Final Edits to Sting

So, I thought I had finished my sting and then I looked at it again later that day and I realised I hated everything about it. That was probably a slight exaggeration because of my frame of mind at the time but I just felt really disappointed that I hadn't done better with it. I know its coming up to the deadline now and I have a lot of other things to do to prepare for submission so it was not possible for me to change this entirely. Instead I wrote a list while I was watching it of things that I could change without too much hassle and they would hopefully make a positive difference to it. 

I went straight back to college and got on a computer and tackled it there and then. 

Texture

I added one of my mono printed textures to the background. I wanted to emphasise the movement of the chess pieces to show they were falling, I felt it would add more drama and explain this better if the background was panning upwards. I tried using the texture I had used for all my prints but the texture was very even and when it moved it just looked like a blur. I ended up choosing a texture with more distinctive marks (created by using embossed wallpaper in the print press) which you could clearly see moving. I lowered the opacity so that it was more subtle but not too heavy or distracting. I like the marks on this texture as I also think they contribute to the idea of subtle chaos. 

Type

I also had a bad feeling about the type I had used a the end. On reflection, it just looked very amateur and was clearly recognisable as a standard typeface. I wanted to change it. With Christie's signature in mind, I searched the internet for handwriting typefaces which I could use instead. I analysed a few of them in my head, some were too uniformed, some too flowing and modern. I decided on the one I have chosen because it looks like it has been done with ink pen which is appropriate to the time and what she would have used. I repeated the process I used for my previous type choice and replaced it in my sting.

Border

I also lengthened the time that it took for the border to enlarge to sit just inside the frame so that the first four bars of the music were like a build up to this component reaching full size. It emphasised the sense of discovery like in Christies novels when not all of the information is given to you up front. 

Volume

I had wanted to work with the audio before but I think it must have slipped my mind after the trouble of having to do part of my animation all over again. I altered the volume to fade in and out at the start and beginning and made it reach a crescendo towards the end where the chess pieces are really zoomed in to create more drama. I feel the music and volume changes reflect Christie's writing as it shows the delicate and calm setting of the stories but also shows that there is a build up of drama occurring as well. Having a quiet ending represents how the mystery is always resolved and things become settled again. 

I am happier with my sting now. I have altered the few things that were irritating me as I watched it over and over again because I know I wouldn't have been comfortable submitting something that I know I had time to make changes to. I think having the softer texture in the background lowers the overall contrast of the sting because there are now very few areas of pure white. I feel the background gives a three dimensional frame to the animation as people can see through to the back of it which creates a stronger sense of depth.