Something Wicked - Short Animation
polycounter lvl 18
Ok, so this is what has been stalling the re-redesign of my website. Figured I'd pimp all of this. The animation is just for amusement, as it was a class assignment. The various specifications and requirements will be outlined later on in the post but for now, here are the links to the short animation (40 seconds):
Windows .avi, DivX(2.59 MB)
Mac .mov, Sorenson3(11.2 MB)
For the animation each student was given 4 weeks to come up with a story, draw up a storyboard, create anything we'd need for the animation (or use characters created from one of the other 4 week projects earlier in the class), animate, render, and composite. All projects were solo, non collaboration projects. Melanie Wicked, and her Father were both created in a prior class project, with 2 weeks being spent to concept, model, and rig each. The environment was also created during the same 4 week period as Melanie and her Father.
Even though the animation itself is done, and I plan to probably never touch it again, the characters themselves I plan on revisiting one day, as perhaps sort of a combo cg/traditional web comic, or character series, and perhaps even sculpey model and paint Melanie.
<u>Melanie Wicked Setup</u>
Facial Morphs
Rig
Melanie Wicked has the simplest rig of all. Basic skeleton, plus morph targets, and a look-at constraint to control where her head was looking. All facial animation was controlled through 1 morph modifier.
<u>Father Wicked Setup</u>
Perspective, Front, Side (Please note that these are not orthographic views, due to the fact that Ink 'n' Paint does not render in orthographic viewmode)
Facial Morphs Total, Combinations, 1, 2
Complete Rig
Eyeball Rig 1, 2, 3
Father Wicked's setup was a tab more complex. Although he has a basic skeleton, he was built, and needed to be animated in such a way that he needed a morph modifier for each individual eye, his eyebrows as a total, and his face. Therefore sliders were used to control each of these, and assigned to their own layer so I could hide or show them at will. Each of his eyes can be rotated and have its iris dilated independant of the others due to the way I setup the look-at constraints and heirarchy.
The face shaped spline controls where his head looks at, with the green cross dummies, and blue rectangle parented to it to follow. The blue rectangle moves both of his eyes together, while each of the green dummies can be moved independantly to give him some pretty interesting expressions (he's a zombie, not everything is in proper working order when it comes to organs and appendages).
If there are any questions on rigging or anything that was done in the movies, I'll be happy to answer your questions. Other than that, feel free to critique away. Including on the movie, though my goal isn't over all animation, but instead concept/character design and modelling. *shrugs* Cheers all
Windows .avi, DivX(2.59 MB)
Mac .mov, Sorenson3(11.2 MB)
For the animation each student was given 4 weeks to come up with a story, draw up a storyboard, create anything we'd need for the animation (or use characters created from one of the other 4 week projects earlier in the class), animate, render, and composite. All projects were solo, non collaboration projects. Melanie Wicked, and her Father were both created in a prior class project, with 2 weeks being spent to concept, model, and rig each. The environment was also created during the same 4 week period as Melanie and her Father.
Even though the animation itself is done, and I plan to probably never touch it again, the characters themselves I plan on revisiting one day, as perhaps sort of a combo cg/traditional web comic, or character series, and perhaps even sculpey model and paint Melanie.
<u>Melanie Wicked Setup</u>
Facial Morphs
Rig
Melanie Wicked has the simplest rig of all. Basic skeleton, plus morph targets, and a look-at constraint to control where her head was looking. All facial animation was controlled through 1 morph modifier.
<u>Father Wicked Setup</u>
Perspective, Front, Side (Please note that these are not orthographic views, due to the fact that Ink 'n' Paint does not render in orthographic viewmode)
Facial Morphs Total, Combinations, 1, 2
Complete Rig
Eyeball Rig 1, 2, 3
Father Wicked's setup was a tab more complex. Although he has a basic skeleton, he was built, and needed to be animated in such a way that he needed a morph modifier for each individual eye, his eyebrows as a total, and his face. Therefore sliders were used to control each of these, and assigned to their own layer so I could hide or show them at will. Each of his eyes can be rotated and have its iris dilated independant of the others due to the way I setup the look-at constraints and heirarchy.
The face shaped spline controls where his head looks at, with the green cross dummies, and blue rectangle parented to it to follow. The blue rectangle moves both of his eyes together, while each of the green dummies can be moved independantly to give him some pretty interesting expressions (he's a zombie, not everything is in proper working order when it comes to organs and appendages).
If there are any questions on rigging or anything that was done in the movies, I'll be happy to answer your questions. Other than that, feel free to critique away. Including on the movie, though my goal isn't over all animation, but instead concept/character design and modelling. *shrugs* Cheers all
Replies
Your conflict has only one action- the conclusion. You need some opposing action to have a conflict, which then leads to a conclusion. Angry stares aren't an action, they are a reaction.
4 weeks. Ouch. I did a minuite and a half for a 6 week. None of that is on my demo reel, for good reason.
Your shots are timed strangely and the story/continuity suffers because of this. Either put more into the storyboarding/animatic stage or into the final edit.
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I think its more of a both on this account, as I only had about 3 days to draw up a storyboard, and 3 days for editing the animation in After Effects.
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Your conflict has only one action- the conclusion. You need some opposing action to have a conflict, which then leads to a conclusion. Angry stares aren't an action, they are a reaction.
4 weeks. Ouch. I did a minuite and a half for a 6 week. None of that is on my demo reel, for good reason.
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Yeah, I don't plan on including the animation itself in any demo reel what so ever, animation isn't quite my forte, nor would I be looking to do it as a career...that and the time constraints didn't help. I'm trying to see though if I should use the characters and their rigs/setup etc. in my portfolio, since I am sort of fond of them on some level.
@Vig
Thats the general consensus I've gotten from people who I've shown the characters and the animation. That and they seem to have a fondness for Melanie overall.
Thanks guys for the crits and comments, much appreciated.