Class 2 Week 12: End of Class 2 Progress Reel

So here's my Progress Reel updated with the Class 2 assignments.  Yup, 6 months of animation = 1 minute of animation.  Humbling.

And now...for a week off of classes!

Class 2 Week 11: Final Assignment Done!

Whew!  Made it.

The new schedule idea really helped get this project done at all.  The last part of this class was a real struggle with time management, but all's well that ends well I guess.  We'll see if I can keep it up going into the next class...

I really enjoyed my time with the mentor Jeremy this class.  Just found out that it was his last class at Animation Mentor (moving on to a job at Ringling School).  I'll miss having him around - he was that perfect (for me at least) balance of support and bluntness, of enthusiasm and healthy cynicism.  Great times - I'm glad I got the chance to learn from him.

Class 2 Week 10: Refining

 

This shot keeps going and going.  We have one more week on this shot than our previous ones, so lots of time to dial in on the details.  I spent a lot of time getting the hand positions better and the grab/release added in.  

One big change this week is a new schedule for me.  I'm now trying to work on my homework in the morning before work, rather than facing it after a long day of being on the computer and commuting the hour home.  So far so good.  Honestly, the dog wakes me at 6am anyways.  It also means I get to enjoy the precious few hours of evening time with my wife guilt free.  She's been VERY patient and supportive with me and my crazy new student schedule.

Class 2 Week 9: Reblocking the Sword

 

Some significant reblocking on this one.  Really struggling with how to get some nice poses and silhouettes with the orientation of character/prop/camera that I have right now.  I changed the camera angle to more front-on trying to address this. 

Class 2 Week 8: Blocking Sword in the Stone

 

Sword in the Stone time!  This is my take on the Push/Pull assignment.  Really wish we still had our annual pass to Disneyland to go film my own reference!

This is also my first time trying out a new iPad app I purchased called Animation Desk.  So I was able to block this out in 2d - and interesting experiment.  It's really nice to get a sense of the timing while planning this out in this way. 

Class 2 Week 7: Wind Final

I lied last week.  I said I was going with the non-rotating version...well, I ended up uploading the rotating version late instead.

Ultimately I'm glad I stuck with the rotation.  I really enjoy working with the environment and animating the boxes too.  Can't wait to move onto a model with arms now :)

Class 2 Week 6: Refining Wind - A Shift in Idea

Well...the big decision this week was what version of my shot to focus on.  Going after a suggestion by the wife, I thought it'd be fun to see the ground shift (rather than the original "wind" concept).  Also, looking at some upper classmen's websites...I found a few versions of this shot were already done with an identical giant red button on the ground.  Lame.

My mentor said he was okay with the idea...but warned it was going to be pretty difficult to pull off.  Since getting my demo reel (started AND finished) this weekend is sucking up a bunch of my time, I decided that simple was best.  To quote one of my favorite quotes:  "Done is good"

Class 2 Week 5: Second Project Begins!

Well, no rest for the weary, on the next project!  Again, we had a big list to pick from - I chose "walk in a heavy storm/wind."

Got a bit of a late start on this one - I was struggling with the setup for the shot.  Considered having Stu (as the guy is affectionately named) walk down a city street, having to avoid flying debris.  Thought about having him round a corner and getting hit with the wind.  At one point even planned him struggling to make it into a bus stop.  In the end, simpler is better - and what's more simple than a giant red button on the ground :)

Class 2 Week 4: Stairs Final

 

 

Well, the final version of my stairs assignment is turned in. Had some spare hours this weekend, so I took the time to render it proper. So, the bottom is the version I see within the software, and above it is the nicely rendered with lighting, motion blur, etc. I'm happy with how this turned out.

We've already started planning next weeks homework, so it's back at it tomorrow...

Class 2 Week 3: Refining Stairs

Two all-nighters on this one.  I need better time management....

Class 2 Week 2: Blocking Stairs

You've seen the reference, now see the blocking animation!
Try humming the theme to The Dick Van Dyke show while watching it :)

Class 2 Week 1: New Class!

Class 2: Pyschology of Body Mechanics

No break this week!  But it was a glorious two days without homework.  Mostly involved recovery sleep.
Really excited about this next class - it's going to consist of only 3 assignments, spending four weeks on each one.  We're given a list of about fifteen actions to choose from, and my idea incorporates a few of them: walking down stairs, a side step, and for the hell of it, a bit of a walk at the end.  I've been waiting for a chance to use Dick Van Dyke for reference, and here's my perfect chance.  We're also encouraged to film ourselves acting out the movements, so here's my best go at being Van Dyke.

According to my previous mentor, I tended to be "subtle" in my animation and poses, and he encouraged me to really push my animation more.  Hopefully this is a good project to push things.  My new mentor Jeremy Cantor, comes from the live-action visual effects world of animation, so I'll be excited to add his perspective on things.