I recently uploaded my major student projects that I completed while I was working towards my BFA at RIT. I wanted to make them available on my blog. They can also be viewed on my vimeo.com channel at
http://vimeo.com/peterblank.
Pete's Fish
Pete was conceptualized in the third quarter of my Freshman year while working with my friend Brian Baldwin. The assignment was to complete a final project for the year, while simultaneously working on other class assignments. It became a full 1-quarter project and consumed a majority of my time. It quickly became one of my most beloved projects to date, and I still get asked by people if they can view it online.
Between the two of us, Brian and I completed every aspect of the project. It was shot using basic equipment in a dorm in a 10'x16' dorm room full of furniture and two residents. Quite the achievement, if I do say so.
Make New Friends
Make New Friends was a 1-quarter project to which I devoted an entire class at the end of my second year. The assignment was to conceptualize and complete, either alone or in pairs, a fully developed story idea. With only 10 weeks to complete the project, we attempted to devote equal time to pre-production, production, and post-production. I felt, as a stop-motion animator, that I was least likely to succeed, having to do all of the work myself.
I feel the end result is charming and engaging. There were a few things I would have done differently given the time, but all things considered, I was happy with the result.
Niche
Niche was a 2-quarter (20 week) project. The class focused mostly on pre-production for the first 10 weeks, leaving a rush to finish the project in the second quarter. It was my first experience shooting with a DSLR camera, which was a challenge in itself. I am very happy with the look of the piece, but I feel the animation suffered because of the lack of focus on actual production time. I learned a lot by completing this project.
Gopher-B-Gone
Gopher-B-Gone was my 3-quarter (4 if you count the planning, conceptual, and approval stage) thesis project. I was advised on the process by my friend and mentor, Tom Gasek, famous for his own contributions to the stop-motion community over the past 30 years. Tom and I worked on developing my abilities as an animator, focusing on character performance. I had the liberty of being able to re-shoot scenes that lacked strong feeling and really emphasize the acting for animation skills I learned while studying at RIT.
I also found building the sets fun and challenging. I learned new armature and puppet construction techniques for the project, widening my skill set at the same time. The project was exciting and well-received by the school. I learned many things I will never do again, as well as many ways to cheat, both in production and post-production. I also learned the value of outside assistance when my own skill and time are not available for certain aspects of production.
