NOTE: The sound files got corrupted last minute and Flash refused to let me import them again (for some unknown reason). So there is no sound, but once I fix the problem I will upload it with sound.

Making this short film has mostly been trial and error. Getting used to Adobe Flash has been tough, this is my first time animating something so intricate (and so long!).
I made a million mistakes but when I finally got something right it was worth all the failures.
My original story included not one, but three robots. Stubby, his girlfriend, and an evil mastermind who kidnaps his girlfriend.
Being the kind of person I am I created an elaborate and fantastic plot, including explosions, cannons, a chase scene (and much more) and designed all the characters only to realize that I would not be capable of animating something so complicated (for me).
I changed my character designs and took out the two extra characters and simplified the story so that Stubby only lost a bear instead of his girlfriend.
Although the story was more simple, it would be something I could animate and that would still be able to look great and test my Flash skills, while still keeping to my original story of an adorable little robot.

After finalizing my story I set about creating my characters and landscape and other objects on Adobe Illustrator, a program I am already familiar with.
One of my favorite parts is creating the characters and objects, however I had to remind myself not to go overboard and leave the details for last - something I did not do with my sky.
In the creation I wanted to give my animation a sort of 8-bit style, mixed with animation styles seen in the game "Limbo", using a darker colour palette and silhouettes.
I think it turned out pretty well, plus it was great fun to do.

Although I had done the creation of the elements in my animation soon after I was given the task of creating the animation, I then left the animation untouched for weeks, being the procrastinating queen that I am.
Only close to the deadline did I start working on the animation again. Typical.

Although the animation was only meant to be 1 minute long, my imagination got the better of me and I ended up making it quite a bit longer, playing out my plot. Typical.

In the story Stubby creates a bridge to get over to his teddy. In my original plan the bridge failed and he then made a boat out of scrap metal, which also failed.
Although both plans failed, Stubby did not give up and in the end jumps into the goo and swims across to his beloved Stuffy.
I could not use this part of the plot however because I wa already way over time and the deadline was looming close.

The alternative plot where the bridge he builds is a success is still a good ending in my opinion, Stubby shows growth as a character as he overcomes a problem and is reunited with Stuffy.

I left my sound files for the night before, this was apparently not a great idea. I ran into a lot of problems trying to find uncopyrighted sound effects and music and also had problems synchronising the sounds with the animation.
I ended up staying up until 3am trying to get it working. Actually, I am writing this now at 4am. You know you leave things too late when you can hear the birds singing outside your window and see the first rays of the morning sun creeping into the sky.
Typical.

Even though it is now 4:30am and I am falling asleep in my chair, I can truthfully say that I really enjoyed doing this animation, although it took a lot of time to get it right, I feel very proud of the end result. I put in a lot of work and tried to go the extra mile where I could.
The story and animation also reflects a lot about myself - my styles came through and my inner gamer and lover of all things robotic/electronic/geeky clearly shone through.
This wasn't just about handing in a project and getting a passing mark, it was about creating something that was fun, that I could be proud of and that was a little part of myself.

Really hope you enjoyed it.