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