RICHAL JaJi

26.08.19, Today in Visual Story we started off by watching a shortfilm called Father and Daughter by Michael Dudok de Wit-ACME. It was an award winning film, the visuals being extremely simple yet conceptual played a very critical role in story telling. It had a deep underlying  message which triggered the relatability factor of it.We then watch The monk and the Fish were I learnt a lot about how visuals can be perfectly timed with audios, thus increasing the whole sense of belonging. “Silence is a very critical aspect of sound track, use it wisely.”- Tony Sir We saw few concept art typography where I learnt how a simple word or character can be played with resulting an impactful meaning by itself. I had a question about how animation in Hum Tum is laid on top of the action film, if movies cannot be transparent, how can one over lap on top of the other? The answer to my question was they’re not overlapped, these images are called composite images where  it is drawn on fr...

So in today’s class we composed another composition and started sculpting it using subtraction method. I made a composition of concentric circles and squares overlapping each other to establish negative and positive spaces, we were told to think in a axis where the object is extruded out from the base and not lay flat on the surface. I enjoyed sculpting class as usual I got to learn how to create more dynamic forms just by slicing smoothly. My sculpture wasn’t complete yet so will upload a completed sculpture’s picture in the next blog. For more updates stay tuned:)

So today’s 3D Animation class was FUN! Every class we do gesture drawing where one person poses in front of the class and the rest quickly draws the gesture. Today we did the same exercise in a different way, we played side ball! Whenever sir saw a nice unique pose being showcased, sir asked that person to freeze for ten to fifteen seconds and we quickly used to sketch, by this we learned to draw more dynamic, instant, realistic and quirky pose gestures. Later we did stop motion of a bouncing ball(coin) where I learned a lot about the curve arcs and how gravity affects the arc and placement of the coin. Post bouncing coin I went through the book called Animator’s  survival kit by Richard Williams. I ordered it instantly as this book has got everything, from basics of animation to advance level.We later used our light boxes to draw the bouncing ball cell animation using pose to pose. I found it quite interesting how back when I was in school I used to copy science diagram using t...

So today we continued with shooting the previous exercise where we are supposed to introduce a character and establish his or her traits, I have chosen my character  to be an 18 year old, named Shanti who blabbers literally everything and is often ignored, although the mistake that I made was while narrating the phrase/ descriptive introduction I phrased it wrong, I quoted that she is a attention seeker and tries to seek attention by talking continuously but fails to. So my entire film even if it introduces the character exactly the same way that I had in mind falls flat, if someone reads a movies title, let’s say “Transformers” the person will expect something dynamic and if I present some Romeo Juliet love story in it, that’ll be disappointing, same way when I phrased it in a certain way and failed to present the related content, it’ll fail! Today’s lesson is definitely going to help me and next time probably I’ll think twice before I phrase or describe a character trait or eve...

20.08.19, So in today’s drawing foundation class we explored the types, styles and ways in which one drawing represents its origin. We looked at the example of swords and how one sword belonging to a particular place or being is distinct to the other. Sir gave us a demo and drew many objects and showed us how objects are supposed to be constructed with the help of basic forms and then we are supposed to give dynamics to it. We then saw few videos that inspired us a lot more, sir shared few of his recent drawings and we went through an art account “arjunsworkshop” which inspires Sir a lot, it was indeed inspiring. Take away from today’s class was that work for yourself, draw for yourself, make and create art for yourself, when you will start enjoying the living the creation, it will make a living for you on its own. We need to make five objects, the way we learned in class for homework. For further updates stay tuned:)

20.08.19, So today in our film studies class sir showed us few opening shots from films and we analyses how some word might have been in the director’s or cinematographer’s head that lead to taking a shot in such a way. How single word could describe precisely what the shot or scene should contain, we did a little of reverse engineering to find out what exactly must have been written in the script or at least at the back of the directors mind while establishing the scene in that specific way. Post discussion we tried to remake the film or redo the previous assignment that we were assigned, this time my partner was Ronak and I had a very simple action which was walking towards a cabin, in the last exercise I write to put in a story through a medium of action, I kind of complicated it. Though the experiment that I did by choosing a simple action made it too bland and I personally didn’t enjoy neither did I like it. When there something comical happening in a scene, it excites me and I...

