Progressive Maya Work

I went back to my old, earlier versions of my work to analyse and evaluate my progression and it's fair to say I've gone a long way from where I started.

I made many different saves in case I lost anything or needed to restart it, or wanted to do another version of it. I had files of the car tyres and the signs so I could import them into my main scene, and many different versions of the car I made, saving a different version when I made significant enough progress, e.g the original car model, the coloured car, coloured car with windows and a final model car.

I made a few playblasts of the animations that I built upon and around, environment included, in order to do my animation.

In this I'm not using the coloured version of the car I didn't like, and rather than reanimate it with the coloured car, just left the grey one as a placeholder. I eventually found the colour I wanted, as evidenced in the final animation. But this looked more pink than red, despite using UV mapping to colour it. I eventually just went with a red Maya blinn.

Here you can see the animation really getting it's barings. The crates being smashed into allows the car to slow down as it goes up the ramp (and it also looks pretty awesome whilst it's doing it). This was to make the scene a bit more exciting and simply test my own skills. I had encountered a MASSIVE problem at this point, I couldn't get the car and the tyres to be angled as one as I hadn't grouped them. When I learned how I went back and keyframed in the angles so that the car and the ramp aligned to be parallel, instead of the car remaining unnaturally horizontal as it went up the ramp, flew through the air and landed.

Here you can still see a lack of background, something I realised I needed to include one way or another, but just kept focused on the road it would drive along and that I would build the environment as necessary around it. This means I am not limited as I make the animation by the environment. I used a UV mapping desert texture I ended up not using as I didn't like it compared to another one that I made later on. I also changed the sign by removing the rectangular sign underneath the circular part, as I didn't feel it necessary to include more writing on the sign.

Animatic

Using my storyboard and some of the scenes I knew I would include, I produced the animatic for my Little and Big animation, displaying the rough timing I will use in each scene. The camera angles are not always the same but it does show the car basically doing the same thing and the time the camera spends capturing what happens. Some of the shots have descriptive words to better illustrate what is happening, as a lot can happen in the space of one shot (as in the case of the car stopping, reversing and going again when it pauses to read the big ramp's danger sign).

I didn't put an audio to it since at this point I hadn't got the audio I wanted prepared, though it may have helped to have it. I plan to use the animatic when producing my sound as it may help with the timing.

Maya Movies

I thought I'd upload a few videos of my early Maya work demonstrating my progression as I learned how to use it and got a grasp of the animation processes.

It is only two of a few videos but ones that best illustrate the learning curves and processes I went through to get where I am now. It's a complex piece of software and I don't expect to completely master it any time soon, though it'd be great if I could keep learning at the rate I am. I think the next set of Maya work I do will come along a lot easier as I know the ropes a little more, now. I can spend more time doing the work than learning how I will do it, which did take a long time.

Maya Storyboard

Because I had made a car model I thought I would base my animation on a car. After a few moments considering and brainstorming ideas, I figured a way to introduce my car into a scenario that could be appropriately titled 'Little and Big'. The idea was that an arrogant driver would find a little but still dangerous canyon over which he would drive over via a ramp, then continue over to a bigger ramp and attempt the same thing - only he fails, and falls to uncertain circumstances.

The first thing I had to do was come up with a storyboard. I decided I would try and stick with the same camera angles throughout but in the end realised I would have to change some given the size of the map I had to make, and I had thought of better ways.

The plan was that the car would pull into view and the front tyre and bonnet would be visible next to a sign that would warn of the dangerous canyon ahead. It would then show the entire side profile of the car, then look above the car down the road it will drive on, and it would pick up speed as it drove forward. I skipped the third above the car shot because I found it a bit pointless and decided it would be better if the camera simply followed the car on from the side. The car then goes up the ramp and lands rather smothly. The axis I have on the car demonstrates how I originally intended to do this, similar to how I made the pendulum. However it was easier just to keyframe and graph edit it. Instead of pulling up and repeating the process with a bigger ramp, in the actual animation, he drives through a tunnel to where the dangerous ramp is - noticing, but not heeding the warning of the Big Ramp "Dangerous" sign. He goes up it but the ramp is so big he is unable to pick up enough speed and falls short of the necessary distance, falling to his .. well, assumed demise.

It's cartoon violence at best.

Toast Animation

Whether to class it as 2D or 3D I'm unsure since it's a mix of both. I decided to stop looking at Snotr and turn to YouTube, when I found this. Animation art by Geoff Mcfetridge.

