Friday, August 15, 2008
Still needs a face pass and a polish pass, but I"m liking how some of this is turning out. Still a lot that could have been clearer. lots of hands all jumbled together.
Tets Updates
No visuals, as I"m pluggin along.
But I have had some great crits.
The dialogue bit, I had taken as far as I knew how. Most recent crit was to simplify and strengthen for clarity. I've had some one else remark that I "had a lot going on," in it. So, i'm thinking the problem is the hand slap and the mouth pop are too close together, and then the hand shaking and head shaking are distracting from each other. Alos my polish needs work, and its still hitting some walls.
Fixing the wall hits is no problem, not entirely sure about how to up the polish, and I have some ideas for the simplyfing. I'm still clueless on the mouths. I'm thinking leave the hand on the table with the hit, keep the attention on the head, and on the final hit, where the hand goes forward, keep that in there, but take out some of the hand shaking. Also, get rid of some of the head wagging.
The long armed piece is coming along. Still over complicated I think, but, too late to change it at this point. I'm trying to get that sort of thing taken care of in blocking, so I need to make my blocking more clear, so people can catch this stuff earlier on. I HATE redoing tail end work. After a certain point, and cencept is signed off on, I'd like to finish it up according to plan. These are wishes, as every production on earth has last minute changes by directors and creators who don't know what they want till they see it.
Ideally, early in the shot in my long armed piece, I'd get the focus of the audience on the hand thats going to trip, much sooner. How ever, this piece has been evolving from just a few jumps of the long armed guy, to adding the second character, and everything else, and I'd pretty much be re=animating the whole beginning, which is irritating. Its "working" as it is, but I completely agree that would make it stronger. I'm hopeing in the future, when I have some direction of my shots, these sorts of problems can be avoided a little more. We'll see. Updates to show come early next week.
But I have had some great crits.
The dialogue bit, I had taken as far as I knew how. Most recent crit was to simplify and strengthen for clarity. I've had some one else remark that I "had a lot going on," in it. So, i'm thinking the problem is the hand slap and the mouth pop are too close together, and then the hand shaking and head shaking are distracting from each other. Alos my polish needs work, and its still hitting some walls.
Fixing the wall hits is no problem, not entirely sure about how to up the polish, and I have some ideas for the simplyfing. I'm still clueless on the mouths. I'm thinking leave the hand on the table with the hit, keep the attention on the head, and on the final hit, where the hand goes forward, keep that in there, but take out some of the hand shaking. Also, get rid of some of the head wagging.
The long armed piece is coming along. Still over complicated I think, but, too late to change it at this point. I'm trying to get that sort of thing taken care of in blocking, so I need to make my blocking more clear, so people can catch this stuff earlier on. I HATE redoing tail end work. After a certain point, and cencept is signed off on, I'd like to finish it up according to plan. These are wishes, as every production on earth has last minute changes by directors and creators who don't know what they want till they see it.
Ideally, early in the shot in my long armed piece, I'd get the focus of the audience on the hand thats going to trip, much sooner. How ever, this piece has been evolving from just a few jumps of the long armed guy, to adding the second character, and everything else, and I'd pretty much be re=animating the whole beginning, which is irritating. Its "working" as it is, but I completely agree that would make it stronger. I'm hopeing in the future, when I have some direction of my shots, these sorts of problems can be avoided a little more. We'll see. Updates to show come early next week.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Friday, August 08, 2008
Phew
When swinging by youtube, their "your friends are watching:" or what have you, and I noticed Steve Neary, was watching this. I've been looking for this for a while. Very powerful film, if you ask me.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Glory. Yes? No?
All rigs should have a glory control. They are more fun to make, and the rest of the staff likes the surprise.
Ya, its a semi truck, real complicated I know, but I don't know how to do screen grabs, and controls don't render. Not that a semi truck really needs more then about two.
And far as the blanket. Welp ... its one of those production miscommunications. The kind where I get an assignment I actually enjoy, found myself looking forward to, was feeling competent on, had ownership over with out weeks of revisions because no one knows what they want until they see it, and its a shot that was changed last week, and no one told any one.
I'll probably be able to save the edge fold over, and some of the settle, but all the rest, the being drug up the side of the wall, rigging a blanket, vert animation on ones, to try and get a cleanish silhouette. In the trashy can can. Day of work lost. Doesn't sound that bad, in retrospect, just like redoing some blocking, and one can't get attatched to blocking, but, one of the few things I've been able to do for the ol' preschool programming I actually gave to hiccups about.
