Empty hallways are sort of peaceful.
This week we learned about dynamics. It was cool to get to know more about 3D animation, and I might use something we learned in my 3D short. I know for sure I'll be using the paint grass because grass is a big deal in my animation. We also learned about rigging, which is kind of easier than I expected but also hard. I also have no idea how a lamp is supposed to move as if it is alive.
I am not sure what I'd like to learn in the future. Mostly I just want to know what our writing assignment is about. I would also like to learn how to effectively be part of a debate team because we are supposed to lead a debate in English but his instructions are vague and confusing.
Something that frustrated me this week was working on our musical sign. The lettering for the title was sloppily done in the first place, and so I couldn't completely get the highlight and shadows to line up. Then while I was working my friends walked by and then proceeded to mess up the projector and then I had to spend an hour repositioning the words to the best of my ability. The sign is coming along nicely at least. I would hope so because I spent all of stage working on it.
Something that made me happy is getting the confirmation that I get to spend the weekend with my friend at Fredonia. It will give me a chance to see her and also the chance to get a feel for dorm sleeping. I also got to hang out with my friend Jennie for a while, which is always nice.
Here is a little video that might make you think about the issue with gender conformity: Baby X
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Animation With Editors? Its More Likely Than You Think.
When you watch an animated film you often never think about the work that goes into it. Or, if you do, you only think about the animator and no on else on the team. But animation has every job a live action film has, even down to requiring an editor.
Editors come onto an animation team way earlier in the process than live action film editors. They could be brought on the team years in advance, so far in advance that not even the director has been chosen yet. It may seem strange to even edit an animated movie, but everything can be edited and an animation editor has the longest and most intensive job there is. Every movie starts and ends differently, like how The Black Cauldron had to be changed because of its dark tone even in a time where no one believed that animated films could not be edited.
Ken Schrentzmann says that a way to look at it is with live action you shoot first and edit later, but with animation, you edit first and shoot later. Editors sometimes get to write part of the animation because they sit with the writer and director through the entire process. An editor is a key role in an animation, they are very involved in the movie. Screenplays are not just written and made into a movie, they are written and then built upwards from that. Ideas are then made into storyboards and the editor will sit and piece together all the storyboards into an animatic with the rough sounds and everything. If a scene doesn't fit well, it will then be remade. With each film having about 27 sequences there is a lot that can be done to fix it.
An editor is the voice that pushes and guides an animation to the right place. Like with Fantastic Mr. Fox, the whole movie was rewritten and then every scene was rewritten approximately two times. No scene that made it to the movie was the same by the end. It gets rough when a scene gets locked and something needs to be changed like a shot or something or other. Animators know that they're going to be wrong and if they don't allow themselves to be wrong they'll only rely on things that they know will work. They don't plan to get everything right the first time, they plan to get a few things wrong and learn how to improve them.
Animation is all about improvement and this video essay shows that. Even animated movies need to be edited, no matter how silly it seems. No one gets something perfect the first time, and you can see that in this.
I wonder what is like to be brought on two years in advance and sit all the way through the process to the end. What is it like to dedicate your life to one movie for years? Or do animation editors work on multiple movies at one time? It seems unlikely, but so does dedicating all yourtime to one movie.
Editors come onto an animation team way earlier in the process than live action film editors. They could be brought on the team years in advance, so far in advance that not even the director has been chosen yet. It may seem strange to even edit an animated movie, but everything can be edited and an animation editor has the longest and most intensive job there is. Every movie starts and ends differently, like how The Black Cauldron had to be changed because of its dark tone even in a time where no one believed that animated films could not be edited.
Ken Schrentzmann says that a way to look at it is with live action you shoot first and edit later, but with animation, you edit first and shoot later. Editors sometimes get to write part of the animation because they sit with the writer and director through the entire process. An editor is a key role in an animation, they are very involved in the movie. Screenplays are not just written and made into a movie, they are written and then built upwards from that. Ideas are then made into storyboards and the editor will sit and piece together all the storyboards into an animatic with the rough sounds and everything. If a scene doesn't fit well, it will then be remade. With each film having about 27 sequences there is a lot that can be done to fix it.
