flash test, again

gotta do some paper tests soon. still haven't decided for sure whether it'll be digital or not. ):

edit: kaj thinks this animation style matches my character designs, so I guess digital it is! I was worried that it lacked form and texture, but he's right, animation is not about getting it to look like real life. why not?
but I wonder what those annoying square things are. they weren't there in the flash file! gif-exporting bugs, sigh~

olddog, nohouse

exhibit A


exhibit B



ex.A is pre-checking out Jeff, miyazaki's dog. ex.B is trying to make it more animate-able, following Jeff's lead. must draw more, must not look like Jeff but must be a good character.


some points I've realized after talking to scott caple today;

1) pigeons must either be incorporated more, or taken out. I've decided to take them out completely by moving the starting scene to the backyard, so the girl doesn't need a reason to run home: she's already home! it would be only natural for her to use the water hose in the backyard, and then drag the dog inside to try and feed it... also, it would mean the ball can be brought back into play, as she would've just left it outside in the backyard (as opposed to all the way back in the park).
2) the house won't blow up. it's unnecessary, especially after taking out the pigeons. serves no real purpose. however, her rubber gloves can burn away.
3) I must brainstorm more ways to 'revive' dog, if just for possibilities. she can speak into his ear, pry his eyelids open, show him the ball, tickle his nose... if you, the reader, have any other ideas, leave some in the comments!

the old doggy dilemma

gotta be old, but gotta be spry. gotta be excitable enough to get a heart attack!
some excited faces for reference:






and now for Jeff the old dog from Kiki's Delivery Service (I'd forgotten there even was a dog in it until Caple tipped me off)!

girl run test

edit: colored now

dog sketches

pokemon & death

the emotional highpoint of pokemon: the first movie. similar to the highpoint of my story, I think: pikachu realizes the finality of ash's 'death' (except it wasn't, blahblahetc) after trying its hardest to reverse it (with electricity, no less!).



















that last pic of mew is just for cuteness. SO cute. T__T
anyway,

The 5 Stages of Mourning

1. Denial: "This can't be..."
2. Anger: "This is so unfair..."
3. Bargaining: "I'll do anything to bring back - ..."
4. Depression: "I can't bear this sadness..."
5. Acceptance: Not necessarily an easy acceptance...

since this is about 'discovering death' and not 'mourning death', I think the stages would be more like this:

Made-Up Stages of Discovering Death

1. Confusion: "What's happening?"
2. Experimentation: "How can I bring him back."
3. Delusion: "Why won't he come back?"
4. Understanding: "So this is permanent..."
5. Depression: "I can't do anything about it!"

story as told in flash

noted problems: climax of house burning down not actually related to dog problem; not intense enough. also, pigeons may be useless.
climax MUST be girl's realization of what death is: permanent, irreversible. perhaps she looks at the dog, acting, whatever. but this bit must be obvious.

NOODLE

noodle... don't noodle...

I got a rat. his name is noodle. he's cuter than your dog! and that's a fact.

just doodling

untimed:


timed:

does the dog look heavy enough to be dead yet?





trying to draw... an old dog. and another sketch for the girl.

old dog pics & history

History
Sketchi was a real dog. he was my dog. the only dog I really owned, and the only dog that ever owned my heart. sure I've had other dogs too, but they just lived with me, and we did not belong to each other. Sketchi went with me everywhere in his short little life, and we even played piano together! although he died as a puppy, in agony, and on the way to the vet's office, in this film I'm killing him in a scenario I'd much rather him die in: old and playing (he actually died from infections he had gotten before I even adopted him).

for music, I'm going to try to compose my own (keyword try). still, I must keep this piece of music in mind, as this is what I always played on piano for him.


OLDNESS
I must learn to draw old dogs... so it's feasible when he dies from a heart attack.





they all look sad and tired...