Sent this set of questions off last month still waiting on a reply...
“Patience is a virtue... I have been told!!!

Neil Gaiman / AOP
Neil Gaiman born in England and now living in Minneapolis America, is one of the world’s best known science fiction and fantasy writers.
With collaborations from author like Terry Pratchett with the novel Good Omens, one of his first published novels. Roger Avary with Beowulf and with Dave McKean for MirrorMask, Gaiman
has learnt from the best.
His first solo novelization of the BBC series ‘Neverwhere’ came later in 1996.
The author of several short stories, any number of graphic novels and a growing collection of animated and CGI films including afore mentioned MirrorMask, Beowulf and a Stop-Motion version of Coraline released in February 2009.
Gaiman has creating a large host of work for the modern animator, including a guest appearance on the animated PBS series of Arthur as himself, animal ears and all.
With three of my favourite films written by him and also within my area of practice, all heavily embroiled in digital animation and CGI content. With a well-constructed set of questions placed before him I should secure some valuable insight into character development and motivation.

As Writer or Original Story
Beowulf
Production Company: Shangri-La Entertainment and Image movers
Director: Roger Zemeckis
Writers: Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary screenplay
Release Date: November 5 2007
Neil Gaiman is also listed as one of the Executive Producers.
The story of the mightiest warrior Beowulf after destroying the overpowering the demon Grendel. He falls pray to ruthlessly and seductive mother evil plans. The following battle throughout the ages and the constant retelling of this story immortalizing the name Beowulf.
Coraline
Is a 2009 American stop-motion 3-D fantasy/horror film based on
Neil Gaiman's 2002 novel of the same name.
The film's creators used a 3D printing systems in the development and production of the final film. The film involved over 500 people, from animators to digital designers and more than 250 technicians and Clothes designers. One to just knit miniature sweaters and other clothing for the puppet characters.
MirrorMask
Production Company: Jim Henson Productions
Director: Dave McKean
Writer: Neil Gaiman screenplay from a story by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
Release Date: January 25 2005
The balance between Dark and Light is broken and only the Mirrormask can restore it. A young girl, a stranger in a strange land, sets out to find it before darkness covers the Dream world forever.

For the attention of Neil Gaiman
Birmingham City University / Animation Class L6 /3rd year student
Martin Tierney 07704516007.

I would like to ask Mr.Gaiman a few (4) questions about animation to add to a Dissertation piece on "Digital Animation and film",
Thanks. Martin. E mail : artofillusion@me.com 07704516007

1. MirrorMask, Beowulf and Coraline, All great films that have employing a great deal of digital animation and CGI. I am very interested in the mixing of the real world with digital contracted fantasy images. What are your thoughts on this type of mix layered film and what limits would you put on them if any?

2. Of all the books you have written, which would you still like to produce into a film and what type would you like to try next.
Live action, pure animation, stop motion or a mixture, or something new?

3. Title of my Dissertation is "Actions Speak louder than Words" One of the aspect that I am looking at in Digital Animation and film is the movement of the Animated character.
As a writer and Director what directions would you give your animators and actors?

4. Digital Animation is constantly entering into new areas with increasing technology each year, are you looking into anything new at the moment?
What would you like to see next?
Thanks for your time Martin Tierney.

Adding a 3D shadow to a mixture of different images.
this shadow is a cast shadow only duplicate layer of Dan. Distorted to act like a real shadow and bend up the wall .









This was not the best answer when later the model moved position and the distortion becomes too much. Went for a point light shadow less dramatic but much more controllable!

Started today with Adobe After Effects
Dammed sight easier to use than most digital programs. But still needs practice and experience to get all that you can get out off it.
Shadows, 3D, lighting Titlting on XYZ axis, and CG1 effects on both 3D and 2D images.

Animation for adults, Cartoons for kids!
During The Silent Age Of Animation, as well as The Golden Age Of Animation, cartoons were aimed at adults as well as children. From simple history of shooting black and white film moving to live action in Technicolor was a very expensive and complicated, however making colour animation was simpler. As live-action colour films became predominant, it killing off the “X factor” of animation and the market for shorts cartoons eventually died. Warner Bros and Looney Tunes did still produce some of the most memorable shorts, which when later repackaged for television were such a success it changed many of their main characters into pop icons. With the only long-format cartoons been produced by one studio, Disney. With the reluctance of cinemas to show short run cartoons they retreated to our televisions. This naturally forced animations to be targeted at a much younger audience, with moral guidelines enforced by the television stations. This left adult focused animations with nowhere to go or fit! Also with many non-mainstream animation houses making films, which were never, meant for general release. However television shows like South Park and the Simpsons can return not only be profit to these same television companies but also target a much older audience once again. From the outset Eastern animation houses have always favored a more detailed storyline as a posed to the short comedy outline used in American animations like the Simpsons. However from the book by Richard Adams of Tales From Watership Down became Watership Down the animated film? With its strong dark under tones, put paid to the idea that cartoons are just for kids with it strong adult theme of survival death and loss. With the help of the Internet and sites like You Tube expanding their reach to so many different ages and languages animations and cartoons will forever battle over light and dark issues and all we can do is sit and watch!

First Compiled film layers After Effects test
22 November 2010

First complete test of Desperate Dan .Walk still not right

All green screen shot !

Compositing

Chroma key shooting for compositing is achieved through digital image manipulation. With the Combining of visual images from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene? All compositing involves the replacement of selected parts of an image with other another image. In the digital method of compositing, software designates a green screen as the part of an image to be replaced. With every colour pixel identified the digital software replaces the colour with a pixel from another image, lined up to appear as part of the original. Artist can sketched out storyboards and then a film directors can re-created this has a Virtual set. From the computer-generated image, a combining image is created from different images into new formed single image.