Fin to feather

Rochester Institute of Technology

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Thesis/Dissertation Collections

2007

Fin to feather

Rebecca L. Rogers

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Recommended Citation

Fin to Feather

Afilm

by

Rebecca Rogers

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Imaging Arts/Film

School of Film and Animation Rochester Institute of Technology,

Rochester, NY January, 2007

Stephanie Maxwell

Stephanie Maxwell, Chair

Professor

School of Film and Animation

Tereza P. Flaxman

Tereza Flaxman

Assistant Professor

School of Film and Animation

Marla K. Schweppe

Marla Schweppe

Professor

Table ofContents

Title Page 1

TableofContents 2

Thesis-Dissertation AuthorPermissionStatement 4

Acknowledgements 6

Thesis Report 7

I._Story

Creation 7

Inspiration 8

Brainstorming 8

II. Pre Production

Storyboardsand_BalancingPersonalities 9

Setting 10

Pet_Shop 10

Dreamscape 11

Storyboard Animatic 11

Moral Support 11

Hesitation 12

Encouragement 12

III. Production

Pet_Shop 13

Bird 13 Modeling 13 Texturing 14 Molting 14 Fish 15 Modeling 15 Texturing 15 Eyes 16

IV. Special Effects

Water 17

Seaweed 18

Bubbles 18

Cloth 19

LightningBolts 20

Clouds 20

StageProps 21

V. Animation

Blocking 21

Passes 23

Act One 24

ActTwo 25

VI._Lighting

Three-Point-Lighting 28

MyMethod 28

Characters 29

VII.File_Structuring

Layeringand_NamingConventions 30

VIII_Rendering

RenderinginMaya 31

Brute Force Fixes 32

Mental_Ray 33

The_EarlyBird 34

IX.Sound

Silence 34

TheSearchBegins 35

TheSearch Continues 35

Score 36

Performance 37

X. Post Production

Final_Editing 39

XI. Screenings

Proud 39

AudienceResponse 39

ReactionsandFeedback 40

Summary 41

AppendixA

-Original Proposal 42

AppendixB- Pre Production Notes_andConceptual Art 58

AppendixC- Storyboards 65

AppendixD

-ModelsandTexture Maps 78

AppendixE- Sheet Music

andComposer'sNotes 92

AppendixF- ProductionStills 109

Thesis / Dissertation Author Permission Statement

Title of thesis or dissertation:.-!...F.!.!in-,--"to~F-",e-':!.a~th~e~r _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Name of author: Rebecca Leigh Rogers Degree: Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Program: 3D Animation

College: School of Film and Animation, College of Imaging Arts and Sciences

I understand that I must submit a print copy of my thesis or dissertation to the RIT Archives, per current RIT guidelines for the completion of my degree. I hereby grant to the Rochester Institute of Technology and its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible my thesis

or dissertation in whole or in part in all forms of media in perpetuity. I retain all other ownership

rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation. I also retain the right to use in future works

(such as articles or books) all of part of this thesis or dissertation.

Print Reproduction Permission Granted:

I, Rebecca Leigh Rogers, hereby grant permission to the Rochester Institute of Technology to reproduce my print thesis or dissertation in whole or in part. Any reproduction will not be for commercial use or profit.

Signature of Author:

Rebecca

L.

Rogers

Print Reproduction Permission Denied:

1, Rebecca Leigh Rogers, hereby deny permission to the RIT Library of the Rochester Institute of

Technology to reproduce my print thesis or dissertation in whole or in part.

Inclusion in the RIT Digital Media Libran) Electronic Thesis & Dissertation (ETD) Archive

I, Rebecca Leigh Rogers, additionally grant to the Rochester Institute of Technology Digital Media Library (RIT DML) the non-exclusive license to archive and provide electronic access to my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in al forms of media in perpetuity.

I understand that my work, in addition to its bibliographic record and abstract, will be available to the world-wide community of scholars and researchers through the RIT DML. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as in articles or books) all of part of this thesis or dissertation. I am aware that the Rochester Institute of Technology does not require registration of copyrights for ETDs.

I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached written permission statements from the owners of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my committee.

Acknowledgements

Thisfilmwould nothave beenbroughttolife ifitwere notforthe_followingpeople:

Momand_Dad,you cheeredtheloudestwhenFin toFeatherwas completed.Youwere_my

cheerleaders andlifelinesondayswhenIneeded you most.Thankyou for pushingmetogetthis

done,andfor_celebratingwith me as we watchedit together.

To my grandparents,Edand _EmmyOtero,Ithankyoufor changing my life_byenabling

me toearn _myMFA, you had faithin_my abilities andkeptme inyour_prayers, and Ilove you

dearly.

To Jon _Mack, Nick _Harris, and _Mary Boyer: Thank you for _being such dear friends.

Thank you for _{being my} strength when I was _{exhausted, helping} me when I was in need,

pointing out when I needed to pick _{up the pace, being} excited as the film began to gel, and

lendingyour ears asIstayed at_mycomputerforsix months andtried to_keepmysanity...

To Daniel _Black, an _incredibly gifted composer and wonderful person. Thank you for

comingto my rescue less thana month before screenings. Thank you for a _sterling score that

moved an entire audience andbroughtabirdandafishtogether.Thankyou alsoAmelia Fannin

(bassoon),CelesteLovas (clarinet),John Vaida (violin),and CarrieBean_(cello)foryour_amazing

performancesinthisfilm.

StephanieMaxwell,thankyouso muchfor_havingtheconfidencethatIcould_{finish this,}

for meetingwithme atStarbuckseachweek,for_helpingmefindthemotivationto_finish,andfor

STORY

Creation

Comingup with a conceptfor this filmwas ahuge challenge; Ihad less than a

monthto flesh out a _story, choose an _{advisor, draw up} aproposal,and pitch the thesis

idea to a committee offive _faculty members. _Havingjust completed an animated film

twoweeksearlier,Icameintothisproject_{completely drained}of all creative energies.

Myfilms havealways exploredthedynamicsof personal relationships.Iwanted

my thesis to engage the audience on an emotional level and letthem feel a connection

between the _story and their own experiences. _Every film that I had created so far

wrapped _up with a _happy ending. I felt that I had _thoroughly explored stories that

contained_{two-dimensional characters,} honey-dipped morals,and light-heartedendings.

Ifeltdrawnto take_mythesisinanother_direction;and toleavethe_safetyof_mycreative

nest.Ibegantosiftthroughrecent eventsin_{my life.}

Idecided feelingsofloveand losswouldbethegreatthemeof_{my film.}While I

knew what emotionIwanted _{to evoke,} Ihad no _strong ideas aboutthe setting. I knew

that thecastof characters wouldbemembers oftheanimal kingdom. Therewas never a

doubt in _my mind thatI would use animals to tell the story. For me, animals_bring an

innocence and freshness to the screen in addition to _{making any} subject matter more

accessible. I've always felt very detached from animations that use hyper-realistic

humansastheirmain characters.I began_auditioningcharacters and environmentsin_my

mind,_jumping fromone mediocre idea to another, growing more and moredistressed

Inspiration

Every day afterclassesIwould pore over stacks ofbookson_{wildlife, hoping} to

find a bit of trivia that would spark an idea for a story. _{One evening} as the television

dronedoninthe_background,I hearda quotethatstruck a_resoundingchordinme:

"A bird may loveafish... butwhere would_they

live?"

