This week, in conjunction with Nigel’s feedback from last term, I changed the title of the topic to -Characterisation of body language in 3D animation.
I also wrote some outline about the thesis, asked a few questions and got some inspiration after the conversation with Nigel.
I deviated from the scope of the thesis that I had set before, ‘culture’, and I focused more on the behavioural aspects of animated characters this time, and I needed to make a major change to the thesis.
Building on last week’s work, make changes to the keyframes to add stepped movements based on George’s feedback. During the process, instead of having the character movement pattern tend to be in a straight line, it is an arc movement so that the character is more flexible and highlights the character tension.
Blocking the characters this week. adjusting the character keyframe positions and not too much K-framing based on the timings of the reference video.
This week I have been discussing feedback from last term’s dissertation with Nigel, listening to comments and looking for some dissertation literature on character body language, Nigel suggested that I look online for some design ideas from creative teams, and videos to study.
The new term begins with George talking about advanced body mechanics, performing with the body and mime forms, planning our shots and limiting single characters.
I made a video of myself and the idea came from Cat and Mouse. The character is resting on the couch and stretching out when a basketball comes crashing down and the character falls off the couch, very confused.
Here is the sketch
Here’s another idea of a man pushing against a wall, but not being able to push, and eventually pulling the wall away
This week, a new memory episode is added, bringing the story closer to reality and adding new facets to an otherwise bland story.
The main modifications were made to the shooting shots and reference videos were found online.
Shoot a video wearing green gloves, and then according to the actor’s movements, do the animation of the robot hand.
Doing animation in maya.
Kline, C. and Blumberg, B., 1999. The art and science of synthetic character design. In Proceedings of the AISB 1999 Symposium on AI and Creativity in Entertainment and Visual Art (pp. 1-6).
To suggest a way of creating synthetic characters, Kline and Blumberg offer a notion that “draws inspiration from conventional animation and modern philosophy.” Because 3D animated figures are more lifelike, viewers are more likely to feel sympathy for them. After the audience empathises with the character, the behaviours of the character can be regarded as satisfying a need. A character in a movie realises actions that are not or cannot be taken in real life, and this can resonate with them.
van Rooij, M., 2019. Carefully constructed yet curiously real: How major American animation studios generate empathy through a shared style of character design. Animation, 14(3), pp.191-206.
In this article about “Zootopia,” Rooij makes the argument that Pixar movies are defying the “Valley of Fear theory” of cinema. Digital sets, virtual cameras, and perceptual cues are used by the creators to build a convincing three-dimensional world in which the characters “live,” anthropomorphic animals with both bestial and human emotions. This realism allows the characters to be accepted by the audience, to strike a chord with them, and even to create the illusion of immersion.
Instead of the audience reacting with rejection and terror, Pixar’s animators have made the characters more realistic, causing the audience to enjoy the characters and even find common ground in them.