What is the Final Project?
o Class will take you through feature animation workflow step by step
o Graded for each of the steps along the way
o Approximately 11 secs of solid Character Acting not more Minimum: 6 secs
o 2 chars Maximum (unless unusual circumstance)
o Additional time can be used for walking, establishing shots, etc.
o Beware of being overly ambitious. One of the biggest early mistakes.
o Probably should not be an entire short film
Think of a small scene or interaction. Character is in the subtle mannerisms and
reactions. Not really interested in being a character animator? Keep it simple.
Video Reference for your project -filmed or found will be required to pass this course
As always we start with planning. To Start, find your Audio file - you can record it yourself or find something online that you like. 2 characters, one or both talking, 9-12 sec long (see Criteria for Selecting you Audio below).
You can download "Audacity" a free utility for editing and working with sound:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Break down the audio into it's constituent phonemes. Make frame specific notes using a "Slug" or "Dope" sheet. Lined paper is fine if you prefer. Next, shoot some reference. When you shoot your video, make sure to act along with the dialogue playing and do many takes until you have something you like. Analyze your chosen performance and pick out your keys and breakdowns. Test out the rigs you plan to use and make sure you understand how they work.You should have a clear plan for your piece by the end of class 3.
Criteria for Selecting your Audio
Quality
- Clear delivery: You can hear every word and levels are consistent.
- Clean audio: No static, hiss or pops. No background music. Avoid ambient or environment sound: such things are easy to add, but hard to remove
- HR appropriate: No "isms"; sexism, racism. No profanity. No "offensive" subject matter or context. Remember that "appropriate" is a matter of taste - so be sure to know your audience.
- Good Contrast: Change of tone, tempo, volume or emotion. 2 or 3 notes are better than one.
- Interest for you: You've got to animate it, so pick something fun that you really want to try.
- Audience Reaction: Find something that will evoke an emotional response or connection. You want your piece to be memorable.(for good reasons)
Setting the Scene
When it comes to setting your scene (Staging) remember Clarity, Context and Contrast
Clarity: Everything is legible, visible and readable to the audience. The audience won't get multiple looks at your scene. Be sure that they'll understand what's going on and being said the first time through. Clear dialogue delivery and sensible camera placement are important.
Context: The scenario you place the dialogue in is important. Juxtaposition can be a great tool here: a serious line in a ridiculous setting, A conversation between multiple distinct characters being conducted by a single person. A line delivered in a drastically different scenario than the dialogue would suggest. Don't spend any more time on the environment than needed. Don't build a 3d set when a photograph background would suffice.
Contrast: Changes in delivery and timing are important for visual interest. Look for scenes where the characters change emotion, tempo or tone. Look for audio with two distinctly different character voices. For example; a deep baritone voice contrasts nicely with a character who has a voice in an higher register.
Story-boarding and The Pitch
Once you've picked your audio and come up with your scenario, you need to create some simple storyboards to pitch the idea. The drawings don't need to be elaborate, they just need enough detail to tell the story. Make sure you have enough drawings to depict the action that occurs, roughly one drawing per second: this means your pitch will have between 9-12 drawings.
The next step is to present your work to the group for feedback and suggestions. This part of the process is critical - it gives you a chance to see if your scene is clear and if it evokes the reaction from the audience you're hoping for. Your pitch will be graded on 3 criteria: The Storyboard, the Presentation and the Idea itself.
Storyboard - This is about storytelling! Is the staging clear? Are there enough drawings to tell the story? Is it a clear guide for animation?
Presentation - Animators are actors! Do you speak clearly and have lots of energy? Are you taking notes and getting good information from your audience? Are you making good use of this opportunity to work out the kinks in your idea?
Idea - It's a lot of work so make sure it's worth doing! Is it engaging? Does it make good use of the audio? Does it evoke a favorable reaction from your intended audience?
At the end of Class 4 - there will be no changing your audio and you're committed to finish the scene you've chosen. Make sure you've thought everything through carefully.
At this point you'll have handed in your generic walk cycles, and you'll have done your story pitch to the group (and possibly refined and re-pitched your idea.)
At the end of Class 5, I want you to hand in a folder with the following contents:
- A scan of your storyboards. (jpg)
- Your scene audio. (no extraneous audio)
- Your selected reference (one unified take, no chaff)
- Analysis of reference - showing where your key poses are.
(you can use red marks in video, .docx with frame counts and description, or hand drawn page with frame counts and thumbnails.)
All in one folder called Last_First_Planning
ie. Latour_David_Planning
There will be a Hand-In folder in the 511 folder similar to where you handed in your generic walks called: 03_AVE2_511_Planning_Hand-in. Drop your stuff there by 3:30pm on class 5.
