The typewriter sequence

For the passed week I've been working on this sequence and blocking in the timing (this clip has sound - so you can check out if it works).

I'm already seeing a few places where the timing should be a bit different (and one shot has no blinking in it!) . However, I have to remind myself that there will be music as well - so shots that seem too long now might feel more natural with music.

I have another dilemma about what to do next. The next line is "...to say that they(the Polish) have met another Jew that could be killed..". It might seem to be a kind of background remark, but I'm not sure if I should treat it that way. Most of what my grandmother and I talked about then, was really her experiences from the concentration camps. This is what makes this line so serious, and why I'm not sure how to approach it.

If I keep it really abstract (like I have it in the animatic now),that would be the safest way to go - and it could work out really well. However, it might seem like an understatement, or so unclear that it almost wouldn't mean anything.

On the other hand, if I try to explain this in a more graphic way (for example: use images associated with these events) then it would be 100% clear. But I may be seriously unqualified to animate this, and the last thing I want is for it to seem ridiculous in any way.

I think it would be best to find a way that has a little bit of both. I'll definitely have to think about this some more.

A couple at the doorway

These are a few shots I've been working on this week. It is the part where a young couple is standing near the apartment entrance. There are minimal lines depicting the space in the rough animation here - I will have backgrounds though.
The timing is also still flexible (I'm pretty sure it will change).
I'd love to know what you think about the cuts.




The next shot will be a wide shot of the house with them standing at the bottom. Then the windows of the house will become the typewriter keys.

Hope this works...

The Krakow Ghetto

I've done a bit of research for this next animation sequence.

My grandmother mentions the Krakow ghetto in her story, and I know that it is also where she and her family had to live for sometime (after it wasn't possible for them to hide). So, I think it would be appropriate to refer to that location and find out more about it for my film.

Here I found a photo of the ghetto from the same year the story takes place (1941).

Based on this I made this background and this bit of animation.

Here is the sequence (A few more painted frames are needed but for now this helps bring across the idea).

I will work some more on the holds (since the timing is a bit rough).

I think it's very useful for me to work in rough pencil tests mixed with rendered out painted animation. Working now with the gouache gives me a better idea of what I can do with it, an idea of how the sequence will look, and ideas for the next animation tests.

Also, some transitions (like in this clip) can't really be shown with a pencil - so I think it's not a bad idea to figure out how to do them now.