Hamizah Sukiman10ADigital Technology Creating the Solution20/11/14 15/01/15

Creating the Solution

Learning Journals

Entry #1 Creation of landscape scene on Bryce (29/10/14 & 30/10/14) In class time

What was done in the session: This week was the start of the create stage, and I have decided to start on my first scene (on land) and I have decided to use Bryce 7.1 completely for said scene. This is because I find that Bryce has very nice textures when it comes to terrains and rocks, and I feel like this would be very useful for my video. I spent the week creating a water plane and placing it such that its next to the land plane, giving an island illusion.What was learnt: I learnt several things on Bryce, like material editing and correct placement of the water planes, as the wrong placement might just affect the land plane as well, thus affecting the whole sceneHow the solution has developed or changed: The solution has not changed so far, it is still going as stated in the Developing Ideas stageWhat is needed to do next: I need to create the main terrains and edit its material and height, as well as determine the perfect placing for it on the water planeSkills that are needed to learn: Material editing for terrains and rocks, how to change height on one terrain. All these skills could be learnt from written/video tutorials on the internet.

Entry #2 Creation of main terrain & editing the water plane (05/11/14 13/11/14) In class time

What was done in the session: These two weeks were spent on creating and perfecting the main terrain on the island. It started off quite difficult, as the terrain would often mess up the placement of the water plane under it, or it would not be correctly placed on the plane. I spent two in-class sessions trying to fix this, and by the third, I changed the water planes placement, and the problem was fixed immediately. I then started to work on the terrain itself. Ive decided to not change the height, as I find that its height is quite suitable already, but I did change the material to World SpaceWhat was learnt: I had learnt regarding the several materials on Bryce for terrain, and how it would fit with my water and land planes. The materials that I had predicted and planned to use was not the most suitable, thus I had to do trial and error on the materials that Bryce offers.How the solution has developed or changed: I have decided to not change the height of the terrain, as I found that it was unnecessary to do so. I did, however, change the material of the terrain as I found that the rocky material did not suit well with my water plane. I also changed the water planes position and texture; position to allow the main terrain to be placed above it, and texture was such that there would be a reflection of the terrain and (later) trees, as the old plane did not have that reflective feature on it. This would create a more real feel to the video later on.What is needed to do next: After the creation of the main terrain, I plan to create other smaller terrains around it (as mentioned in my drawings) as well as starting to create the trees on the island itself. Minor details like sky patterns will also be edited next session.Skills that are needed to learn: The editing of Sky and Fog, creating terrains at an angle, as well as creation of trees and their placement. All of which are mentioned in my Inquiry and Analysis, thus I can just refer back to it.

Entry #3 Addition of trees + other smaller terrains (19/11/14 27/11/14) In class time

What was done in the session: These four hours were spent on finishing up the terrain as a whole, that includes creating the other 4 terrains around the main one, as well as creating the 20-or-so trees around it. The terrain creation went smoothly and so did the creation of the trees. No drastic changes were made to the solution, except a few minor placement changes.What was learnt: The skill that I have developed in this stage is creating the terrains at an angle. As my camera will be of a specific angle, I have to create the terrains in a way such that the terrains can be seen from the camera angle, and is not flat. I have learnt that placing the terrains at a 15-20 degree angle helps with this problem.How the solution has developed or changed: The only changes that were made in this stage is the placement of trees, as I found that the camera angle does not look aesthetically pleasing with the trees where they originally were, therefore I decided to scatter them around more and this has improved the general aesthetics by a lot. What is needed to do next: I did not have time to edit the Sky and Fog option therefore this will be for next session. I will also render preview and see if any minor changes need to be made, and if not I will start working on the camera angles and key frames.Skills that are needed to learn: The skills that I will need are for the Sky and Fog editing, and these can be acquired from my research as it was briefly mentioned as well as the internet if I need more assistance.

