"All Aboard!"

Rochester Institute of Technology

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11-2006

"All Aboard!"

Grant Chang

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M.F.A. Thesis Project

"All Aboard!"

by

Grant Chang

MFA Imaging Arts / Computer Animation

School of Film and Animation

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester, New York

November 2006

Stephanie Maxwell

Stephanie Maxwell

Professor

School of Film and Animation

Thesis Committee Chair

Johnny Robinson

Johnny Robinson

Assistant Professor

School of Film and Animation

Thesis Committee member

Elouise R. Oyzon

Elouise Oyzon

Assistant Professor

School of Information Technology

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Acknowledgements

The creation ofthis film was notjust a singular effort on _my part. I could not have

completed thisfilm withoutthe

help

of so _many people in _my life. I would liketo

express _mythanks and

bring

intothe forefront the names ofthe people who had

a hand in mythesis.

Stephanie _Maxwell,

Johnny

_Robinson, Elouise _Oyzon, Brian Sargent, Keliu Zhu,

Skip

Battaglia, Lorelei _Pepi, Jeff _Lester, Carina _Maggio, Josh _Gramse, Camille

Geraci, Shaun _Foster, Gurjeet _Birdee, Daljit _Birdee, Rajesh Singaravelu, Scott

Mooney, Darshan _Sappal, Seth _McCaughey, Manpreet Kalsi, Duane _Palyka, Joe

Yang, Mike _Jiang, Jeff _Spoonhower, Kevin _McNulty,

Mary

_Barnard, Alden Filion,

Kyoomin _Hahn, David _Ehrlich, Chris _Robinson,

Kelly

_Neall, Martine Chartrand,

Frederic _Back, Caroline _Leaf, Tom _{Gasek, Nukufilm, Joonisfilm, my}family:

Table ofContents

Acknowledgements 2

Introduction 4

Synopsis 9

Storyboarding

10

Character Development 12

Environments 14

Drawing,

Scanning

and

Photoshop

14

Editing

17

Sound 18

The

Screening

19

Conclusion 20

Bibliography and Appendix Sources 22

AppendixA:

Original Thesis Proposal 24

Budget 26

Timeline 27

Marketing 29

Appendix B:

Story

board 30

AppendixC:

Film Stills 35

Appendix D:

Introduction

Creating

All Aboard!was one ofthe most_trying experiencesthat I have

gone _through, but _ultimately it became one of_my most _satisfyingachievements.

During

my timeat RIT I had learned the 'proper' method_{for creating} a film:

treatment to storyboard, storyboard_{to animatic,} animatic_{to production,} and post

production to thefinished work. Whilethis _{pathway may} be effective formost

traditional works, I feltthat Iwanted to liberate myselffrom the tedium of this

approach. I wanted todefine for myself anew production process. Onethat

would inspire a work that unfoldsthrough the actual creation ofthework. I

wanted tocreate an animation that reflected the kind ofanimation that I like.

My

goal was to create a workthatwas more _{'organic', something}far from the constraints ofthe _trendycomputeranimated 3dspace. I wantedto

concentrate more on the artistic merits ratherthan on the _showytechnology. I

have always wanted to makefilms like The Street₍₁₉₇₆₎

by

Caroline Leaf and

Crac!₍₁₉₈₁₎

by

Frederic Back. These works are rich and _beautiful, and_they

have timeless poignant plots. Both ofthese works have had an emotional and

artistic impact on me. Theirstories 'loosely' unfold.

They

takeadvantage ofthe

medium of animation with theirdeft use of _line, color and shape tocreate _moving

art works that tell their unique stories in ways that live action cannot. Withthis in

mind, I neededto define a work thatwould _{satisfy my}ambition to _similarlycreate

an animation thatwas imaginativeand _artisticallycompelling.

proclivitytoward this subject _matter, butthere was _something that has always

been attractive aboutthese powerful machines. The _Futurists, "who wanted their

paintingstoexpressthe _energy and speed of modern life" 1 ~

particularly Gino

Severini, who painted RedCross Train

Passing

a _Village, loved trains because of

their

"vitality

and potency."

I could relateto this _sensibility about_trains, so I

decided tofocus on trains in _mythesiswork.

I studied Fine Art at Dartmouth College as an _{undergraduate,} andone of

the projects I did and enjoyed

immensely

was a series of charcoal drawings. I

benefited from the

immediacy

thatcharcoal gave me. I could

instantly

translate

an _{idea in my head} with

deep

ranges of rich blacks and a multitude of grays in a

large format. I loved towork

big

and slash lines all overthe paper and

spontaneouslycreate formson the spot. The subject matterdrew _heavilyfrom a

modern technological iconography. I mixed organic shapes with forms taken

from modern _{design ranging from} construction vehicles tocommon electrical

appliances. I feltthatwiththis_film, I couldtake _myartistic vision beyond

individual static _hanging pieces. _Myartwork had started out as still life art and

later moved towardsabstraction where motion was implied. Animationwas a

natural progression forme because I could make artthat_actually movedthrough

a space I createdfully. The train object in _my graduate_work, I _felt, could

represent so much _{conceptually,} so I decidedto write the most open-ended

1 _Blessing, Jennifer. Solomon R. GuggenheimMuseum. Articleon GinoSeverini.

treatmentforthis work. Thiswould allow meto find and focus on afacet of the

mystery oftrains thatwould emerge

during

the process of _creatingthe work.