I have seen some strange stop motion animations over the years but this takes the cake; not only is it done entirely by burning images onto slices of bread, but it is done so well you almost forget about the bread to begin with. The natural colouring also creates a nice atmosphere in the animation similar to a sepia effect.

The actual animation is not the subject of the video but the medium. It doesn't necessarily focus on story or narrative, character development or even cinematography, but does extend the message that to do an animation all you really need is a camera, and in this case, a toaster and lot of bread.

It makes an enjoyable watch and shows the advantages of stop motion, albeit computer programmes could probably fake something that looks real enough to be plausible.

2D Animation - Day and Night

http://www.snotr.com/video/7891/Day_vs_Night

Supervising Animator Tom Gately
Animation Manager Richmond Horine

I thought this was was a very creative 2D animation, using simple characters who are seemingly transparent rather than opaque, who represent day and night. The animation does have a sort of storyline as both Day and Night come to respect each other's differences and learn to accept each other.

There is also some interesting animation in the 'background' of the two different characters, some 3D, some photographic. The practical uses of this sort of animation could go beyond this but I feel that this animation puts these effects to good use.

I don't think of it as a fantastic, great animation though. I'm not a violent person but my preferance is with action, and whilst the cartoon fighting is amusing, it is not as gratifying or as thrilling as something The Gift was - although undoubtedly the production costs between each of them are likely tremendous.

3D Animation - Get Out

http://www.snotr.com/video/8369/The_Arctic_Circle

Made by Kevin Parry, this was an enjoyable little stop motion animation. I haven't looked at stop motion a lot even though it is one of the most influencial genres of animation on me, with names like Nick Park having a big impact on my childhood. The film is very minimalistic in it's evironments but what I like most is the character expressions told entirely through their eyes and eyebrows, which is comedic but authentic at the same time. Kevin does a good job at bringing otherwise lifeless toys to life and we can tell what they are thinking regardless of the fact that there is virtually no dialogue.

Sound however, is crucial to the animation because of this. The story makes enough sense to be a story, but not enough to be a progressive narrative. It is hardly a Hollywood worthy script, but then again, it is hardly supposed to be Hollywood worthy to begin with. It was an enjoyable animation and made me smile, which is what it's all about at the end of the day, and inspired me to pick up my interest in stop motion again, or at least give it the same attention I used to.

3D Animation - Little Tombstone

http://www.snotr.com/video/8725/Little_Tombstone

Another animation, produced by http://www.studiodesaviateurs.fr/index.php, I found this one to be much more preferably to Get Out. Not only since there is a little action, but the mood is more tense, the audience are kept guessing and assuming on what would happen, and not to mention the good cinematography. The narrative is nothing I've seen before, but I can hardly say I wasn't expecting what happened, it almost felt predictable. Regardless, the music score was great and the animation was beyond amazing, the artstyle captured the essence of Western films.

This website in particular has been very useful to me in gathering these animations and short films, and this is another hidden gemstone amongst short animations. Again I noticed the colour drain as the first man fell dead and remained that way throughout the rest of the film, the only other colour of note being red. The film was very reminiscent of a Clint Eastwood western.

3D Animation - The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore

http://www.snotr.com/video/8752/The_Fantastic_Flying_Books_of_Mr_Morris_Lessmore

This is a brilliant short film with an enjoyable length, well considered cinematography and narrative, an appropriate music score and creative original ideas throughout.

I found the story to be quite moving and took note of the consistant changes in colour to reflect the atmosphere and mood. There is nothing I particularly enjoy the most about the animation because it is near flawless, my only criticism being I like a little more action. It has a little bit of everything in it.

It has been nominated for an Oscar for the animated short film category, and I believe it would be well deserved it it wins, though I wouldn't know of many other animations capable of challenging it unless I simply have yet to find them.

3D Animation - Get Out

http://www.snotr.com/video/8735/Get_Out

The only thing I found confusing about this particular animation was the end, but I don't give it away here. The animation itself is good quality, but it doesn't seem either narrative or character driven. Instead I feel that this animation is out to give a message, although even I'm a little vague as to what that message might be. It isn't a candidate for my personal top ten of animations, though regardless, it was still enjoyable to watch.

The animation artsyle reminded me of something I have seen before. Though I mean this in a negative way. Whilst I appreciate that the animation itself is quite nice, it doesn't offer me anything I haven't seen before.

Although, it seems it was made as a dedicated animated film to the director or animator's family, specifically their parents. I think this makes the animation worth it in the end as it has a deeper meaning behind telling a story or fleshing out the progression of a fictional character.

