La Mer was our After Effects film project for Animation. Although we were very pressed for time, Nicole He and I were still pretty happy with the results. If we had more of a leisurely timeline, I would have smoothed out some of the timing here or there, but from the sounds of the audience when the shark reveals himself, the film as a whole works pretty well.

I also learned that it would definitely be better to animate pieces I draw from scratch instead of taking still images and turning them into assets in Photoshop. Nicole and I were both rather fearful of our drawing skills so this seemed like the best option for this project, but I think if I were to animated in After Effects again on a project similar to this one, I would create my own assets.

In addition to learning how powerful After Effects can be – I am already using it on other projects – I realized that drawing is not a skill as far out of range as I formerly believed. Marianne asked us to keep a drawing journal. I stuck to the assignment exactly and drew every night for the entire class before I went to sleep. Although I do need help with figures and drawing in general when I cannot see the subject matter, I do quite enjoy it and will probably continue to keep a sketchpad in the future. As a lifelong writer, creating content every day is something I have done for many years. Why not create images as well as words every day?

My first step in this process has been recreating art from the people who inspire me. This includes Tim Burton and Edward Gorey.

La Mer from Jamie Ruddy on Vimeo.