The 4D project we were set was to make GIFs based on TV/film tropes.
I started by brainstorming tropes, based on either camerawork or scene content.
I started by brainstorming tropes, based on either camerawork or scene content.
They all ended up slightly grainy and not level in their colouration, no matter how much I changed the lighting and fiddled with them in post it always looked a bit off which was upsetting. I picked the best version of each gif (there were many, many attempts haha) and honestly some of them I really love.
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My handwriting is mildly illegible so I'll translate;
Story - Nerd becomes pretty - 16 year old played by a 24 year old actress - Sad girl in fetal position in bathroom after a breakdown, bonus points if shes just in a bra and shorts - dancing in the rain - Making a female character sexualised beyond belief despite the original book or comic showing them as muscular and sensibly dressed for fighting - Blatant product placement - Very obvious stunt doubles - Car window sad stare - 4th wall break - Bad guys can't aim - Parodies of 'I am your father' from Star Wars - Always a bigger fish to fight, the good guys always have one more enemy - Explosions, lots of explosions Filmography - Making everything sepia when in a 'foreign' place - Zooming in on eyes and darkening the shot for drama - Dolly zoom (when the camera zooms in but moves back to make the background move but stay in shot) - The Wilhelm scream - VHS quality for aesthetics - Badass music for a badass scene - Clips of people laughing in slow motion behind their credit titles - Back of someones head in the shot when doing face close ups for tense conversations so it looks like you're stood behind one of them like a weird stalker After dismissing some ideas because they were too long or complicated or might be misunderstood as a gif, I got to work on my favorite ideas.
I drew them all by hand because I love it when gifs have the slightly wobbly lines as if they're part of a flip book, although I wish now I had done some digitally to make the process easier and to give variety to the style, as they're all pretty similar to each other. I did some sketches of the gif panels to get an idea, then cut up paper sheets, plain and lined, and used my light pad to make sure the drawings stayed mostly lined up. It makes me a little sad as I know they feel unfinished, and I would of loved another week to work on them, but I did this to myself with poor time management and bad luck so I'm going to have to make peace with what I have. |
Oversexualising a Traditionally Buff Female Character
I made this gif about the way TV shows and films will take a very strong female character like wonder woman and turn them into a non muscular 'slimthick' style with heels and clothing or armor they absolutely cannot fight in. I choose the picture of real wonder woman to pop up at the end as that style of visual comedy (popularised by Monty Python, or in a form more known by gen z "asdf movie" which is a bizarre cartoon cultural relic of the 2010s on youtube)
I made this gif about the way TV shows and films will take a very strong female character like wonder woman and turn them into a non muscular 'slimthick' style with heels and clothing or armor they absolutely cannot fight in. I choose the picture of real wonder woman to pop up at the end as that style of visual comedy (popularised by Monty Python, or in a form more known by gen z "asdf movie" which is a bizarre cartoon cultural relic of the 2010s on youtube)
Dramatic Eye Zoom
I overdid this one on purpose to look slightly possessed because it always makes me cringe and laugh when films zoom in wayyy too far and darken the shot to try and create drama in a scene. So I decided to mock it by overdoing it.
I overdid this one on purpose to look slightly possessed because it always makes me cringe and laugh when films zoom in wayyy too far and darken the shot to try and create drama in a scene. So I decided to mock it by overdoing it.
The Wilhelm Scream
This gif was meant to have audio, I only realised when it came to uploading to my site that I can't have audio on a gif file, which is probably for the best because I can imagine the atrocious noise that would come from a second of the scream on loop all the time the page is open. It is annoying however as this is the shortest and simplest gif and was going to be entirely carried by the audio, on its own its a bit rubbish.
This gif was meant to have audio, I only realised when it came to uploading to my site that I can't have audio on a gif file, which is probably for the best because I can imagine the atrocious noise that would come from a second of the scream on loop all the time the page is open. It is annoying however as this is the shortest and simplest gif and was going to be entirely carried by the audio, on its own its a bit rubbish.
Dancing In The Rain
I went really simple with this one, partly because drawing people is not easy especially when theyre dancing around, and also because dancing in the rain is such a simple cathartic moment, so the gif doesnt need a load of detail or backstory. If you see someone dancing in the rain, you just understand them, you don't need to know specifics.
I went really simple with this one, partly because drawing people is not easy especially when theyre dancing around, and also because dancing in the rain is such a simple cathartic moment, so the gif doesnt need a load of detail or backstory. If you see someone dancing in the rain, you just understand them, you don't need to know specifics.
The Nerd Becomes Pretty
As a four eyed person, I've always thought it was a bit of a slap in the face that the 'nerd girl' takes off her glasses, puts her hair down and is suddenly pretty. I used a video i took of myself as the reference photos for each frame, and was deeply unhappy with how the face looks, but its the best I am capable of doing in a non cartoon style.
As a four eyed person, I've always thought it was a bit of a slap in the face that the 'nerd girl' takes off her glasses, puts her hair down and is suddenly pretty. I used a video i took of myself as the reference photos for each frame, and was deeply unhappy with how the face looks, but its the best I am capable of doing in a non cartoon style.
The Sad Look In The Car Window
Just like the dancing in the rain, you don't need details to know that someone staring out the window of a car with that look is not doing well, you can just empathise without needing to know everything.
Just like the dancing in the rain, you don't need details to know that someone staring out the window of a car with that look is not doing well, you can just empathise without needing to know everything.
Bad Guys Can't Shoot Straight
I think this speaks for itself
I think this speaks for itself
Breaking The Fourth Wall
Of course I had to use Deadpool the king of breaking the 4th wall for this, I adore this gif its my favorite hes very sassy and its so funny to see him as a small cute simple drawing instead of the big scary antihero he is, however yet again I wish I had done it digitally. I might digitise it anyway just to have a cute Deadpool gif :)
Of course I had to use Deadpool the king of breaking the 4th wall for this, I adore this gif its my favorite hes very sassy and its so funny to see him as a small cute simple drawing instead of the big scary antihero he is, however yet again I wish I had done it digitally. I might digitise it anyway just to have a cute Deadpool gif :)
I combined my last two ideas to make this one, Always A Bigger Fish and Lots Of Explosions.
All from Star Wars, the TIE Fighter is destroyed, revealing the Executor Class Star Destroyer which is destroyed, revealing the Death Star which is destroyed, revealing Starkiller Base. Because its never over and theres always another enemy. I love the idea of this one, but WISH I had done it digitally because I could of made it look so much better with the drawing and colours, plus it would of allowed me to add more frames. This gif was an absolute pain to animate, every single time I did it something went wrong, this is attempt #14.
All from Star Wars, the TIE Fighter is destroyed, revealing the Executor Class Star Destroyer which is destroyed, revealing the Death Star which is destroyed, revealing Starkiller Base. Because its never over and theres always another enemy. I love the idea of this one, but WISH I had done it digitally because I could of made it look so much better with the drawing and colours, plus it would of allowed me to add more frames. This gif was an absolute pain to animate, every single time I did it something went wrong, this is attempt #14.