Entry #4 Final touches (03/12/14 & 04/12/14) In class time

What was done in the session: This session is my targeted final session for editing of terrains and landscape. I started off by editing my Sky and Fog setting to Overcast and making sure all suits the image I had of the landscape. The setting of the sky is slightly gloomier than I had in mind, but it does suit my theme of the video that Ill make. I noticed that some of the trees are not in the right place, so I decided that needed to be fixed. Other minor tweaks like positioning of terrains above water, etc. were made and I believe that this is ready for filming by next session.What was learnt: No new skills were acquired in this session, only sharpened old onesHow the solution has developed or changed: The sky has turned darker than drawn on paper (in Developing Ideas), and there are more terrains than drawn as well, but all these changes were made due to the fact that they now suit the general landscape more. For example, the white mountain suits better with a dark sky rather than a bright one, and more mini-terrains help to give the audience a feel that theres more unknown that they cannot see, which suits the mystery feel of the video in the first place.What is needed to do next: After this, as my scene is complete, I will have to work on the camera angles and key frames for the video. I will identify the right angles to film them at and possibly make angle changes to the terrains, depending on how the camera angle is.Skills that are needed to learn: Creating key frames as well as changing of camera angles with the right transition to make sure that it flows smoothly. All of these can be found in Inquiry and Analysis.Entry #5 Key frames and camera angles (10/12/14 & 11/12/14) In class time

What was done in the session: This session was spent on understanding key frames/camera work and figuring out which angles are most suitable for the scenes that I will film. Ive decided to take the backwards camera angle as it has suspense to it. It also shows more of the smaller terrains at the background, and this was exactly the POV that I was aiming for.What was learnt: Ive learnt a lot today, regarding key frames and how they work, as well as camera POVs and how they must change from what we plan for them to be, due to its changed surrounding. Ive learnt regarding camera angles, specific ones, are the ones that help create mood and emotion in the video. These angles also need to be placed at the right time to make sure it works its effects on the audience.How the solution has developed or changed: The camera angles have changed (majority of it), and rather than diving into the water, Ive decided to change it such that it goes around the terrain as opposed to being in it, to give the overview of the world.What is needed to do next: Theres nothing left to do in Bryce 7.1 after this, other than rendering and filming the actual scenes. However, after this, I will spend all my time with Alice 3.0 for my actual underwater animation (creatures, etc.)Skills that are needed to learn: Skills after this are skills regarding Alice 3; animating, camera markers, filming, etc. They can all be learnt from tutorials from YouTube, as Alice 3 should be a simpler animating program to work with.

Entry #6 Alice 3.0 and underwater world creation (17/12/14 & 18/12/14) Non-in class time

What was done in the session: Ive started my animating for Alice 3, and I started with placing all my characters and trees around the area. This was a simple task, as Alice is a drag-and-drop concept. All the fish and animals were there, and whats left was just to drag it to the floor. The creation of these creatures and their placement was fairly simple, and the whole scene was completed in around 2 hours altogetherWhat was learnt: I learnt the basics of Alice and its characters, exploring what it offers in terms of characters. I also character placement in Alice and the editing of individual characters which will help me in terms of identifying one main manatee as the main one (camera focus on it, animates that for video).How the solution has developed or changed: The whole solution itself has changed, as I had planned to use Bryce for my underwater as well. However, Ive noticed that Bryce is very difficult to work with when I have characters, therefore (after suggestion from Mr. Jones and Ms. Scott) Ive resorted to Alice, and it was a decision that I do not regret. Its user-friendliness accelerates the process, meaning I will have more time to focus on camera markers and filming.What is needed to do next: After this, I will work on the camera angles (marking them, etc.) while simultaneously working on animating and coding. This will take two sessions.Skills that are needed to learn: I will have to learn regarding Alices coding and how it works; this could be acquired from YouTube tutorials, etc.

Entry #7 Camera markers & finding angles and creating scene #2 (19/12/14) Non-in class time

What was done in the session: In this session, I had focused on placing all 10 of my camera markers in my scene, and making sure all markers were where they needed to be. After these, I had started on coding, in which I had covered more than half in this session. I ran the animation a few times. After the line of the 7th camera marker, Alice had froze when I wanted to run it, therefore I decided to save and leave the scene alone, and I would later come back to it. Meanwhile, I had decided that it is best that I use this time to work on my last scene, as it is the simplest. I created a new project for my sea surface scene, and coded the two lines for the scene in my video in which the camera dives into the water (before the underwater scene).What was learnt: I had mainly learnt about the camera commands in Alice, and which ones are most suitable for my scene. I had found that move and orient to is most useful for my underwater scene, and this was one that I had used most.How the solution has developed or changed: The solution had mainly changed in terms of POVs, and I have included more POVs than I had expected. The scene also does not contain a seashell, as drawn in my design, but instead it was replaced with a tree trunk, given that was what Alice 3 had.What is needed to do next: Next session, I plan to finish the rest of the coding on my underwater scene and start to film my footage for my videoSkills that are needed to learn: Coding and commands, which can be acquired from experience and also the internet

