popular medias that Walt Disney is known for. 

 

Block out Animatic

I have made an animatic using rendered images from the project that portrays the action and timing. The notes are stiff in the animatic, so I plan to squash and stretch the notes in the final animation. I also intend to add sound effects, possibly creating them myself by booking the sound studio and using objects to create the sound necessary.
Block out Animatic from Jack Vanes on Vimeo.

Additional lighting
To give the scenery a little more lighting, I have constructed a lamp based on a 1940s lamp I found on Pinterest.

I have added a target light source where the lamp bulb is so that the light emits from there. The room is now much lighter than before, so I believe this is a useful addition to the scene.

Texturing and light adjusting

This is the lighting with contrast on how I would imagine it would be if it was dawn. At least in terms of natural lighting. It looks rather dark to me so I'm not so sure whether this would be the right lighting method.

One thing that I have added that may seem rather trivial but an addition nonetheless. On the edges on the tables, I have added bevels. This is because realistically, there isn't absolute perfect edge in real life.

Texturing and work schedule

I've finally added some colour/texture to the scenery which brightens it up. The scene is now beginning to look good. However some textures appear to be a bit off such as the wallpaper on both the left wall and right wall which don't seem to match in terms of size.

Work schedule
This should assist in keeping my work organized as I have had trouble in the past with keeping work in line. This seems like it could be useful method to use for future works.

Here is a collection of reviews of Steamboat Willie.
https://drgrobsanimationreview.com/2010/05/01/steamboat-willie/
http://lauraview.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/steamboat-willie-analysis.html
https://magicalmoviereviews.wordpress.com/tag/steamboat-willie/

These reviews mention that Steamboat Willie was in fact not the first cartoon to use synchronised sound but a cartoon made in 1928 named Dinner Time was the first cartoon to feature synchronised sound. There is also a mention of Fletcher Studios, which experimented with sound in 1924.

Pitch

Mr Barkley

Mr Barkley is a posh British greyhound who enjoys history. He talks in an old posh British accent with use of words of aristocrats such as "I say" and "My dear chap." He is a wind up toy that operates on a clockwork motor and will occasionally run out needing to be wound up again. Once the mechanism is in action, he loves to bark a lot and talk about historical events, especially the ones that involve mechanical mechanisms. Personality wise, he is funny, charming, vigorous and friendly.

This character concept was inspired by the stereotypical show presenters with British accents.

Example would be the show of Tales of The Unexpected in which the presenter is Roald Dahl explaining the upcoming events in the story.

This was also inspired by the use of Sherlock Holmes, a famous London-born detective involving the well-known scenes where he sits in his chair and makes an analyse on the evidence. Sherlock Holmes is arguably noted for having a memorable London accent.

The closest character that resembles Mr Barkley and was a heavy inspiration is Tick Tock from Return of Oz. Just like Barkley, Tik-tok runs on a clockwork mechanism and occasionally needs to be wound to start up again.







Essay Structure

Title:
How has music in Disney animated movies made an influenced on the production of Steamboat Willie and Fantasia?

Introduction
An brief summary of the essay will be written in this section. Explaining the basic fundamentals that will be included in the essay but making sure not to reveal too much about it.

Chapter 1
This chapter will be about Steamboat Willie and argue how it has become symbolic to Walt Disney, as well as the outcome it had on the audience. It will also mention any musicians who have worked on this cartoon and anybody who has commented on the cartoon itself. I may also use any reception this short animated film received to back up my argument that music played a part in making it a big success.

Chapter 2
Fantasia will be the main topic of this chapter. It is chosen because it is a feature film that was released over 10 years after Steamboat Willie. Not only that but Fantasia is animated and entirely based on music. I will talk about the distinction between the two and mention the obvious change in music that occurred. 

Chapter 3
My personal project will be included in this chapter and how it relates to the two animations in the earlier chapters. 

Conclusion
This is the part where I summarise on the entire essay, give my own comment and give no new information.

The scenery is pretty much complete. Now I need to add the texture and then perhaps work on the lighting if it's not working the way I want it to by the time I've finished texturing.

Cup and box modelling

I have used Pinterest to gather coffee cups from the 1940s. Many of them look extremely fancy like something only a rich person could afford and that is not the cup I am aiming for. The cups I intend on modelling for this project are the ones that appear like lower class ones.

Box modelling
I have used this opportunity to explain box modelling using the coffee cup as an example. First I need to select a standard primitive shape that can be a good starting point for developing the object. In this case it is a coffee cup, so I have chosen a cylinder. Then I need to calculate how many splits I would need around it to extrude the handle. After the handle extrusion, I would need to make a top part including adding a hole being as it is a coffee cup. The basic shape of the cup is now formed but now the lack of polygons makes the cup appear rugged, to finish I need to add a turbosmooth modifier which will make the cup appear like the one on the end, the final mesh.

1940s Objects

I have used Pinterest to gather a few collective office chairs that were available around the 1940s era. The one that caught my eye was the one on the upper left corner. The hard wooden framing seems like exactly what could be found in a professional office that occurred within that timeframe.

This chair was crafted based on my chosen chair from the image above. The chair was crafted using the box modelling method and then a tessellate added to increase the polygons before a smooth modifier was added to get rid of the square parts of the chair making it seem carved.

Colour palette

In terms of colour pallete, I have chosen a colour pallet from an orange sky image. Not only because my project is set during the dawn hours when the sun is rising but also because the colours yellow and orange represent anger and madness which is the storyline basis of my project.

For the purposes of seeing how these colours can be reflected, I created an experimental image. I vectored out the the scenery from the project and coloured it in using only the colours from the colour pallete above. The colouring does not look too bad in my eyes. I like that it gives the authentic dawn feel.