I believethat the seed ofthe 'train' ideawas planted

during

_my commutes

to RIT

by

car on East River Road. This

long

road winds _along a scenic area next

to theGenesee Riverto the RIT campus. Onthe _waythere is a stretch of road

with train tracks thatmust be crossed. If you're

lucky

_{(or unlucky)} the

train-crossing gatewill go down and you'll be stuckasyou wait fora slowfreighttrain

to pass by. This could bea real annoyance, butan appreciation of the _steady

power and the rhythms ofthe train cannotbe ignored. I found inspiration in these

experiences atthe _{train-crossing} gate. I found real

beauty

in trains.

A previousfilm I created used 3d computeranimation, and after_modeling

and _lighting and_texturing for most ofthe schoolterm the animation _really

suffered. I wantedto concentrate on the animationfor my graduate thesis. At

first, I wanted some elementsto be done in 3d to save time on the _drawing, so I

decidedtocomposite 3d and 2d elements together. I would take the tedious

parts, like the _drawing oftrain cars _{repetitively passing by,} out and instead make

a 3d model orthe train. I alsothought that I would liketo make 3D backgrounds

too. But instead of _makingmy work _easier, I found thateven more organization

would be neededto merge the two elements into one cohesive look. I had

modeled a train and started _blocking out_{test scenes,} but_theybecame fartoo

cumbersome. Ittook a lot of time and severaldifferent story ideas before I

abandoned the ideaof _using 3D _{in my}thesis work. Once I committed to

drawing

drafts tocome _up with afinal idea.

Originally

I came _up withthe _{idea using}the train as a metaphorforthe

passage of time in a_{young boy's life. Professor}

Skip

Battagliaand I were

hashing

this out and we were close to _{coming up} with_something interesting, but

ultimately I was

forcing

too _{many disparate} elements togetherand itwas

becoming

a cryptic mess. The ideawas to intersperse scenes of a kid growing

upwith shots of a man _traveling on atrain. These _alternating scenes of important

childhood experiences andthe adult on the train would end withthe

boy

_getting

onto the train at a _stop atthe sametime the older version ofhim would _{be getting}

off. Somehowthis would represent a rite of passage or a_coming of age. Itwould

also representthe older man _comingto terms with himselfand his _{life going} full

circle.

Ultimatelythis idea didn't workforme _personallyalthough there were

parts that I _really liked and were inspired by. At this point, I made another

attempt at_creating a worthwhile story. I then considered _turning this work into a

documentary. I am _particularly interested in theorigins ofthings and what kind of

impact _theyhave on human lives. Steam trains have such a nostalgic_quality and

theywere developed at atime in _history of real innovation andtechnological

advancement. Their rise atone time in _historyas the dominant form of

transportation coupled with the arrival of diesel train _technology parallelsour

society's drive foradvancement. I feltthat a workthatcould depictthis and

conveythis ideawould be very interesting. There also seemed to be a

animation. Forexample, studios like

Disney

got rid oftheir 2d animation

department in favorof a3d computer animation lab. I saw a lot of possibilities for

creating a work thatexpressed the momentum and changes in ourculture and in our artthat parallelsthechanges in the technologies of ourmodern industrial

times.

Unfortunately, this idea became too wide open and too large in scopefora

solo project. I pitched _my ideato Professor Lorelei Pepi andwhat resulted was a

drawn out stream of incoherent ideas

involving

the

history

of trains and America

and _connectingthat with artistic integrity. Lorelei realized that I had lost focus and

suggested that I start _nailing down concrete ideas.

From my

long

ramble about scenes and _images, one image _{kept coming}

back to me. Thiswas of a mom

feeding

a _baby and _using choo-choo noisesto

coax the

baby

to take a bite from atrain-shaped spoon. It then occurred to me

that a _baby could bea good _starting pointfor mywork and the theme ofthe train

representing a passage in time could be retainedfrom my original idea. Instead

of_trying to _portraythe baby'swhole life I decided that I could use the mother's

routine of _{caring for}herchild as a motivation forthe film and that

imagery

of a

traincould _helpconvey the film forward.