The quote _literally made _my jaw drop. It handed me _my main characters and

presented a reason forthe downfall of their _relationship (this would later change after

thedreamsequence_solidified,butproved_inspiringnonetheless).Allthatwasleftwasto

choose the _setting inwhich abird and fishcould meet and interact. I smiled to myself

whenIrealizedthat theideaalsotouchedupontheexpression of"theonethatgotaway",

which _perfectly typifies love and loss. I had not considered _{actually using} a fish to

conveytheidea,maybebecauseIthought thatitmightbetooliteral. I had been_confining

mysearchto two characters withinthe same species andhad yettobreak thebarrier of

inter-speciesdating._Mywriter'sblockwasbrokenand_finallymoreideasstartedtocome

tome. As_theywashed over meinthe_followingdays, IwasoverjoyedthatIhad _finally

foundadirection.

Brainstorming

In order to create a film without _{cluttering the storyline,} I needed to find its

center.Was itaboutthepetshop,ortheanimalsin it?Wasitabout animal _captivityand

the depression it must bring? Was the _{shop going} out of _{business, introducing} the

catalystforBirdand Fish'sseparation?Whowasthemain character, Fish, Bird, orboth?

Was the _story about inter-species dating? What was the obstacle? Time? Space? Love?

Thefirst draftofFin toFeatherfeatured an older MacawasBird'sbest friend. He

was_{extremely jealous}oftheattentionthatBirdlavisheduponFishandtried to sabotage

their _relationship in several ways. It was intended that _{he occupy} a good third of the

story, but I decided thathis storyline might divide the audience'sloyalties and detract

from themainthemesoftrue love.Iwanted a clearmessage,elegantstory,andloveable

characters, so I would focus solely on Bird and _{Fish, using} the extra time to further

developtheirrelationship.

PRE PRODUCTION

Storyboardsand

Balancing

Personalities

Now itwas time to start _putting theimages I had in_myhead down on paper.

Theearliest storyboards forFin toFeathertold a_storyaboutBird andhislove affair with

Fish. However,since itwas told_primarily fromthe viewpoint ofBird, itwas unclear if

Fish loved him inreturn, or was an_unwilling participantinhiscrush. Shehadno true

personalityandfunctionedmoreas a_{prop for}Bird's_storythan_anythingelse.Toshiftthe

focus and balance the story, the dynamics of their _relationship would need to be

changed.

In the second iteration of the storyboard Bird was bold and self-assured, a

definitescene-stealer.Hewas anall-aroundalphamale,winningFishover without much

effort or concern. However, his abundance of _personality eclipsed _{hers, leaving}herno room toshine. Throughout the solidificationof the storyline itbecame clear that there

wasnointrigueorhooktoengagethe viewer;nodoubtthatBirdwould winFishoverin

the end, making theirinteractionuninteresting. Fish wasinsecure and lostinthe story.

TogiveFisha more prominentrole,I decidedtomakeBirdlessoverwhelming.I

took _{away his cocky swagger,} redesigned him to be smaller and _{slightly dainty,} and

decided that he would always be _looking to Fish for approval. He transitioned from

aggressive to _charming and _disarming in that instant. For _help in _{sculpting Fish's} personality, Ireflected upon similar femalerole models. Itbecameclearthatshe needed to be enthusiastic, happy, and empowered _by her sexuality. Her _body would be

curvaceous, herexpressionssubtle, and hertail alluring. I wanteditto flow likea skirt: silky, soft, and feminine. Beyond _capturing the heart of_Bird, she would haveto entice the entire audience to love her and mourn her loss. I began to understand that Fish's

performance would needto_carrythefilm.

Camera angles were also _very helpful in _establishing Fish's personality. After

completing yet another version of _{the storyboard,} I realized that almost _every shot

featured Fishfrom afar. Ihad_{instinctively} laid out each_setup to capturetheentire fish

tank,which was_whollyunnecessary.When Ibrought her_directlyinfrontof_{the camera,}

her eyes _immediately commanded attention, solving the problem of composition and

giving heran effective presence.

Setting

Pet

Shop

Choosing thepet _shop as the film's venue came _fairlyeasily. After_researching

various types of fish Iknew that I wanted to animate an Oranda goldfish, and small,

equallypetitebird. The filmcouldtakeplaceinahuman'shome,at anOrientalgoldfish pond, orin a pet shop. I had extremely little interest in_animatinghumans, sothe first

avoid _using the same characters or settings after they've been explored. The pet _shop

proved tobe thebest candidate for the film because it could contain a nice _diversityof

animals and props.As IbegantosketchthingsoutIrealizedthatIwould needtocreate a

building, stock shelves with products, model and _rig small animals, as well as texture

and _{light everything} included in each shot. _{As my} 'to-do' listgrew, my film beganto

intimidateme.

Dreamscape

I wanted the second act to retain a theatrical feel while _using a stage with no

boundaries. Bird and Fish needed tobe able to _fly through skies, seaweed, and clouds,

towards the camera and _{away fromit,} while still _leaving us the option to watchthem

from above. In _keeping with _creating that _setting, I needed to create atmospheric

elements such as _lightning, clouds, and flat cardboard props for the background.

Originally, hand-drawn props were suspended in space with _{shiny, highly} reflective

strandsof_fishingline.Butwhilethelineswere_{aesthetically}pleasing,_theykept_breaking

upthecomposition ofthescenesthat_theywerein,so_theywere removedin theend.

Storyboard Animatic

Bynow,everyshotfromthefilm's storyboardhad beensketched out ontoblank

note cardsthatI broughttoa_meetingwith_myadvisor. After_seeingsuch alargestackin

my hands, she recommended thatwe spread all of them out onto tables in the _faculty

lounge. When we had finished, two hundred and thirty-seven cards covered three

cafeteria-sizedtables. Thesightsent was a_veryclear message: itwastime todownpare

thefilm.

While _many shots were shortened or removed, a few were lengthened with

until _they fitor else were removed outright. _By theend of the _{meeting I} was_replacing shots so

frequently

thatInolongerused color and _detail,instead_{settling for}outlines and gestures todemarcate whereBird and Fish would exist in the scene. The film slimmed down to one hundred and _{twenty-five shots, becoming} a tighter and more cohesive story.When Iarrived_home,Iscannedin_everynote cardthathadmadethefinalcut,and composed the first version of an animatic which would be my guide in the _coming months. After _{completing the animatic,} I believed that the structure of the film was largelylocked_down,butmore changes wouldbemade.

Moral Support

Hesitation

Starting with an enormous mountain of work can be _discouraging to almost

anyone. This 'Finimanjaro' both alarmed and bothered me, _keeping me _{from starting} productionseveraltimes. Now thatpre production workforFin to Featherwas_finished, the task of_bringing it all together was on _myplate. I had infrontof me a list of more than six characters to model, texture, blendshape and rig, an entire pet _{shop full} of

products,and adreamsequencefilledwithdynamicprops and effectsthatIhadnoidea howto create. Igrewfrustratedbecause Ihad chosen afilmthatwas muchbiggerthan

myskill set andthe time thatwas availabletome.Iwould prove myself wrong.