Entry #8 Restarting the animation (20/12/14) Non-in class time

What was done in the session: Alice 3 had detected some bug in my previous project, and even after I had reported it, it still will not open my project. Ive attempted to redownload Alice twice, restarted my computer, and duplicated the file and none of them worked. Therefore, I have resorted to starting my project over. Luckily, I have screenshot the coding page (for the previous process journal entry) and I can base my code off of that. I also have screenshots of my scenes from certain angles (for my freeze frame for my movie) and this will help with re-creating my scene. This puts me off the schedule quite a bit. I restarted my whole underwater scene, and thankfully it did not affect my above sea scene.What was learnt: No new skills were developedHow the solution has developed or changed: There has been no change to the solutionWhat is needed to do next: Exporting the animation (or filming it) such that I have footage for my video, and joining the pieces of the videos together.Skills that are needed to learn: Exporting videos from Alice 3 as a .mov file, this can be learnt from the internet

Entry #9 Filming Alice (21/12/14) Non-in class time

What was done in the session: I have learnt from Alices FAQ page, that all Mac OS X versions of screen recording is not working, thus I have decided to use Quicktime Player instead and screen-record from there. All the scenes were recorded today, and I made some minor editing to the timings of each video, just to increase general smoothness of flow in them.What was learnt: No new skills were learnt; only existing ones were developedHow the solution has developed or changed: The solution has had no change other than the minor time/duration tweaksWhat is needed to do next: After this, I will have to edit the footage into iMovie and start with the video production.Skills that are needed to learn: Basic iMovie skills (that I already have) need to be sharpened, especially in terms of transitions.

Entry #10 Movie creation (22/12/14 24/12/14) Non-in class time

What was done in the session: This session is the session in which I will actually start working on my video. As shown, I have added title slides and transitions, and some of the title slides are temporary. They contain words like Alice Animation or Bryce POV, and these slides are indicators of where the footage should be in the video, almost like a reminder for myself. I have found that this way, I do not forget to film anything, and even if I do, I can detect it. I have imported my footage from Alice that I had filmed last session, and I had edited them into the video.What was learnt: I had learnt to meddle with the transitions to make my footage flow smoother, as some footage arent as smooth as I had hoped for, but this were mostly fixed by the transitions.How the solution has developed or changed: The solution has not changed in this point in timeWhat is needed to do next: Next, I will have to film my Bryce scenes and import the footage into the video for final editingSkills that are needed to learn: I will have to learn how to render and film Bryce for footage, and this skill can be acquired by asking my teachers and peers who have already filmed theirs

Entry #11 Bryce rendering & filming (07/01/15) In class + non in class time

What was done in the session: This session was spent on slightly altering the camera angles on Bryce, and finally rendering it. I sent it to render to Mrs. Scott (other DT teacher) at 11:20am, and it was done by the end of the day. With this footage, I can move on to final editing of my video and adding on music, sound effects and so on.What was learnt: Not many new skills were acquired during this process, except the control of key frames in Bryce (as it is different from Alice 3, obviously). Mr. Redja already taught that skill to the class, but it has been sharpened and used today.How the solution has developed or changed: No changes has been made to the solutionWhat is needed to do next: After this, I will add the Bryce footage onto my movie, and add in the sound effects to it. I will rewatch this video and it will be exported and uploaded onto YouTube.Skills that are needed to learn: No new skills need to be learnt for the next step of the project.

Entry #12 Final movie editing (08/01/15) In class time

What was done in the session: This session was spent on adding the Bryce footage (that was rendered before) into the iMovie video. Ive added the music (which I got from YouTube and cited) as the background and have changed the font to Bank Gothic. All the finishing touches were added and the movie was exported and is uploaded on my school YouTube account.What was learnt: No major new skills were learnt today as I had all the editing skills that I needed. However, I did acquire more knowledge regarding the affects of fonts on the audience outlook.How the solution has developed or changed: I had added an extra title slide before the above-water scene, as I believe that it increases the smoothness in between transitions whilst adding in suspense for the audience.What is needed to do next: I have completed my project and in terms of the Creating the Solution stage, I have nothing more to do.Skills that are needed to learn: N/A