This ideafreed me from _having tocreate a _{story arc,} and I could

concentrate on the visuals and howto make them move. ProfessorStephanie

Maxwell was a great _help with this and she told me that I could throw_away plot

altogether.That I could create _something more abstract and not_{feel guilty}about

reminded of howanimation is a singularform offilm. Transitions from sceneto

scene don't have tobe straightcuts, but_theycan morph from onedisparate

image toanother. On _re-viewing The Streetand _observing howtheanimator

would movefrom one sceneto the next in _painterlytransitions and

metamorphoses, I had a revelation about _applyingthis technique _{in my}work.

There are no limitationsor strict rules on howa film should flow from shotto shot.

I decidedthat I would _tryto

keep

_{my drawings} 'alive'

and maketransitionsas

creative and expressive as possible in animatedform.

Synopsis

The film beginswith a train _crossinga bridge alongside a mountainous

landscape. Thescene morphs with the moon _turning into the baby's_face, the

train _becoming a plush train toy, and the mountains _wrap around his face _turning

into blankets. The _baby is then woken _up

by

his mother andthen taken off

screen to be changed. The _babygrabsthe train _toyin his mouth _{quickly before}

he is completely off screen.

Histrain _toy morphs into a realtrain and you zoomto a windowwhere you

see a _{melancholy kid}

looking

outthe window with a man who's head is obscured

by

an open newspaperhe's reading. Thetrain windowthen morphs intothe

interior ofthe _baby and mother's window. Outthe window you can see that the

family lives nextto train tracks.

The

baby

is placed down to have his diaperchanged. The mothertakes

by

a train mobile. The train mobilegoes around and then morphs into a real train

zipping acrossthe screen. Thecaboose becomes a

baby

powderbottle and is

shaken on to the baby's diaper. The powderfills the room andbecome smoke

emitted froma train stack. Thecamera pans across the train andthen enters

through one ofthe windowstoshow the mother_walking down an aisle. She

changes cars into onefilled with men _reading newspapers.

They

ruffle their

papers as the mom exits the car and the scene morphs into a staircase.

The mother walks down the stairs and the _baby is lowered intoa

highchairto be fed. The spoonthe mother usesto feed the

baby

morphs intoa

train and entersthe baby's mouth which morphs into a train tunnel. The _baby

gets _veryexcited and spills the utensils and _{empty baby}food jar from his crib.

He looks down to seethathis mess is atrain wreck. The motherenters

the landscape and cleans _up the train wreckage. She findsthe baby's_toytrain

and puts it back onthe track and pats it forwards. Thetrain then follows the

tracks onto a bridgewhich morphs into the mother arms

holding

the baby. The

child catches the _toytrain that then emits a _big puff of smoke from its stackto

bring

the film full circle.

Storyboarding

For the longesttime I didn't have a

fully

laid out storyboard. I figured that I

would just start _drawing and _{let my}subconscioustake over. I

initially

thought that

a storyboard would constrict me and _keep me _{from coming up}with spontaneous

idea which _{kept changing every}time I sat down todraw. I needed some kind of

direction and withoutthat Ifelt like Ijustcouldn't get started. Aftermultiple

meetings with _mythesis committee and _showing the same tests again and again,

I realizedthat I hadto

lay

_my wholefilm out. The storyboard process became

the most crucial_step to _{creating my}film.

With _{my loose} treatment I could do almost _anything, butthatprovedto be

a hindrancetoo. I went through the mother's routine and drewout allthe possible

things she coulddo for herchild. Ithen saw differentopportunities inthe mother's

routines where I could includetrains. I feltthat

beginning

thefilm with the _baby

sleeping and _ending with the mother_puttingthe

baby

backto _sleepmade sense.

I then _{filled up} the middle _up with an assortment of ideas and the _{film really}

beganto take shape. From there the transitions _really came _easily andthe train

motifs_{fit in really} well. I gave the

baby

a train_toyand had the mother and her

child live close to train tracks.

By

_doing this I had the trainvisuals become more

and more integrated into theirlives.

Stephanie really inspired me _bysuggesting I watch Pacific231

(1949)

_by

Jean Mitry. It is a _short, non-narrativefilm that isalmost a musical experience of

the images oftrains and the abstractionsthat are createdthrough their

movements. _Among the _{many creatively}composed shots were ones oftrain

tracks.

They

seemed to transform from components ofsteel and wood intowebs

of _{divergently weaving} Norman McLaren-esque lines like those McLaren created

by drawing and _scratching onfilm.

I must have createdfive times as _manyscenesthan what I

finally

ended

up using in thiswork. I rememberthe multipletrips to

Johnny

Robinson,

Stephanie Maxwell and Elouise Oyzon's officesto _tryand mold _my storyboard

into something lean and complete. Wethrewa lot ofscenes away. We

questioned the _meaningof scenes or made adjustments to them to makethem

work better. These sessions were so helpful andvital for myprogress.