Encouragement

When I found myself _{doubting my} abilities and _{needing reassurance, my}

this was _{easily done. I} can't stress enoughhow much ithelped. It showed me that the

filmcouldbecompletedinpasses,notjustall at once.Whileitdidn't lessentheworkload

in_anyway,it_definitelycalmed_{my fears.}

PRODUCTION

Pet

Shop

Creatingthe store, furniture, and theproducts thatstocked the shelvestook me

well over a month. The _shop alone required one-hundred and eighty-twotextures to be

created from scratch. Wood and surface textures were either photographed _by me,

createdinPhotoshop,ordrawnwithPrismacolormarkersandlaterscannedinasjpegs.I

enjoyed _creating product labels the mostbecause _they were _bright, colorful, and silly.

WheneverIcould,Iturned theproduct nameintoa pun.Forexample,a canisterof snake

food was labeled "Snake Bites", and a _bag of chopped cedar for hamsters was called

"Hamsta'

Time". I derived small pleasures in _looking for them and _remembering their

creation asIwatchedthefilm.

Bird

Since I _{already had} a conceptinmind forBird, Ibegantomodelhim first. This

expedited the process because it eliminated _nearly all of the creative dead-ends and

roadblocksthatI laterencountered withFish.

Modeling

Bird's designwas streamlined and simplified sothathecould_{accompany Fish}in

scenes without _stealing the limelight. I had planned on _{making his} wings _extremely

However, after _modeling his wings I thought _they looked rather _bulky and crude. It

becameapparentthat the lackofformanddefinitioninBird's arms was_goingto_greatly

limit his_dexterityand thusmake animation quitedifficult. Tosolve this problem, Igave

him four feather-shaped fingersand added wrists todefinewherehis hands began. Iam

very satisfied withthe directionthat Ichose, especiallyinthe scene whereBird collides

with_{Fish, holding} onto and _{petting her}while_drawing hercloser to him. Ibelieve that

realistic andflatwings wouldhavemadetheirembrace_{look clumsy}andawkward.

Iwent_completelyoverboard while_{modelingBird,}and created such an obscene

levelofdetailthatherequired no_smoothingoperation whenIfinished.

Texturing

TexturingBird was_prettymuch a walkthrough the park. IknewthatIwanted

to usethecolors of aSun Parakeetand Iwas abletofollow all ofthereference materials

thatI_{had found pretty} closely. IusedMaya's3DPainttool to rough outBird's features

within the scene file and thenexportedthe generated _mapas a tiff.After_bringing that

fileintoPhotoshop,Iwas abletouseitas a guidelinefortheplacement of variousdetails

such asBird's eye sockets and tailfeathers. Iflipped back and forth from_Photoshop to

Mayatopreview_anychangesIhadmade untilIachieved thedesired look.Ialso used a

bump map to raise small feathers on his arms and made slight adjustments to his

specular_maptocreatehighlightsonthe_tipoftheeachfeather.

Molting

The biggest shift in Bird's design occurred when I decided to forego feathers

altogether. Maya's Paint Effects had proven render-intensive and _{very unnatural,} and

usinga card-based system wasimpracticalfor myneeds andtimeavailable.This forceda

stretcheshisarms andsmiles,hewas_{previouslygoing}topreen and rufflehis feathersin

a _{display for Fish. Because I} relish in _animating subtle animal _behaviors, I was _truly

disappointedthatIwas not abletoanimateBirdto_myoriginalidea.Butasitturned out,

the scene evoked a ripple of laughter from the audience, so I don't _totally regret the

change.

The feathers thatare seen_streamingoff ofhimtowards theend ofAct Twowere

individualimageplanesthatIanimated withouttheaid ofdynamics.

Fish

Modeling

I decided to use the _body of the Red _Cap Oranda for Fish because of its

hourglass-shape and dramatictail. The tailrests _{higher up} onthebackofthe _bodythan

on most_fish, and flowsmuchlike silk underwater. _ModelingFishfeltakinto asurgical

procedure. _Duringthe process of _{adding bulk} and_carving out her _lines, I wasn't sure

that she'd make it through the process without _coming out _looking bandaged and

bruised. Onemomentshelookedfine,and then thenext she was_practicallygrotesque. It

was quite discouraging. When I finished sculpting her _body she looked just like an

Oranda,but she was notsexy, and she _definitelyhad masculine features. Ihad ahard

time _imaginingher_turning out well.I moved onto _{texturingbecause seeing her} inher

currentstate made me_verynervous.

Texturing

Fishwas_originallymeanttohavea whitebody,light blueeyeshadow, and a red

cap for her head.ButwhenIpaintedthat textureontoher_bodyinMaya,thecombination

I tried_switchingbetween differentcombinationsof eye shadow and_body colors,

and itbecame clearthatshelooked bestingold tones._So,while Ikeptthe_geometryof a

Red _CapOranda,Iended_{up using}thecolor palette of an_ordinarygoldfish. Iwantedto

avoid

humanizing

her too much but her eyes were _{definitely holding} her back. The

original eyes were _simply too _cartoony and simplified. I developed a large number of

absurd results after_tryingmanyvariations of eye shaders andtextures.

Fish's scales were generated _{using five} maps: color, transparency, specularity,

reflected color, andbump. _Honestly, it wasthe result of an absurd amount oftrial and

error. I had never been veryinterested in _texturing and until that pointhad very little

exposuretoit. Fish'smaps were _myone_bigshot at_learningand_perfectinga method of

texturing.Countless hourswentinto_creatingvarious mapsfor_Fish,and a_majorityofthe

work turnedoutto be detail-oriented painting, tiling, andUV troubleshooting.Her UV

maps were_frustratingtowork withbecauseIneededher scalesto tile_perfectlyas three

separateUVmapstransitionedfrom her_bodytohertail.

Eyes

After_finalizing Fish's model and textures I moved onto technical issues. After

constraininghereyesto atarget_rigand_animatingit, Idecidedthathereyes should not

swivel aroundinsidetheirsockets._Anyextrememovements ofhereyes madeFishseem

anxious and panicked. So I locked them into place and also removed the whites from

them.This took_awaythe

'surprised'

lookthatshehad been wearingand replaceditwith

a cool confidence which made a tremendousdifference. Ona whim I gave herfeathery

eyelashestodrawattentiontohereyes. _Theybordered making her looktoohuman,but

SPECIAL EFFECTS

Water

Iexplored_manytechniquesto createtherightlook forthewaterinFish's tank. I

first experimented withMaya's fluid systems, and then I tried touse a geometric cube

with a rippledeformerthatcould beanimated acrossitssurface.Ieventriedtofake the

refractionthatcomes when_viewingobjects underwater_byusingMental_Ray,butrender

timeswouldhave beentoomuch of an obstacle. Ibegantobediscouraged,and as Ioften

didwhenstumped,moved onto othertasks.

WhileIwas stillinthe_{brainstorming} stages ofFin toFeather Ihadthought about

buyinga goldfishto_keepas a reference_{for my}film._Thinkingofthat, Iheadedtoalocal

pet superstore.Itrekked pasttherodents and terrariums to find theiraquarium section

locatedatthebackofthestore. Isatdown onthelower shelf of a _displayandbeganto

watchthefish.

Irecordedas_manyobservations asIcould aboutthecontents of eachtank.After

noting'crystal-clearwater','colorfulbackdrops', 'seaweed', 'bubbles',and 'different kinds

of gravel', I began to break down how all of it worked together to create such a lush

environment. As Iwas _reviewingthe list, a_brightlylitaquarium at theend of therow

caught_myeye,andIwalkedoverto it.