An editor is the voice that pushes and guides an animation to the right place. Like with Fantastic Mr. Fox, the whole movie was rewritten and then every scene was rewritten approximately two times. No scene that made it to the movie was the same by the end. It gets rough when a scene gets locked and something needs to be changed like a shot or something or other. Animators know that they're going to be wrong and if they don't allow themselves to be wrong they'll only rely on things that they know will work. They don't plan to get everything right the first time, they plan to get a few things wrong and learn how to improve them.
Animation is all about improvement and this video essay shows that. Even animated movies need to be edited, no matter how silly it seems. No one gets something perfect the first time, and you can see that in this.
I wonder what is like to be brought on two years in advance and sit all the way through the process to the end. What is it like to dedicate your life to one movie for years? Or do animation editors work on multiple movies at one time? It seems unlikely, but so does dedicating all yourtime to one movie.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Yikes
I am a tired human being.
This week was really quiet for some reason. I learned that I can write a three-page research essay approximately twelve hours before it is due. I don't know if I really followed my thesis, but hey at least I handed in typed on paper. We also went over premiere, which is really good because I forgot how to use it and will need to use it very soon. I don't know what else I learned.
Something I would like to learn in the future is how to get the motivation back for writing. I'm handing a lot of things in last minute because of the lack of wanting to write and I hope that I can find that want back. I also want to get betterish at 3D animation so my short looks good because I am worried about that.
This is something that is stupid to be frustrated about but I'm gonna do it anyways. I am frustrated that I only got two honorable mentions in the Scholastic Art and Writings Awards this year. I mean it is great that I even got two awards, but honorable mentions are always kind of "wow you participated here's a ribbon" things to me. I have one more year to enter so maybe I'll get higher next year.
And on that note: I have now officially entered and won awards for the SAAWAs for four years in a row. I continue to be the only student in Lockport to enter and win. It is a shock to me every time, but I hope I can go a fifth year in a year and let my legacy be half a decade of writing awards. Also, we got Sims 4: Vampires and it is the best thing ever and I love it a lot. Vampires make me super happy. If I'm sad just talk about them with me and everything will be better.
This is my favorite cut rap and you should watch this animatic of it. I can almost rap it all the way now. (No you can not escape Hamilton if you know me).
This week was really quiet for some reason. I learned that I can write a three-page research essay approximately twelve hours before it is due. I don't know if I really followed my thesis, but hey at least I handed in typed on paper. We also went over premiere, which is really good because I forgot how to use it and will need to use it very soon. I don't know what else I learned.
Something I would like to learn in the future is how to get the motivation back for writing. I'm handing a lot of things in last minute because of the lack of wanting to write and I hope that I can find that want back. I also want to get betterish at 3D animation so my short looks good because I am worried about that.
This is something that is stupid to be frustrated about but I'm gonna do it anyways. I am frustrated that I only got two honorable mentions in the Scholastic Art and Writings Awards this year. I mean it is great that I even got two awards, but honorable mentions are always kind of "wow you participated here's a ribbon" things to me. I have one more year to enter so maybe I'll get higher next year.
And on that note: I have now officially entered and won awards for the SAAWAs for four years in a row. I continue to be the only student in Lockport to enter and win. It is a shock to me every time, but I hope I can go a fifth year in a year and let my legacy be half a decade of writing awards. Also, we got Sims 4: Vampires and it is the best thing ever and I love it a lot. Vampires make me super happy. If I'm sad just talk about them with me and everything will be better.
This is my favorite cut rap and you should watch this animatic of it. I can almost rap it all the way now. (No you can not escape Hamilton if you know me).
Pro Tips For Making Believable Characters
Animation is everywhere. In commercials and movies and on TV and in your dreams and just everywhere. Every animation needs believable characters, but how do you get there? Well, this week's article gives you fifteen ways to do just that. I'll go over a couple of them.
One way is to study the psychology of human movement. If there's one thing your character needs, it is for sure a realistic movement. Or something that loosely follows the way a real something or other moves. Every movement has a purpose to it. My hands follow a set pattern when typing that would need to be closely watched for a while to understand it. If you want to truly mimic movement you have to understand the movement and intention. You have to follow the thought behind the movement, and follow it several times. It is good to film the particular movement you are looking for and watch it until you feel a little closer to it. Or look weird in public by performing the movement yourself to understand it, much like me.
