Animation Cosmic: An Exploration in Animation

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Transmission ))) 11.3.09

I bought a new lens for my Canon DSLR. A 50mm 1.8 on Amazon for less than $100, you say?! Absolutely. Here are some shots taken shortly after receiving it. I have yet to get out and do a full day of shooting, but with the weather getting colder I'm getting antsy.

Stay tooned!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Transmission ))) 10.18.09

Today I submitted my blocking pass of the first 30 seconds of my short (ended up being 34 seconds after some adjustments...see previous post).

Here's the first pass of blocking.

Blocking Pass from Animation Cosmic on Vimeo.

And here is the story animatic so you can see the changes that I made to the sequence.

Short Film Animatic from Animation Cosmic on Vimeo.

This week I start refining shots S010 and S020. Should be fun.

Stay tooned!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Transmission ))) 10.14.09

S050 from Animation Cosmic on Vimeo.

Here's a brief shot from my short film that I recently cut in service of the story. My awesome mentor, Kevin Koch, gave me some really great suggestions to help make the story more clear and this shot just didn't serve the needs of the narrative. Understandably, this shot makes no sense out of context of the story, but it was confusing IN context, so, not great either way.

Obviously, getting to this point in the animation process only to cut a shot is not preferred. But with Kevin being new to my story, it was part of a sequence of confusion that a first time viewer just couldn't follow as much as I had hoped.

It would've been a fun, little shot to develop but clarity of the narrative is most important.

Stay tooned for more updates on my short!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Transmission ))) 10.11.09

Give or take two months ago, I made the switch to using a Wacom tablet full-time for doing animation. I use one both at work and at home and while the transition was tough, the ends more than justify the means. All those wrist pains I was developing in my right arm have completely disappeared and with them my anxiety about not being able to do the craft I love so much. It took me about two weeks to finally feel comfortable with the pen in all facets of animation creation and general computer use, but now that I'm acclimated, I just can't go back.

If, like me, you're experiencing any pains in your wrist, give a tablet an honest effort. You will likely be frustrated for the first two weeks, but once you get a hang of it, you might just prefer it over the mouse. Plus, your wrist/hand will heal and you'll help lengthen the longevity of your career. And ultimately, that's the most important thing. Getting paid to do what you love.

All self-help speeches aside, stay tooned for some animation updates as I work through my final class at Animation Mentor. Short film production!

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Transmission ))) 10.6.09

Without a doubt, my favorite animated film from last year was Blue Sky's Horton Hears a Who. I loved, loved, loved Wall-E, Kung Fu Panda, and Bolt but Horton was tops for me. Every frame just oozed entertainment and it's one of those movies that I wish I had worked on. Some drawings of the mayor.

Sunday, October 04, 2009

Transmission ))) 10.4.09

The only decent drawing from this week's #SketchSunday. For all the hours we spend drawing, I really need to boost my production.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Transmission ))) 9.27.09

This week's "Drawings for Aren."

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Transmission ))) 9.22.09

I'm back with a new diversion with which to add to my blog. I call it....."Drawings for Aren." Aww, how precious.

Here's your backstory. Aren Voorhees, good pal, character lead, and all around class-act just moved into a new office adjacent to the animation pit. There are two small windows atop the wall that I am going to fill with drawings of random things on post-its. Here's the inaugural sketch to get us started.

A daily blog post might be excessive, so more than likely I'll just do a weekly dump on Fridays.

Stay tooned!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Transmission ))) 6.22.09

Following another one of VideoCopilot's excellent tutorials, I did this as a test the other day. I've always enjoyed lighting and rendering in 3D, I've just never been that skilled at it. The tutorial teaches you how to fake global illumination using an array of omni lights. The end result is a simulated GI look, without the heavy render times. This was a fun test.

Fake GI test from Animation Cosmic on Vimeo.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Transmission ))) 6.18.09

Check out this clip from Duncan Jones' Moon. I was privileged enough to see an advanced screening of the flick this Monday and I very much enjoyed it.

This is a pretty fantastic movie for animators to watch. Sam Rockwell does a really tremendous job in the film and while the above clip is not the best display of Sam's talents, he does do some nice and interesting things in it.

Let's look at them with our animation/acting spectacles, shall we?

+ At the beginning, Sam is trying to sell Gerty on letting him out to investigate the outer shell. He's also slightly distracted with the tool in his hand and the leaky pipe. Later, the negotiation between Sam's desire to get outside and Gerty's stalwart denial of the request causes Sam's attention to fully commit. He stands up, looks Gerty right the....screen, puts his hand on his hip and gives hit is all. And it works.

