Thesis Documentation

The last week I was concentrating on re-editing the script, because I wasn't happy with it and because some of the stories were not going to be interesting visually, but were just interesting to me beause of their topics.

As I've previously siad, I had gotten 3 hours+ of audio of my mother, grandmother and great-aunt talking about anything, everything and nothing. Based on the stories, I chose a few that I would animate and I had decided at the time that only the most interesting/important stories will definately be animated and depending on time, the smaller stories will aslo be animated.

I changed my mind.

This last week, I did a repass and I re-edited the stories to the point where I will no longer have my voice, and it will be a stand-alone conversation and story without me having to explain things to the viewers - or so I hope. So while the stories may not have been told in the way I edited them, the ideas or major points are the same. I tried to get the most important stories to me that all three of them discussed, and if only one them talked about it, I tried to find a relation or a nice transition from one story to the next. I'm pretty happy with the results. It took a long long long time!

This week I also translated the entire script. It helped in my editing and it will help me later when I will revisit the translation and fix it up. It's still slightly awkard at times, and there are some words that I am not familiar with as well. Every now and then I try and touch it up, but it's probably going to be the last thing I visit.

Download script

Posted by Yasmin Elayat at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here are some more assets that I made. These specifically will be string-puppets for the revolution-stories that Nana, my grandmother tells. I made some abstract soldiers and some Egyptian fellaheen. The fellaheen are going to be attached to a bar, where they will be able to nod their heads, while their bodies float seperately. All of them will be a unit attached to strings that Nasser will "control". I've made galabiya's (traditional Egyptian garb) for them to wear using grey cloth.

Posted by Yasmin Elayat at 08:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is the first-phase of the apartment set where the three women will be sitting around, chatting and drinking their post-lunch tea. It's still going to get more details, but I added some curtains and a rug. More to be done.

Posted by Yasmin Elayat at 08:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here is a fireball that I animated using paint-on-glass animation. It's not easy at all! It's for one of my grandmother's stories:

And here is an articulated paper horse with copper details on the saddle that I made for one of Tante Bisa's stories.

Posted by Yasmin Elayat at 08:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I decided early in the Thesis-proposal stage that my project will not be interactive. I had debated making it clickable webcomics or webisodes on a dedicated site, but quickly changed my mind. I wanted it to be a narrative that I edited and created in the flow that I choose.

However, my current interaction is with my family and their reactions to the things I pass by them. If there's a certain clip/story that I was going to use, that they prefer left out, I discuss it with them first, and if it's too personal for them and won't change the flow of the story, then I cut it out. I've shown them the characters and have recieved great reactions; they love their characters. If I have a question about context or translation, I've also consulted them. I consider this a cyclical interaction.

My intent is to stay true to the personalities of the women and the heart of the stories and the basic emotions associated with them in the family. But my intent is NOT to be realistic. I'm definately trying to attain a magic realism in the animation.

I would consider this the main interaction of my project. How the subjects of the animation react to how I interpret their stories. Later on, my audience will be the 2nd phase of interaction.

Posted by Yasmin Elayat at 04:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)