Killing Time is a short animation I am currently working on with Robin Clarke, a friend of mine. This is the first scene we animated and fully rendered . It has been used as the benchmark for all others to follow.
Probably one of the most challenging as the character animation sequence was complicated and the visuals were then just layout and character designs.

The level of detail was something particularly difficult to get right as the animation is being rendered for Film at a cropped CinemaScope frame size(2K).

There is no real shortcuts at that size as we realised.

A scene that utilises his facial animation to convey some subtle emotions. It is particularly well 'acted' by Rob as he animated it.
The facial muscle rig provided some secondary motion by sliding the skin and adding a more organic and general expression.

Preparing a meal, welcoming a loved one? This scene had to have a specific atmosphere to it. Different from the others.
Joy can be seen on his face as he picks up a potato from the dusty old kitchen.

Ernest Gittings, the main character of Killing Time. Here sitting by the window. A feeling of emptyness, solitude and resignation. His reflection on the window reinforces that feeling.
Additional details, clues are offered on this shot.

One of the introductory shots of the animation. The gramaphone is an important feature of the animation.
Many of the pieces of furniture and elements within the frame tell a story of their own, building a believable frame of reference for Ernest, the main character of the short.

That shot was a hurdle for the computer. The compositing itself took around 6 hours to render. The render had to be splitted into numerous passes, yet crashes were frequent as we reached the limits of the memory. Detail had again to be pushed,... individual drops on window ledges and buildings.

The first shot of the second protagonist of the story. Ennis Chubster, a schoolboy cycling his way home in the pooring rain.

Getting the same fine line between realism and characterisation that has become our style was difficult.

A panning down the wet street as we leave the lone old man by his window and get introduced to a new character.

The heavy rain was another hurdle as it had to look convincing yet seem like a deluge more than your typical rain.