Final Rendered Videos

This is the final render of my obstacle course

This is my final rendered animation for the obstacle course. I'm very pleased with the outcome and i think i managed to portray the character's performance accurately. 

The process, success and challenges faced:

• It took an extremely long time to render out each video frame by frame as JPEG files. This meant that hours were dedicated to just rendering and therefore i couldn't work on anything else for my project.
• When imported into premier i was able to import the rendered images and audio files. However a problem arose when trying to export the files as a movie as one image in the sequence wasn't rendered properly. i was able to locate the unedited image and delete it from the sequence.
• I animated these sequences to the best of my ability and with more time i would love to edit them and work more on the animations as they are not yet perfect. 
• I used camera angles to frame the animations i believe are engaging and correct. I wanted to make the videos immersive as well as anatomically correct. 
• This piece shows a man walking, jumping, turning, running and sliding. I used these movements to animate an interesting and dynamic obstacle course for my character. The most challenging movement was the slide as the timing slowed down and it was unusual to be moving the feet across the floor without lifting them off at any point. During the slide, the legs,feet,hip and body turns and these had to turn in a certain order. for example the feet and knees move first and the upper body follows. 
• The jump was fun and easy to animate as i was able to use less frames to make the correct timing. The jump was interesting to animate as this was the first time i had to animate a character with both feet off the ground. This was challenging, however the movement turned out quite smooth.

Render of extreme interaction - Lip sync

• This piece was fun to create and i thoroughly enjoyed animating the lip syncing and facial expressions. I feel the expressions and audio add to the performance of the character and emphasise the feeling of the piece. 
• The most challenging thing with this piece was accurately matching up the audio with the animation of lip sync. The main problem i faced was that when i created a 'PlayBlast' file of the animation, the frames didn't match up with the lip sync. However, this was very helpful as i was able to go back and re edit the piece frame by frame and then playblast it continuously to monitor my progress.  
• I keyed in the key frames of the phonemes first (Just open and closed mouth movements) and then added in more details such as tongue movements and facial expressions.
• I used a low angle shot in these animation to show the dominance of the larger character as he shouts at the other one. The high angle shot depicts the view from the other character. And then i also used a Low shot to show how weak the other character is. 

• The most challenging thing i faced whilst animating this piece was when trying to animate an angry walk. The back was at a 45o angle and so i tried to focus on that straight diagonal line when key framing the character. Also the timing of this 'angry walk' was hard to animate as it is so different to a normal walk cycle. I am not entirely happy with this walk cycle, however i was able to again use camera angles to showcase the more successful aspects of the piece. With more time i would like to redo the walk and possibly fasten the pace to further emphasise the anger of the character.
• I feel this animation uses the best and most dynamic camera angles. For example i used an 'over the shoulder' shot to show the character walking towards the camera. This camera angle involves the audience as they are on the same eye level as the characters.
• Towards the end of the animation, the camera pans up 'Derek's' body as he is lying on the floor. This just further highlights that the character is on the ground and below the other person. The frame also starts under the larger males legs. This again portrays the dominance of the character as he stands above Derek.

Example of Rendered Animation

Below are a few examples of some rendered images from my final animations:

I rendered using Mental Ray and the image size is set at 1080 HD. 

I set up lighting in order to make the animation more realistic and aesthetically appealing. I used the 'Sun and Sky' lighting effect, and love the way it turned out. As it's my first time making a proper rendered animation, i am very pleased with the result as it flows smoothly and is immersive to watch.

Rendered images from the obstacle course Animation:

I am very pleased with the camera angles i used as it adds an interesting dynamic to the piece. A lot of importance was put of the performance of the animation and i addressed this by trying to accurately depict movements and show facial expressions. Also i added a number of different camera angles to help illustrate the story and direction of the films.

As a result of rendering and lighting, some textures of the model change in the light and this can make the image look strange. If i was to do this again i would make sure the textures were continuously accurate. This particular animation took about 4 hours to render and was 400 frames long.

The rig and model which is used is not my own, it is a freeware rig downloaded from 'Creative Crash', it is a simple rig which is very easy to work with

References

Some of my references were based on the videos from the website 'Reference! Reference!' The website is extremely helpful and has a variety of different movements from humans and animals. With these videos i was able to pause the videos and then key in my frames for my animation

Young Man sideways walk Cycle

Example Front Kick - Side view

This was very useful for my fight scene when the main character kicks the other. There is also a front view available which i used. This helps to create a more accurate animation as you can see the movement from all angles.

This is a video of an elephant lying down which i used for a test animation where i experimented with different rigs.