I remember one particular session with Carina _Maggio, afellowgraduate

student in the School of Film and_Animation, who helped give mea lotof

confidence _{in my ideas. We} whittled _away a lot ofthe _unnecessary

imagery

in

the work. She helped me come _up with several solutionsto _nagging problems.

For _instance, the transition of _{going from}the mess the

baby

makes nearthe end

to the workwhere the _baby is back in the mother's arms. I felt that

having

the

baby's mess/wreckage be shown as atrain wreck and _having the mom enterthe

sceneto clean _upthe mess was a_very powerful scenethat magnifiedthe

mother's role andthe _security of hercare. _Tying in the baby's_toy lostwithin the

mess/wreckage was a great idea. Anotherexample is when the tunnel morphs

into the mother's arm because itwas a perfecttransition to_bring the film to the

closing scene.

Character Development

Thefilm was created to appeal to _{many different} audiences and the

characters are all wholesome participants in the story. There arethree characters

in _{my film:} the _baby, the motherand the train.The _baby represents imagination

theirlives and had _many roles and meanings in thiswork. Thetrain could

representtime, or an intrusive element in _life, or_simplya means of_coaxing the

baby

tofeed. And, itwas always an object of the baby's affection.

The

baby

is pliable, and his face is

basically

an oval. It was a design that I

could redraw over and over again and not _worrytoo much about consistency.

Although the

baby

did gothrough some minordesign changes _duringthe

drawing, it never_{did lose its} essential character. I wanted amore generalized

baby

characterthat's temperamentand _personality is defined

by

its expressions

and actions.

The mother's role wasto

lovingly

careforherchild through each stage of

their

daily

routine. The mother's arms and hands are herpredominantfeatures that appear on screen. Mother's arms were based on real arms but were not

confinedto reality. I took _{liberties in stretching} and _squashing and_smoothing out

joints ofthe fingers. I wanted to makethe hands elegant and gentle so I avoided

any

knobby

or_chunkyknuckles and used smooth lines to _{help convey}the mother's gentle character. I _{particularly love} the partwhen the mother cleans _up the train wreck. Mothers clean aftertheir babies all the time, and it's one of the

most mundanethings _they have to do. But I wantedto elevatethis menial task

by

making hera giant and_taking the time to clean _upthe piles of train carsto show

that no matterhow _bigthe mess is the mother still caresfor herchild and will

lovingly perform these tasks.

The train was based on real steam trains but notconfined to true to life dimensions. Attimes it has a lotof

'character'

and othertimes it is just a

mechanical train. It's also represented as the baby's _toythat the _baby is

obsessedwith. I also wanted toexploitdifferent parts ofthe train -- the

steam

stack, the passenger_{cars, the aisles, the caboose, etc. I} wanted to incorporate

allthese partsjust asJean

Mitry

did in Pacific231.

The faces ofthe adults in thisfilm are nevershown. The only faces seen

arethe baby'sand a child'sface

looking

out of atrain window. The

baby

is a

very responsivecharacter, _reacting to the mother's attention and to trains. I

wanted

body

movements and gestures to _reallystand out in this workto express

emotion without _relyingtoo much on facial expressions exceptforthose

belonging

to the baby.

Environments

The backgrounds were intended to be simple depictions. I searched online

forsteam train pictures and train wreckage pictures. I also referenced pictures

from a bookcalled Classic Trains

by

Hans Halberstadt fortrain exteriors and

interiors (SeeAppendix _D, p. 39). I did web searches for home interiorspacesfor

the time period between the 1930s to the 1950s. The kitchen in particularwas

an amalgam of different photos of kitchens andappliances from that time period.

The bridge in the _{verybeginning} of _{my film} was based on a photo I found online.

(See Appendix _D, p. ₄₁₎

Drawing,

Scanning

and _Photoshop

orderedfrom Chromacolour International. Thesewere a standard thatwe used

for_Johnny Robinson's dynamic_drawing class. Thisclass was thefirst class

where I really feltthat I was _learningtrue animationfundamentals. It was a

valuable class that helped me gain confidence in _my

drawing

skills and _mysense

oftiming. I concentrated on _{making my figures very} volumetric and pliable. The

Col-erases have a nice soft lead _tip and_they leave a nice texture on the paper

that is picked _upwell when scanned.

I wentthrough each scene of_my storyboard chronologically. The

transitionsfrom one sceneto the next werecrucial to the film so I had to start

from the beginning. The _timing and composition of each shot was alsodependent

on the previous shot. Scenestended to diverge from the storyboard

compositionally so itwas impossibleto_jump between scenes. This made

scheduling a loteasier but also a little

frustrating

when _mynext shot happened to

be

long

and drawn out. I had toconcentrate on _working one _drawing at a time

not

letting

the length of shots become too influential.

