Time to Play

Sometimes the film maker needs to be let out in the yard. None of these clips are anything special. They are experiments and play. Trying things out, making mistakes and learning.



I like to do yoga at the Relaxation Centre. The billboard above the building created some nice juxtaposed comedy.



Below is an experimental project with a music composer. He wrote 5 seconds of music, which I animated and added 5 seconds of silent animation. The composer responded to that animation with the music and added another 5 seconds of music. And so the work evolves.

Workshop 3 - 2nd Dialogue Project - Progress

Workshop 3 Progress Reel for Review

Still a work in progress. Workshop ends in 2 weeks.

Trying to animate regularly - new dialogue project

Starting out with some Staging and blocking in stepped mode. Test#1:

Test #2:

Gently, gently, in the middle of the night practice - dialogue

I looked at the lip synch and tried an experiment: clicked in the audio file offset and added 2 frames so that the sounds appeared 2 frames later than when I was animating. The darn thing looked better.

Reduced the extremes, removed some poses for clarity and subjectivity.

Exploring Dialogue Delivery

I have learnt not to try to fit a square character into a round hole. Next assignment I'll make sure the character and dialogue match from the start.

I have made some more staging adjustments and reduced the broadness of the final body moves. There still is some polish to do on that section after the changes.

Best thing is that I'm enjoying the process.

Staging Adjustment and 1st pass on lip synch

Adjustments after Review: Linear to Spline Pass on Body

Blocking Pass: Moving From Stepped to Linear Tangents

I changed the staging. Have been breaking down some arcs and adding keys to try and get the correct timing on the moving holds. Then to test if I have been giving enough guidance to the computer inbetweener, I switched the tangents in the graph/curve editor from stepped tangents to linear. The test seemed to hold together quite well with no crazy inbetweens or gimbal problems. I plan to continue adding breakdown poses using the linear tangent settings as a base to work off.

Dialogue Blocking after 1st 3D Review

Less character introspection. More message delivery. Still clicking menus in Maya exploring ideas and tests with the technological tool. Added some breakdowns.

Dialogue - 3rd Pass - Progressing & Experimenting

12 key poses



Staging adjustment to strengthen the depth. Clicking settings in Maya on a technological safari. Allows me to watch silhouettes and shapes. Added a prop.

Dialogue - 2nd Pass

Working on Staging.

Dialogue - 1st Pass Blocking

An underpaid angel seeks to deliver a message

Not pulling the punches

Before and after review. The flash in the centre is a marker between punches and lists my review notes to fix from my instructor.

Punch - 50 to 70 frames

Weight Lift: Stepped Key Poses to Splined

Still a work in progress. Mainly aiming at communicating weight.

3D Sneak this time

Before instructor review version. I had some video reference that I think has some nice texture but lacks in the upper body acting. I based the sneak on the variation in timing of the steps.

Character Walk - a story in 2 steps

4 days later:


Where at: No facial animation as yet. Hands not polished. Mainly looking at pelvis, upper body and head. Some attention to feet and knees.

Another version (4 months after the above):

Pace Planning - Contacts & Turns

What is the key to animation? There are many...

Reciting to the restless

Weight Lift

Struggling to find the time for my own animation.

Sneaky 2D study

Drawing helps me study movement. I have to practice with my graphics tablet and Flash CSx. Put them all together and you get more signs of the struggle. It is a longer process than planning and then animating in Maya. But I learn to see more.



Took inspiration from Michael Dudok de Wit for the character shapes.



A few adjustments:

Cafe Couple - Life Drawing

Witch's Hat

Planning for a character walk - pacing back and forth