This is a nice moment to keep in mind when animating an exchange between two characters of different wants. As the negotiation extends and desires are not met, the negotiator's commit more fully.

+It's always a good idea to tilt the head of your character. Even a simple head tilt can loosen up a character. Look how extremely canted Rockwell tilts his head around the 21 second mark. I don't know if I would ever think to tilt a character's head that far in an animation when delivering dialogue, but look at how well it works in this moment. Sam's intention is not to intimidate Gerty into getting what he wants, so he avoids being aggressive towards him. I think this crazy head tilt helps reinforce that. He leans into Gerty, but he keeps his head tilted as not to be too aggressive. When a puppy tilts his head to you it's cute and disarming, not aggressive, right? Weird analogy, I know, but roll with it.

+As a physical action, the secondary action that Sam performs as he's folding the tool and putting it in his pocket is very nice. It's not just a simple "put tool away" action. The tool is giving him some resistance and the extra effort is reflective throughout the body. That little crook of the neck and head as he finally folds the tool is a nice little flourish.

+Another great bit of physical action is the way Sam stands up from his kneeling/seated position. It's a very labored, unusual, and unique method of standing up. He doesn't just stand up, he starts to rise and braces heavily with the right arm on the ledge and shoulder on the wall. At one point, he almost uses his head to help get himself stable. It's a painful, deliberate action that keeps the character true to what the audience knows of him from prior scenes (trying to keep this spoiler free). :)

+The last shot. Now, we don't know if Sam is trying avoid stepping on something out of frame, but look how he crosses passed Gerty. He's way up against the wall almost as if he feels guilty for convincing Gerty to let him out. He knows he's pushed Gerty into doing something he didn't want to do, so he doesn't flaunt it or get too close to Gerty as if not to be insulting. It's a neat little thing there.

If you get a chance to see the movie, I highly suggest it. I can't wait to watch it again just to study more of Rockwell's VERY solid acting. Highly recommended.

Stay tooned!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Transmission ))) 6.16.09

I put this demo together tonight. Have a look-see!

Demo 6/16 from Animation Cosmic on Vimeo.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Transmission ))) 6.3.09

So E3 is in full-swing right now and already it's been a helluva show. Titles I was already excited about are looking even better and other announcements have completely surprised me.

To start, the titles that have me GEEKED. Purchases for sure.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves This may be the game I'm looking forward to most. I loved, loved, loved the first game and the sequel is looking to be even more of the same. Attention paid to character and story is always good. :)

Assassin's Creed II I realize not everyone felt this way, but I thoroughly enjoyed the first title. Not perfect and flawed in some very real ways, but the elements that worked, worked VERY well. It seems Ubi has taken complaints to heart and is addressing all the issues that hampered a great idea the first time out. Looking forward to this one FOR SURE.

God of War III How could this NOT be a purchase? Even if there's nothing new to the game and it's just a prettier version of 2, I'll be happy.

Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time I adore the R&C series. Insomniac always gets my money.

The Last Guardian Team Ico strikes again! Ico and Shadow of the Colossus were brilliant and the vids for this title evoke the same feelings in me as those first two titles. PURCHASED!

Splinter Cell: Conviction I played the first one. I enjoyed it. It was hard. I haven't played one since, but Conviction just looks too cool to ignore.

Final Fantasy XIII I'm not a huge fan of JRPGs and I seem to only play FF games to get from one beautifully rendered cut-scene to the next. I'll probably buy this, put up with the awful script, and just enjoy the effort put up on screen.

Other nice surprises??

I've never played Rock Band and I probably never will. Not because I dislike these types of games, I just don't have $170 to toss around and don't have space to house a mini band's worth of instruments. So the most enjoyment I'll get out of The Beatles release is out of this trailer. Good thing it's just SO DAMN GOOD.

I'm not a Star Wars guy at all. AT ALL. I don't have a PC, don't play PC games, and I won't ever play this one. The trailer, however? Beautifully done.

Other thoughts? Well, the motion control craze has finally hit all makers. Project Natal looks interesting, as does Sony's effort, but the same rules apply to them as they do to Nintendo. It's only revolutionary when someone takes the time and effort to develop it. Otherwise, it's just waggle on a different system. Hopefully, people like Peter Molyneux will take advantage of this tech.

With so much to see at this year's show, I'm certain everyone has a unique list of favorites. I know it might seem foolish to leave out some very other high-profile titles like Modern Warfare 2 and Mass Effect 2, but since I've never played their predecessors (even though I own Mass Effect 1; should probably play that) I can't get TRULY excited about them....just yet.