It was produced by http://www.studiodesaviateurs.fr/, a French company, rather than a specific freelance animator.

3D Animation - The Gift

http://www.snotr.com/video/8481/The_Gift

Undoubtedly one of my new favourite short films, realistic 3D animation is introduced into a real environment setting. By Carl Erik Rinsch, The narrative is constantly kept me questioning, curious, guessing and assuming, and the setting is introduced early through the appearance of a robotic dog, suggesting it takes place in the future. I found it all very well portrayed, in respect of both the cinematography and the soundtrack.

It it is a very sincere and realistic animation and despite being short, gave me the cinematic experience that I mentioned in the last short I watched, The Incident at Tower 37. This may be because the animation better fits in to a real life scenario and can be described as more mature because of the content.

It has a lot of action and is a very impressive example of utilizing 3D animation in a real world environment. The narrative revolves around an object, and we never truely learn what it is or what it does, but only that it is of great value to whoever owns it. Whilst the film isn't driven entirely by the narrative, I do find the mysterious nature of it very intriguing as audience are left to their own devices of whether to establish what characters are the good ones and which are the bad ones.

3D Animation - The Incident at Tower 37

http://www.snotr.com/video/7271/The_Incident_at_Tower_37

Using this website has been a great resource for me and I managed to find another hidden gem amongst 3D animations. This short by '10 bit Films' is noticeable more focused on cinematography to tell the story and it agreeably tells a subtle message. The animation is credited primarily to Chris Bishop and Harry Thompson, as well as seven other animators. I found it well animated and the quiet sound of the animation made it somewhat tense and I found myself in a state of consistant curiosity. Because of the lack of dialogue, the character actions, facial expressions and soundtrack are paramount for telling the story. The narrative is somewhat slow to understand but I don't agree that the animation is dragged out unnecessarily. The length of the animation is perhaps one of my favourite things about it. The planning and investment that go into producing longer animations mean that it will be very well considered.

Whilst I don't say that to imply that shorter films are rushed and untidy, longer animations have a more cinematic experience. It also means that the story is more in-depth, and I would rather watch an animation with a well thought out story that will stay with me for a while, rather than leave me slightly amused for a small period of time before I disregard it.

3D Animation - The Saga of Bjorn

http://www.snotr.com/video/7243/The_Saga_of_Biorn

A short film by 'The Animation Workshop', I liked it because of the artstyle and narrative, as well as how the story of the character was told. The artstyle is similar to some other animations I have seen before but I feel this is the best example of portraying 3D animation in an almost 2D way. In comparison to 2D animation that I typically prefer, on a personal note, I like it a lot. However, it doesn't have the seem artistic touch as 2D animations typically do, even if the animation itself is very well stylised. The cinematography in the animation is nothing that cannot already be expected, but I still like it an awful lot. All the shots are well composed and I can almost picture the storyboard myself, picking out minor details that contribute a great deal. Some of the shots used arguably are the best choice for contorting the particular ideas the animators with to portray. The music and soundtrack were also well composed and used. The sound in an animation often contributes more than most people can appreciate or realise, as it sets the atmosphere and can can highlight or emphasise what happens.

Overall I feel like the Saga of Bjorn is an excellent little animation and a gem amongst animated short films. It has great comedic value and an even more interesting art style.

Terminator 2 Special Effects

James Cameron's Terminator 2 was hugely successful and well received by critics - producers and actors aware that the success of the first film would have audiences practically demanding a sequel. It has been among my favourite films since I first saw it many years ago and there are plenty of reasons why. But the reason why even today it is still reflected upon is the breakthrough special effects used in the film, and the filming processes used. Many processes in the film that required scaled-down models or make up would in recent times be produced through CGI, and it is insightful to see how other effects can be used to create the same result. However, models cannot be used for everything and some of the scenes in Terminator 2 are no exception to this, as demonstrated in several scenes where visually realistic animation is used to create and animate the characters, especially in the case of the T-1000.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNVjAuMg-G4&feature=related

This video goes through some of these processes; scaled down models to produce the apocalyptic Judgement Day battle between the Machines and mankind and the nuclear explosion in Sarah Connor's nightmare, but more importantly, technology used and developed to animate several scenes of the T-1000 portrayed by Robert Patrick, such as laser facial scanning to create virtual 3D models, and the scene in which he breaks into a helicopter as liquid metal and shape shifts into a metallic human. It also highlights the extent at which make up works in unison and cooperates with animation processes (at least at the time, as it may have changed now).