Abstract

The animated film, Podification: Horatio and the Metamorphosis Mystery is the tale of a caterpillar, Horatio, who is faced with what could be the final moments of his life. The story tells the end of his journey and his interactions with his few remaining friends. The film was created using Autodesk Maya, Adobe Creative Suite and edited using Final Cut Pro. The intention of the film was to create a small world, populate it with a broad range of characters, and communicate the central narrative theme which encompassed change, the unknown, and the uncertainties we all face in our own lives. While computer generated, a great challenge of this project was creating a world and film in a digital, virtual world that began as 2D illustrations and could also draw on my experience as a stop motion animator. The goal of a thesis film, animated or live action, is to tell a story, communicate an idea, and bring together everything learned from past work into a new project. Building on my past projects, I worked to improve my skills in visual storytelling and directing. These goals could only be met with improving modeling techniques of characters, as well as by giving each character a distinct and strong personality, easily identifiable in the animation. Through every step in the process of making this film, the story evolved and changed, yet it retained the central theme and became a satisfying film dealing with change. This paper is the story of the story, following the creative and technical hurdles faced when making a short film. The appendices include artwork, storyboards and movie stills.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Computer animation--Themes, motives; Computer animation--Technique; Animated films--Themes, motives; Animation (Cinematography); Short films--Themes, motives; Short films--Technique; Caterpillars--Drama; Metamorphosis--Drama

Publication Date

11-1-2012

Document Type

Thesis

Department, Program, or Center

School of Film and Animation (CIAS)

Advisor

Gasek, Tom

Advisor/Committee Member

DeLuna, Dan

Comments

Note: imported from RIT’s Digital Media Library running on DSpace to RIT Scholar Works. Physical copy available through RIT's The Wallace Library at: TR897.7 .D747 2012

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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