Final Shot- Class 5

I know it's been quite some time since I last published an animation.  That is because the entire previous semester had us focus on a two-character, multiple shot dialogue sequence.  We began in week 1, January of 2013 and worked straight through- organizing, planning, blocking in poses, breaking down poses, and finally animating our shot until the last week of class, March 22.  Like animation from the previous semester, we were able to choose our own dialogue.  We were then given direction on how to breakdown our shots in terms or cuts and composition.  Then from there, it was just a matter of moving forward and keep layering detail in.  And to give you some perspective, this sequence took about 350 hours to animate.  That's roughly 30 hours a week.  ENJOY!

Dialogue Shot

For this second and final assignment of Class 4, we had seven weeks to finish a scene that included acting elements as well as spoken dialogue.  We had the liberty to choose from any form of media, tv, movie, radio, etc. as long as it wasn't already from something animated or too iconic.  It was also important to keep in mind the acting beats of the character (contrasting tones of voice and emotions) as well as simplifying the poses so the shot didn't get too busy.  This semester was a lot of fun and I look forward to Class 5 beginning January 2, 2013!!

For the first assignment of Class 4: Introduction to Acting, we continued working with "Stewie", but this time, introduced some acting elements into the shot.  For this Pantomime assignment (pantomime- meaning acting without dialogue, like a mime!) we had to include two different acting "beats" or emotion.  With pantomime, a lot of it has to do with body language and movement.  For this shot, I chose to begin Stewie with and excitement beat and end on sad/disappointed.

Class 3: Final Animations!

This class was a continuation of the previous class, focusing on the mechanics of the body, while at the same time, constantly exploring the concepts of timing, spacing, overlap, posing, and composition in animation.

My first shot was a bit ambitious as I tried to incorporate too much story in my animation.  I focused too much on what the character was doing rather than what the body was doing. Therefore, the animation lacked some of important concepts like posing.  It was a good assignment to realized my strengths and weaknesses.

The second assignment followed the same theme as the first assignment-- up on the high-beams.  Again, I still focused a bit too much on a story, but began to understand some of the concepts better, like posing, timing and spacing.  This assignment was more successful as I continued to explore the mechanics of the body.

This final shot was by far my most successful shot of the semester.  Both my mentor and I were very please with my progress as I finally began to fully understand many of the important concepts.  With my mentor's help, I was able to make a believable shot with good posing, timing, and overlap.  The key was to "keep it simple!"  By keeping the animation simple, I was able to really focus on the important parts of the shot.  I was happy to end the semester on such a high-note and hope to continue my success through my next class-- Intro to acting!  Wish me luck!!

FINALLY!!  After 5 weeks of planning, blocking, splining, polishing, and correcting, I have completed my last assignment for this semester!  The theme was external and internal forces, so I animated Stew exert force upon a door that just won't budge!  ENJOY! 

SPLINES

It's been a while since my last post and will probably be another 2 weeks before my next animation.  So I wanted to share with you a screenshot of the SPLINES (or motion paths) of each component of my animation.  With each spline, I can control how I want the head, for example, to move and make sure it follows a smooth path of action.  This may seem very confusing (as it did to me at first), but each spline can be separated and viewed one at a time to make animating that much more convenient!  

Click to Enlarge.

Rock Hop

In this animation, we had to use Stew with no arms to participate in some sort of action while focusing on balance.  I chose to have the character hop across some stepping stones.  To do this, I created a similar setting in my living room with marking tape and filmed myself moving in such a manner.