What Matters to Me in Production (Patreon)

Hello, dear everyone.

Today, I would like to share an animation that I created before I have started Patreon. This animation was like a sudden opportunity coming from one of an artist I knew and it was a challenging for me because I could not have much time to create it. Eventuality, I managed to complete it in just 2 weeks.

What I want to tell you here today is that what you should be careful and what you should do to create something on time/schedule.

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First day

First of all, I got a contact from her and she sent me a music. Then, I had started thinking how I could do for the best on time. I didn't have a skill for drawing backgrounds so faster and there were no people who could help me for painting or I could call.

"Yes, the most crucial aspect for the undertaken job is to finish it within the designated time." Even if you have a specific idea or want to create it entirely through hand-drawing, it is meaningless if you cannot complete it on time.

So, I spent time one day to think the story that I added on the music. Adding the story would help you to make it more easier and faster. And I created a video conte at the same day.

Fortunately, I was in a journey that I have started learning 3D in Blender, so, it helped me a lot.

Here is the video conte. Because of the copyright, I can not put the music...
https://youtu.be/aiSXi5WuGlk

This video is almost used for that the she (the client) check it.

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First one week

Story

The story that I created for this music is about two people, a woman and a man. The woman has a pet and lives in Tokyo, Japan. The man is a craftsman of Gifu Paper Lanterns in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. They are a couple but live far away from each other on Christmas day.

Materials

I picked some pictures up from web then started modeling materials that I needed in Blender by using these pictures as references. I was thinking of using them as backgrounds on the animation.

"My PC specs were not better well for 3D at that time. Exporting was time-consuming.

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Second week

Cel part

After finishing the modeling, backgrounds, I moved on to drawing the cel part. As you can see, I imported the rough animation into Blender  along the layout to adjust the camera work. After that, I just finished the cel part.

I didn't have time to create a character design chart, so I organized it in my head and started drawing it directly on the layout/Genga.

Camera works

The one of benefit using Bender is camera works. It is easier for me to make it than the other application that I have like TVpaint in my opinion.

It looks almost close to finish, I think.

Finish

The main components of the cel are these scenes. I composited and exported them with Blender, and depending on the scene, I also composited with TVPaint. This depends on the content of each scene.

I didn't add texture or color to the materials created with Blender because it meant I didn't have to change the cel color. It is important to devise a strategy, make a decision, and execute it when you are short on time. This decision is also talent that the director must have.

The last 2 or 3 days

I did almost exporting videos all the day.
My laptop had worked all the day and all the night for that.

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Here is the final result. https://youtu.be/_cModG2RJ7o

And to compere v-conte and the final result. https://youtu.be/xH-JYTC6KNM

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"I spent almost the entire 14 days working on this project, nearly all day long, creating it alone. Along the way, if I thought something would be better, I changed the initial plan, and when time was tight, I opted for faster methods.

Creating a project on your own can be challenging, but it comes with a sense of accomplishment. Teaming up for work would be the ideal scenario. However, if you aspire to be a director, cultivate an open ear for others' opinions, an accepting mindset, and swift decision-making.

I hope this experience proves valuable to you."　MÖCHOKO