Mini Project

Playblast.... The main animation that is my main submission

A render that didn't work out so well.

                               

This is the animation for my final conventions project. It is using a rigged dinosaur created by Jason, the lecturer and is an attempt to incorporate all of the principles of animation into one. The first is the playblast which I will be submitting as my animation. Second is a batch rendered version which I don't like as much due to the way that certain elements of the animation overlap each other. This is evident in the jump and when the letter O wraps around the dinosaur. It is, however, better quality than the playblast.


The use of lighting in this animation is definitely an addition to the overall Pixar parody story. The dinosaur was chosen due to the way it moves and because it would make for an interesting character with a not overly complicated rig.

I tried to incorporate the 12 principles of animation into this as required.

Timing....  The animation is reasonably well timed, although there are slight issues with the jump, i think that the way the dinosaur falls when pushed is very well timed.

Anticipation..... There is anticipation in the build up to the jump and as the letter J pulls backwards.

Staging..... The position of the light and the way the letters and action are centered all add to staging and make it easy to follow the story.

Straight ahead action and Pose to Pose..... This animation is mainly straight ahead action but contains some pose to pose on the letters. This made it easier to animate as I could look at the movement through blocking and through timing.

Slow in and Slow out..... Through manipulation of the graph editor, I was able to use slow in and slow out on both the jump and the push. It was successful as it made the timing better and added more impact.

Arcs.... Arcs only appear briefly but as the letters move across the screen, there are arced movements, created through the graph editors smooth curve option.

Secondary action..... There is secondary action in the dinosaurs head movements as it walks. These are subtle but add to the character.

Squash and Stretch.... There is squash and stretch on the letter S as it is jumped on but this was difficult as it did not have it's own rig. There is also some squash on the dinosaur.

Exaggeration.... There is exaggeration on the letter J as it pulls back before knocking the dinosaur over. This is a principle that also appears in the other animated letters and the dinosaur in how they move.

Solid Drawing.... The characters all clearly have weight and volume and work within the space. As 3D characters, they have mass when they interact and move withing the scene. Notably during the push part.

Follow through and overlapping action.... When the character of the dinosaur walks, there is a slight follow through when the body of the character catches up with the legs. Due to a lack of clothing or appendages, there isn't much else except for overlapping action slightly when the dinosaur turns, his legs following behind him.

Appeal... The attempt was made to incorporate characterisation into each character and therefore the principle of appeal is clear. O and E both represent different types of fear whilst the dinosaur seems intimidating, the J confident, the H, sadness and the P, a sense of shock.  


Overall this has been a project that I have greatly enjoyed and although there are slight issues such as the jump that could be fixed, this was definitely a successful project that has helped me with my animation practice.



THIS ANIMATION USED A RIG CREATED BY JASON THEAKER

Dinosaur: Exaggeration, Staging, Appeal and Solid Drawing

https://youtu.be/6recczXruCY

In this animation, using the lecturer's rig, I tried to create the principles of Exaggeration, Appeal, Staging and Solid Drawing.

Exaggeration was created using the slight jittery, bobbing movement of the dinosaur as it walked across the screen. The way that the dinosaur shakes it's head at the end is also an example of this.

Appeal is represented in the dinosaur's character and due to it's lack of facial features, needs to be shown through it's actions, mainly in it's walk and head movements. The inquisitive nature is also highlighted when the dinosaur pauses to look upwards.

Staging sets the scene of the animation, this time in an area with trees and slight shrubbery. I chose not to use too much staging so as not to take anything away from the overall animation but still add to the audiences knowledge of the setting. The scenery WAS NOT modeled by me and was created using Maya's visor function, (Windows, General Editors, Visor).

Finally, Solid Drawing is meant to depict Volume, weight and depth. These have been created through the way the rock falls and impacts with the dinosaur and how it reverberates slightly when it hits the ground. The way the dinosaur moves also shows that it has weight and in a way, depth is partially created in the scenery and how the overall animation works as a whole definitely helps with this.

This exercise taught me how to utilise more than one principle and use them in conjunction with one another whilst also learning and practicing my animation and Maya work.  


THIS ANIMATION USED A RIG CREATED BY JASON THEAKER

Powerpoint on the Principle of Appeal

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7n8vJWzDq8OLXp3alpNMEQ2dUk/view?usp=sharing



Here is a link to a powerpoint created to explain the principle of appeal