When I realized that the tank was devoid of _{fish, my} eyes came to rest upon

shootsof seaweed_movinglazilyfromsidetoside and a sheet of_{bubbles rising along}the

backwall. Ina momentIunderstoodthat these twocomponents were vitalto_capturing

and_representingtheweightand mass of waterinthe tank.AsIwatchedthebubbles_rise,

Irealizedthat the surfaceofthewater wasn't visible fromstraight-on. As I looked back

plastic rim of a tankcover.I couldn't even see_anywater atall;_my mindhad filledit in

for me. I was relieved _knowing that I could _skip the _aggravating trouble of _creating

realistic water and move onto thetaskof_creatingtheillusionofit.

Seaweed

Maya's paint effects were used to create all of the seaweed featured in Fin to

Feather. For_{my first} attempt, Imodeled several stalks of seaweed and skinned them to

NURBS curves. The modelslooked _great,but _they deformed poorly and required loads

of time and attention to detail to look justright. Forthe amount of shots thatseaweed

would be featured and animated, the task began to seem unfeasible. In addition, the

heavy geometry of the model slowed down any movement within the scene. _Starting

over,Ibegan_{investigating}paint effects and_exploringall ofthe optionsthatthe toolhad

to offer. There were _plenty of brushes designed to paint _gooey tentacles and

extraterrestrial trees, but Ifound that_makinga realistic stalk of seaweed proved easier

said thandone. After_spending a_{few hours creating}thelook ofseaweed, Ithenrigged

the _geometry to a curve and gave it animate-able clusters to control movement as

needed._OriginallyIwasfrustratedthatMayadidn'tcome with a set of aquatic plantlife

brushes,butafterIhaddesigned afew of_myownIwas glad thatIhad been forced to

makeitfromscratch.

Bubbles

The bubbles that stream in the background ofthe aquarium were also created

using Maya's Paint Effects. I found abrush thatcould produce large soap bubbles and

painted a stroke ofthem acrossthebackofthefishtank.After_rummagingaroundinthe

settings of thebrush I figured outhow to manage the size, quantity, and speed ofthe

water's surface. Because their speed was constant _they did not need to be animated or

alteredonceIhadcapturedtherightappearanceandbehavior.

Cloth

Thetransitionfrom Act OnetoActTwoisintendedtocreate a_feelingof closure

and a newbeginning. ToachievethisIwould need a_{soft,sweeping}animationthatcould

bringcalmto theroom andlettheaudiencetakea_{deepbreath, relax,} and prepareforthe

next act.

Throughtheuse of experiments and tutorialsI learned howto create a rich and

velvetytextureforthestage curtaininthesecond act._Usingthat textureas a_jumpingoff

pointIbeganto alterittolook likean appropriate materialforabirdcagecover. Ivaried

theshader's maps and sliders untilthematerialtransformedintoa_{sturdy felt drapery.}

FromthestartIhadseveral reservations about_{using dynamic}cloth and pictured

elaborate scenarios in _{my head} of things _turning disastrous. I held off on _designing a

riggingsystemfor cloth untilIcould see if_anyadditional constraints wouldbeneeded.

Becausetheneeds ofthescenesinwhich cloth appears were_{simple, there}was no needto

givethe cloth a skeletal system.I_onlyneeded toplace a sheet ofMayacloth over a piece

of simplified _{birdcage geometry} and let the simulation run. After _{seeing promising}

resultsthroughMaya'sclothsimulation, Ireturnedto thecloth's properties and adjusted

values such as _friction, tension, and _gravity to further polish its animation. _Early tests

were_excitingasit broughta newdepthand sophisticationto thefilm.

Originally, Iwanted the cloth to coverthe cage and fall to rest, part downthe

center into two panels and draw to either side of the screen just as a theater curtain

would. However, a greatdeal of technical difficulties arose when I tried to make each

clipping, interpenetrating, or _{collapsing into each other. So, I opted to drape the cloth}

over the _birdcage, pause and drift while _{changing colors,} and then rise _{back up from}

where it came. I added pauses in the curtain's _lifting animation to hint at the idea of

stagehandsat work in thebackground ofthe_{film, running} their_{hands up}theropethat

would raise the stage curtain. I rendered the entire animationtwice: once as red velvet

and then again asblue felt. After thatwas_completed, I layered each pass on_top ofthe

other and added a cross-fadebetweenthe twocolorsin AfterEffects.

Lightning

Bolts

Maya's built-in _lightning toolset workedbeautifully. _{By using} itsbasiccreation

toolsand shadersIwas abletocreate intense_lightningboltsinvibranthuesof pink and

purple.Since nearlyall ofMaya's_lightningproperties were_keyable,Iwas ableto thicken

and thin the shaft of each bolt for emphasis at pivotal moments _during the act. I also

created starbursts andflares on severalboltsand animated them_{running up} anddown

thelength,strikingatthemomentthat_keynotesinthescore sounded.

Clouds

Having had such great success with Maya's _lightning, I moved on to Maya's

built-involumetric cloud creatorforthecloudsin ActTwo. After_runningthroughafew

tutorials I ran testrenders on a small patch of clouds. They rendered _{beautifully; they}

had_depth,fluidreactions,and eveninteractedwithlights.Iwentontofillthescene with

clouds, and whenIfinished,Istarteda render and walked_{away for}alittlewhile. When I

camebackmore than ten minutes_later, theframe hadnotfinishedrendering. Ileftand

gaveitanadditionalten minutes,butupon_myreturn,itwas still notfinishedrendering.

Maya's volumetricclouds were sorender-intensivethatIwas not abletorender enough

Thankfully, after afew hours of research overthe InternetI founda websitethat

explained how to create clouds _using particles thatwere painted onto a planar surface

and thenrendered _using alternate options that could simulate the appearance of_fluffy

clouds.Thisnon-volumetricmethod cut_myrendertimes down fromover_twentyto

one-and-a-half minutes a frame. _{By adjusting} the particle settings in Maya I was able to

produce clouds in light pinks and purples and continued to _playwith their hues and

saturation levels infinal edits _{using After Effects.}This method was used_extensivelyin

scenes towards theend ofActTwo,whenthe_skygrows_{progressively} darker andmore

threateningastroublebrews.

Stage Props

I hadenvisioned all of the props forAct Two asslices of cardboard _twirlingin

space. Iwanted each piece to_display a small edge of corrugationbetweeneach painted

side as itrotated. Butlike manyconcepts, whenthisidea wastakeninto3D, theweight

and bulk was exaggerated when I added depth to each panel. When I reduced them

downto double-sidedplanes, _theybecame light and airy:farmore playful and_visually

appealingthan thechunky blockstheystarted out as.

ANIMATION

Blocking

After the storyboard animatic was _finished, characters modeled, and sets

designed, I began to prepare individual scene files in Maya. I approached the task of

animationas youwould paintahouse. The jobhadtobe doneinpasses, with eachnew

composedinthestoryboard_animatic,and nowIneededtorecreateeach_shot,savingone

aftertheother as aseparatefile in Maya. Thiswasn't a_{terriblyarduous}

thingto_do, but it didtakeafairamountoftime.I recommend that you do not use the 'import' option to _{bring elements, props,} or characters into each scene.

