"Thank you, Weston, and goodnight!"

And we're done. What a ride. From drawing to animating to filming and finally editing. Crazy times, but I'm very happy with the result.

The parts of the project which I am most pleased with are the cel shading elements (the rotoscope clip at the beginning and the guitarist studies at the end). I really feel like I've learned many a new skill, and brushed up on some old ones at the same time. Laborious, but totally worth it. The vector drawings make the work look detailed and crisp, which I feel is a must for cel shading.

The filmed elements of the documentary are slightly disappointing. I feel that much of the background noise should have been eliminated (by me of course, my tutor provided an excellent interview that ticked all the boxes in one take). The lighting also isn't great, but in my defence, it would have been difficult to get photography studio lamps into my snug corner of the lounge where I keep my guitar stuff. I'm also really pleased with the quality of the sound recording and how well I was able to sync it with the existing video footage I had. A Zoom mic is a great investment, and reasonably-priced as well - highly recommended for interviews or music recording.

However, I think my favourite aspect of this documentary is the fact that it's a short but informative slice into one of my chief hobbies. It is in the spirit of a BBC 4 music programme, which was my main goal with this project, and I have learned a large amount of new skills, which I hope will give me an edge in the future.

Unfortunately I can't post the final film on blogger, but if I can get the permission of my guitar tutor, I'm sure I'll be able to upload it to YouTube. In the meantime, however, I can post some images of all of my guitarist studies. They're in order of creation so that you can see how they've evolved as I've made them.

Psst! Here's the finished film on YouTube - but don't tell anyone!

In other news, I've got a place on the Interactive Design course at the University of Lincoln, and more interviews coming up soon. Getting somewhere!


Jimi Hendrix



Joe Satriani



Johnny Marr
Eric Clapton
Buck Dharma



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