This week we viewed the motion study in the Studio Ghibli documentary. This is essential to my own animation as I plan to use a dog in my final project.
The documentary showed me how much work goes into creating an animation, particularly a real-world animation. I liked how they continually thought of different animals to describe the different motions. Animation, to me, is about taking what you see and distorting it into what you imagine.
Next week I will continue working on my final project. I have completed my walk cycle and animation sketch outline.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Week of 11/2-11/8- John Canemaker
The moon and the son
This was my favorite animation of the course. I love history and so loved seeing the old photographs of Canemaker and his family. I'm also Italian, and from New York, so all the references to my heritage and my hometown really hit home for me.
The images in this animation were done in a way that each and every object had a symbol and meaning. I liked how his father's elderly face turned into a moon, a happy moon, and he being the son was depicted in a variety of ways throughout his life.
The best animations were the ones which connected the antique photographs and the newspaper headlines. I also liked how he incorporated various aspects of the court into the images. Using a voice over also really helped to make this appear to be real-time footage. I think narration is important when animating a life story-- it gives you a sense of the true meaning of the symbols and photographs.
This was my favorite animation of the course. I love history and so loved seeing the old photographs of Canemaker and his family. I'm also Italian, and from New York, so all the references to my heritage and my hometown really hit home for me.
The images in this animation were done in a way that each and every object had a symbol and meaning. I liked how his father's elderly face turned into a moon, a happy moon, and he being the son was depicted in a variety of ways throughout his life.
The best animations were the ones which connected the antique photographs and the newspaper headlines. I also liked how he incorporated various aspects of the court into the images. Using a voice over also really helped to make this appear to be real-time footage. I think narration is important when animating a life story-- it gives you a sense of the true meaning of the symbols and photographs.
Week of 10/26-11/2
Adam Phillips' Waterlollies
For this assignment, I chose to watch Phillips' Waterlollies. This reminded me very much of video game animation--animation which has it's own "world" so to speak. The moving background allowed the animation of the creature to move at a much quicker pace; even if in his technical work he didn't have it moving at a fast pace, it appeared that way because of the moving background. This is another animation which stretched my view in a way because it allowed me to see the infinite possibilities. I particularly liked when the rain drop fell and the other rain drops moved to accommodate it, and the "insect" moved as well. This is what would have happened in real time and thus by creating it in the animation it makes the "world" created by Phillips appear all the more plausible.
Walk Cycle
Copying the walk cycles in the Animator's Survival Guide and the tutorials provided allowed me to finally grasp the concept of the bone tool and also to understand how to best manipulate it to suit my purposes.
The Walk Cycle is incredibly hard, but allows for quicker animation--it does not require you to move a character in a frame by frame manner. It instead allows for a loop, or at least that's what it seems to be to me.
For this assignment, I chose to watch Phillips' Waterlollies. This reminded me very much of video game animation--animation which has it's own "world" so to speak. The moving background allowed the animation of the creature to move at a much quicker pace; even if in his technical work he didn't have it moving at a fast pace, it appeared that way because of the moving background. This is another animation which stretched my view in a way because it allowed me to see the infinite possibilities. I particularly liked when the rain drop fell and the other rain drops moved to accommodate it, and the "insect" moved as well. This is what would have happened in real time and thus by creating it in the animation it makes the "world" created by Phillips appear all the more plausible.
Walk Cycle
Copying the walk cycles in the Animator's Survival Guide and the tutorials provided allowed me to finally grasp the concept of the bone tool and also to understand how to best manipulate it to suit my purposes.
The Walk Cycle is incredibly hard, but allows for quicker animation--it does not require you to move a character in a frame by frame manner. It instead allows for a loop, or at least that's what it seems to be to me.
Week 4- The Brother's Quay
The Brother's Quay documentary made me a little concerned to say the least!! The use of dolls and other objects which only come alive in one's nightmares was a truly different concept. They also used several loops, which severed to "dress" the larger doll and also to smooth the paper over the piece of candy, or something else. I can't really identify what that is.
I think these animators have a vivid imagination which contributes to their ability to use a variety of objects for a variety of purposes. Despite the fact that these dolls are plastic, or glass, they appear to move with ease.
I think these animators have a vivid imagination which contributes to their ability to use a variety of objects for a variety of purposes. Despite the fact that these dolls are plastic, or glass, they appear to move with ease.
Week 4- Jan Svankmajer
This surrealist animation helped me to understand that everything does not need to be perfectly, exactly correct in an animation. I get wrapped up in making it as close to live footage as possible that I forget that it can be abstract and different.
Dimensions of a Dialogue
This showed me that animation can also include real elements or truly imagined elements. I particularly liked the sequence where the apple was destroyed by the measuring tape. I think animating objects which are generally inanimate in "live footage" adds a different dimension and truly changes the way a viewer sees a particular piece of animation.
Dimensions of a Dialogue
This showed me that animation can also include real elements or truly imagined elements. I particularly liked the sequence where the apple was destroyed by the measuring tape. I think animating objects which are generally inanimate in "live footage" adds a different dimension and truly changes the way a viewer sees a particular piece of animation.
Week 1/2- Makoto Shinkai
Beyond the Clouds' trailer was an interesting transition from McCay's animations. The most interesting aspect of these animations was how they portrayed wind. The wind blowing through the woman's hair, and pushing the clouds along. Additionally I liked the way that the sun was shown as lighting up the classroom, but only certain parts of it. Shinkai's animations appear to be extremely related to live footage.
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