Referencing

them as separate files will save you incredible

amounts oftimeshould you encountertheneed toedittheoriginalfilesof a character or setting.

Foreach ofthe pet_{shop scenes, characters or clusters of props were referenced} into the master shot scenefile from theirown Maya file. Forexample, the files included in scene were listed in the reference manager window were like so: _petshop.mb, bookshelves.mb, aisles._{mb, tank.mb, cage.mb, hamster.mb, bird.mb,} and fish.mb. It's

important to note that the scene files such as

'bookshelves'

and 'aisles' were _already

stocked with cans and other products in their original file. _{By doing} it _{that way,}

continuity was preserved and items didn't scoot around from scene to scene. If an element of the pet store would not be visible in a specific shot, I would remove the

referencefromthescene file. Inadditionto _makingiteasiertopan and _dollyaroundthe

scene,thatalsofreed up memoryand sped_{up processing}timesin Maya.

BecauseBirdandFishwereinthe3D animaticforreference purposes_only,Idid

not needtoanimatethem. _Instead,Imovedthemintopositionforeach scene andlocked

them down. _Next, I rendered a playblast of the scene with the same duration as the

Watchingthe staticcompleted3-D animaticoften_{brought up any issues}withthe

film such as _{composition, story, continuity, and}

editing. After each _review, I always

foundmyself with anotepadfullof shots andissuesthatneededtobeaddressed.

Passes

Nowthateach shothad been blocked out, Ibeganto construct a3D animatic. I

would placethecharacters within each set sothatIcouldbegintoseethefilmas awhole,

and _{find any flaws} in the _story thus far. After this was _finished, each shot would be

revisited with a second passfor furtherrefinement of_timingandblocking.

Before I_began, Icreated anExcel spreadsheetinwhichI _{listed every} scene and

created separate columns _{for entering complexity} and _priority values. I rated the

complexityand_priority of each scene on a scale of1-5,with5_representingan_extremely

difficultor significant scene. Forexample, a_close-upofFish inthefirstact was valued at

1 because she was the _{only entity} thatneeded to be animated. There were no extreme

movementsinthe shot,onlyafewslowblinksand a_lazyswish ofherfins.

Because of the larger scope of Act Two, almost all shots were valued a 3 or

above, with afewshots_rankinga5. Layers of clouds wereplaced,varied and _adjusted,

Bird soaredthroughthe skies, animated props pepperedthebackground ofthe set, and

lighting bolts struck and exploded with starbursts of light. When Fish was torn from

Bird'sarms andhurledintothe sky,hertailneededextra attentiontoensurethatitdidn't

shear or crumple_upintoa paperball. Witheachpass, more refinementsand polish went

into eachcharacter's performance. Facial expressions andfollow-through were roughed

outinthe third pass and polished ifneeded inafourth. _{Virtuallyevery} shot received a

thirdpass ofanimation, and_anyscene ratedhigherthan3received afourthorfifthpass

ActOne

ActOnewas thefirsttobe tackled and alsotheactinwhichI began todiscover

what each character was capable of. I was _{finally getting} the chance to animate _my

characters and _having a fantastic time _doing it. Bird's prance was _merry and _silly, and

Fishwas_flirtyandalluring.

Bird's rigwas_fairlysimplewithbonesandIK_chains,soitdidnot give me much

trouble at all. _During the entire animation _process, I crawled into the graph editor

nightly,and lived amongthecurvesandtheir tangents. After_findingand _{deletingstray}

keys, Iremoved _{any hiccups}and skews Ifound inthe animation curves. After thefirst

few passes of_animation, I was delighted withthe facesthat I was able to create with

Bird, and feltthathis bestperformances in Fin to Featherwere_greatly enhanced whenI

addedjusttheright expression.

With two pairs of_fins, Fish was_essentially afour-legged character. I animated

her front finssimilartocanoe_paddles,andherback finsasif_theywerehorsetails.While

her strong front fins could propel her through the water, her weakerback fins drifted

behind heranimatedto_closelyfollowthebroadermovements ofher body. Fish'stailwas

rigged to six bones that ran _along the _top and five along the _bottom, and the _fleshy

middle of it used cloth dynamics. Each time that I animated her _body, I also had to

animate each ofhereleventailbones and adjust the tension and frictionsettings ofher

tailtomakesurethatitreactedtothemotion while_behavingproperly.

I've always enjoyed _animating follow-through, so once I had the bulk of

animation roughed outIfounditrather_relaxing topolish_{any secondary}motion. While

Act One was a large _bodyof work, no specific scene sticks out in_my mind as _beinga

his perch, and Fish's dive into the seaweed _(dealing with collision bodies and paint

effects)nearly broke myspirit.Therewouldbemoretocome.

Act Two

Fish and Bird'sembracein the middle ofAct Twowas_by farthemost complex

scene, as itdealtwith various constraintson each_character, Fish's delicate tail, and two

bodiesthatcould collidebutnotintersectwhile _holdingontotheother. The _intricacyof

the shotintimidated me, and _{I delayed working} onituntilIhad reachedthemiddle of

ActTwo. Iwanted towait until IfeltthatIcould animate a stellar performancefor Bird

and Fish. I went far beyond a fifth pass for that scene, spending well over two days

animatingand _polishingit. Iwantedthis sceneto_tug attheaudience'sheartstrings,soI

gave it all that I had. I called _my mother _immediately after I was finished. I had a

tremendousemotional responsetoBirdand_Fish,anditthrewmeforaloop._Myfilm had

pulled me in, andIwas _{truly feeling}their love and_joyas _theysnuggled and wore soft

smiles.I dreaded_havingtotear themapartsocompletely.

Bolts of _lightning proved difficult to animate because _they required a render

preview each time that I applied a new effect or modified an _existing one. _Tweaking

variables such asboltbrightness, path, andamplitude, as well as starburstpositionand

sizehelpedtogeneratethelookandfeeloflightning.

Itwas also necessary to render full previews of particle-generated clouds each

time_theywere modified.Even intoday'sversionofMaya,particlesaredisplayedas

flat-shaded green spheres which are nothelpfulat all whentryingtocomposelayeredclouds

withina shot. _FlingingFishacrossthe_skywas_easilydoneand almostcomedic,butmost

crumpleinto aballofpolygons. Her_velocityalso needed tobeslowedinorderto_clearly

showherexpressions offearandsurprise.

For Bird's streaming feathers, I created about25 planes and applied a position

constraint, _binding them to his arms. At the right _moment, I keyed the value of the

constraintstozero,_freeingeachfeatherand animatedthem_streamingoff ofhis body.

Forthebubble's _{burstingeffect,} I knewthelook thatI wantedto createbeforeI

began. I wanted the bubble to rise, bob, crack, show beams of light peering out from

within, and thenexplode. The shards would then fall to the ground_gently, like leaves,

notjettisonoff-screenlike shrapnel. Iwanted thebursttoevoke feelingsoflossand the

death of_hope, not aggression or anger. While I knew how to shatter and animate the

bubble, Iwas _having a lot of _difficulty in _achieving the right _lightingeffect. Luckily, I

found a wonderful tutorial on HighEnd3D's web site _illustrating how to use _fog and

shadows to produce beams oflight radiating from inside an object. The tutorial was a

great_start,andItookit further_byrenderingall oftheelementsinmultiplepassessothat

I could manipulatethetiming, color, saturation, and_opacityofthebeamsoflight.Ialso

animated thebackgroundofthatshot with a_warp effect sothat thewhole screenbows

inward,holds,andthenburstsoutwardwiththeshatter ofFish's last breath. After Effects

was instrumental in _making this scene 'pop'. I've taken a screenshot of the expanded

timelinesothatyou can see what effectsIused.

