James Lee Animation
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Planet Nox #04: Making 'Save Us Elon'
🕑 Added 2022-12-31 09:38:40 +0000 UTC
I hope you all had a great Christmas. I’ve been taking a long needed break, and its been nice switching off.
This month I released my first big video since the Patreon launch, which is also the first big VFX project since getting a compositing guy onboard. It all went very smoothly, despite the fact that I got covid and had to take 5 days off a week before release. I can’t tell ya what a difference it’s made having the resources to get someone helping out full time.
Check out this quote from Elon, that hit my newsfeed just hours before release:
Above: Elon Musk's Tuesday evening.
The video ended up getting demonetized, for a very minor policy oversight on my part. Again, the income I get from all you guys goes a long way in shielding me from the negative effects of youtube policy. It’s not just edgy branding to say you guys really are having my back.
But also, a lot of things really just fell into place this month. It’s exciting to see the parts moving, the gears turning and the whole machine working just as I hoped it would.
I noticed a lot of interest around my music recommendations last month, and it’s been awesome seeing your own, which I’m still going through. So this time I’m trying out a little ‘vibe of the month’ section, and I’m curious if you guys have your own gems that might fit a little compilation. Lets see where it goes.
Lastly I just want to ask you all what content you’d be most interested to see on my main channel in 2023. Having feedback to gauge interest does go a long way in helping me decide on projects.
I’ll catch you all in the new year!
Can you describe the process for Save us Elon?
I gave myself more time for the audio component for this one. About 2 weeks. Letting it stew for so long really helped it all come together.
I wanted it to have a more animated feeling than usual, but didn’t have a lot of time. So I built most of the acting around psuedo-3D head tilts from a rigged front and 3/4 view. Traditional animation was to be used on mouth and eyes only. If there was a crazy camera angle, the body would be static, and I'd use the prefab head. If the body required animation, then the camera would be primarily side view. This stack of constrictions meant I could really fly through the animation.
I made sure during boarding that there wouldn’t be a single complicated shot. And for the more complex VFX shots we had plenty of fallback and plan B solutions in case we started hitting roadblocks. This was the first bigger video working in collaboration with Ramy, my new VFX and compositing guy. He did such a bang up job, and knocked it out in about 2 weeks.
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Below: Animation shots. Head movement only:
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Below: Animation shots. Full body puppet rig:
How do you handle creative block?
There’s moments in production where I gotta be in the ‘get this shit done’ mode. Usually animation and compositing shots.
But that doesn’t work when I’m coming up with the main idea. I gotta feel like I’m playing around. Similar mindset to being kid and playing with figurines. If I’m ever staring at a blank page struggling, it’s usually because I skipped the more playful part, which seems to happen naturally for me anywhere except in front of the computer. If I'm struggling I'll take a whole day off just to think of an idea.
What resources do you use?
The most valuable resources I have are ones that I’ve built up over time. So for my stock music library, it’s not the fact that I have access to tracks that makes them valuable to me. It’s that I actively listen to them, that I’m intimately familiar with them and have a whole bunch that I’m dying to use.
I keep a lot of notes, scripts, jokes and I tag them. I built a database of visual styles, another one for project formats. Every few months I pilfer the best bits from all the notes and compile it into a running list.
I’m really big on these kind of ‘living resources’ that change and evolve and have a personal, almost sentimental quality. I can pull value from them that’s seemingly bigger than the sum of their parts.
Above: Styles reference database
Below: Homepage of Nox resources. Built in Notion
Gotta question you’d like to ask? Hit me up, maybe I can answer.
There was a lot o' Elon this month
Vibe of the Month - Dingy Late Night Cheap Hotel
- The Pink Room (Angelo Badalamenti)
- Blue Hotel (Trentemoller)
- Stalkin’ (Duan Eddy)
- Caterpillar Crawl (The Lively Ones)
Doing:
- Had Covid
- Moving city
- Taking Christmas break
Reading:
Watching:
- Seinfeld
- Ace Ventura 1 & 2
- Pee-wee’s Big Holiday
RealisedRealized that:
- Covid sucks balls
#02: A Little More Behind the Scenes #01: The Patreon Launch
Comments
James Lee Animation
whoa, i think this will come in handy. Thanks!
Jack_Wolfe
source: https://youtu.be/aWJ_7akYFhg
Jack_Wolfe
So i was looking through baking stuff on the answer box, and found this. Apparently extra vergin olive oil shows up red under UV light O,,,,,0 and other vegtable oil shows up blueish, thought it might be a useful bit of special effect tech if you didn't already know it.
Petrichor
Song selection reminds me of a dark smokier version of the improv section from the record release version of Echo by Pink Floyd. Someone did a remaster of it in 5.1 audio on youtube which sounds amazing. Has a deep rythmic bounce to it like you're preparing for confrontation, dodging shots, and seeing both the best and worst of your opponent, both equally terrifying
gnbman
I see
Ksenia Olk
One day I hope to see you in a convention!!
James Lee Animation
Pretty sure it was saying 'shitstorm' in the first 30 seconds
Garpocalypse
cant spell demonetized without "demon". may be related.
gnbman
What was the content violation that got you demonetized?
