FEEDBACK - Gun fire Animation

cambamkaboom

As always, any feedback would be appreciated. 

https://syncsketch.com/sketch/fabf8daf052f/#537216

Thanks, 
Cameron

tholmes3d

Before digging into the poses and timing, I would work on the base concept. First, I'm not clear about what he's doing. I assume it's kind of a taunt/flamboyant way to start shooting at something? If so, I think it could be pushed further. Second, not that everything has to be realistic, but the general timing of him shooting as soon as the gun lands in his hand feels off. I think it would feel better if you show the weight of it landing in his hand for a half beat, and then he starts firing. Lastly, the action could be more dynamic in terms of posing. From both the front and side view the pose is somewhat symmetrical, with the arms both doing the same action. 
I would try messing around to see how you can offset the timing/posing of the arms. Maybe he's holding the gun down by his side and then uses his body a lot more to help swing it up over his head similar to how you have it, and then his left arm reaches up to catch it as it comes down heavily.

Also, it's helpful seeing what reference you're working from. In this case, (not that brooms don't make good guns, I've been using a broomstick recently as a weapon as well) I think it'll help your reference to use something heavier is possible to get good reference for catching the gun as it comes down.

Looking forward to seeing this progressing.

cambamkaboom

tholmes3d said:

Before digging into the poses and timing, I would work on the base concept. First, I'm not clear about what he's doing. I assume it's kind of a taunt/flamboyant way to start shooting at something? If so, I think it could be pushed further. Second, not that everything has to be realistic, but the general timing of him shooting as soon as the gun lands in his hand feels off. I think it would feel better if you show the weight of it landing in his hand for a half beat, and then he starts firing. Lastly, the action could be more dynamic in terms of posing. From both the front and side view the pose is somewhat symmetrical, with the arms both doing the same action. 
I would try messing around to see how you can offset the timing/posing of the arms. Maybe he's holding the gun down by his side and then uses his body a lot more to help swing it up over his head similar to how you have it, and then his left arm reaches up to catch it as it comes down heavily.

Also, it's helpful seeing what reference you're working from. In this case, (not that brooms don't make good guns, I've been using a broomstick recently as a weapon as well) I think it'll help your reference to use something heavier is possible to get good reference for catching the gun as it comes down.

Looking forward to seeing this progressing.

Hey, thanks for the notes. Do you mind taking a look at my updated version?

tholmes3d

I see you added the anticipation at the beginning and settle at the end. I think the arc looks fine at this stage. As for the weight of the gun, that's totally up to you to decide as part of giving character to the mech. Is it super powerful, or basically a human?

Is this for a school project or personal project? The reason I ask is if it's a school project I assume you have a deadline, where-as if it's a personal project you could spend all the time you want trying different things. 

cambamkaboom

tholmes3d said:

I see you added the anticipation at the beginning and settle at the end. I think the arc looks fine at this stage. As for the weight of the gun, that's totally up to you to decide as part of giving character to the mech. Is it super powerful, or basically a human?

Is this for a school project or personal project? The reason I ask is if it's a school project I assume you have a deadline, where-as if it's a personal project you could spend all the time you want trying different things. 

Personal project. So I have time to do all the things.

cambamkaboom

@tholmes3d
My latest version is up. Do you mind taking a look?
https://syncsketch.com/sketch/fabf8daf052f/#557521

tholmes3d

Some of my original critique still applies, mainly about the twinning of the arms. I can see that you're adding more breakdowns to smooth out the action. Since it's not super different that the previous versions, you'll have to let me know what specifically you want critique on, otherwise keep charging ahead.
If you're feeling hesitant about committing to this blockout, I sometimes like to save a copy of the file and give myself a time window (20 minutes, 1 hour, whatever works for you) to just play around with the timing and poses, not worrying about breaking the animation or going too far. In fact, try to push the animation so far that it breaks. I find that can be a good way to make sure you're not stuck in a box and find creative ideas, or prove to yourself that you've thoroughly explored your options and you can then feel good about committing to polish what you have.