19.08.19, So in todays visual story class we learned about the technical and physical aspects of animation and how we perceive few things the way we do. In the beginning of the lecture we watched a film called "Gofer broke" and discussed the log line, the plot and what made the film distinct. We then moved on to the theory part which started off by understanding SPACE. We discussed what came up to our mind after hearing the word, 'world space', everyone came up with their understanding of the word and then finally sir explained it meant. the best I could relate was from the movie "WRECK IT RALPH" So the space that ralph is living in is the WORLD SPACE, The space that ralph is taking is the OBJECT SPACE, and the things that we see on the other side of the gaming screen is SCREEN SPACE. this couldnt get any easier^ Post space we got into the space that a file occupies, that is the size of a file, i.e bits, bytes, megabytes, etc. the most intriguing thi...

So in today’s animation class we watched a few films that Sir screened for us, Path of Hate, Paperman and his own film ,The Adventures of Lalkamal and Neelkamal - based on Bengali folklore. Post screening we learned about the twelve principles of animation, 1. Squash and Stretch 2. Anticipation 3. Secondary Action 4. Appeal  5. Exaggeration  6. Staging   7. Follow through and Overlapping action  8.Pose to pose animation   / Straight ahead 9. Ease in and Ease out  10. Arc  11. Timing  12. Solid Drawing  We discussed our understanding of the words that were put forth of us and then sir explained it to us with proper examples, most of the principles were already being used by us in the pendulum exercise. We then continued with our animation assignment on Maya (Pendulum) and sir told us where we went wrong and what we could possibly do to improve them. ...

  VISUAL STORY ASSIGNMNMENTS:  Write a paragraph upon why did you choose animation as your career. Research and write about five Indian Animators: Draw a thumbnail on the topic "At the bus stop" PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT: Write resources required for 2D, 3D and stop motion animation and pipelines Version 2 Directory Visual Story Assignments: Make a flip book along the borders to make or bring something alive:  Research on the following: Oedipus Complex: PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENTS: List the advantages(PROS) and disadvantages(CONS) of project management  Assignment 3 VISUAL STORY ASSIGNMENT, 1. Describe any emotion/situation/object within 2/3 lines to the audience Her motherly touch on my back felt like cold sheets on a summer night, it comforted me even when I was away from home, in an unknown city, thats when I realised home is just a feeling. 2. Describe a shot from a ...

14.08.19, So in today’s production management class we learned a lot about team management and people management. Few points that I took away from today’s lecture and following below, Transgression may be forgiven but are never forgotten. Trying to fix something takes longer than making something from the scratch  Never think in front of the machine, be in front of the system only when you are sure upon your thought and you know clearly what you are starting with. Write. Document. For yourself and to help others, write. When in doubt, ask. Ask, be stupid; don’t ask, stay stupid. Pre-viz sheet which can be customised according to you and your way of understanding,is very very important to help communicate exactly what you want others to perceive from the visuals to are about to put forth. KEEP DATA, ITS YOUR WEAPON. Today’s class was all about understanding how to work with people and in a work space, how to organise ourselves and our work, which will lead to better ...

14.08.19, So in today’s film studies class we discussed a little about the previous exercise that was assigned, later we discussed the challenges we faced, the learnings that we got and the outcomes from the project. Sir then briefed us about scripts and how to visualise a descriptive writing in the forms of visual story, we carried out an exercise where sir gave us few lines and we were supposed to explain how the setting would be, in a very descriptive way. We were also supposed to capture the camera movements and anything and everything that is going to be staged in that frame.We understood the difference between a scene, shot, take, etc. We were then introduced to one of our guests Varoon Sir, who had come to meet us and share his experience in animation as he had recently graduated from a very renowned school in France. We learned a lot from him and all of us were stunned by his dubbing skills. Following below are some scans of my diary that’ll help understand what today’s ex...

