WEEK START - 24th of September
WEEK END - 30th of September
This week was the introduction for our projects for the next two months, focusing on the fundamentals of animation. Within the fundamentals project, we focus on four areas:
1 - Dynamic Animation
2 - Character Design
3 - A character research essay
4 - Life Drawing
This week, we focused on Dynamic Animation and the essay.
MONDAY
On Monday, we were introduced to what we would be doing over the next 8 weeks, including exercises in multiple mediums (stop motion, 2D hand-drawn, 2D digital), different types of exercises (walk-cycles, ball bounces and pendulum swings), as well as programs we would be using. We were explained the concept of framerates, and certain characteristics involving it which makes the illusion of animation more convincing.
We then moved onto talk about Dynamic Animation in itself. It involves creating a believable movement, that feels right for whatever's moving. Inertia (the weight / effort involved with an object), different forces and resistances are all defined and discussed in terms of how they affect an animated object.
These forces also affect speed and acceleration. Movement from point A to point B isn't strictly linear, so frames controlling speed had to be considered. Anticipation and held positions help simulate a more believable movement.
That afternoon, we were grouped up and sent to work in DragonFrame (a line testing program) to try and create an accurate pendulum swing animation using a penny and a piece of string, keeping in mind pendulum weight, length and direction. We used an HD Webcam 920 to capture our images, as well as the DragonFrame program mentioned prior. A peripheral was also used to capture the images; a keyboard-like extension with dedicated keys to capture images, cycle through previous frames, etc.
We took reference for the animation from a series of photographs we had taken, where we swung a ball on a string very lightly, to see how the pendulum would have to be translated. After we got out references, we moved to the computer and tried to start animating.
Unfortunately, my group hit a bump in the road, in that DragonFrame wouldn't work properly. Upon boot-up, you need to change the capturing source and video assist source from the integrated webcam to the inputted one. However, when we changed this, nothing happened onscreen. After numerous log-ins and outs for around 20 minutes, we simply restarted the computer entirely, and then it started to work. Troubleshooting the issue took up valuable animation time, and it's never easy to predict when you're going to encounter a problem like this. Next time, safeguards should be drawn up in case something like this happens again.
Once we had fixed the problem, we managed to create two animations; the first, we agreed, felt a bit too unnatural. It seemed like the weight of the pendulum fluctuated, which didn't deliver a convincing movement. We retried, this time considering using fewer frames so that even if we had a skeleton of a swing, we could see what worked and what didn't. Our second attempt turned out much better, giving a more believable swing.
TUESDAY
Tuesday was our introduction to the character research essay. In the unit, we would be looking at why characters & research matter, the history of animated characters, how to develop characters, archetypes vs stereotypes, and learning essential research and essay skills.
The essay is to be 1000 words (with a margin of 100 words each way). We choose an animated character and question (the latter being guided by a tutor), and keep working on it while getting individual assistance for rough drafts. We were also advised to start a list of characters we may use, which I'll include at the end of the Tuesday summary. We do have to consider which characters would be helpful or not; this can be in terms of what area of animation we want to go into, what types of characters we want to make, etc.
We also went over contextualisation. Looking at a character from a broader viewpoint, and thinking of them in terms of what larger archetype / genre they fall into, the social and / or cultural issues, and their message of both the fictional world they reside, and the real world.
We talked about what a character IS. There were a few definitions, but the two main ones were:
"Usually a being represented in a film, play or story"and
"A particular combination of qualities distinctive to a person or place."
Characters are important because they're the thing that audiences remember most about a film. People may not remember the plot of The Empire Strikes Back, but they'll remember Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Characters don't necessarily have to be human, but they have to be human enough to have audiences relate to. This can be achieved through simple character motivations and goals, or through anthropomorphism (the act of giving a non-human human qualities). Human qualities in characters are there for the human audience, who want to connect with this characters beyond just seeing them.
Characters are also used as a delivery method of a message or moral. For example, Wreck-It Ralph's titular character delivers the message that it's ok to be yourself, even when others around you judge you on a surface level.
"I'm bad... and that's good. I'll never be good... and that's not bad. There's no-one I'd rather be than me" - Ralph, "Wreck-It Ralph" (2012)
We then went on to watch a series of key turning points in animation, including:
- Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) - Considered the first character based animation, where a live action man would "talk" to the dinosaur, and it would react accordingly. Gertie's actions gave off a personality no unlike a dog's, with an occasional response to command, but usually just doing what they want.
- Felix the Cat (1919) - The first animated "star", Felix's adventures often involved him getting into situations do to his cheeky, anarchic personality. The cartoons were also some of the first to utilise the rubberhose style, which involved characters ignoring basic anatomy rules and stretching and removing body parts.
- Out of the Inkwell (1921) - Created by the Fleischer Brothers (who would later go on to make Betty Boop and Popeye), the series would show off rotoscope animation, where an animator would draw on top of a piece of live action reference.
- Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (1927) - Walt Disney's first cartoon star, before being lost to Universal head Charles Mintz soon after the characters inception.
- Mickey Mouse (1928) - The first Mickey Mouse cartoon Walt Disney released, "Steamboat Willie", was the first cartoon to be synced with recorded sound, including the iconic whistle now played at the beginning of every Walt Disney Animation Studios film.
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - The first feature length animated picture, made in a drought of short form cartoons. It was a big gamble for Disney, with the term "Disney's Folly" being coined. Would they hold audience interest for 90 minutes? Could they make audiences care for an animated character? No-one knew, because it hadn't been done before. Fortunately, due to a new focus on "warmth and believability", Snow White went on to make $8,000,000 to a $2,000,000 budget.
