"Ovi" Dinosaur Animation - Matt vanLieshout

Описание: Dinosaur animation using Adobe After Effects. Music by Kenji Yamamoto. Enjoy!

Answers to General Questions [click Show More]

Q: How did you do this?
A: This animation was done for a school assignment. I used Corel Painter and Photoshop to illustrate the characters and backgrounds and Adobe After Effects for animation.

Q: Could you tell us about the animation?
A: I basically wanted to bring a comic-book to life. Growing up I had seen this technique used in ads for graphic novels and illustrated children's books. The animation is slow and subtle as if the image is coming to life. It took me quite a while to do this on my own. There are a lot of moving parts for each "puppet". After Effects is a great program. You should check out the HISHE channel, their videos use this same technique.

Q: Why dinosaurs?
A: I LOVE dinosaurs. The idea that real monsters used to rule the earth was just mind-blowing to me as a kid. Even as an adult it still amazes me how fast, strong and immense some of these creatures were.

Q: Who/What inspired you?
A: David Krentz, William Stout, Ricardo Delgado, Doug Chiang and Derek Thompson. All amazing artists who love drawing monsters and telling stories.

Q: Was this supposed to be a scientifically accurate setting?
A: Absolutely not. I wanted to include as many of my favorite dinosaurs as possible. I didn't want to limit my character-pallet to just a few all-star dinos. We're always making new dinosaur discoveries every year, yet there is still so much we don't know about these creatures. I took that as a great opportunity to use my artistic license on these guys. Some have feathers, some are brightly colored, some are neighbors with others who were long dead, etc. It's pure fantasy.

Q: Could you tell us about the Oviraptor character?
A: His name's Ovi. This animation had no title initially, but I was required to have one, so I just threw the name I'd given the character at the end of the film. I wanted an Oviraptor to be the focus of the animation because it's such a beautifully awkward-looking creature. Another reason was the theme of him stealing eggs. The name Oviraptor means "Egg Thief" and it's a common misconception that they stole eggs (it was really just a good mother with her own eggs). However, I'm sure Oviraptor had to eat at some point, and may very well have snatched a few eggs for breakfast if nothing else was around. This character trait was originally part of a much larger theme that got dropped for time. Originally, the Oviraptor was going to go around trying to steal everyone's eggs but would get in trouble at every attempt. It was a homage to Derek Thompson's "Egg Sucker" comic about a little monster who goes about trying to attempt the same feat. Instead, I used the character as a weary tour-guide of his prehistoric home for the audience.

Q: Would you ever revisit this idea?
A: Yes. Definitely. I'm currently working on a dinosaur comic/story of some kind. Picture Walt Disney's "The Rite of Spring" segment from the 1940 film "Fantasia". Basically "The Land Before Time" without dialogue or one central character. Just dinosaurs being dinosaurs. If you want to check out someone who did this very idea, I HIGHLY recommend Ricardo Delgado's "Age of Reptiles". It's a comic series about dinosaurs.