Since my storyboard was laid out _{very meticulously I} was aware of_exactly

what I had to do foreach scene. To plan out the _{motion, particularly}the elements

before and after_transitions, I had to drawout path lines on aseparate piece of

punched paper and crossed them with tick marksto gage how fareach _drawing

hadto translate from frametoframe. I color-coded these lines since there _usually

was more than one _morphing element (See Appendix D, p. 40). Thiswas an

essential _{step in making} the animation fluid and _allowing each scene toflow

seamlessly into the next.

I decidedto make _{my film in} a_very extreme wide angle aspect ratio at 15

frames persecond. This rectangularspace was a loteasierfor composing

cinematic shotsthan the more squashed rectangularspace of an _analog TV.

This freed me to incorporate _long

flowing

_{lines for my}train and the transitional

elements.

Drawing

on 2's is a lot smootherthan on _3's, but

drawing

30 frames

persecond seemed like waytoo muchwork forme to do on _my own. Although

manyartists preferto work on 1_'s, I feltthat I could get _away with 2's. I scanned

my drawings in grayscale at200 dots perinch in tiffformat. I used an Epson

Perfection 3170 Photo Scannertodo this. Ittook 10 days straightto scan all _my

drawings intothe computer. I believe I had about3,000

-4,000 drawings in total

for my five minute film.

In orderto retain the registration ofthe _drawings, I had to glue afew

blocks of wood to theside of _myscanner _making sure itwas on straightwith _my

bubble level tool. I then mounted a _peg baron _top sothat the drawings would _lay

flush withthe scannerbed when I closed the top. When I had _{my peg} bar

mounted onthe frame of _{my scanner, the bottom} part ofthe paper with the holes

would be elevated. The raised part ofthe paper would acceptlight

differently

from the scanner _{appearing darker}than the part ofthe paperthatwasflat on the

glass. This would make _compositing more difficult sinceconsistent scans had

betterresults with _Photoshop layereffects.

With these scanned drawings I spenta weekend _making an animatic. I

used the_multiply mode on each different layersothat the background layers

committee membersforfeedback, and to thecomposer who wasto create the

musicalsoundtrack.

I then wentback and made fill layers forthe characters andforeground

elements sothat the background wouldn't showthrough them. Todothis I

created a

long Photoshop

action and played itas a batch action on whole

scenes. I firstselected an area outside of the figurewith the magic wand. I then

hadto make sure that the outline ofthe figure was closed (sometimes I would

drawa line to close itout with the pencil _tool) so that itwould _keep its fill color. I

then grewthat selection with atolerance setto 10so that it took more of the

background with it. Afterthat I expandedthe selection

by

two pixels so that it

went a little beyondthe pencil outline _{(if not, then} some white might show outside

ofthe figure and would look like a halo around it). Then I changedthe current

layer, which was a background _layer, into a regular_working layer_by double

clicking itand _{pressing OK.} I then made a new_{empty layer.} I then inverted the

selection andfilled it in with white ontothe new_{empty layer. After}this I deleted

the previous layerthat hadthe scan on it. Ithen converted the image from

grayscaleto RGB. I saved the file out as a colorlayerpsd file. The original scan

would be keptas a _multiply layeron _top ofthis fill layer, a layer_containing color,

and the background layer.

Editing

I didn't make an animatic_{for my film}

during

pre-production. I worked on

drawing and _redrawing each scene until the pencil test produced _something that

felt right. _Myfirst rough cut didn't have _{any holds} or loops sothe scenesflew

by

one afterthe other so_quicklythat I felt like I didn't have a realfilm. I was afraid

thatI had just bunched scenes togetherincoherently.

Adding

loops and static

shots to allowthe audience to breatheand catch _up to the _story are invaluable.

Timing

is thefoundation of good animation and I put a lotof effort into gettingthe

timing right. I used After Effectsto shape and adjustthe_timing of _my rawfootage

and toshape the work.

I edited _myfilm in Adobe After Effects 6.0.

Bringing

in theframes as a psd

sequence saves a lotof space and works_very efficiently.

Parenting

layers

helped_tremendously too. For example, I parented layerswith _looping smoke

exhaustto a layerwith a _cycling train. The smokeflowed out ofthe train'ssmoke

stack and I was able to translate the train without

having

to _worry about _matching

the two animation elements

by

hand.

The finished work was rendered out at 720 x 480 pixel resolution at DV

NTSC. This wasthe largest sizethat could fiton _{my DVD} burner.

Sound

The rhythm of the train was what _{ultimately drove} this film. This is very

much represented in the musical score. Brian Sargent, the music and sound

designerof _{this work,} adopted the train motif and _reallytookoff with it. I gave

him _{my first} rough cutas soon as _{I had finished rendering it.} I marked out points

in the film where I suggested flourishesor acertain type of music. He played the

brush drumsafter Elouise Oyzon had me listen to"Last Train Home"

by

Pat

Metheny Group

from the album Still Life _Talking), electric guitar and keyboards.

