Category: 4.2 project 2

The pre-production phase of animation is vital to ensure that the whole project moves forward smoothly. Firstly, make sure you have a clear and compelling story, as this is the soul of the animation. The script should contain compelling characters, a compelling plot, and a compelling ending. In terms of character design, each character should have a unique appearance and personality traits. Carefully mould their identities to ensure that their appearance and features match their backgrounds and personalities. In addition, design a comprehensive storyline that covers the events before and after the animation takes place. A storyboard is a blueprint for animation production, depicting the layout, shots, and action of each scene. Creating a storyboard helps to better control the pacing and plot development of the animation. Designing the scenes of the animation, including backgrounds and props, ensures consistency with the story and character styles to enhance audience immersion. Setting a reasonable budget and timeline is essential to ensure that the project is completed on time.

In the animation, time, space and the buffer are the three aspects that I currently consider to contribute to the aesthetic effect.

Creating engaging body movement animation requires an in-depth understanding of anatomy and a keen sense of observation. Animators must study the intricate details of human or creature movement and observe real movements in a variety of scenarios to inform their work. Reference films are an invaluable tool for dissecting specific movements and understanding the mechanisms behind them. By carefully planning key poses and breaking down movements, animators are able to establish the pacing and timing needed to bring a character to life. Attention to weight, balance, and exaggeration is critical when executing body movement animation. Animators must ensure that their characters have a realistic sense of physics, consider how gravity affects their movements, and emphasise the effect through exaggeration when required. Introducing overlaps and follow-throughs can make animations more realistic, as secondary movements will naturally follow from the primary movement. In addition, maintaining clear outlines and strong action lines enhances the readability and impact of the animation, ensuring that the audience can easily understand the character’s movements. Careful attention to detail is crucial in the refinement process, especially in adjusting the curves of body parts to ensure smooth and natural movements. Synchronising hip movements with the overall body animation maintains coherence and fluidity, resulting in a more realistic portrayal. Fading in and out of movements was essential to achieve realistic transitions, avoiding abruptness and improving the fluidity of the animation.

It’s still a matter of time and space. I’ve found that if this problem is solved first and then a buffer is added, the entire animation won’t look too bad.

Changed the body cushioning, the eye cushioning, and the shape of the mouth in the second half.

It can be seen that there are still significant issues with the smooth entry and exit in some areas. Also, the final mouth shape needs to be improved.

George also pointed out the problems with the eyes and eyebrows at the same time.

In some cases, the poses of the mouth shapes need to be further refined.

An important point is to place the keyframes for each part on the same frame.

Two issues. The first issue is the problem of body movement. The second issue is the problem of mouth shape.

The segment I chose is from The Lord of the Rings. I made some minor modifications based on the original content.

The model used was purchased online.

Still need to focus on the cushioning of the barbell as it’s picked up and dropped down

The entire process lasted for 4 classes. I would like to express my gratitude to George for his meticulous guidance. Although what I did seemed simple, it was very helpful for my basic skills.

The most challenging part of this animation is when lifting the dumbbell – it requires a smooth in and out motion, and precise control of timing and spacing.

However, hardships actually enable me to progress. The key point is to effectively utilize the two core principles of the bouncing ball and the pendulum.

George helped me correct many issues related to poor poses.The best thing I learn from him is spacing and timing!