Class 5: That's a wrap!

Stick a fork in Class 5... it's Done! Surprisingly quick too. I want to say Thank you to my Mentor, Morgan Kelly, for showing us some awesome tips on acting and subtlety. That class was a great learning experience.

As for my shot, I still have a some polishing here and there, but it's just about done. I think the one major thing I've learned from this class is the importance of micro-expressions and the little subtle acting choices that make your shot stand out from the crowd. I see it as the icing on the cake, the cherry on top or the olive oil on the hummus... it just makes it so much more tastier then the average shot.

Anyway, this is a double header of a post since I've been falling behind. First, my class 4 progress reel:



And! the class 5 progress reel:



I can't tell you how much I've learned in the past two classes. And I can't wait to find out what next on the horizon for class 6. So very excited!!!

Time to Start the Polish

Hey Guys,

Here's the next pass of my shot. I'm kind of on a wave pattern right now. The first shot has moved onto polishing. The last shot is in the refining phase and the middle shot is somewhere in limbo. I think I have a pretty good grasp on things, but I say that now with only two weeks left before the "final" is due. Bring on the stress!!! Anyway, I will hopefully have a next pass up by Sunday. Thanks for stopping by!

Still Refining

Here is the next pass of my sequence. It's a week late, but at least I'm posting something. I refined the first shot a little more and pulled the seconded shot out of blocking. I found out that the hardest part of shot two was locking down the weight in the walk. I knew that I couldn't move on until I had the mechanics locked down. It's getting there... I'll try to post something up by the middle of this week. Thanks for stopping by!

"Feelin' Funny" Blocking/Refining

Here is another pass at my two person dialogue shot. The way they have us approach the assignment is by splitting up the sequence and treating each cut like it's own shot. It's an interesting and intense strategy, but it is a great learning experience. I worked the first shot of the sequence to a refined-ish pass. I still have a load to do, but it's getting there:



And! the final facial pose for class 5:



I'll have more to show by the beginning of next week. Enjoy!

A new adventure begins

Well, here is the start of my two character shot. I'm going for another subtle piece of animation, so I can really focus on the face. This one is going to be a difficult sequence, but I think I can handle it.... I think.

First, for your amusement, some reference:



Next, the blocking:


Finally, another facial pose:



If you have any feedback, I'm all ears. Thanks!

slow week...

It's been a busy, fun and stressful week full of Siggraph and Animation Mentor events. I don't really have much to post since I'm in between assignment, but here is a facial pose while you wait... that's if anyone is waiting... :)



I should have a tone more next week full of animation goodness.

So close!

Almost there! I still have a hand full of fixes I need to adjust on my shot, but that's what polishing is for.



Also, a couple more face poses.





Sorry for the late post. I was at Comic-con last week and that was a blast!

Also, I will probably be late this week because I'll be attending Siggraph (LA) and then! the Animation Mentor BBQ the following weekend up in San Francisco. It's going to be fun!!!

Facial Refining Pass

And here is the next pass at the face. I added some asymmetry to the mouth, cleaned up to the eyebrows, refined the phonemes and pushed the contrast between the major vowels. Still have PLENTY to do, but one more week and then it's on to the two person dialogue!



Also, they have us work on a couple face poses a week. Enjoy!

First Face Pass

Updates, Updates! The first pass at my facial animation. So much that goes into it, it's ridiculous. All I've done so far was block in the mouth and eyebrow shapes. Lots to do and only two weeks left. Enjoy.

Another Polishing Pass

Hey Guys,

Here's another polishing pass of my shot. We had a break last week, but I felt that I'd get a bit of a head start and polish up my shot some more. I added the jaw movement, added/changed the eye animnation and I changed up a few things to simplify and clarify. I feel that it's working better.

Now that the summer quarter has begun, I can start animating the face! I'm really excited to get started. Speaking of the new quarter, I have a new mentor Morgan Kelly. I hope to get a lot out of this class since he has a tone of industry experience and he is also an instructor for Cal Arts. I'm looking forward to this quarter.