Ya, its a semi truck, real complicated I know, but I don't know how to do screen grabs, and controls don't render. Not that a semi truck really needs more then about two.
And far as the blanket. Welp ... its one of those production miscommunications. The kind where I get an assignment I actually enjoy, found myself looking forward to, was feeling competent on, had ownership over with out weeks of revisions because no one knows what they want until they see it, and its a shot that was changed last week, and no one told any one.
I'll probably be able to save the edge fold over, and some of the settle, but all the rest, the being drug up the side of the wall, rigging a blanket, vert animation on ones, to try and get a cleanish silhouette. In the trashy can can. Day of work lost. Doesn't sound that bad, in retrospect, just like redoing some blocking, and one can't get attatched to blocking, but, one of the few things I've been able to do for the ol' preschool programming I actually gave to hiccups about.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Work
Of course, they needed the blanket animated. Couldn't draw it cause the shading needs to match the cg back grounds, and we don't have a sim dept. Gotta have the character getting out of bed, then getting the blanket to drift down and make itself.
This is actually pretty fun, which for preschool TV, is a super plus. And its taking 1/10 the time I thought it would. Joints, lattices, and some vert animation. It has promise, and I might even have enough time to make it look half decent.
Thats my "stand-in" texture till we get some pastel goodness that matches the rest of the preschool show, so until then ... HAIL SATAN! ('s bed sheets).
can't show more of the scene for legal reasons.
And here is where the problems are Ladies and Gentlemen. Smooth out the bumps, still feeling like its bouncing off walls on the way down to me, and not sure about the more exagerated followthrough on the bottom of the blanket this time round, get some fresh eyes on it tomorrow.
This is actually pretty fun, which for preschool TV, is a super plus. And its taking 1/10 the time I thought it would. Joints, lattices, and some vert animation. It has promise, and I might even have enough time to make it look half decent.
Thats my "stand-in" texture till we get some pastel goodness that matches the rest of the preschool show, so until then ... HAIL SATAN! ('s bed sheets).
can't show more of the scene for legal reasons.
And here is where the problems are Ladies and Gentlemen. Smooth out the bumps, still feeling like its bouncing off walls on the way down to me, and not sure about the more exagerated followthrough on the bottom of the blanket this time round, get some fresh eyes on it tomorrow.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Update, What the hell ...
As you can tell this is about 1/3, 1/2 way through first pass splining. I'm trying to get things pretty finalized when I'm smoothing out. Take 30-60 frames at a time from blocking, and starting at the root, work my way out. Extra love for the head.
From this, parts are not WAY too off when splining out, but I'd sure like to get them closer first time. I need to understand better what I'm going to get from my blocking, in terms a smooth, and how that set up effects smoothing out. Keeping the tension in the long pull is going to be a bitch I know it. And the end expressions are corny as all hell. What ever. Gotta try doing something other then humor and adolescent angst/rage some time.
And keeping on schedule as far as splining out. Clocking in at 35-40 hrs for the first 110 frames smoothing out. They need a face/polish pass, but aiming for 60-100 frames, final animation, per 60 hours, not doing too bad.
I reached the point where I was starting to loose objectivity, and not sure my changes were making it better. The mouth can be simplified, but I need to research that, as I'm fresh out of ideas. Also, I suspect the face needs another polish pass, and the resting hand, needs some love, but, I'm pretty much at the end of my current abilities with this one, and need an expert eye for any more improvements. Help please.
Audio fixed. Stupid youtube couldn't process it correctly.
From this, parts are not WAY too off when splining out, but I'd sure like to get them closer first time. I need to understand better what I'm going to get from my blocking, in terms a smooth, and how that set up effects smoothing out. Keeping the tension in the long pull is going to be a bitch I know it. And the end expressions are corny as all hell. What ever. Gotta try doing something other then humor and adolescent angst/rage some time.
And keeping on schedule as far as splining out. Clocking in at 35-40 hrs for the first 110 frames smoothing out. They need a face/polish pass, but aiming for 60-100 frames, final animation, per 60 hours, not doing too bad.
I reached the point where I was starting to loose objectivity, and not sure my changes were making it better. The mouth can be simplified, but I need to research that, as I'm fresh out of ideas. Also, I suspect the face needs another polish pass, and the resting hand, needs some love, but, I'm pretty much at the end of my current abilities with this one, and need an expert eye for any more improvements. Help please.
