5017js

[5017js]

final blocking with sound

overall, I am not very proud of the final outcome and I do believe that I could have done many things better, and was struggling a bit with the task, especially towards the end of the module.

I came across some diffuculties, such as somehow messing up the rigs controllers which made it difficult to animate the character especially towards the end of the sequence, and then Maya not letting me save some of the last key frames due to memory related error (which is why I have not incuded the last planned movement - the trip over an obstacle, however i believe including the element of uncertainty there could possibly work as well).

If I were to look for some positives, then hopefully the sound design has managed to make the scene feel a bit more alive. Furthermore, the project was a great learing experience and has made me feel a bit more comfortable with using Maya. Obviously, my skills are nowhere near to where I would want them to be, yet remembering that I few months ago I was not even able to navigate the Maya screen properly makes me feel like I have somehow improved a tiny bit.

As challenging as the experience was, I believe I have made mistakes that will allow me to learn and improve while working on further projects.

[5017js]

new, less complicated idea

I have decided to concentrate more on movements of just one character, without portaying too much of the story. I am going to use a simple rig to portray the woodman, and his emotions through movement, while utilising sound to give more clues about the circumstances of my scene.

a plan for my animation:

1. A person is humming, looking around, a simple obstacle nearby on the ground.

2. suddenly, a lound crash occurs, a person is frightened,

3. woodman searches for the source of the noise, succeeds and points at it (the source is outside of the frame)

4. the characters thoughlessly starts rushing towards the source of the noise, trying to help.

5. While being too toughtless and invested, the character trips over the obstacle and injures himself.

I believe that focusing on just one character will allow me to focus on portraying the  animation performance with some more detail. Moreover, I am quite satisfied with the way i managed to make the concept simpler while still portaying the core message of a fable - not being wise and aware while trying to help others can bring misfortune to the one trying to help.

[5017js]

changes in concept after the tutorial

During the tutorial my lecturer suggested to simplify my storyboard even more, to make it easier to execute in Maya. At first, I was a bit surprised because I had already tried to make the movement very simple. However, after thinking about it for i while i decided that possibly not making my animation so plot-oriented would simplify it by quite a lot.

Secondly, Hugo has suggested that looking at examples of first aid related videos and scenes might be helpful while further developping the idea.

[5017js]

[5017js]

the woodman and the serpent - three interpretations

Faithful to the original

woodman shown as kindhearted and sincere

his help is genuine, i would make sure to highlight it trough protective posture as he’s carrying the snake home

confidence in woodman’s actions and stances, he’s the one teaching children a life lesson

no hesitation before killing the snake

snake’s attack would be shown as abrubt and aggressive through sudden, unexpected movements

Distortion of one key element

woodman would decide not to kill the snake, and instead teach the children about being careful respecting the laws of nature

a scene of him lecturing the children, his body language inspired by videos of confident leaders

at the end, he decides to let the snake go in peace and waves him goodbye, the snake follows

Radical interpretation

the narrative follows the snakes perspective, it’s barely conscious through the journey to the woodman’s house, the imaginery is blurry and quite psychodelic

the snake wakes up disoriented and anxious, attacks without a second throught as self-defense

immidiately, the woodman approaches him with a an axe in a a bit of a grotesque way, his moves resembling those of cartoon villans

a close-up shot of woodman’s evil facial expression

snake’s head gets cut off, his body ends up in spasms

[5017js]

animate the inanimate task - duvet reading to a pillow

[5017js]

getting back into maya

During the first technical session I have joined group A. Currently, I definitely do not feel very confident with my abilities. 3D software is honestly something that I find rather scary, as it seems difficult to grasp. This fear made me feel unmotivated, and stopped me from practicing as much as I should in the past. Therefore, this academic year I have made it my goal to change this metality and take on the challange. As an initial practice session, I followed the recording of Gary’s first class, as well as some intoductory videos online.

A video I followed to get more comfortable with some basic tools

Modelling the body and portals using basic pollygon shapes.

Creating fins by using the bend and flare tools.

Finishing of by duplicating the fins after correcting the position of the pivot point.

[5017js]

reading some fables + figuring out their epimithium

1. The woodman and the serpent

- not everyone is worth ones help; one needs not choose wisely while deciding to help someone - (?) sometimes help can be fake and show-offy (the snake had just woken up from its state, could be acting in self defense, yet the woodman decided to kill him without a second thought)

2. The dog and the wolf

- freedom and independance are more important that comfort

3. The old man and death

- be careful what you wish for, do not speak words you do not truly mean

4. The fisher and the little fish

- be focused on the present, instead of the possible future that might not ever come

5. The wolf and the kid

- often the ones that you would not suspect are the most evil, and have the worst attitude - one should stay true to themself and what they are, not caring about the loud, injust opinions

6. The sick lion

- a betrayal that collides with everything one believes in can be as grave as a physical death

7. The hare and the hound

- it is the motivation and reason that determines the quality of ones performance - (?) sometimes outwitting the teases can grant superiority, even when an obvious fact is what’s being pointed out

[5017js]

BBC podcasts about Aesop (In our time, Forum) - my notes