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 Animation
Anime-01

Lost Planet
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Lost Planet

Still Frames from Lost Planet Series

Project Log
2/13/07
6/11/07
9/11/07
12/05/07
3/08/08
6/26/08
The Lost Planet Series

Project Log, 2/13/2007:

I must admit to experiencing some artist's block at this time. I know what has to be done, but the task is a scene that promises to be very, very time-consuming unless I can find an easier way to do it. I have been browsing online for possible software that includes specific tools which could make the task much easier and much less time-consuming. I was told by an old friend some time ago that a version of Photoshop includes such tools, so I decided it was time to check into the possibility of purchasing the software.

   Unfortunately, for all the browsing that i have done at the Photoshop website, I could not find any specific indication about the exact tools I am seeking, so there's no way for me to know for certain at this time. I put in an order for a free DVD which contains such specifics (I hope) but it will be about a month before it is due for delivery. I may have to join some kind of forum and ask some very specific questions to find the answers I need.

    I am fairly sure that at least one version of Photoshop software has the tools I need, but I don't know which version it is.  The most recent version probably has what I need,  but it is very expensive ($600) and I cannot possibly afford it at this time. I am hoping that I can find a cheaper version that has the tools, but  even then, I have to be absolutely certain that such tools will function with the high-depth 24 bitmap images I work with. If the tools don't work with the 24 bitmaps, I don't know how I can possibly make such time- consuming tasks easier.

    The other main problem I face is with the soundtrack.  I'm fairly sure that I can put a simple narrative to the story, and some of my own original music, but in the upcoming scenes, there will be more characters involved and I don't see how I can avoid the need for character vocalizations. An online forum friend has provided links to some software that can be very helpful in the creation of the soundtrack, but I still may need to bring other people into the project for the character voices. The problem with that, as with every- thing, is again a case of monetary interest. People that work on projects such as this usually want to be paid good money and that is money I do not have.

    The way i tend to see it is, as long as I get the visual animation done, I can always add the soundtrack later, and the more visual animation I get done, the better. But it's the time-consumption problem that slows me down the most. Without the specific tools I need to make it easier, much of the work with the exterior asteroidal scenes and caverns is very, very time-consuming, due to the cropping, copying, and pasting of multiple, various size pixel fragments about every character figure in motion through every scene. Those special tools the Photoshop software can provide could conceivably save me hours of extra work every day and get me to where I am going in much, much less time.

    All this is complicated, at the same time, by a need to relocate my living and working quarters. I've been having problems with being constantly disturbed by the neighbor over my head and have come to realize that I really do need a place to live and work where there is more peace and quiet. I cannot begin to explain just how annoying my life has become with this neighbor. I plan on looking for a new place as soon as the winter is over and warm weather begins. If only I could simply move to Canada or California, I'm quite certain my life would not be so difficult. But that takes big money, the kind I do not have.

Nick Zentor, 2/13/07



 My Roots