14.08.19, So in today’s drawing class we did sketch storm, which was basically draw an object that is kept in front of you in hundred different perspectives and get the basic structure right in all, we were assigned to sketch a chair in twenty minutes, what I could achieve was 30sketches in twenty minutes, I could have done better by drawing small sketches that going for bigger ones, now that I have a clear idea I can go further and do better in the next class, post thirty sketches we were given another twenty minutes to make only four sketches this time and later we made a composition out of the best chair in perspective. We were then told to make fifteen such compositions and we were done for the day. Home work for this week is to try to sketch two complex objects and try to sketch them in as many perspectives as possible. Following below are pictures from today’s assignment, for more such updates, stay tuned:)

13.08.19, So today in Drawing  Foundation we learned about design exploration and we saw a quick presentation that catered more to our understanding of the steps that it consists. It’s a systematic method of evolving a thought to its structure culminating with a form. We were assigned to draw a gun, draw as in re invent it, try to explore what hasn’t been viewed or presumed yet. The very common thought was to draw a pistol with bullets and then reinventing and exploring the picture further, as Tony sir had told in the previous class DISCARD the very first idea that comes to your mind, so I started thinking of something different. Eventually I thought of a water gun for a younger audience and started evolving from a basic bulgy structure to making a water gun inspired by the shape of an elephant and possessing the capacity of its trunk to fill water. It was fun exploring forms and structures and then coming up with something new, reinvented.

13.08.19, So today in film studies we made an individual film where we tried to show completion of an action. We were supposed to select a partner who was yet unfamiliar to us, so that we could learn their style and try to adapt to different and unfamiliar environments we are exposed to.  Post group divisions we were supposed to decide our shot and cinematography that could be applied to the film, we then actually started to see what angles we could explore for a certain scene, we tried different frames, made few mistakes and realised later but at the end it all adds up to our experience and learnings. Post editing, sir reviewed our work individually, I got a few feedbacks on my film, and now I see my film in a complete new light and know where I could have done better and where all I have performed a terrible job.  Learned a lot and enjoyed even more, for more such updates... stay tuned:)

12.08.19, So today in Visual Story class we learned a lot about character and it’s properties. Everything that we learn should always be applied to everything that we do, we should always think about performance, cause at times what is in our head isn’t similar to what we put on display, therefore it helps when we simplify in such a way that our projection is understood in one go. One thing that I am definitely taking back from today’s lecture is to watch a film twice, 1. To evaluate 2. Just to ENJOY! Why? Today when we were watching the film what I constantly kept thinking about was is it 3D or 2D? How can someone make such cool stuff etc etc But when I actually asked sir my doubts he replied, were you not enjoying and that’s something really deep, we often get into such technical aspects of things that we stop enjoying it, we should stop trying to fit in adult’s boots and look at everything with a child’s perspective, everything will come secondary, only deriving fun out of ...

10.08.19, So today we had our make up class for the subject Film Studies and it was amazing!!! We started off with theory and tried to understand what films were composed of, what was the content, what they consisted. We discussed how films had their own language, their own grammar and it was all about constructing words, with proper construction one could easily convey their intentions. We understood how forms and structure played their roles in cinema and what was the basic underlying differences between them both. Post theory part of the subject we started to understand other concepts and theories and carried out an activity to understand it better and make a practical experiment for ourselves. It was the Kuleshov effect that we tried, which basically had to convey a message from two pictures, out of which one was the cause and the other one was effect, to give a better understanding I have attached one of my example below, Post this exercise we learnt about shots, take...

3D ANIMATION WEEK 2, So today we had our first animation class, our faculty for 3D Animation is Mahee Pal Sir, we started off with rapid sketching. We did ten seconds sketches and gradually increased the time to 30 Seconds detailed sketches. The objective was to get as much detail as possible in less time. We then practised contour sketching where we were supposed to draw without actually looking at the drawing sheet, it was fun! Post sketching we introduced ourselves and started discussing what animation meant to us, we later saw few of Sir’s work. We were told previously to download an application to make stop motion film Error in uploading.

08.08.17, So today in our sculpting class we were first given a brief about how studying basic shapes was very important for us to understand how form in 3d are shown. The understanding of foreground background is very important in this field and so is knowing the tonal value of the drawing in perspective. During the first half we were told to draw a basic composition of different shapes in a 6’x 8’ rectangle, then ma’am showed us a demo on how a slab or a base is made using teracota while avoiding air bubbles as they may cause the sculpture to break after drying up. Post demo we started making our teracota base slabs meanwhile ma’am explained to us what high relief and low relief sculptures were, low relief is when 50 percent of the sculpture or figure is attached to the wall and high relief is when almost 90 percent is carved out and only 10 percent is attached. Today what we were doing hasn’t been originated in India, we made basic forms and carved out using the method of substr...