Brian and I both have favorite musical parts ofthesoundtrack. For instance, in

the sequence where the camera pans across a close _up of a realtrain and its

passengers, the music sounds so rustic and

folksy

and capturesthe time period

andessence of thatparticular scene so well.

Brian's sound effectswere _{very meticulously} madetoo.

They

_really

complimentedthe imageson screen. In particular, I like the

dreamy

sound effects

he added to the segmentwhere the train mobile morphs into a real train and zips

past the screen. Anothersuccessful part was when the mother walks down the

train aisle and opens a door to get to the nexttrain car. The sound ofthe train is

muffled indoors and when _{the door opens, the} sound changesto a louder

outdoorsound. This attention to detail _really made the soundtrack strong.

The

Screening

The screenings proved tome that it's nevertoo lateortoo _challengingto

finishanything. Hardwork _{really does} get rewarded and the _feeling of

accomplishment is incredible. Somehow I was ableto make _somethingthat I

was proud of and was appreciated _bythe audience. Moments before the work

was projected Iwas _{squirming in my}seat nervous about failure.

After_screening AllAboard I made _{my way}to the podium and fielded quite

afew questions. Thequestions ranged from inquiries about how I made thefilm

to wherethe music came from to if I liked kids. One woman in particular

commented thatwhen she first sawthat _{my film} was _goingto be a blackand

white hand drawn_film, she wasn't thrilled. It wasn't hertype offilm. But

by

the

end ofthefilm she said thatshe changed hermind and wanted to see more.

That could beone ofthe best compliments that I had gotten and itmade the

whole experience seem worth it.

Conclusion

Therewas a lotthat I learned about myself

during

the creation ofAll

Aboard!. I learned thatself-confidence can have an _{extraordinary impact} on

one's life. The factthat I couldn'tfinish this work, or even get startedforthat

matter_{really damaged my feelings} of self worth. I was petrified with the idea that

I would not be ableto finish. Because ofthe amountof work thatit would require

and because of doubts about whetherthis workwas worth _doing at all, I felt

hopeless attimes. After _many years, and with the _helpof _myfriends, this work

was accomplished. I am grateful to Jeff Lesterwho spent months _working on his

own thesis alongside me. Because ofJeff's support I was able to get back on

trackand beginworking. We critiqued each other's work. We pulledfor each

other. _And, we ended _{up really pulling} the best out of each other.

Having

someone near who is going throughthe sametrials as you are can _{really be}

helpful, especially because you knowyou are not alone in your struggles. _Lastly,

mythesis committee was _verypatient and believed in me, and _theyalso helped

me through a lot of hardtimes _along the way.

whenthe muse will come so you'd betterbe in the studio because when it does

come, it's a real gift. I haveto admitthat I avoided _working on _{my film for} a _long

time. But when I

finally

did getthe confidence to put pencil to paperand resolve

to

finally

get thiswork done _my musedid arrive and saw methrough _my project.

The train andthe baby's

family

were somehow involved morethanjust as

characters orprops in _myfilm. _They 'demanded' to be created and _{I eventually}

learned to acceptthis and getto work.

Bibliography

and Appendix Sources

Blessing, Jennifer. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Article on Gino Severini. http://www.guggenheimcollection.org/site/artist_work_md_146_1.html

Halberstadt, Hans, (2001). Classic Trains. New_York, NY. Metro _Books, an

imprint ofthe Michael Friedman

Publishing

_Group, Inc.

Appendix D References:

Page 39 Photos:

Title: OldTime Train overHigh Bridge on Georgetown

Loop

Between

Georgetown and Silver Plume. Photographer: _Sanborn. Ca. 1930. Location Geogetown Loop. Provided

by

Art Source _{International,} 1237 Pearl St. _Boulder, Colorado 80302.

http://www.rare-maps.com/?CFID=3762967&CFTOKEN=79740395

Image from personal website "Paul's Modernistic

World"

in the Modern Style link.

The Modern Kitchen Circa 1940.

http://www.geocities.com/hepcat_paul/ms2.html

Image from Oak _Inheritance, LLC furniture retail site. Copyright 1999-2002.

Spindle Back high chair. CustomerPhotograph ofthe Cohen

family

http://www.oakinheritance.com/photo%20gallery/high%20chair%20gallery.htm

Photograph from Call ItHome: The House That Private Enterprise Built.

Produced _by Keller

Easterling

and Richard Prelinger. The Voyager

Copmany

1992. A laserdisc _history of suburbiafrom 1934-1960. Chapter3: New Deal

Regional

Planning

and GreenbeltTowns

-Greenbelt, Maryland - Feb. 1938. http://www.columbia.edU/cu/gsapp/projs/call-it-home/html/chapter3.3.html

Page 40 Photos:

Personal Photograph

by

Bill Kosanda. Photo taken between trips on August 2002 and 2005 toOakridge. Ohtunnel 18 towardsWicopee.

http://webpages.charter.net/upcascade/Cascade%20Sub%20Photos.htm

Photo from Appalachian Studies Association website. _Huntington, WV.

