More random posts.

Derrrrrp

Here's some vids I have liked a lot lately. Enjoy!

Rock on!

A lovely 2D animation I had to embed on here :P

Pencil Tests OMG

I couldn't help but follow this truly awe inspiring blog

http://www.penciltestdepot.com/

There's several different pencil tests from animated films, including many Disney clips too. There is also a post with two interviews. One with Andreas Deja and the other with Glen Keane. Both talk about Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, and their work. I found this really interesting.

Digital Environments/Visual Studies Project

As written in the project brief document on Moodle:


For this project you will be working in teams of four or five students. You will all be working towards a final collaborative short film but will have the opportunity to fulfil clear and separate roles within the team.

• You will be working to create an animated environment.
• You will be collaborating not only with the other animators in your team, but also with designers from the environment design course.
• Their designs will form the starting point for your work.

This environment will be modelled in 3D, UV mapped, textured and lit based upon the research of materials and environments as initially designed or propsed by IDEAS students. This research will consist of practical site visits (such as the trip to Barcelona and alternative London based venues) and associated drawing and photography, as well as academic research via the web and the LRC.

This environment must demonstrate integral animation, it could be mechanical such as machinery, doors, windows, windmills etc, or it could be more organic, and atmospheric, such as the effects of wind on plants, weather conditions etc. It could be a much more long term animation to show the effect of years passing, rather than minutes. For those of you who feel that you are more character animators than computer visualisers you can focus upon contextualising the designed environment by populating it with characters using that environment, it may be that the environment is being used in an unintended or unexpected way that has evolved through public interaction with the space. (Was the South Bank designed for skateboarding or parkour?).

It may be easier for you to think about defining the way in which you will approach this project by choosing one of the themes listed below.

a) Changes over time (historic).
b) Changes in weather or lighting (climatic).
c) Changes in use of the environment (contextual).

Although you will be working as part of a team towards your final animation, you will also be required to provide evidence of your individual contribution to the project via a blogged design journal where you will document your personal research, experimentation, and acquiring of new skills.



I've joined a group of very talented students to take on this task. Mel, Carlos and Joe are my team mates for this project. I'm really excited and happy to be with such a cool team, and cannot wait to get started on this!

I have already had a brief glance at some imagery on the net of various Barcelona structures that may inspire me and my group.

Here's a link to a site that I may look at with more detail in the next few days
http://www.e-architect.co.uk/barcelona_architecture.htm

Industry Exercises 2

Project Brief as written in e-mail from Steve Crocker:

As some of you will have missed this week’s class because of snow here is
a quick summary of this term’s project and what you need to have done
before next week’s class.


A quick summary of this term’s project.
With Steve Crocker: Mondays and Wednesdays ANI09207 Industry Exercises 2


For this project we will be building on your existing animation and
compositing skills. You will be introduced to Maya Matchmove camera
techniques, lighting, advanced UV editing and modelling and have
opportunities to improve your rigging and animation skills. To make it all
manageable you will first be introduced to project management and tracking
software.

You will be working to create a short sequence mixing live action with
Maya derived animation or props and buildings.

There are two aims for this project: first to enable you to plan and
execute a project in a productive manner, thus enabling you to make the
most of the time constraints on this and all future projects. The second
is to improve your 3D or 2D animation and or modelling skills and enable
you to show those skills off in an engaging and entertaining way.

In order to achieve the above you must choose a short clip from a film and
composite in your own animated character, props or buildings. Perhaps you
feel that Four Weddings and A Funeral would have been better if there had
been more gorillas in it. Or that Titanic would have been better with
giant sea monsters. This is your chance to put things right. The clip you
use must, when composited, show at least 30 seconds of your own work. Do
not choose any animated films as you will have to match or better the
existing characters in the film. I can guarantee that the animators
working on that film would have had a lot more time than you have for this
project. So keep your choice to a live action film.

For next week!

Next week you will present a proposal for your project to a small group
and negotiate your final brief with me. .

So to be ready for next week’s class you must write your own version of
the brief, working within the parameters covered in the introduction
above, and prepare for next week’s peer presentation by choosing a short
video clip and making a story board. Plus write an explanation of the
choices you have made for your project and how it will help to develop
your software and animation skills.


Thanks, Steve.

So I'll be having a little ponder over which particular clip I think would be best to add to, and how I will accomplish this successfully.

The Guggenheim Grotto music video

Olympics animation - All Together Now

IOC ¦ All together now from fxandmat on Vimeo.

Here's another amazing animation I found. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw this on the tv soon. I think this wonderfully depicts the need for the countries of the world to come together and take part in this extremely exciting event. It encourages equality and brings all the nations into one big happy family, using the symbolism of physically pulling the lands together with the aid of rope. I love the style of animation in this clip. It successfully uses 3D animation and is brought to life with vibrant warm colours.

Here's the making of the clip below

IOC ¦ All together now making of from fxandmat on Vimeo.