Initial idea

I quite like the idea of the origami crane taking to life and taking flight. This is a direct reference to the Japanese legend. My idea will probably be done on paper and animated on paper since I'm not very keen on 3D work. Possibly transform the origami crane into an actual crane as it takes flight. It'll be drawn in a Japanese style so I'll have to look into Japanese Paintings mainly the Sumi-e style which is ink and water brushwork.

My Object - The Origami Crane

This is my chosen object. Well.. one of them. I keep making new ones since I keep crushing or losing them.

Origami cranes

A model of a crane created by the art of Japanese paper folding. The practice originated from Japan around 1680. There was a legend surrounding origami. They say that the creator origami folded a paper dove, it took flight as it was so realistic.

The crane is a symbol of long life and health. A legend says that if one was to fold 1000 cranes, your wish shall be granted. After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, one girl, affected by leukaemia as a result from radiation, who tried to stave off her death by folding 1000 cranes. Sadly she died after folding 644 so her friends completed 1000 and placed them on her grave. This story has been immortalised in popular culture and every 6th of August, the Japanese celebrate Annual Peace day by folding 1000 cranes and draping them on her statue on the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima.

Random research videos

Apart from being a gaming fan, I like this animation due to the simplicity of it. By using several paper cut out versions of Super Mario, the character is brought to like by creating the illusion of movement.

The use of printed tshirts is pretty original. Having different tshirts for different actions changes things appropriately.

Although not stop motion, this animation from Kill Bill is one of my favourites all time in that it is stylish. It's considered a Japanese styled anime but it's not typical of the popular style. It's gritty, dark and and well done which fits in with the rest of the film and it's quite typical of Quentin Tarantino.

Final Cut

After trouble over using Final Cut, I've finally added sound to my short animation. I may have screwed up the screen ratio a little as I got confused with the settings. However, I'm rather happy with the outcome. My next step would be to continue with research and to come up with ideas for my next project.

Purple and Brown

I recall seeing this animation when I was little. It was created by Aardman Studios, the same company that gave us Wallace and Gromit, Morph and Creature Comforts. They use Claymotion software to animate. The technique they use is stop motion. I really like how simple characters can be so funny. It's simplicity. Again, it would be unlikely I'd use this technique as I favour a more literally drawn approach.

Self Folding Crane

My final experimental animation. Just keeping with the paper crane idea, I decided to make this next video a self folding piece showing the process of origami. I think it went rather well despite the lack of light. To improve this, I would slow down the crane's escape at the end as it seems rushed.

Second Animation

My second animation! Still unfinished. It's an origami crane taking life and flying around before it transforms into a seahorse. I think I recorded the movement of the crane well but the transformation is where it falls. I'll need to improve on the transformation sequence by adding a lot more frames between the existing ones so it'll run more smoothly.