Copyright 2000-2006.

http://www.appalachianstudies.org/gallery/albums/cumberland_gap_and_pint_mt

n/Cumberland_Gap_train_tracks_and_tunnel_6.jpg

Photo from _familywebsite of Dale and

Amy

of _Mayberry, NC. 10/26/03.

Photofrom Friends of Locomotive #35 andthe Oyster

Bay

Railroad Museum.

Photofrom

Rahway

_{Valley Railroad,} Frank

Reilly

Collection. RV Caboose _102, Kenilworth, NJ, Feb. 1957

http://www.trainsarefun.eom/rvrr/frankreilly/fr.rvrr.15.RV%20Caboose%201_02,%2

0Kenilworth,%20NJ,%20Feb.%201_957.jpg

Photo from Monon Caboose Roster. Copyright 2004-2006. Monon Railroad Historical-Technical _Society, Inc. Photo ca. 1956

http://www.monon.org/caboose/b81531_.jpg

Page41 Photos:

Personalwebsite of a train steam whistle enthusiast 'steamwhistle'. Copyright

1997.

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ridge/5612/

Train wreckat Gatun Bridge 1853. Train Web is a free

hosting

websiteforrail enthusiasts. This a personal site dedicatedto the Panama Railroad.

http://www.trainweb.org/panama/misc2.html

Photo _coutesyofthe Yamhill

County

Historical _{Society, Lafayette,} OR. Copyright

2000, YCHS. Photo is Rex Trainwreck

-1913

Photo is "Train Bridge" _bybyron Lawrence. 2005-06-20. Copyright 2005.

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo7photo_id333495828

Photo is

Crossing

the Train Bridge 0138-04 _bySteve Baker. 2004-09-02. Fort

Nelson, BC, Canada. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.dlpgraphics.ca/gallery/photo.php?photo=3819&u=1354%7C41%7C...

Appendix A:

Original Thesis Proposal

The factthat people use choo choo noisesto feed theirchildren isa

device to entice them to eat. I believethat this kind ofsituation gives rise to a lot

of different scenarios where trains are used as models. Then can become

obsessions and _theycan become dangerous.

They

are pictures of strength with

tremendous size, butare also bound to tracks thatdetermine theirposition in

space

justifying

their existence.

I want to_play with these different scenarios and create a surreal

interplay

of events that proceed in constant locomotion. I want to _playwiththe

iconography

of the _physicalityof the train and the tracks itselfand also mix itwith

human interaction.

I want tostart with a child _being spoon fed

by

a person _makingchoo choo

noises. When the person

feeding

the chyild switchesto a bottle and doesn't

makethe noise the child will refuse. The person will _ultimately turn the bottle

sideways and make the choo choo noise. Then the

baby

will accept itandthe

baby's mouth will become atunnel to start offthe train exploration.

I will _constantly morph events intoone another_paying close attention to

sounds andvisuals. I want to mix real life situation and exaggerated _realitywith

a child'sversion ofthe events. I would liketo mix different types of visual styles

together_tying the train to metaphorical situations.

I wanttodiscovera _vocabularythrough this_{film relying} on _myown

subjectof trains tosee howpeople are connected withthis type oftransport.

I have different ideas forthe conclusion ofthe film. The train could end _up

coming back out ofthechild's mouth orthechild could end _{up eating} a realtrain

right off the_{tracks. Another possibility is}thata train could be shown in its

environment

leaving

atunnel to representthe persistence oftrains in ourlives. I

want to leave myself opento explorethese different options andcreate

something that is meaningful.

Budget

LightTable with _lamp$99

Col-erase colored pencils and pinkpearl erasers$20

Paper (regular 8 V_"x 11"white _copypaper and 500 sheets of acme punched

paper) and indexcards $300

Hole Puncher-_{Free from school but would cost}

Pencil Test cart

-web _{cam, mount,} and _{peg strips,} lights $60

Anasazi

Stop

Motion Animator (pencil test_{capturing program) free} at

http://www.animateclay.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=ind

ex&req=viewarticle&artid=24&page=1

Newly

Built Computer_(Including

Sony

DVD burnerwith Nero DVD _authoring

program) $1500

Wacom Tablet Intuos2 - $220

Epson Perfection 3170 Photo Scanner $200

Adobe _Photoshop 7.0 $600

Adobe After Effects 6.0 Professional $900

Dvd's $40

CDR;s$30

Timeline

2001

Summer- _Researched

myidea. Tried to come _up with a concrete _{story idea.}

Visited Rochesterand Genesee

Valley

Railroad museum on multiple occasions http://www.rochnrhs.org/

Fall

-Starting drawing

testsforanimation and styles and mediums

I was a TAthisyearfor Lorelei Pepi

Winter- _Rethought

my film and reworked conceptofthe film. Did more _planning and _retooling in the

Spring

term.

