This is an experimentational walk cycle that acts as a test of the synching of the soundtrack to the walk cycle.
Thursday, 13 March 2008
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Animatic Soundtrack
This is the music that will be used as the background soundtrack of the animatic. The song is titled "Seraphim" by Buck Tick.
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
Toon Boom Studio Vs Flash Vs Director
Toom Boom, Flash and Director are all 2D animation packages and I will be looking at their distince properties and discussing which of the three programs that I prefer to use in my animations.
1. Toon Boom Studio.
I think that Toon Boom Studio is a very versatile program that is easy to learn and I think that it offers useful elements such as automated lip-synching and good camera control.
I think the main element of Toon Boom that I find useful is the exposure sheet, as it allows easy viewing of the drawings that have been done, and allows the animator to extend the exposure of the drawings, cutting out the need to keep on re-drawing the same background over and over.
2. Flash
I think that Flash is more difficult to learn than Toon Boom and I find the interface to be comfusing and difficult for users who are not familiar with this program.
Although the interface is a bit difficult to learn at first, Flash offers some very good animation elements, but is disadvantaged by the lack of easy-to-understand exposure sheet. The timelines that are used instead of an exposure sheet are difficult to quickly understand and I think that this is one of the main diadvantages of the program.
3. Director.
Although this is a multimedia program, it can be used for simple animations such as presentation work, but the program is limited by its multimedia interface. The interface is more suited to web design and programming than animation, and I think this is what lets the program down.
Overall, I prefer to use Toon Boom Studio as my animation program as it is easy to learn and use, and takes out a lot of the work involved in 2D animation.
1. Toon Boom Studio.
I think that Toon Boom Studio is a very versatile program that is easy to learn and I think that it offers useful elements such as automated lip-synching and good camera control.
I think the main element of Toon Boom that I find useful is the exposure sheet, as it allows easy viewing of the drawings that have been done, and allows the animator to extend the exposure of the drawings, cutting out the need to keep on re-drawing the same background over and over.
2. Flash
I think that Flash is more difficult to learn than Toon Boom and I find the interface to be comfusing and difficult for users who are not familiar with this program.
Although the interface is a bit difficult to learn at first, Flash offers some very good animation elements, but is disadvantaged by the lack of easy-to-understand exposure sheet. The timelines that are used instead of an exposure sheet are difficult to quickly understand and I think that this is one of the main diadvantages of the program.
3. Director.
Although this is a multimedia program, it can be used for simple animations such as presentation work, but the program is limited by its multimedia interface. The interface is more suited to web design and programming than animation, and I think this is what lets the program down.
Overall, I prefer to use Toon Boom Studio as my animation program as it is easy to learn and use, and takes out a lot of the work involved in 2D animation.
2D Versus 3D
Personally, I prefer working in a 2D environment as I feel that I have greater control over the style and design of the animation.
The drawing style and design in a 3D animation is restricted as the animator has to consider what would be a plausible model that they can animate. For example, an anime-style character would pose more of a problem in a 3D environment than in a 2D one.
I think that 2D animation is a very versatile medium as the drawing style and design can be easily implemented into 2D software such as Toon Boom Studio.
The problems with 3D animation is that the three dimensionality of the medium can result in a camera that is incorrectly positioned in the scene and it may be forgotten entirely. This is not a problem in 2D animation, as the camera is always directly facing the scene and can be moved, zoomed in or out or panned across the scene as required without resulting in odd camera angles.
I also think that 3D animation feels too remote when the animation is being created. The animator is kind of distanced from the building blocks of the animation; they are unable to physically change details of the model as it is being animated, the model, itself must be altered, then re-imported into the 3D environment.
Overall, I prefer 2D animation a lot more than 3D animation as I believe that it offers much more freedom to the animator than a 3D environment.
The drawing style and design in a 3D animation is restricted as the animator has to consider what would be a plausible model that they can animate. For example, an anime-style character would pose more of a problem in a 3D environment than in a 2D one.
I think that 2D animation is a very versatile medium as the drawing style and design can be easily implemented into 2D software such as Toon Boom Studio.
The problems with 3D animation is that the three dimensionality of the medium can result in a camera that is incorrectly positioned in the scene and it may be forgotten entirely. This is not a problem in 2D animation, as the camera is always directly facing the scene and can be moved, zoomed in or out or panned across the scene as required without resulting in odd camera angles.
I also think that 3D animation feels too remote when the animation is being created. The animator is kind of distanced from the building blocks of the animation; they are unable to physically change details of the model as it is being animated, the model, itself must be altered, then re-imported into the 3D environment.
Overall, I prefer 2D animation a lot more than 3D animation as I believe that it offers much more freedom to the animator than a 3D environment.
The Twelve Principles of Animation
1. Squash and Stretch.
-This technique will not be used in the animatic as I think that the effect of squash and stretch is too cartoon-like for the tone of this animatic. The tone of the animatic that I will be producing is too serious for the effect to be added, and I think that if squash and stretch is used in the animatic, it would detract from the overall feel of the animation.
2. Anticipation.
-This technique will not be used as there is no action that requires this principle. The animation is smooth and there is no motion in the animatic that requires anticipation for it to be executed effectively.
3. Staging.
-This is an important element in the animatic as I have considered different camera angles and changes in perspective in the production stages and I think that this technique will work well in the animatic.