07.08.19, So today in visual story class we watched a lot of short films and discussed and analysed all the aspects possible in the film, the works that was presented were so inspiring, the best part was that it was students who had made those films. We started off with how animation emerged from traditional paintings to modern AR/ VR. We studied about the temple of Isis and how it set an early example that later evolved into animation. Ways to connect with the audience, Should always try to keep it real and engaging, Keep it simple, Don’t make a fuss, Use elements of surprise, mystery,thrill, Adrenaline is your best friend, Keep them guessing. For the next class we are told to make a flip book on the topic “bring it to life” We saw four short films and the concept and master plot in them were sooooo good, like everytime we saw one, me and my friends used to stare back at each other in complete awe, what and how does such concept come from a simple phrase?! For example th...

07.08.19, So today in our drawing foundation we constructed a camera using techniques and methods learned from the previous class of  two point perspective, multiplying, extruding, etc. We then learned and saw few examples of three point perspective and tried out different forms with the help of three point. Today we actually applied all that we learned in the previous two classes and everyone was pretty satisfied with their results. For the next week, we have got an assignment we’re we have to draw a cityscape using vanishing point that are outside the new print sheet and render the whole sketch. Will be posting pictures of it soon, for further updates stay tuned.

06.08.19, So in today’s drawing class we learned about different point perspectives and how to draw them constructively. We started of with the basics and moved further in understanding the concepts of horizons with respect to vanishing points, we then started off on the newsprint paper by simply warming up and then we did one point perspective. Eventually by the end of the class we were building constructive letters and symbols, it was pretty interesting how simple cubes could be assembled in making actual letter and other forms. Tomorrow we are going to try drawing even complex forms like ellipses and make cameras and crazy objects, simply by using perspective in constructive drawing. Following below are few of my friends and my sketches, for further updates stay tuned:)

06.08.18, So today our production management class was scheduled instead of film studies as we had a holiday on Monday. We learned how 99% of production management is supposed to be planning, whenever we are given a project, we should spend more of the time not doing the job but to analyse, think, plan and brainstorm and the rest of the time can be used to actually work on it or in solving  the problem. Three main points in managing a project are a. Be aware b. Be aware of what could go wrong c) what if it goes wrong? Also when a project arrives at your doorstep, you have two options to choose from, either be all in or don’t commit yourself at all. Many people are of the opinion that never have a Plan B, when you have a second option you go into a self doubt of the previous idea, leading to lack of concentration and confidence. Having one constant plan and working on it consistently is when you are acting proactively otherwise a dwell mind set is always working in a reactive mod...

2.08.2019, So today we had a very interesting day, we visited the National Museum of Indian Cinema, Cumbala hill. It is an organisation that maintains a record of the social, political and cultural imaginations and realities of the country on film. We learnt about many instruments that were used to make animation like zoetrope, thaumatrope, etc. We were introduced to the Lumeire Brothers and their creations, the moving train was one of them. Jeet sir gave us a lot of information on the theory of persistence of image and how Thomas Edison was the first who started the culture of studios by making Nickelodeons, where you put in one nickel to see pictures.   We also saw many movie posters and learnt a lot about them. The museum showcases movies from 1918 to 2013 covering 100 years of film. We also learnt how movies evolved from being silent, orchestral and then audio with visual. Alam Ara was the first movie which was supported with audio in the background. There ...

01.08.2017, So today was our first sculpting class, our faculty for this subject is Sonia Ma’am. She introduced us to world famous sculptors through her presentation, we watched many documentary videos on Sir Henry Moore and Ramkinkar Baij. She also showed us few forms and types of sculptures, we also discussed on the mediums that people use and have tried before. Our faculty has a great experience in fine arts and sculpting as she has done bachelors from Asia’s top fine arts college, Shantiniketan. Post lunch break we were called in the Workshop lab to attend our next lecture there, this part of the lecture was practical, where we were used to explore the medium, the tools and the space around. We were told to make different textures and reliefs, basically we were supposed to play with the clay. This helped us understand how clay as a medium could work like, how the tools used in sculpting are assigned for numerous techniques used in relief making. Me being from a fi...