A Hint of the New Animation Style I'm Going For

8 frames of Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, Eclipse de Soleil, commissioned in part for a revue at a Paris music hall in 1907. He was a French magician, actor, and film director. He led many technical

and narrative developments in the early days of cinema.

This seemed a fitting subject for my wild idea for Halfland-style tests.

My Initial Formula:

Digital Still Frames Carried to Editing Apps + Edited Frames Uploaded to AI Gif Maker = Handmade Puppetry Animation, Like a Shifting Illustration.

The result I wanted but didn't know I wanted until I stumbled over it.

I had all the state-of-the-art software and hardware here staring at me for months, unable to turn it on and start shooting frames.

Friends with more experience kindly offered to come over and walk me through the process, but I wanted to find the grit to do it from inside myself. That didn't work.

I considered dropping the project. What would my life be like without this massive burden/pleasure? That was a big no. Too much good stuff is here, ready to shoot: puppets, sets, props, and narrative.

Then, a very special person came to town, Yuji Oka, and wanted to meet me and see the project. He is a master in his field and the teacher of a course of study Paul has been taking for years. Paul said he was an artist interested in seeing all the creative goodies here.

I know of his astounding work with those in pain and disabled, but I didn't want to see him for a session as I am able-bodied. I felt it would be like selfishly allowing a master carpenter to make you a toothpick—just wasteful of skill and wrong. But I'm grateful that he came somehow anyway and unwound my tangles.

He came over and, for several hours, asked me every question possible about the project. I was careful to answer what he asked instead of just talking and talking forever like I tend to do. And still, it was at least 5 hours worth of intense interviewing.

By the time it was over, after everything had been laid out, he said the most provocative thing I've ever heard. He suggested I not use the new software and equipment I just bought to use. Not use it at all.

He suggested I animate the brief scenes I had in mind, like a string of pearls, using Photoshop alone. My mind couldn't grasp it. Why not use what all agree is the only option for decent animation? I already had it. Not use it?

Yep. And now I know some of the wisdom behind his idea.

I taught myself Photoshop back in the early 90s when Adobe and Apple were just beginning to become creative tools. I'm not technically inclined, and while I can craft any vision I may have with PS, I know it's only a small capability of what that app can do. But then, it's all I need it to do.

He activated me creatively to animate with what I'm already familiar with. I think he saw that learning PR and AE, shooting with new cameras and Dragonframe 5 all at once, was an abyss I couldn't cross.

So later, when I started to search for tutorials on using PS for animation, one in particular caught my eye. My favorite PS guru was saying to NOT use PS for making easy gif's. I tested it as you see above and loved it for Halfland.

A limited motion storybook illustration animation that I can get ahold of with both hands.

Will post developments here.