Guide with your eyes. Often times, a movement follows a sequence that starts with the eyes. The eyes move, followed by the head, the neck, the body, everything until the focus is finally set on what the eyes were leading it to. Eyes are the windows to our soul, and also the windows to our focus. They lead us where we want to go, and if you watch anyone you will notice how this movement happens. If you want something to be believable move the eyes first, let them be the guide of the animation, because that is exactly what they are.
Gravity is important. Without gravity...well I don't know what would happen without gravity but it probably wouldn't be fun. But gravity is highly important when you are animation the real world. You have to have a grasp on it so that you know when something should be floating or dropping through the floor. For example, in walking everything is different. Depending on build and weight, the walk could be different. Thin and tall people could be more light on their feet while as someone who is built a little heavier would have a heavier footfall, with more waist dipping. It might seem dumb to other people to be reminded of gravity, but it is surprisingly easy to forget it and make something move unrealistically. Like with the practice of a bowling ball and balloon, that makes you take a minute to understand the weight and the effects of gravity when you normally don't. Gravity is highly important, don't forget about it.
Anticipation, action, and reaction. The three main things to any sense of flow. Every movement can be broken into these three things. Like when a character leaps they bend their knees in anticipation. Their jump is action. And finally landing their jump is the reaction. Anything can follow the anticipation, action, and reaction rule. With typing the anticipation is finding the key to type, the action is actually pressing that key, and the reaction is the letter showing up wherever. It is important to keep in mind that this kind of principle can be used for facial animation and movement and even bring aid to exaggeration.
There is a lot you can do to improve your character animation. But nothing is going to change if you don't take given advice in mind, so always sit and think about what you were told. It can get you somewhere farther than where you currently are.
This article is helpful for anyone who struggles to animate characters properly. It gives the tips and tricks that I often follow myself. And also says some other things I didn't think about.
For one thing I didn't think to not animate every lettera character says, but now that I have read this article I realize that doing that was a little silly. Advice is always good to take, especially from people who know what they're doing.
One way is to study the psychology of human movement. If there's one thing your character needs, it is for sure a realistic movement. Or something that loosely follows the way a real something or other moves. Every movement has a purpose to it. My hands follow a set pattern when typing that would need to be closely watched for a while to understand it. If you want to truly mimic movement you have to understand the movement and intention. You have to follow the thought behind the movement, and follow it several times. It is good to film the particular movement you are looking for and watch it until you feel a little closer to it. Or look weird in public by performing the movement yourself to understand it, much like me.
Guide with your eyes. Often times, a movement follows a sequence that starts with the eyes. The eyes move, followed by the head, the neck, the body, everything until the focus is finally set on what the eyes were leading it to. Eyes are the windows to our soul, and also the windows to our focus. They lead us where we want to go, and if you watch anyone you will notice how this movement happens. If you want something to be believable move the eyes first, let them be the guide of the animation, because that is exactly what they are.
Gravity is important. Without gravity...well I don't know what would happen without gravity but it probably wouldn't be fun. But gravity is highly important when you are animation the real world. You have to have a grasp on it so that you know when something should be floating or dropping through the floor. For example, in walking everything is different. Depending on build and weight, the walk could be different. Thin and tall people could be more light on their feet while as someone who is built a little heavier would have a heavier footfall, with more waist dipping. It might seem dumb to other people to be reminded of gravity, but it is surprisingly easy to forget it and make something move unrealistically. Like with the practice of a bowling ball and balloon, that makes you take a minute to understand the weight and the effects of gravity when you normally don't. Gravity is highly important, don't forget about it.
Anticipation, action, and reaction. The three main things to any sense of flow. Every movement can be broken into these three things. Like when a character leaps they bend their knees in anticipation. Their jump is action. And finally landing their jump is the reaction. Anything can follow the anticipation, action, and reaction rule. With typing the anticipation is finding the key to type, the action is actually pressing that key, and the reaction is the letter showing up wherever. It is important to keep in mind that this kind of principle can be used for facial animation and movement and even bring aid to exaggeration.
There is a lot you can do to improve your character animation. But nothing is going to change if you don't take given advice in mind, so always sit and think about what you were told. It can get you somewhere farther than where you currently are.
This article is helpful for anyone who struggles to animate characters properly. It gives the tips and tricks that I often follow myself. And also says some other things I didn't think about.
For one thing I didn't think to not animate every lettera character says, but now that I have read this article I realize that doing that was a little silly. Advice is always good to take, especially from people who know what they're doing.
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