I still think that I could have made Bird and Fish's separation more traumatic,

Act Three

By the time thatIbegan to animateAct Three I was in thehome stretch of_my

film. Since I had already animated Bird and Fish _{in this setting,} and their range of

movementwas_limited, this act was a nicebreak fromthechaos ofActTwo. Oneofthe

major differences that I notice between this act and the other two is that the

synchronization of music and animation ismuch tighter. This isbecause I_{actually had}

the finalmusic _in-hand, and was able to listento itand matchitstiming. Bird'sstartled

awakening and Fish's somber nods flow from one to the other with the current ofthe

music.

Iwas somewhatdisappointedwiththe composition ofthescore atthe _veryend

of the film. I felt that the piece written for this act was perfect; right _up until it was

revealedthatFishhad been purchased and wouldbetakenaway.When Birdrearsback

and cries out to his _love, there is no instrumental cue for his voice in the score. Upon

discoveringthisIcontemplated_{changing his}animationtofitthemusic.IenvisionedBird

silently reachingone arm through thebarstowardsFish,his hand curlingintoafistand

dropping ashe begins tounderstandthathis loveis lostforever.ButwhenIpictured it

playing out in _{my head} I felt that it was not an appropriate _{ending for} a tender love

story. Iwas sold on_makingBird_cryoutforFish inanguish.SoIwentahead,stubbornly

sticking to my original plan and _polishing the animation as it had been laid out,

saddenedthatBird hadnotruevoiceinthescore.I'm so gladthatI did. After_animating

the entire act and_watching ita few times, Ifounditeven more powerful and symbolic

thathiscries wentunheard. I'vemeanttoaskDanielifthatwaswhathe_intended,orif it

LIGHTING

Three-Point-Lighting

For a _long time I believed that the _theory of

three-point-lighting

_{meant that a}

scene could _{only be litusing} three lights. This of course explains _why the first3d film

that I completed at RIT was lit so poorly. I had studied a bit of _lighting at RIT and

learnedeven more_duringmytimeat_{Red Eye Studios}

creating full-motionsequences for

video games. I was hired as an animator and _normally spent the _{workday modeling,}

rigging'and _animating,but_duringa _particularly

nastycrunch timeeveryonewas asked

to_help the _lighting and _rendering teams to meettheir deadline. I was shocked whenI

opened_up a scenefilethatcontained overthirty-twolights. Surethatitwas a_mistake, I

stood _{up from my} computer and headed for the _lighting department. I assumed that

somehow multiple lights had been cloned orimported into the scene_{by accident,} butI

was wrong.Oneofthe_lightingartists_{brought up}Maya'slight linkerandbegantoshow

me _exactly what lights were _affecting which objects. This was a complete 'eureka'

momentforme,sinceI had not yet seenthat toolinaction. Iusedlightand object_linking

extensivelythroughouttheprocess of_lightingFin to Feather.

My

Method

Iapproached_lightingmuchthesame_waythatIhad treated therest of_{my film:}I

brokeit_upintolayers.Imade surethateachlight had onlyonejob. Either itaffected one

character, one _prop, or the background as a whole. This made it easier to adjust the

lightingifone element needed morecontrast,moreillumination,orless lightingeneral.I

used_{key, fill, diffuse, bounce,}and rimlights foreachobject or_groupin_anygiven scene.

specularpass.Darkniches andcornersfoundin thepetstore neededtobe litsothat_they

receded into the background without _being pitch-black. The _opening scene in the pet

shop featured Fish in her tank, Bird inhis _cage, stocked aisles, shelves, a _lazyhamster,

andonehundred-and-eight lights.

The first shotthatI litwas thepet _shopsign; alsothe title screen. _Remembering

the techniques that I had absorbed from work and _college, I began to position lights

throughout the scene. Aftermuch trial and errorIhituponthe right_lightingtogivethe

sign _{depth, contrast,} and highlights. The wood grain texture of the signage needed to

accept shadows as well as highlightsinordertomake itpop, so thelights had different

intensitiesand angles tocounter or assisttheother accordingly. Afterbasic_lightingwas

roughedout, IfoundthatIneededtomitigatetheblownout effects of_overlappingpools

oflight._Mysolution wasto_employspotlights as negative_intensityemittersthatdimmed

the targetarea. I softened edges and theunderside ofthe sign_byusing a bounce light

andthehandle benefited fromanintenserimlightpositioned almost_directlybehind it.

Characters

Birdhadatleastsixlightsparentedtohimatalltimes:adimfill light projecting

ontohischest andneck,arimlightathisback,abouncelightangled_upfromtheground

to his_belly and theunderside ofhis tail, anoverall_keylightthatwas positionedbased

onthe scene,andtwofill lightstolighteachhalfofhisface:onedimmerthantheother.

Fishwas _particularly difficult to light because ofher extra appendagesand the

factthather_bodywas sobulbousthat three diffusedspotlightswereneededinorderto

illuminate itfromall sides. Shewas also rigged withtwolightson each side andanother

on_topthatemitted_{onlyspecularity to}makeherscales_popandflashas she swam across

fill lights illuminated her eyes while another set of

specularity-only lights created the

highlightsthatmadehereyes shine.

FILE STRUCTURING

Layering

and

Naming

Conventions

In orderto render outFin to _Feather, Iseparated each shotinto multiple layers

thatwouldlater becompositedor alteredinpost-production.Ikeptallprops,characters,

cages and clouds on separate layers so that I could adjust color _correction, speed of

animation,or placement withinAfterEffects. Thismethod saved me an_amazingamount

oftime insituations where_onlyone element of a shot neededtobere-lit, re-animated,or

re-rendered.

By adding three or four-letter suffixes to file names, I was able to _identify a

rendered sequence or Maya scene file at a glance. Each file name gave the act or

sequence,thescene_number,andthecontentthatwouldbe displayed.Forexample,afile

labeled'Seq01_Scn04_FISH.tif was afilethatcontainedFish inscenefourofthefirstact.

TypicalabbreviationsthatIused_{duringmy film}were:

BIRD=_ThecharacterBird.

FISH=_ThecharacterFish

SFX=Special_effects

PFX=_{Painteffects seaweed}

BUBS=_Bubblesattheback_ofthefishtank

GRVL=Gravel in_thefishtank

TANK=_{all still elements ofthe}aquariumsuch astheblue_backdrop

CLDS=_Clouds

PROP= Prop

BOLT=

Thelistgoeson,but forthesakeof

brevity

_{Iwill endit here.}

Everysooften some

ofthe above layers had more than one occurrence withina _{given scene. In such} cases,

each layer was also numbered based on its distance from the _camera, such as

Seq02_Scn08_PROP_01. Foregroundand_{backgroundlayersthatwere}

onlyrequiredtobe

rendered for one frame were designated with the suffix BKGD or FORE

depending

on

each case.