The Overmynd
That would be the TIGHTEST shit. Meatcanyon's monstrosities in animation with your voice over? I'd lose my damn mind. This needs to happen ASAP.
The Overmynd
Free Speech for only $8 a month! Can't believe I used to think the guy was cool. He's a petulant child, just like every other rich asshole out there.
Wrinklycat
Having COVID during the holidays? Really had it rough :( glad you're at least taking a needed break! what did ya get for presents? Also, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! So happy I found your channel, really lifted my spirits up a lot this year when I was down. Hope everything goes well with you next year too.
SkeleTrain
So sorry you got Covid, glad you’re starting to feel better. I’m sure this is something that you’re already planning, but I can’t wait to see what the hell Conglomerate is. That bug-eyed dude has been plaguing my mind for months. I love the stop-motion style used for him (they? it?) so much, really adds to the creep factor! I remembered something from one of these previous posts that said that you had Nox lore that you had close to your chest. Is there anything that you can tell us about Nox now? Even if it’s a tiny thing like his taste in music. I hope you have a happy new year!
SevenSeizeNG
I'm glad you're feeling better! I've now had stupid covid 3 times. This month I had flu type A. I thought I was better--- spent all day Christmas eve in the hospital. I had a freaking pulmonary embolism/blood clots in my lungs. Might have been from the flu, but is also a common thing happening to people who had covid. So stay on top of that. Watch your lungs friend!
ThatDovahkiin
Happy we're able to give what support we can and could during 2022. Lets hope 2023 will be easier on your YouTube vids considering YouTube's constantly fluctuating policy. Also hope the move goes/went well. It's a bitch and a half moving house, can't imagine moving to a whole other city.
D3MONK33P3R
That's the worst part. The shortness of breath stays with you long after the fever is gone.
The Mystery Commenter
Question! Why do we keep coming back? We already know the answer... Because your content is amazing!!!!!!!
Jack_Wolfe
I feel ya.
Jack_Wolfe
First times always feel rougher with anything. I actually didnt feel like covid felt all that bad, but thats just me comparing it to a memory of a fever/flu i had years ago. Covids just a lot more stealth about its damage, apart from lungs etc. Might also be your body has learnt something to help. As long as you have the vaccine it has a reference to improve upon. Catching it repeatedly before the previous damage is fixed (if it can be fixed depends on the damage) can just undo all the work your body has put into fixing it. It helps if you're in good condition and had the vaccines before catching it. Everyone's different, health etc. For me its reestablished the cough/lung damage from my 20's, that i took over 3 years to fix, and an additional, weird, histamine reaction to being scratched. yay. and thats likely because i didn't get the updated boosters before i caught it.
Anne-Marie Baars
Haha Nice that's cool that you two are budds!
James Lee Animation
I really want to do something on the war, just the right idea hasn't hit me yet. I think I'm gonna start thinking more seriously about colabs next year. I haven't had a cameo with Meatcanyon. We're buds though and we've wanted to do a colab for the longest time. He's the number 1 guy I want to work with
James Lee Animation
Yeah I still get out of breath walking up stairs and stuff. Just trying to stave off long covid if i can help it
D3MONK33P3R
Interesting, my second time was a cake walk compared to the first experience. Idk maybe I was just more prepared.
Jack_Wolfe
It does damage each time you catch it fyi. The longer you have it the more it can do per session.
Anne-Marie Baars
As for 2023 content, I'm down with anything. I guess if the war ends it'd be cool to see a video to commomerate the occasion, even if it's just a short of laughing at Putin in your sick artstyle hehe. After some thought: Shorts are basically always appreciated. I'm trying to think of what I wouldn't want.. I guess don't capitalize on those Minecraft kids? That's not your target audience so I guess we're cool there. As for collab ideas: - I think smashing your and neytirix's art together would have interesting results. - Piemations humor combined with your edgy could be a dopamine zinger. Um.. Am I tripping or did you already have a cameo at meatcanyon? Was it Tomska? Idk.. Should make a list of seeing you pop up. Anyway, that's my thoughts! Have a great new year's!
D3MONK33P3R
I had COVID twice. Weirdly enough it gets easier? Still has you feeling like you're dying for a week though.
Jack_Wolfe
I think i love your style more. I wonder if theres an AI that could do it. Using your drawing as a reference.
Jack_Wolfe
I think Elon destroyed the whole FREE internet starlink thing, when he dangled it infront of Ukraine like a carrot on a string. So much for his rants about "free speech" if hes gonna yank it away when he wants something. Now i just have the image of a giant Elon dangling a starlink satellite on a fishing rod over Ukraine.
James Lee Animation
Yeah that was the initial plan, something akin to Musk in the thumbnail. Just wasn't sure I could source enough assets to pull it off
Jack_Wolfe
I love the animation of Elon climbing the ladder and his teeth stretch. -chefs kiss- I wonder what it would have all looked like if you morphed Elons face to the cartoon ones.
MrMelons
Elon shouting in this video is still the funniest shit. 😂
