Bad Connection- a 2D Animated Short Film

Character concepts:

Concepts for our two characters: Stan, an introverted, awkward and clumsy guy, and his extroverted and cool roommate Chris. Over time, we wanted to simplify and exaggerate their shapes to make them easier to animate, which took place gradually over the design process.

Environment Concepts:

We wanted to try and stick to a limited colour palette for each that still highlighted Stan's emotions as he navigated his situation, while having an overall "fake" feeling to it.

Rai and Josh also created 3D scenes in Blender that we could reference for both environments. These were especially useful when painting backgrounds and working on shots that had more challenging camera angles, such as bird's eye shots.

Storyboards:

Colour keys:

Compositing & Effects:

Each shot came with its own unique requirements and challenges. The third shot in this series was a particular highlight, as we wanted to achieve a fade effect and glitch effect in the area where Stan's hand phases through Chris' shoulder. This meant that we had to take it between After Effects and Photoshop a few times, along with having animated a shiver onto Stan's arm beforehand.

Animation Breakdown:

For a few of the more challenging shots, references were used to help capture movements as accurately while still leaving room to exaggerate and stylise our animation.

Our Team:

Tamar Olchik- Project Manager, Animator, Director, Storyboard Artist, Compositor, Cleanup Artist

Rai Malinovska- Director, Concept Artist, Layout Artist, Background Artist, Storyboard Artist, Cleanup Artist, Animator

Josh Popplewell- Compositor, Effects Artist, Cleanup Artist, Background Artist, Animator

Alex Ivanova- Concept Artist, Storyboard Artist, Background Artist, Animator, Cleanup Artist, Director

Kevin Newell- Freelance Inbetween & Cleanup Artist

Eireann O'Brien- Freelance Inbetween & Cleanup Artist

Lu Ka-Yun Dawkins- Freelance Inbetween & Cleanup Artist, Casting