Principles of Motion. (2005). Men | young man | forward walk : side view. Available: http://www.referencereference.com/men.html. Last accessed 14th May 2014.

Camera Shots To Be Used

Extreme Close up:

Extreme close up is used to show small details such as emotions and feelings. By creating an extreme close up in invites the audience in to the frame and includes them in the film. Most variations of close up shots are to let the audience in on a secret or to reveal an important point in the plot. This shot is also used regularly within the horror genre to emphasise the terror a character is experiencing.

    I may Will use this shot in my extreme interaction Animation to show the antagonist shouting at the other character. This close up will emphasise the character's anger.

        This shot can also be used in the extreme interaction where Derek gets kicked to the ground, The shot can show Derek's eyes rolling into the back of his head as he passes out from the harsh blow.

Extreme Long Shot:

This is used as an establishing shot to frame the setting of the animation. It usually includes an outside setting, possibly with buildings and a landscape. This shot is often used in action films or disaster movies to show the devastation or intense impact to the environment in the film. It does not focus on detail but outlines the important actions which are taking place.

     If my animation had a more dynamic and interesting environment i would definitely use this shot. However this module is based on the performance of the animation and so it isn't relevant to my work right now.

    I will use a Long shot  NOT an extreme one in my animation. I can use the long shot to show a character running to emphasise the distance he has covered.

    

Medium Shot:

This shot shows a character from the knees/waist up. The shot is to depict an element of detail or shows an important part of the plot. The main character is always in focus and the background is out of focus. The background has no need to be in full focus or include a lot of detail as the environment the character is in had probably already been shown in the establishing shot.

    I may use this shot to show characters emotions and hand body gestures to highlight the interaction. For example i'll use it when showing my character 'Derek' getting shouted at, as he lowers his head. It will also be used to show characters waving and performing an angry walk.  

    This will also show the character 'Derek' performing his subtle interaction of waving and getting a stern look back at him. This shot will just show the character's emotions and reactions to one another.

Bird’s-Eye View:

This shot is used as an omniscient third person shot which shows a direct overhead angle of a scene. This puts the narrative in 3^rd person as the audience is able to see more and know more than the characters in the animation/film. Many objects viewed from this angle can become difficult to recognise as it is an unnatural view to use.

    Again this shot will not be used in my animations however it is very useful to know for future projects. I could possibly use this shot to show the isolation of a character if my scene environment was bigger.

       

High Angle:

This angle is elevated above a character or object. This angle can be used to make objects appear smaller and less significant. For example it can suggest that a character is weak and vulnerable.

          This angle will be used to show that 'Derek' is a weak and vulnerable man who is much smaller than the other character. This is a fun camera angle to use and it supports the narrative well.

           This will be used in the extreme interaction shot when the smaller character falls to the ground. This will emphasise the fall and the potential pain the character has. 

Low Angle:

This low angle shot can show characters to be dominant and powerful. It also emphasises height and importance in many objects such as buildings. The scene can cause confusion to the viewer as objects and figures become distorted.

      This will be used to show how large and strong a character is. It will also reflect the view one character has of the other. This will help the audience empathise with the smaller and weaker character. This makes the piece more engaging and interesting.

      This shot can also be used in the obstacle course scene when looking up at the character as he looks around his surroundings. This could show the character's importance and also lets the audience in closer to engage more with that person. 

Obstacle course Animation

Obstacle course Animation, Superhero themed with Camera Shots

Storyboard:

Lip Syncing Animation - Extreme interaction between two characters

This Animation shows an extreme interaction between two characters and the character Will shouts at Derek.

Below a storyboard for the Animation:

• The mid shot shows the main character's emotions and establishes the scene.
• The low shots show the view from Derek's eyes as he looks up at Will. This emphasises the threat and dominance will has over the other character. It also helps the audience empathize with Derek as they experience what he does. 
• The high shots looking down on Derek highlight the character's personality as he appears weak and timid.
• The focus on the hand pointing into the camera again implies Will's authority.
• This piece is supposed to be humorous and fun as the main character is clearly being 'crazy'.
• I had a lot of fun creating this piece and thoroughly enjoy lip sync and facial animation.

Animation With Camera Shots- Extreme Interaction - Fight Scene

Animation with camera shots of fight scene

Storyboard for the fight scene.

Large Blue Character is called Will

The brown character is called Derek

• Shows the main character welcomely waving at the other - Subtle interaction.
• The close up camera angles showing both characters emotions also represents a subtle interaction.
• The extreme interaction happens when the large male kicks the smaller character. 
• Establishing shot to show how far the characters are away from each other.