Through Snow White, we also had a look at one specific scene designed to deliver an emotional punch to the audience; where the Huntsman nearly kills Snow White. We found that building up the shadow, followed by the knife, and contrasting it next to Snow White's innocence, delivered a more powerful pathos (appeal to the emotions).
That was all we had Tuesday, so I started coming up with characters I could look at for the essay.
- Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story, 1995)
- Emmet (The LEGO Movie, 2014)
- Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls, 2012 - 2016)
- Mr Meeseeks (Rick and Morty, 2013 - Present)
- Genie (Aladdin, 1992)
- Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons, 1927)
- Batman (The LEGO Batman Movie, 2017)
THURSDAY
Thursday was out introduction to traditional 2D animation methods. I was really excited for this; I'd wanted to try it for ages, but never had the proper resources for it. Before delving into it though, we had a talk on research for our projects. It's a vital aspect of studies, and vital in gaining a better understanding too. We were also advised to look BEYOND animation for inspiration. Live action films, fine art, fashion, games, comic books... all valid sources of inspiration. We were also advised to look into colour theory, historical context, cultural representation and ethics through research too.
Onto the animation task of the day, we looked at the three different types of frames in 2D animation; the Extremes, the Passing Positions, and Inbetweens.
Extremes, also known as Keyframes, are what represent the start and end of an action, with some kind of change in position, shape, direction, etc.
Passing Positions, or the Breakdown, is the frame in the middle of the two extremes, midway through the action.
Inbetweens are between two images, filling the gap between them and creating the illusion of movement.
Spacing Charts were also demonstrated to us. Spacing charts are visual representations of the spacing of frames, with the extremes being at each end, and frames represented by smaller lines being inbetween.
(Moana line test, produced before the CG animation, uses multiple spacing charts for each of Moana's smaller movements. Animated by Randy Haycock.)
By bunching up certain frames at the beginning and end of a motion, it creates a nicer easing in and out movement. An object will slow down, then speed up exponentially, then gradually slow back down once it's halfway through it's arc.
After all the build up talk, it was time to get working on our animation! We did a pendulum swing once again, this time using pencils and F12 Paper; the special kind of holed paper animators used. The paper fits a specially designed peg bar, and allows multiple pieces of paper to be stacked on top of each other while still remaining lined up. The paper also has a slight translucent quality to it, so you can see drawings previously made up.
My first pendulum swing was made up of 13 frames, and while it was a good first start, i was advised to try again. The first pass was a bit too fast, and needed more frames for the ease in and out. The arc was also too straight, and needed a bit more curve to it.
Going back to the drawing board (literally), I gave it another shot with more frames and an altered arc. This version used nearly 20 frames, and had a much nicer ease in / out, and a more believable arc.
Satisfied with my pendulum swing, I moved onto the second task. For this, we had to interrupt the pendulum somehow, so that it wouldn't complete one full swing. We had no instructions on how to do so, and were told to be creative with it. I decided that making the pendulum act like a wrecking ball could be a fun way to go about it.
I started the arc with a very slight swing to the right, to build up some momentum. The ball then swung quite hard to the left, until it finally swung right quite fast, hitting a wall before it had the chance to ease out. The ball interacted with the wall, having chunks of it blow out and a dust cloud pass over the ball. I was extremely satisfied with the first pass of the animation, as it had achieved exactly the effect I wanted.
Doing this task again, keeping believability in mind is an essential step to take from the get-go. My enthusiasm of the task slightly clouded that judgement in the first pass, leading to a pendulum swing that left a lot to be desired. But if I keep working like how I did for the second pass of the pendulum swing, then I should be fine going forward.
CONCLUSION
Overall, I feel like this week was mostly focused on taking first steps. Not just in animation, but into the course and university life in general. We now know all our starting points, and how to best utilise and learn from them. If I was to take one thing I learnt this week to continue doing, it would definitely be the traditional animation methods. Drawing every frame on paper is unusually satisfying to do, compared to my usual methods in 2D digital animation.
My first pendulum swing was made up of 13 frames, and while it was a good first start, i was advised to try again. The first pass was a bit too fast, and needed more frames for the ease in and out. The arc was also too straight, and needed a bit more curve to it.
Going back to the drawing board (literally), I gave it another shot with more frames and an altered arc. This version used nearly 20 frames, and had a much nicer ease in / out, and a more believable arc.
Satisfied with my pendulum swing, I moved onto the second task. For this, we had to interrupt the pendulum somehow, so that it wouldn't complete one full swing. We had no instructions on how to do so, and were told to be creative with it. I decided that making the pendulum act like a wrecking ball could be a fun way to go about it.
I started the arc with a very slight swing to the right, to build up some momentum. The ball then swung quite hard to the left, until it finally swung right quite fast, hitting a wall before it had the chance to ease out. The ball interacted with the wall, having chunks of it blow out and a dust cloud pass over the ball. I was extremely satisfied with the first pass of the animation, as it had achieved exactly the effect I wanted.
Doing this task again, keeping believability in mind is an essential step to take from the get-go. My enthusiasm of the task slightly clouded that judgement in the first pass, leading to a pendulum swing that left a lot to be desired. But if I keep working like how I did for the second pass of the pendulum swing, then I should be fine going forward.
CONCLUSION
Overall, I feel like this week was mostly focused on taking first steps. Not just in animation, but into the course and university life in general. We now know all our starting points, and how to best utilise and learn from them. If I was to take one thing I learnt this week to continue doing, it would definitely be the traditional animation methods. Drawing every frame on paper is unusually satisfying to do, compared to my usual methods in 2D digital animation.