ThescenesinwhichBirdis inhiscagebestrepresentthismethod of_breakingup

a shot_{into layers. After}

savingoff a version ofthecompleted scene_file, Iwould turnoff

anyunneededlayersand _{applybackground shadersto}

any geometrythatwould notbe

in thefinalrender._Next,Iwouldsavethescenefileoff as a_{version,complete with a new}

and extended name _{containing scene,} act _numbers, and acronyms to designate which

layeritwould generate. Forthebirdcage shotsIrenderedthebarsatthefrontandback

ofthecageinseparatepasses so thatIcould dimandblurthem_separatelytorepresent a

greater depth offield. Bird was rendered on his own _layer, and the cage floor and pet

shopbackgroundwere rendered out as separate stillimages.

RENDERING

Rendering

in Maya

AfterIscreened_myfilm,everyonethatI knewaskedif Ihadrendered outFinto

Feather using MentalRay. I_literallyburstout_laughingthefirst timeI heardthequestion

because rendersinMental_Raytakesuch a_longtime thatitwould_{have been absolutely}

impossible formetouseitto thatextent.I'dliketo think thatsuccessfultextures, delicate

lighting,and a collection of effects created inpost-production workedtogether tomimic

plants and stage curtains, the entire film wasrendered _{using Maya's built-in rendering}

utility.

During the five monthsinwhich Iproduced _mythesis film,Ispenttwomonths

simultaneously rendering, animating, and compositing. I drove to RIT's 3D lab at 11

o'clock_everynighttosecure atleast fourcomputers._{After setting up batch}renders_using

Maya'sdefault renderer,I drove home and animatedthrough thenight until_8am, when

all renders were stopped _by lab assistants to make _{way for incoming} classes. I then

retrieved all completed rendersfrom theFTPsite and compiled and renderedthemout

to _{Quicktimes using} After Effects. While I reviewed the clips I took notes on which

renders were finaland which needed major or slight changes.Before goingbed,Iwould

make suretocreate new executablebatchtiles forthenextseries ofrenders.Imade sure

thatI knewwhichscenes werefinalized,which would needtobere-rendered,and which

wouldbeanimatedthe_followingday.

BruteForce Fixes

The sweeping pan through the pet _shop in Act One was a disaster to render.

WheneverIranbatchjobs inor outside ofMaya,onlythefirst 175frameswoulddevelop

and then the_renderingwouldcome toahalt. Itriedtorenderthatshotfive times_using

different computers, but it always ended early. After asking everyone I knew for

suggestions, Isawthat_{my only}alternative was to renderthescene out_byhand, frame

by frame. I spent five hours one _{day setting}the frame, hittingrender, waiting for itto

finish,savingoffthefilewiththeappropriateframenumber,advancingoneframe inthe

timeline,hittingrender,and_repeatingthecycle.

This went onuntil thescenefinishedatframe 460,two-hundred andeighty-five

first and second _acts, but I never found a common _{anomaly among} them. _{The only}

advicethatIcangiveisthatsometimesthingslikethatjusthappen.

Mental

Ray

IusedMental _Raytorender out cloth paint effectsin Fin toFeather.While Mental

Ray produced fantastic results, it also came with _{ridiculously long} time render times.

Usingtwocomputers of equal speed and_{specifications, I} could_onlyrenderout one pass

of cloth for every six passes of Fish and Bird in the same amount of time. One of the

biggest headaches I experienced when _using cloth and paint effects was render

interruption. Ifa renderjob was ended_prematurely,Ihad tostartthe entire render over

again from the _beginning of the scene. Dynamic simulations such as those needed to

completeinone pass.

The preview options for _displaying paint effects in Maya can become very

detailed,butthe_onlydisplaylevelthat_mycomputer could runinreal-time were akinto

bare curves. I could not enable the _geometry that would be generated and preview

animation _{because my} computer was _simply not powerful enough. I also could not

animate _using the _display curves because since Fish was _going to dive through the

seaweed, I needed to see each leaf cluster that would be generated so that she didn't

penetrate it. Without knowing _exactly what the end result would look like, I couldn't

animate Fish properly. Iwas forced to render out the scene _every time thatI made an

adjustment to see what changes needed to be made. As you can guess, I had a _very

difficulttime_wranglingtheseaweed stalksinActOne,asitrequiredmany,manytweaks

The

Early

Bird

I was _incredibly grateful and _completely thrilled that I was able to render a

majority of _{my film before} the rest of RIT entered the crunch mode that occurs just

before final exams andprojects are due. WhileI had been_rendering throughApriland

Maythe lab _had, at_most, fourother people in it at_closingtime. Several nights Icould

haveused_upto tencomputersif Ihadneededto.Itwas almost eeriehowquietthelabs

were, andI oftenthoughtofitasthe calmbeforethe storm.Sureenoughthelab became

packed as theend ofthequarterdrewnear._{Duringmy last}week of_renderingIwas_only

abletorender on one computer a night. Evenso,Iwas able to turnFin to Feather inafull

dayearly,one ofthebest feelingsthatI've hadwhile_attendingRIT.

SOUND

Silence

The film I had completed just before _{beginning my} thesis was _very

dialogue-driven. _Finding actors, writingand_{recording dialogue, importing}sound _correctly, and

synchingtheanimationwas all_{verytime-consuming}and provedtobetroublesometime

and timeagain.So Ibegantoreview_myprevious works and sawthat thestrongestfilms

had no dialogue or sound effects, and were insteadanimated to music. I opted for that

same approach _hoping that it would leave me more time to polish animation, effects,

editing, and continuity. I wouldneed to find a composer who could _{quickly grasp} the

film'sthemesand_quickly composea score foran animatic. FromthatI couldfollowthe

tempoofthemusic whileIanimated,adding a richnesstotheperformance and_merging

planned _{to, I began posting "Composer}Wanted"

flyersat theEastman School of_Music,

regrettingthetime Ihad lostand

hoping

thatI'd findsomeonesoon.

The SearchBegins

WhenI first beganto searchfor a_{composer, the}

onlymediathatI was prepared

to show were _{test renders,} model _turnarounds, and a storyboard animatic _illustrating

scene layoutsandthe _staging ofBirdand Fish. I wantedto find a composer who could

write and record musicfit foralovestory,and ontheflyerIemphasizedthis_alongwith

a commission ofthreehundred dollars. I failedtohear fromanyonefortwoweeks.

During the last week in March, I was contacted _by a composer who was

interested in_workingon_{my film.}Iaskedifwe could meet as soon as possibletodiscuss

things _further, but he explained that while he was _busy at _{the moment,} he would be

availableina week's time.After_waitingover a weektohear fromhim,I beganto_tryto

reachhim. I hadzero success. I didn't hear from him again untiltwoweeks_later, when

he sent me a short e-mail_sayingthathe had decided tospend thelasttwoweeks ofthe

school year_relaxingand_hangingout withfriendsinsteadof_workingon another project.

Iwas floored and upset;Ihad lostthree week'stime and was still without a composer.

My quest to find a composer was _{becoming fiercely discouraging, distracting,} and

stressful, so I decided to set the task aside and return to itlater. I needed to focus on

finishingmy filmwith whatlittletimeIhad left.

