ba3bkmpersonalportfolio
BA3b Katherine Morton Personal Portfolio
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio - Final Design:
This is the final design for my business card.  I decided to make my business card simplistic, and use the same house style as my website and CV. I wanted to model another character for my business card, so that I could showcase my CG character animation skills, however I found that this was too ambitious alongside my group’s production team collaboration project. I will experiment with using character animation work for my business card in the future, however for my final business card design for this project, I am pleased with the consistency in the design, as well as its simplistic look. 
I left negative space on my card so that the logo is attention-grabbing. The space is also beneficial, as it can allow a client to write notes on it if necessary, which I think is practical, and makes my card more unique and innovative. For the back of my card, I included my name and some contact details, however I did not include my website. I did this as I wanted to prioritise two contacts, as my research of showreels suggested that too many contacts makes it difficult for the client to know what is the primary contact. I included my email and a link to my social media, which will also contain a link to my website. This will also encourage people to view my website when they view my social media.
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio - Final Design:
This is the final design for my website. I used the feedback I received in a constructive way to alter my website and make it look professional and appropriate for advertising my CG character animation skills.
I added a tagline to my header that tells the audience what my website portfolio is about, and included my showreel to the homepage to further clarify what my skills are, as my showreel focuses on CG character animation. I included the showreel as a video from wix, as this means that it loads instantly, as apposed to third-party video platforms, which take longer to load. This meant that my website loaded faster, so the audience are able to view my portfolio quicker.
I made the website have a clean look, focusing on white and black, using green for accent colours to draw the eye, and link to my work. As my work is mostly nature-based, using green was appropriate, as it reflects nature and the Earth.
I also included an ‘portfolio’ page of some of my previous work. When I have finalised my animations, including my group animation, I will be able to include it for my website. I used the same text font for the descriptions to make them consistent with the rest of the text.
Finally, I have an ‘about me’ page, which gives a brief biography about myself and my skills. I kept the description short, as I felt that by having too much information, it would detract from the rest of the text.
I feel that my website looks empty in the portfolio section, as I have only included two videos at the moment. As I continue to create work, this will be added to, which will make it look more busy, which will increase the size of my portfolio of work.
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio - Development:
I have completed the animation for my lip sync sequence. I wanted the character’s expressions to match the tone of the words, so I experimented with dynamic actions as he spoke so that the animation is emphasised by the words.
I looked at The Animator’s Survival Kit to see how I could make idle character’s actions and movements look appealing and unique, and how by varying the movement between the start and end pose can express personality (pp. 217-229). I experimented by making the character’s arms and hands move as he spoke to exaggerate his movements.This added more life to the character, and I feel it improved the overall performance.
I also animated the character’s facial expressions, including blinks and eyebrow movements, along with lip syncing the character to the dialogue, to make the character look more lively. I focused on overlapping animation techniques that Williams talks about in his book (pp.228-229), and utilised this when moving the character’s head and body, which made the character have more of a sway when he moved, which made his actions more convincing. 
I did encounter issues with the character’s right hand, as this would sometimes twist too far in one direction, however I was able to correct this in most cases, and I feel that in the final animation the action is smooth and appealing.
I am pleased that I created a second animation, as I feel that this sequence is stronger than my previous one. I was also able to practice my lip synching skills, which I wanted to improve. I will be including this animation in my final showreel after I have rendered it and added the dialogue to it, as I think that this is one of my strongest recent animations, and would be appropriate to include on my character animation showreel.
Williams, R. (2009) The Animator’s Survival Kit. pp. 217-229. 8th Edition. Faber and Faber, London.
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio -  Development:
This is a video of my stepped animation with the lip sync animation splined to match the timing of the dialogue. I have added some additional movement, such as moving the hands more to position them better for the final animation.
I experienced some issues with the right arm and hand of the model, as it would not match the same co-ordinates as the left hand, which meant it was difficult to mirror actions, as in some of the animation I wanted the hands to mirror each other. Whilst I was unable to get the hand to perfectly mirror the left hand, I was able to match them close enough that the movements looked similar when moving. I only encountered one issue where this happened (below [1]).
