Group Work Presentation
In the beginning, during brainstorming stage, my group and I presented our ideas in a form of a presentation. Each individual designed a sketch of a part of our idea. I drew a sketch of the Grand Master’s Palace first to be used as a template. This was then used by every individual in the group to keep our sketch designs consistent. I was responsible for the sketched of the opening scene, Majsi climbing the ladder and lighting up the palace façade. Here are the sketches done for this presentation.
Storyboard
Now that the script has been finalized groups were formed to start working on the projection. There were four groups in all. I made part of the ‘Scene 2 & End Credits’ group. This group was made up of 9 students: Kimberly Micallef, Matthew Dalli, Claire Marie Borg, Fabian Meli, Shirley Mallia, Clayton Spiteri, Andrew Carter, Kurt Bullock and I. During our first meeting Fabian, Andrew, Kurt and I discussed Scene 2’s storyboard. I had suggested adding a transition between the Maltese cross snow flake and the Maltese cross door knob. The snow flake would freeze slowly and from behind it, the door knocker swings and breaks the frozen snow. This was eventually modified and instead of freezing the snow flake we simply gave the impressions that the door knocker crushed the snow flake. Another idea that came up to my mind was to modify the part where multiple Maltese doors open one after the other. I suggested having the Maltese doors one next to the other which open and close. Each door would have a different tune in which together make a Christmassy rhythm. This video clip below can help understand further what I was trying to say.
Here is Scene 2’s storyboard designed by Fabian, Andrew, Kurt and myself. It was then digitalized by Fabian Meli.
Door Knocker Modelling
As the work for the projection started I was assigned to model the Maltese door knocker in 3D. I was given an image of the Maltese cross which I then placed in the 3D modelling program Autodesk Maya. I modelled ¼ of the cross and then reflected the model to form a whole cross. I used the Duplicate Special to reflect the model following this tutorial for reference.
I then modelled the knocker holder which is attached to the door. I shaped the knocker holder to my likings and tried to make it as realistic as possible since this model would later on be used on actual Maltese door photos. I also modelled the colliders of the door knocker so that it would be easier to animate later on. Here are some screenshots of the Maltese door knob.
Door Knocker Texture
After the Maltese knocker was ready from modelling I researched some ways of how texturing can be applied. Texturing was later on done by Charlene Delceppo. This is the tutorial I followed to experiment on texturing.
After Effects Door Knocker Movement
The Maltese door knocker animation in After Effects was also done by me. On the video clip Kurt Bullock had exported of the Maltese doors I placed the 3D model and modified it to look like the door knob of the first Maltese door seen in the video clip. This meant adjusting the door knob size, position and angle to follow the door’s movement precisely. Here's a screenshot of the After Effects file.
After Effects Touches
During the development of Scene 2’s animation I was constantly helping out in the animation process by giving my opinion and making modifications where necessary. These included helping in the lace movement and giving it a wind-like effect. I also adjusted the transition between the last Maltese door clip and the opening scene to the elf factory. The transition needed some tweaking in order to look smooth. Here are some screenshots of these transitions.
Christmas Tree Ribbon Minor Modifications
The Christmas tree that was formed with a ribbon was slightly tweaked by Matthew and me after it was modelled and animated by Jeanette Cutajar. These small tweaks consisted of changing the texture colour which was changed to a more golden colour and changing some minor detail in the animation.
Scene 2 Animation
In the final stages of Scene 2’s production I was in charge of analysing the entire scene for faults, discuss them with my team, and then have them arranged accordingly. This process was done frequently to avoid misunderstanding and to work together as a team.
Credits Animation
As for the credits animation I was also in charge of giving attention to detail in the animation. Matthew and I were always working together in this process. I also helped in modifying the animation when necessary. This is a clip of the finished projection filmed by a viewer in Valletta.