Live Evaluation

Questions:

1. Whats good about the product?2. What needs to be improved?3. How could it be improved?

Date: 30/10/14

So far, the product is turning out as I want it to in terms of general landscaping (position of land and water, etc.) The water plane doesnt really match the skies, and the setting is quite different to what I had planned Changing the material of the water plane, as well as changing the skys features

Date: 13/11/14

The terrains were created and I have found the perfect texture/material to use for them. Ive fixed the water terrains as well and now the terrain compliments the water plane, and the water plane has a reflection, which fits perfectly with my initial idea The skies are not edited yet, and I havent found the right sky setting The trees and smaller terrains will be added to improve the all around aesthetics of the scene, and the skies options and choices will be reevaluated to find the perfect one for my setting

Date: 27/11/14

The smaller terrains are now in perfect place, and some of the trees were added. The main tree (POV tree) hasnt yet, but will be added soon. After this, the general scene on Bryce will be complete Some of the placement of the trees are not perfect just yet, and some of the features of the trees could be more customized Changing the placement of the trees slightly will help to fix certain camera angle problems

Date: 04/12/14

Ive found the right Sky and Fog setting, and Ive edited the trees and terrains to make them fit the camera POV as much as possible The sky setting is slightly gloomier than I had expected, but it still suits the scene If I can, I will figure out how to make the sky brighter

Date: 11/12/14

The camera POVs were set to create keyframes for my scene, and the beginning of the scene turned out very nicely. Its a backward POV, and Bryce has animated this wonderfully The other key frames are quite hard to achieve, as sometimes things like terrains and trees might get in the way or might alter how the camera angle looks Some of the terrains and trees might have to move to make way for the camera angle, and this might alter the positioning of the main terrain as well

Date: 18/12/14

So far, the underwater scene is working out nicely as Alice 3 is very easy to work with. The animations are easier to resize, rotate, etc. which increases the originality of my scene. The scene so far has the main manatee in it as well as a couple of other types of fishes, and the center tree trunk on it. So far, its turning out like I want it to. Repetition is a proned-to problem when it comes to the animation, as its default animals are numbered, especially the underwater ones I have to place the animals such that they appear full and not repetitive. This includes using different types of the same animal (e.g. - Moss Manatee and Normal Manatee) and to avoid placing the same types of fish/animals too close to each other unless theyre part of a school, as placing them close will make it seem limited and not varied

Date: 19/12/14

So far, the animation and coding that Ive run through are just like the ones I had in mind during the Developing Ideas stage. The speed is quite precise, the camera angles are right and the animation is just what I wanted for my message. Also, for my second scene, as it is fairly simple, not much has to be done in order for it to turn out nicely It did take some time to code the animation to get its perfect timing, and some of the animation arent picture perfect just yet in terms of camera timing I will have to keep running and editing the time until I have the perfect timing for the camera movement

Date: 20/12/14

Live evaluation could not be done as the file had corrupted, mentioned in Learning Journal

Date: 21/12/14

The filming went very well, as the size of the full screen render made it very easy to screen-record the scenes. The filming went smoothly for both scenes, and the speed of the camera is just right, meaning theres not going to be much speed editing in iMovie As it is screen-recorded, I will have to crop the rest of the screen out of my footage. When doing this, some of the animation are not captured fully This could be fixed by refilming that section, and adjusting the window angle of the program such that its not cut when cropped in iMovie later

Date: 24/12/14

With the footage that I have access to so far, the movie is looking quite good in terms of transitions. It was exactly how I had pictured it, and the camera speed and positioning had flowed so well with the transitions in iMovie As I havent filmed the Bryce section of the movie yet, the movie does look quite empty and doesnt flow well After the Bryce has been filmed and added onto the movie, the movie will flow better in term of storyline

Date: 07/01/15

The camera angles on Bryce are turning out as drawn in the designs. The Bryce footage that I have so far is a success, as it turned out exactly as I had expected it to be The speed of the video is a little faster than I had wanted it to be (from the second last key frame to the last) I will have to slow it down in iMovie itself by slowing down the speed of the footage when I edit it

Date: 08/01/15 The video has come together as I had planned for it to, and it is right to how I had planned my design If I were to create the video again, I would create a longer and more detailed Bryce footage for my video

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