Final Animation:

Agatha Christie Typewriter Animation: https://vimeo.com/214681149

This is the complete animation, which is 20 seconds long due to the other half of my animation failing. However, with the added ting sounds - like a real typewriter would have, the animation comes together quite successfully and I am pleased with the final result. 

Final animation Tests:

Test 1- without sound: https://vimeo.com/214681377
This shows the two animations linked together through using Premier Pro.

Test 2- with typing sound: https://vimeo.com/214680833
This shows the animation with typing sounds that a typewriter would have, I added this sound effect by converting a YouTube video into a mp3 format, adding it to Premier Pro and editing it where it was needed on the animation cycle. 

Failed Animation Test:

Test 3: 'Black Coffee' https://vimeo.com/214683499

This animation test failed because another part of the file I had saved corrupted and so did the rest of the other 2 book covers ('The Big 4' and 'The ABC Murders'), unfortunately I have not given myself enough time to re-shoot the animation - so I cannot add them into the final Animation itself.

Final Animation Tests:

Test 1: 'Cards on the Table' https://vimeo.com/214683337

Test 2: 'Poirot Investigates' https://vimeo.com/214683201

These are 2 final official tests for my animation, I will take these along with my other book covers into Premier Pro, link them all together so the animation flows smoothly and add sound to complete my Agatha Christie typewriter animation. 

Cutting book covers for animation frames 3:

These are the sizes the book cover needed to be cut to for the paper coming out of the typewriter. The last frame has an overhang because the camera I will be filming this stop motion animation with will cut out the top part of the book cover that is not needed.

I will do this for each book cover I intend to use for my animation. 

Cutting book covers for animation frames 2:

These are the sizes the book covers needed to be cut to for each transition frame, where more of the book cover will be revealed as they typewriter types out the design.

I will do this for each book cover I intend to use for my animation. 

Cutting book covers for animation frames 1:

I made photocopies of my book covers and measured and cut the book covers to each size they would need to be for a new frame. These frames are for the paper going into the typewriter, which needed separate sections of the book cover cutting so the animation would run smoothly overall. 
I will do this for each book cover I intend to use for my animation. 

Testing book covers on typewriter:

I was testing my book covers on the typewriter animation and I noticed that the covers would overlap on top of the typewriter itself, so I traced the bottom part of the typewriter so I could overlay it on top of the book cover. I also enjoy the small shadow effect the addition created, so I will be using it for my final animation. 

Coloured Book Covers

These are the coloured versions of my book covers ready to animate.

Individuals of my book covers:

Typewriter Animation: Book covers

These are the books I chose from the Agatha Christie Poirot series; as 

I thought the titles would be the best to illustrate for my animation.

Book titles include: 

'Cards on the Table'

'Poirot Investigates'

'The Big 4'

'Black Coffee'

'The ABC Murders'

Inking Typewriter 2

After using ink to fill in the parts on the typewriter that I wanted to be solid black, I needed to ink over the pencil lines that outline the whole typewriter. I started out with using a 0.4mm fine liner, but the lines looked much too thin and I wanted a bolder finish.









To resolve this I used a thicker 0.6mm fine liner, which gave a much more defined and solid look to the typewriter, giving it a heaviness that I found fit very well with the look I wanted.

Inking Typewriter 1

This is one of the first frames for my typewriter animation. I was originally going to use pencil to shade in the typewriter as is shown to the left, although I didn't find this very successful as the result came out scratchy and uneven looking, which did give the typewriter a rustic feel, but it was not the result I had hoped for, I wanted a darker shade for the typewriter itself with clean lines. 

To have a cleaner and much sharper look to the typewriter I decided to use ink. I outlined the areas that I previously shaded in pencil then filled it in with black ink to give a more defined look. 

Typewriter Animation 2nd Test

This line test shows the paper entering the typewriter and the movement of the paper carrier, showing the typewriter typing and the paper moving further upwards, which 

will eventually reveal more of the book cover. I intend to repeat this process until the 

book cover is fully typed out and the paper can exit the screen and a new book cover 

can be typed.
Vimeo link to animation: https://vimeo.com/214742384

Typewriter Animation 1st test

This is a basic line test for my animation - the paper slides in from the top of the screen and
enters the typewriter through the back and into the line up for the paper, so the typewriter
is ready to type out the Agatha Christie book covers. I think this test is successful as
the movement of each frame to the next is fluid and accurate.
Vimeo link to animation: https://vimeo.com/214742318

Agatha Christie's Typewriter

A 1937 Remington typewriter used by Agatha Christie herself for many years.

I will be animating a typewriter for my character animation, as the typewriter was a huge part of Agatha Christie's working life as an author. The typewriter will type out various books from the famous Poirot series Agatha Christie became especially known for. 

Initially I designed a typewriter with a similar look to that of Agatha's, however since I have decided to animate the typewriter traditionally I decided to simplify the typewriter and reduce the keys and some of the line work. I felt this was an appropriate decision as it would be easier to trace and replicate than the first drawing.

Additionally, I think the audience will be able to relate much better with the book covers the typewriter will be typing out, as people won't really recognise the typewriter as Agatha Christie's alone. This makes the animation link in with my chosen character as the books are famous novels written by Agatha Christie herself. 

'Defective Detective' - Avner Geller and Stevie Lewis

I love the style of this short animation as the character shapes and plot are kept simple,

yet the colouring and use of shadows and silhouettes give a dramatic feel to each scene.

Zoetrope Animation

A Zoetrope is a cylindrical drum with slits through the sides. 

When a sequence of images is placed on the inner surface and the Zoetrope 

is rotated in a continuous motion, it creates the illusion of movement, 

therefore the images become animated.

Using a type of animation software called 'Dragonframe' I was able
 to capture each individual image of my Zoetrope animation and replay it in 
a sequence to show the movement that would happen inside the Zoetrope itself.
For Zoetrope animation I found it much easier to choose simple forms 
as we experimented with metamorphosis. This involves changing one image
into another and repeating the process. The two elements I chose were an umbrella 
and a mushroom- the animation is shown below. 

Flip-book animation

This type of animation is where a series of collected images or drawings

 are combined and flipped over one another to create the illusion of 
movement and animate a sequence.

This flip-book animation on YouTube uses sound effects to bring the various 

elements of the animation together successfully- which shows exploring and using 
sound is a vital part of making an animation flow much more smoothly. 

The fluid movements of the hands and the character as the pages flip 

are also well put together as the small changes between each page make the 

movements seem more life-like and realistic. 

David Begley

This stop-motion animation: 'Breathe' by David Begley is beautifully animated with charcoal and shows how dynamic and emotional this medium can be when used correctly. 

The figures seem ghostly and the whole atmosphere of the animation is very hazy and blurred, giving a mysterious feel to each scene that plays out. 

William Kentridge -Exploring Charcoal and Stop-Motion Techniques

Artist William Kentridge talks about his process of repeatedly erasing and reworking charcoal drawings to create his well-known stop-motion animated films -San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. 

Stop-motion is a technique where the camera is repeatedly stopped and started to give a figure or object the impression of movement. This means the whole scene is captured 1 frame at a time with physical elements that are moved between frames. Therefore, the play-back of this whole sequence becomes animated and brings the scene to life.

Using charcoal in stop-motion creates a dramatic atmosphere as the depiction of transformation can be shown between varying tones, textures and marks that demonstrate fluid movement between each frame. Additionally, charcoal is easy to erase so it is very simple to change one object, shape or figure into something new -making it a widely used and important material in stop-motion animation because of its efficiency.