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