Audio fixed. Stupid youtube couldn't process it correctly.
the Rusty, the Improving and the Ugly
Recent figure drawing. Been a few months, and I'm rusty as all hell. Going to start making some progress again.
Monday, July 28, 2008
pahLehLeh_v019
Dialogue update. Making progress on all fronts. Also keeping decently in line with the schedule (100 frames per 60 hours worked). Splinning is so far ahead of schedule, on both tests. That is sweet!
Been learning a lot, and feel like my eye is getting much sharper. How ever, that also means I am not satisfied with anything for more then a few seconds, and the masters, seem to be getting farther away, not closer.
Oh, and PLAN!!!!! I've made this mistake with blocking, and see it profusely on 11 second club, in where, they have 4 "poses" for a 10 second piece of dialogue. I quote "poses," because moving the torso, does not count as a pose. You need STORY TELLING images. This needs to be a whole body pose, facial included, that COMMUNICATES an emotion, or idea, clearly, to the audience. The pose needs to be dynamic, interesting, weighty, balanced, all the principles of what makes a good image.
Then, once those few are figured out, start thinking about how they relate to each other, how one might move between them, then, just start in betweening them. Once you break it down enough, to where the story is told, with a little texture of timing and spacing, THEN, and ONLY then, is your shot "blocked." If what we are calling "blocking," does not communicate ANY ideas, its not blocking, and there is no way in hell we are going to have "happy accidents," and just stumble upon genius when we start splining things out. You'll have to think about it, and KNOW it, eventually, before you can animate it. Good animation, is proof that some one KNOWS something about life.
But there in lies the biggest hurdle. You need something to say, that more then one other human, will give to hoots about. Yes, if your poses are all balanced, and beautiful, and communicate clearly, the thoughts and feelings of the character, your off to a great start. But then the line that separates the artist, from the technical master, is drawn. The artist says something meaningful. The work becomes more powerful, each time it is experienced. The technical master how ever, looses its luster half way through the first viewing/listen, ect. You can't teach some one WHAT to say. Only the words, for HOW to say it. Here is hoping I can say something meaningful eventually.
A special thanks to Lou, for some great tips on refining this. Just few frame difference on the face stuff on the hit, and some larger "off model" suggestions that are really helping out. I need to sleep on it, take another look, tweak, send out for crits, polish, and call it done for now. CLOSE!
Hand Tweak
Been learning a lot, and feel like my eye is getting much sharper. How ever, that also means I am not satisfied with anything for more then a few seconds, and the masters, seem to be getting farther away, not closer.
Oh, and PLAN!!!!! I've made this mistake with blocking, and see it profusely on 11 second club, in where, they have 4 "poses" for a 10 second piece of dialogue. I quote "poses," because moving the torso, does not count as a pose. You need STORY TELLING images. This needs to be a whole body pose, facial included, that COMMUNICATES an emotion, or idea, clearly, to the audience. The pose needs to be dynamic, interesting, weighty, balanced, all the principles of what makes a good image.
Then, once those few are figured out, start thinking about how they relate to each other, how one might move between them, then, just start in betweening them. Once you break it down enough, to where the story is told, with a little texture of timing and spacing, THEN, and ONLY then, is your shot "blocked." If what we are calling "blocking," does not communicate ANY ideas, its not blocking, and there is no way in hell we are going to have "happy accidents," and just stumble upon genius when we start splining things out. You'll have to think about it, and KNOW it, eventually, before you can animate it. Good animation, is proof that some one KNOWS something about life.
But there in lies the biggest hurdle. You need something to say, that more then one other human, will give to hoots about. Yes, if your poses are all balanced, and beautiful, and communicate clearly, the thoughts and feelings of the character, your off to a great start. But then the line that separates the artist, from the technical master, is drawn. The artist says something meaningful. The work becomes more powerful, each time it is experienced. The technical master how ever, looses its luster half way through the first viewing/listen, ect. You can't teach some one WHAT to say. Only the words, for HOW to say it. Here is hoping I can say something meaningful eventually.
A special thanks to Lou, for some great tips on refining this. Just few frame difference on the face stuff on the hit, and some larger "off model" suggestions that are really helping out. I need to sleep on it, take another look, tweak, send out for crits, polish, and call it done for now. CLOSE!
Hand Tweak
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