Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Despicable Me
I was reminded about that after seeing a post on Sean's blog.
One of the lecturers and tutors (yes, he sat next to me at my student work station and we talked aboout the walk cycle I was animating) in Paris was Kyle Balda who is an animator who worked on Pixar's Monsters Inc and most recently Universal Pictures' Despicable Me as Layout Supervisor.
Currently second year animators are thinking about ideas for making a short narrative film or movie trailer.
First year animators who are in the process of conquering Mt. Flash, are putting together a short animation with the class exercises they have completed with some titles and credits.
Second years will remember, and first years will soon experience, the joy of modelling a character in Maya based on a bean shape. So we'll throw a handful of beans in the mix.
Now, if we put all that together in a milkshake cup and add the blending stick and turn it on, the resulting frothy creamy goodness is for us to take a look at the 3rd Despicable Me movie trailer to spice up some animation ideas in current class projects.
(Second years will note that this film trailer is just over a minute long. It is two characters on a white background. How many Essential Animation Principles can you count in it? If you post an answer* in the comments that is the same as I get, you win a treat! (No, it is not a ping pong ball))
*for example a list style answer: "EAP 1 = character reaction to "moo" sound; EAP 2..."
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Appeal
Appeal in animation can be looked at in 2 basic parts:
1. Design Appeal = the character designs look nice, or 'cool'. The layouts or 3D environment look great. That is one form of visual appeal.
I think of it as looking at an animation movie poster and responding with "Wow, that looks good, I'd like to see that."
2. Motion Appeal = The more important form of appeal in animation (for me) is related to how things move.
For instance, a character design is not appealing (e.g. a character representing a piece of snot). But the way an animator animates that character, can make it move in an appealing, interesting way. I imagine a snot character would be great to animate with lots of stretch and squash, for example.
I really find the animation of Pocoyo appealing, in terms of motion. Some may say the design is simple (I find it appealing), but it is the appeal in the animation that captures my interest: http://www.youtube.com/user/pocoyotv
So if we add Design Appeal + Motion Appeal = VISUAL Appeal; the animation principle of Appeal.
Have you found any other descriptions in your research? Let me know what you find.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Acting Exercise - Zombie do-si-do
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Animato - 3D Environment Modelling
Animato: adj & adv(Music / Classical Music) Music (to be performed) in a lively manner
2nd year animators modelling environment assets for 3D character animation. Combined, the modelling work by the "Animato" studios, will form the word...
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Flash Spaceship Exercise
Your mission is to go boldly where you haven't gone before. Animators can export the Flash animation as a MOV file. Upload it to an online video sharing account (Vimeo or YouTube). Then embed it in your animation student blog.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Simon's Cat (in the snow)
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Our favourite rascal Sunny Kharbanda ~ Show Reel
Here's a selection of my recent character animation work. copyright 2009 Hardeep Kharbanda.
http://www.sunnykharbanda.com/
I've just been past Sunny Kharbanda's new blog and thought I'd post his show reel for the second years to see. Look! it's only just over a minute long. Note that down. His blog is full of sketches, so that should keep the constant scribblers happy.
I was thinking of how I am currently in animation student mode studying some Jason Ryan webinars where we are animating broad cartoony actions. I wonder if they will influence what I teach?
What I like about Sunny's reel is the cartoony style of animation being explored with a free 3D rig (Moom). There is also some 2D work in there showing off an understanding of animation principles.
According to Sunny's 'About Me' page he is now teaching animation at The Art Institute of Washington.
Have a read of his critique of "Up". And just for Will, here is how he made those old Warner Brothers style backgrounds. Oh, yes, there is a post on how to get that toon render on a 3D model, but you will have to facilitate your own learning for that one and look through the blog.
Animation Awards - Recognition for hard work
- Mary and Max
- Ponyo
- Coraline
- Monsters Vs Aliens
- Up
Ahhh, now I feel better. Sssstrrrretch and reaceeeeeach for the coffee.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Drawing and Learning Animation
I distinctly remember an interview with one of those famous Disney animators, Milt Kahl, where he comments that animators should be able to draw well. Now, that can be a bit daunting for some animation students and these days may no longer always be the case.
But there is an important point to make here. Even if an animator says they can't draw. That doesn't mean that they are excused from drawing. A personal perception of being unable to draw doesn't mean that an animator is excused from trying to improve a skill that can be important in developing their overall animation skills. That would be folly.
The important thing to understand is that everyone can draw. We all draw our own way. An animation course is not a drawing competition. You will see some wonderful illustrators in an animation course. Sometimes being a good illustrator can be a handicap for developing animation skills. An attention to detail can be a tough habit to shake.
!Work Ruff
In the big picture, the majority of drawings an animator produces will never be seen by more than a few people. Those drawings have the primary goal to communicate ideas. The drawings are used as communication in a tribe of craftspeople who communicate visually.
As long as you can draw characters in an economical stick figure style, then you can communicate ideas and plan your animation.
Working rough, or "ruff", is the way most of the drawings are produced when planning an animation. This goes for doodling ideas for a character design, or for thumbnailing* early storyboarding, or for doing 1 minute sketches in life drawing classes. (*thumbnail size sketches)
Staying loose and sketchy captures more than the image of what is being drawn. Within loose and sketchy "ruff" line works an animator captures motion. Loose, sketchy line work illustrates forces, movement and 'the illusion of life'.
Drawing for animation is more about communication of movement through abstraction or representation of motion rather than rendering beautifully detailed images.
For the animators who illustrate beautifully already, thankyou, it is awesome to see your work. A due reward for uncountable hours, pages of all types of paper, stacks of sketchbooks, of practice copying favourite characters and evolving an own style.
For skilled illustrators drawing ruff provides excitement in drawing in a way that frees an artist up from the dedication to detail. Working ruff and not becoming emotionally invested in each drawing will help enliven your style when you return to produce a finished artwork.
Even in areas of the craft where drawing skills can be brought out on display, such as storyboarding, the same basic idea of economical drawing as communication can be applied. As Karen J Lloyd describes on her storyboarding blog, "If you’re capable of writing your name, you can draw."
In a recent post on the Animation Mentor Tips and Tricks blog, Aaron Hartline discusses the question, "Do You Need to Have a Drawing Background to Be a 3D Animator?" for animators who seek refuge in software away from the drawing board.
Just as animation has evolved from the era of Disney's 9 Old Men, when the animation principles were hatched by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, so has the animation principle of "solid drawing" evolved. It has spread its intent into new animation forms, such as 3D animation, to embrace such things in as; Posing, Balance, Line of Action, Gestures, Silouhette, Meaningful Symbolism, Feeling of Weight, Implication of Mass and Volume. At the same time it is an animation principle that still retains important traditional, hand-drawn animation aspects such as Staying on Model.
Practicing the skill of drawing will make you a better animator as well as a better illustrator. Two prizes with one effort.