2002

After months of

Reworking

the storyboard through the summer and into the fall. I finished the storyboards late in the Fall quarter. Started work onthe firstscene

with the

baby

_pullingthe train toy.

Moved to North Carolinafora newjob in the March. Went on hiatus forcloseto

a year.

2003

Spent a year_working at DP Associates on the V-22

Osprey

project. Made interactive multimedia_training material forthe marines.

Discussed the _storywith a small _group of graphic artists who wantedto make

flms.

2004

Began work at Red Eye Studios back in Rochester in March. Made Full Motion Video (FMV's or cut-movie _scenes) sequencesfor video games. Drew

sporadicallyduring the year. Work was intense.

2005

Red Eye Studio went out of business in July. _{Started up full} time on the film from August to December. Worked

intensely

with Jeff Lester. Made a lotof progress.

Professional experience was a real

help

in accomplishing the _qualityof animation

that I envisioned.

2006

January

-began work at Irrational _{Studios in Boston. Settled into my} new

environmentfora month. Then began _working on the thesis at nightafter

workingon video game animation

during

the day.

End ofApril wrapped _updrawing and scanned forten days straight. One week

before _screening

(May

_{22nd, 2006)} I sentthe rough cut to _my sound designer. I

methimwhile I was _interviewingfor my currentjob in Decemberand he agreed

to _{do my}sound pro bono.

I gave him the rough cut on aWed. and he had the soundtrack done _{by Friday}

night.

I finished the _compositing and _editingwork the nightbefore screenings at Shaun

Foster's house in _Oneida, NY

(halfway

from Boston to Rochester). I brought _my

computer with me and addedthe colorlayers and soundtrackthat morning. At

5pm I left Shaun's house and drove straightto the Screenings. I received a

speeding ticket in Chittenango. I arrived at 7:10 pm _{(the screening} began at 7pm

Marketing

Submit to Festivals

Ottawa Int'l Animation Festival

Animation Block

Party

Coney

Island Film Festival

Annecy

Rhode Island International Film Festival

(Accepted)

Zagreb

Crok

Black Nights Festival

South

By

Southwest

Kalamazoo Fantoche

Slamdance

Portland Independent Short Shorts

(PISS)

festival

Anima mundi

Movies on a

Shoestring

Submitto web galleries

http://www.ifilm.com/ http://www.atomfilms.com/ http://www.youtube.com/

Use as demo material to pitch animation freelance projects

Appendix B: Storyboards

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Appendix C: Film Stills

Appendix D: ConceptArt

The

following

are visual reference images (photographsand

illustration)

and

hand drawings createdforthe _making ofAll Aboard! The sources ofthe

photographs and illustrations _{may be found} in the

Bibliography

andAppendix

http://www. rare-maps.com/histori cPhoto_detai1.cfm??type=photos&auto_key=431

Halberstadt, Hans, (2001). Classic Trains. New York, NY. Metro _Books, an imprint of

the Michael Friedman _Publishing Group, inc.

p. 47.

b.

a. http://www.geocities.com/hepcat_pau1/ms2.html

b. http://www.oaki nhe ritance.com/photo%20gal1e_ry/

high%20chair%20gal1e_ry.htm

c. http://www.col umbia.edu/cu/gsapp/projs/

call-it-home/html/images/11-04.gif

a. http://webpages.charter.net/upcascade/i mages/Helpe rs%20at%205.jpg

b. http://www._{appal achi anstudies}

.org/gal1ery/albums/cumberland_gap_and_pint_mtn/

Cumber1and_Gap_train_tracks_and_tunnel_6.jpg

http:_{//www. del aneandamy}.com/

2003_10_26_Ben_GreenBeans_Yuck.jpg

b.

a. http://www.trainsarefun.com/rvrr/frankreiny/

fr.rvrr.15.RV%20Caboose%20102

,%20Kenilworth,

%20N3,%20Feb.%201957.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/Heartl and/Ridge/5612

a. http://www.trai nweb.org/panama/old/

trainwreck.jpg

b. http://www.co.yamhill.or.us/pics/

Pi aces%20of%20lnte_rest/

Rextrainwreckl913.j_pg

a. _{http://www.photo.net/photodb/}

photo?photo_id=349 5828

b. http://www. dl pgraphi cs.ca/gal1e_ry/

photo.php?photo=3819&u=1354%7c41367c

' *

Ii

I. Example of an animation

path with tick marks made

before _drawing the scene.

The tick marks represent the

spacing of the train from one

frame to the next. This helped

ensure that the sequence would animate smoothly.

II. This is an _overlay of

the path and a scanned

drawi_ng.

III. This is the

final result of