The Search Continues

Ireturned once againto theEastman SchoolofMusic_(ESM)duringthelastweek

in April _hoping to find a composer. I redesigned _{my flyers} and posted them all over

ESM. Itwas morethanajustlittle_{disheartening}tosee_myoldflyersstillthumbtacked to

plenty of reference material to _{show anyone who responded. I was}

especially proud of

myanimatic asitwas_turningoutjust how I'd _imagined, and40%ofthe shotsinitwere

on their second pass of animation. On _May 2nd I received an e-mail from a graduate

student ofEastman.

Daniel Black was

finishing

up his MMin Orchestral _Conductingand had been

looking for a chance to compose music for an animation such as Fin to Feather. I

immediatelyphonedhimand pitched_mystory. Hewasthoughtful and quiet at_first,but

grew talkativeand enthusiastic_bytheend of ourconversation. After we_hungupIwas

beyond ecstatic and called_nearly everyone thatI knew. Iwanted to shout aloud thatI

had foundacomposerin_{very last}month of_mythesis.

Score

DanielandImettwodays laterat a coffee_shopnearEastmantodiscuss the film

and brainstorm ideas for the soundtrack. _{After watching the animatic, he had loads} of

ideas for theensemble and score. I explained _mywishes for dark and _sleepymotifs for

thepet_shopand spirited and _happyones forBirdandFish's dream. Ialso expressed_my

hopes of _{using pure,} unprocessed sound. More _{specifically,} I wanted a soundtrack in

which the audience could _instantly recognize _every instrument _being played. I

referenced the musical classic, Peter and the _Wolf, where each character is identified

throughtheuse of a particularinstrumentor octave.

Heagreed_{whole-heartedly}withthedirectionand recommendedthatwe stickto

using woodwinds and strings such as clarinets and violins. I was _{absolutely delighted}

andfeltthat those instruments wouldfitthe film perfectly,but I was _wary of_tryingto

find more musicians,_having had such ahard time_findingDaniel inthe firstplace. He

contactthemafter ourmeeting. Heasked ifI would_{be willing} to_payeach ofthem_fifty

dollars, both as anincentive and areward. I was _{already paying Daniel} threehundred

dollars for his _work, and to _{pay four} performers at_fiftydollars apiece would_{bring my}

musicbudget up to five hundred_{dollars, nearly double} whatIhad budgeted. ButI felt

that thiswas an_opportunity Icouldn't pass_up, and accepted. _Everythingthathad been discussedwas_{beyond every}expectationthatI'd_had,andIwas_{ready for}italltobegin.

Daniel agreed to complete a score for Fin to Feathertwo weeks from the_day of

our first meeting. Iapologized for the _extremely short _deadline,but he shrugged it off

with asmile. Heworked_{extremelyfast,} sothatwhen we met a weeklaterwe were able to discuss the completed composition. After we watched an updated animatic I had broughtwith_me,hetooka stack of papers out ofhis_bagandbegantospreaditout over

thetable.Fora momenthepaused andhis faceclouded abit.When_{he looked up}hesaid,

"Ijustrealizedthatyou might notbeabletoread sheet

music..."

Itwas _ironic,awkward

andhilariousall at once..

Ishook _{my head} as we laughed, and he offered to humwhathe had written. I

imaginethat it's _{very hard} to hum oncommand, but he conveyed thegist of the score

well enough for me to feel comfortable _giving the go-ahead. He had the names of a

cellist, aclarinetist, anoboist,and aviolinist. Wewould meetin four daystorecord the

soundtrack. _Duringthattime, Daniel secured the four musicians who would contribute their talentstothescore.

Performance

Werecordedon a _rainyFriday ina room atthe EastmanSchoolofMusic. Ihad

brought _{my film} and _my advisor's laptop, and Daniel had reserved a room with a

would conductto, theperformersfiled _{in, chatty}and pleasantdespitethe rain. None of

themhadseenthesheet musicinadvance,sothiswas_goingtobeahecticsprintthrough

tuningup, rehearsing,and_performing thefinalpiece. While Danielpassed outthesheet

music, Iresolved technical difficulties and was abletoproject the filmonto ablankwall

infrontof_him,behind thesemi-circle of musicians.Whenthebassoonist,Amelia_Fannin,

reached around for her instrument she saw Fish projected on _{the wall,} and _everything

came to a halt. Professional demeanors gave _way to excitement and giggles as the

performers grinned and begged Daniel to let them watch the film before rehearsal

started. Even without _any sound at _{all, they} laughed at Bird, gasped at the dream

sequence, and cooed overFish. I hadn'tshownthefilmtoanyonebesides myadvisor, so

Iwas ecstatic thatFish and Birdwere so adored and appreciated. After_watching Fin to

Feather, the entire room was energized and the musicians plunged straight into

rehearsal. Even on the first round of practice _they sounded wonderful, and _my eyes

welledwithtears.

We spentthemost time _polishing thefirst and second acts, _tryingto match the

pacing of the film while _allowing musicians to _play through important pieces of the

score. Fromstart to finish, the entire_recording session took amere two hours. Wehad

recordedlessthan_ninety worthofsound, andDanielofferedto sortthroughit

since he would be the bestjudge of the final work. He imported the music, separated

takes into separate tracks, and labeledeach with conductor's notes that cited whichhe

feltwerethemostsuccessfuland forwhat reasons.Itwouldhavetakenme atleastafull

POST PRODUCTION

Final

Editing

Since I already had a _working timeline _{leftover from my} animatic, I simply

saved off a version ofitand continued _workingonitforthefinal edit.Storyboardpanels

were replaced with3D animatic playblasts which werethen replaced withfinal renders

as soon as each shot was animated and rendered. _{This constantly} gave me immediate

feedback on _lighting, continuity, timing, and sound. In the end, I value _spending so

much timeonthe twoanimaticsbecause_doingso saved me a great dealof workinthe

end. _{Editingmerely} consistedof_makingsure thateach new shot wasbutted_up against

thelast.

SCREENINGS

Proud

WhenIarrivedattheSchoolofFilmandAnimation'sscreeningsatRIT in_Mayof

2007, I walked into Carlson Auditorium on cloud nine. I was euphoric that I had

completed_mythesisfilmin fivemonths,and was_extremelyproud ofit.Iwas proudthat

I was _going to tell abeautiful story, proud that I had created an animationfarbeyond

whatI had felt I wascapableofproducing,proud ofthefantasticscorethatDaniel Black

hadcomposed,and proud thatsoonIwas_goingtoshareitwitheveryone.

Audience Response

As I sat _amongthe audience _{watching Fin} to Feather, I realized thatI could not

have asked for a better experience. _They chuckled as Bird hopped about his cage and

murmured a collective W as Bird and Fish embraced each other _among the clouds.

The image_quality and colorlevels werejustright and thesound resonated well within

the packed auditorium. People left their _{disbelief behind} asBird and Fish flirted inthe

pet_shopand soaredthrough thecloudsintheirdreams.

Almost everyone _{immediately realized Fish's predicament at the}

beginning of

ActThree. There were several _gasps, nods to neighbors, and hands _{pointing up} at the

screen onceitwas revealed thatFishwasin a plastic_bagandhad been purchased.The

audience was subdued asthehouse lightscame_up,and onceI approached_{the podium,}

thefirstquestion was_"Why didn'tyou write the_storysothatBirdandFish found a_way

stay

together?"

Thiswas_exactlywhatIwantedtohear becauseitmeanttheaudiencehad

taken the _relationship into their _hear