4. Straigh Ahead Action and Pose to Pose.
-This technique will be applied in the production of the animatic as Toon Boom's exposure sheet allows the quick copying and pasting of a previous drawing into the next frame so that it an be quickly adapted, making the drawing animated.
5. Follow through and Overlapping.
-This technique will be implemented in the animatic as sequences like the balloon floating on the air will need to use the Flollow through and overlapping technique.
6. Slow in and Slow out.
-This technique will not be used in the animatic as the action is all paced at the same level during the course of the animation. The animation will have a steady pace through the course of the animatic as the animation is timed in synch with the beat of the soundtrack.
7. Arcs.
- The use of arcs will be a very important technique in the production of the animatic as I will use arcs to chart the progress of the balloon when it floats through the air as it is passed to other characters. The use of arcs will allow me to create a more believable line of motion that the balloon will follow, and so it will enhance the overall animation quality.
8. Secondary action.
-There will be elements of Secondary action in the animatic as, when the Pierrot is walking his arms will swing. When other characters appear in the animatic, they will be animated as the Pierrot walks towards them.
Another example of where secondary action will be implemented is when the Pierrot does his double take. His head will turn towards the bench where one character is sitting while he is walking and he will stop and turn round to face the character.
9. Timing.
-Timing is a very important aspect of the animatic, as the soundtrack that I will be using has a steady rhythym and I will be timing the Pierrot's footsteps in synch with this, so that the Pierrot steps in time with the beat of the soundtrack.
10. Exaggeration.
- I will not be using exaggeration in the animatic for the same reason that I am not using Squash and Stretch. I think that the technique is too cartoon-like to fit in with the theme and tone of the animatic, and I believe that the use of exaggeration will detract from the animatic's tone.
11. Solid Drawing.
- This technique will not be used in the animatic as the animation is not fixed on one point; the scenes, camera angles and perspective all change over the course of the animatic. The only area that solid drawing may be used is in a fixed sequence such as a walk cycle, but I do not think that is a principle that will be used frequently in the animatic.
12. Appeal.
- The animatic will have appeal as I will concentrate on the Pierrot's personality and try to express this through the way he is animated to the best of my ability. The other characters will also have appeal, as I want to convey to the audience that each of these characters has their own backstory, but we do not learn of this in the animatic. I will also concentrate in giving these characters a full personality in the way that they are animated.
-This technique will not be used in the animatic as I think that the effect of squash and stretch is too cartoon-like for the tone of this animatic. The tone of the animatic that I will be producing is too serious for the effect to be added, and I think that if squash and stretch is used in the animatic, it would detract from the overall feel of the animation.
2. Anticipation.
-This technique will not be used as there is no action that requires this principle. The animation is smooth and there is no motion in the animatic that requires anticipation for it to be executed effectively.
3. Staging.
-This is an important element in the animatic as I have considered different camera angles and changes in perspective in the production stages and I think that this technique will work well in the animatic.
4. Straigh Ahead Action and Pose to Pose.
-This technique will be applied in the production of the animatic as Toon Boom's exposure sheet allows the quick copying and pasting of a previous drawing into the next frame so that it an be quickly adapted, making the drawing animated.
5. Follow through and Overlapping.
-This technique will be implemented in the animatic as sequences like the balloon floating on the air will need to use the Flollow through and overlapping technique.
6. Slow in and Slow out.
-This technique will not be used in the animatic as the action is all paced at the same level during the course of the animation. The animation will have a steady pace through the course of the animatic as the animation is timed in synch with the beat of the soundtrack.
7. Arcs.
- The use of arcs will be a very important technique in the production of the animatic as I will use arcs to chart the progress of the balloon when it floats through the air as it is passed to other characters. The use of arcs will allow me to create a more believable line of motion that the balloon will follow, and so it will enhance the overall animation quality.
8. Secondary action.
-There will be elements of Secondary action in the animatic as, when the Pierrot is walking his arms will swing. When other characters appear in the animatic, they will be animated as the Pierrot walks towards them.
Another example of where secondary action will be implemented is when the Pierrot does his double take. His head will turn towards the bench where one character is sitting while he is walking and he will stop and turn round to face the character.
9. Timing.
-Timing is a very important aspect of the animatic, as the soundtrack that I will be using has a steady rhythym and I will be timing the Pierrot's footsteps in synch with this, so that the Pierrot steps in time with the beat of the soundtrack.
10. Exaggeration.
- I will not be using exaggeration in the animatic for the same reason that I am not using Squash and Stretch. I think that the technique is too cartoon-like to fit in with the theme and tone of the animatic, and I believe that the use of exaggeration will detract from the animatic's tone.
11. Solid Drawing.
- This technique will not be used in the animatic as the animation is not fixed on one point; the scenes, camera angles and perspective all change over the course of the animatic. The only area that solid drawing may be used is in a fixed sequence such as a walk cycle, but I do not think that is a principle that will be used frequently in the animatic.
12. Appeal.
- The animatic will have appeal as I will concentrate on the Pierrot's personality and try to express this through the way he is animated to the best of my ability. The other characters will also have appeal, as I want to convey to the audience that each of these characters has their own backstory, but we do not learn of this in the animatic. I will also concentrate in giving these characters a full personality in the way that they are animated.
Secondary character designs
These are the basic character designs of the secondary characters that the Pierrot meets in the animatic.
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