2012/06/21

Animation Mentor Class 5 Advanced Acting

This class continued to develop the acting principles of the previous class, and added additional elements like  cutting, emotional arcs, acting beats, and interaction.

Term: Spring 2012
Mentor: Peter Kelly
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1013095/
http://petekellysdoodles.blogspot.com/

Section 1
Lip-sync Planning
The Dialogue shot picked up from where it left off the previous week in Class 4, now with full rig controls so I could animate the face.






Section 2
2 Face Poses





Section 3
2 Face Poses





Section 4
2 Person Dialogue Character Design



Face Pose



Section 5
2 Person Dialogue Planning
This scene gave the opportunity to incorporate cuts between shots as well as more dynamic staging and composition.





Section 6
Face Pose



Section 7
Face Pose



Section 12
Progress Reel
Scenes:
  1. 2 Person Dialogue
  2. Dialogue, continued from Class 4, now with full rig controls


Animation Mentor Class 4 Introduction to Acting

This class took the ideas form the previous classes, and combined them with behaviours, and details like staging and avoiding clichĂ©d choices.

Term: Winter 2012
Mentor: Ray Chase
http://raymation.blogspot.com/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1112186/

Section 1 - 5
Pantomime Planning:
  1. Safe At Throne
  2. Fishing Expedition
  3. Urban Cornucopia
I storyboarded 3 options, then consulted with my mentor to choose which one to animate.  I went with #1.  I  modified the Stewie rig by with a head I modeled and shaded.





Section 6
Dialogue Planning:
  1. Woman hears noise and talks to her roommate
  2. 'Film Noir' Man yells at former colleague
  3. 'Film Noir' Mobster condescends
Much like the Pantomime, I storyboarded 3 options, but this time I edited audio options first.  Again, I went with #1.







Section 7
Dialogue Character Design

I modified the Bishop rig's body by modeling an altered version, which I applied with a blend shape.  Then I used that as a basis for the clothes, which I applied with a wrap deformer.



Section 8
Bishop Hand Pose: Anger



Section 9
Bishop Hand Pose: Relaxed



Section 10 - 11
Bishop Hand Pose: Surprise



Section 12
Progress Reel
Shots:
  1. Dialogue with limited face controls, to be completed with full controls in Class 5
  2. Pantomime


2012/06/20

Animation Mentor Class 3 Advanced Body Mechanics

This class continued to develop the ideas of the previous class, focused on
biped/humanoid characters.

Term: Fall 2011
Mentor: David Weatherly
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1316187/

Section 1 - 3
ninJAnitor Planning





Section 4 - 6
Trebuchet Stewie Planning





Section 7 - 11
basketBALLet Planning





Section 12
Progress Reel
Shots:

  1. basketBALLet
  2. Trebuchet Stewie
  3. ninJAnitor


2012/06/18

Animation Mentor Class 2 Psychology of Body Mechanics

This class took the basic concepts taught in the previous class and applied them to the mechanics of characters' movement, taking into account variables like physical build, personality, emotion, and environment.

Term: Summer 2011
Mentor: Ethan Hurd
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0403322/

Section 1 - 3
Backflip Planning
This video contains reference I did myself, parts of a video I found online, and a basic animatic using my thumbnail sketches.  I watched many other videos, but the video I found and featured clips from in my Reference can be seen here: Gymnastics : How to Do a Backflip Off of a Wall






Section 4 - 6
Jump On Ball Planning
This video contains a basic animatic using my thumbnail sketches and my personal reference.  I also used quite a bit of other video reference, but it's too much to sit through.  If you really want to see the sources for that material, here are links to some of it:
Little boy walking on a big ball
Young acrobats street theatre walking globe circus
New Zealands #1 Globe Walker - Circus Aotearoa
New Zealands #1 Globe Walker - Creative Festival '08
Ball Acrobatics
Adam on Acro Ball Jan 2007
Ball Flip Game 2
Adam Menzies 2006
Lunge Balance Ball Exercises






Section 7 - 11
Hand Walk Planning
This video contains a basic animatic from my thumbnail sketches and my personal reference.






Section 12
Progress Reel
Shots:
  1. Hand Walk
  2. Jump On Ball
  3. Backflip


Animation Mentor Class 1 Basic Foundations

This class focused on the fundamentals of animation, like the 12 Priciples of Animation devised by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas and basic physics.

Term: Winter 2011
Mentor: Paul Allen
http://paulallenanimation.blogspot.com/

Section 1
Introductions were made between the mentor and students.

Section 2
Public Sketches
I went to a shopping mall to do a few pages of quick sketches, catching people behaving casually.  The goal was to apply what was seen, paying attention to line of action and silhouette, and develop understanding of the other principles of posing like balance, negative space, while avoiding tangents and twinning.



Public Stu Pose



Section 3
Bouncing Ball Planning
The goal was to learn the basics of momentum and arcs through how a ball bounces.



Excitement Sketches
The goal was to further familiarity with the Stu rig using IK and FK controls, and to further understand the principles of posing.



Excitement Stu Pose



Section 4
Bouncing Balls: Bowling Ball Vs. Exercise Ball Planning
The goal was to learn and demonstrate an understanding of how weight and momentum affects movement.



Section 5
Devastation Sketches



Devastation Stu Pose



Bonus Devastation Stu Pose



Obstacle Course Planning
I started by planning several different options using the sets provided by the school, modifying them as needed to create a unique course.  The goal was to continue with what was learned from the previous ball shots, now incorporating squash and stretch and more complicated paths of action.




Section 6
Pendulum Planning
I slightly altered the school's Pendulum rig to allow for independent rotation between the block and tail.  The goal was to take what was learned about momentum, and extend it to the concept of the successive breaking of joints.



Section 7
Tailor & OneLeg Planning
I used ramp shaders to give the Tailor rig a more realistic fluffy squirrel look, and modeled an acorn-like beanie hat and scout sash for the OneLeg rig.  I also made the rest of the props for the scene.  There were 2 goals for this shot. One was to continue with the bouncing ball motions, now applied with consciousness to both Tailor and OneLeg, not just physics.  The other goal was to continue with the successive breaking of joints from the Pendulum shots, and apply it to the conscious character Tailor.



Section 8
Strength Sketches



Strength Stu Pose



Walk Planning
The goal was to animate a 'Vanilla' walk with the Ballie rig, as standard as possible, avoiding individual characterization.



Section 9
Concern Sketches



Concern Stu Pose



Section 10
Character Walk: Trudge Planning
The goal of this shot was to further what was learned with the 'Vanilla' Walk by incorporating individual emotion and personality.  I chose a toe-dragging trudge.



Exhausted Sketches



Exhausted Stu Pose



Section 11
Balance Sketches



Balance Stu Pose



Section 12
Progress Reel
Shots:

  1. Character Walk: Trudge
  2. Walk
  3. Tailor & OneLeg
  4. Pendulum
  5. Obstacle Course
  6. Bouncing Balls: Bowling Ball Vs. Exercise Ball
  7. Bouncing Ball

Stu Poses:

  1. Balance
  2. Exhausted
  3. Concern
  4. Strength
  5. Devastation
  6. Excitement
  7. Public