Bear In the Woods!
A 30-second animation using the audio of a parody news report from a local television station. Using the original audio as a foundation, I created new context to the dialogue with newly imagined characters and visually distinct designs. The result is an even more exaggerated twist on the source’s original concept that takes full advantage of its animated format. With bold color choices and an intentional visual style, this project showcases my ability to reinterpret and enhance existing media with humor, storytelling, and animation.
Year
2024
Time Frame
Five weeks
Tools
After Effects, Illustrator, Procreate, Photoshop
Team
Solo
The Process
The Reference
The time limit for this found audio animation was thirty to sixty seconds — a parameter that perfectly aligned with my long playlist of Youtube memes which I had curated over the course of years. f. After narrowing down my top choices, I did some brief conceptualizing and sketching of my strongest ideas. It was a painstaking decision, but my final choice was a spoof news reel from a local news station that I felt would compliment my sense of humor and serve as a good foundation for what I wanted to achieve with this project.
The Story board
Part of my goal with this project was to become familiar with tAfterEffects, so my strategy for learning was to start with something simple yet visually striking. I knew the best way to start chipping away at that solution was with a ton of ideation while simultaneously studying the audio I would be using.
I used sketches to test and narrow down my ideas. I listened to the audio several times, then sketched various concepts. I decided my ultimate path forward based on what was both the funniest and most feasible given my time frame.
As a fan of the show “The Amazing World of Gumball,” I drew inspiration from the geometric and simplistic character design and eclectic yet streamlined animation style.
After some iteration, I created this cast of characters for my animation: the rabbit, the bear, and the park ranger.
I mapped out each scene I wanted to include in the script then made a thumbnail that showed my basic plan for the scene, leaving room for creative deviations once the animating process began.
The Animating
With my storyboard complete I shifted my focus entirely to animating. As with many animation projects I ended up altering some of my initial ideas to achieve a cohesive video that flowed smoothly within time constraints.
The process of animating was both challenging and exciting. I learned how to lip sync and how to path tracing vectors to precisely animate the rabbit from sitting to standing. When I was finished, I was very satisfied with how each element came together. Learning these skills was incredibly rewarding and has served as a strong foundation for other projects.