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[1]  Right hand with ‘mirrored’ co-ordinates to left hand.
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[2] Right hand animated seperately to left hand.
In the final version (above [2]), I have attempted to make the character’s right hand movements more appropriate to the action he is making, than making it match the left hand. I feel that this adds asymmetry to the animation, and makes the character’s actions different and eye-catching.
I looked at The Animator’s Survival Kit (2009) to see how I could make my character’s idle animations more appealing. The book suggested using overlapping action and secondary action in unique ways, such as delaying movement, or making movement quicker, to make the action look more dynamic (pp. 228-229). I have applied some of these techniques to my own animation to make the character’s turning and leaning animations look more dynamic. I will refine these more as I begin to spline the animation for this sequence.
Williams, R. (2009) The Animator’s Survival Kit. pp. 217-229. 8th Edition. Faber and Faber, London.
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio - Development:
I have started to create the stepped animation for my new animated sequence. I decided to use a sound clip that was expressive and interesting, so that I could animate the character and make their movements appealing.
I have made the character’s actions match the dialogue:
“The problem with a bad memory, is that you forget what you said. Now what was I saying?”
At “memory”, I have animated the character to tap his head in time with the words “bad memory”, to visually link the character’s actions to the dialogue. I also made the actions more dynamic when the tone of the dialogue changes to emphasise the words and make the action stronger. When the dialogue says “you forget what you said”, I animated the character to move his hands away from his body first, and bring them closer to him at “you said” to exaggerate the action with the dialogue. I think that this has worked well for the animation, as the character’s movements are appealing and vary depending on the dialogue. I wanted each action to be different as I did not want to repeat actions in a short sequence, so I ensured that the hands had different actions as much as possible.
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I also experimented with character posing. I wanted the character’s actions to look strong, and attempted to create masculine poses, which I found challenging. I researched references to male/masculine character poses, and drew a reference of male and female body anatomy to see how I could push the character poses for the character, and how I could make the character’s poses look more masculine. 
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I learned that by focusing on poses that exhibited straight lines for male characters, their posing looked more masculine. For female characters, more curves and curved lines in their posing makes them look more feminine. Drawing a reference was very beneficial to me, as it allowed me to identify the difference in male and female body posing, and I have discovered that their poses are more different than I thought. I will continue to use referencing for future character posing and animation, as I found this very helpful for my work.
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio - Visual Research:
I revisited my notes on the 12 principles of animation from The Illusion of Life (Disney, W, et al. 1981) so that I could identify which principles I could apply to my animated sequence. I think that the principles that I could apply effectively to my animation are follow through, as I can animate the character’s hands to move with, before, or after the body; squash and stretch, as I can animate the character’s mouth and facial expressions to blend between the word phonemes and the character’s expression; and anticipation, as I can animate the character to react to the dialogue, which will also make the character more appealing, and make the audience empathise with the character also.
I will storyboard my animated sequence first, so that I can work out the actions alongside the dialogue. I will also act this out so that I will be able to identify how the character would move, and how they would express their emotion believably.
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Research Report Proposal - Visual Research:
I have researched The Illusion of Life (Disney, W, et al. 1981) to understand how the 12 principles are an important aspect of character performance. One of the 12 principles is appeal, which shows that a character’s appearance is a crucial part of a character’s design. Appeal can also refer to the style of animation, so I should look at a range of characters in different styles to find out if their appeal differs depending on the style they are designed for.
Disney, W., Johnston, O. and Thomas, F. (1981) Disney animation: the illusion of life [Book] New York: Abbeville. [Accessed: 23/4/18]
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio - Visual Research:
I re-visited my research on the importance of colour, and how colour can be used to effectively promote a brand or a meaning to that colour.
For my website, I have decided that I will use an accent colour that will be consistent throughout my portfolio. This colour will be part of my house style, and will be present somewhere in my business card, CV, and possibly in my showreel.
I asked for feedback on my work in progress showreel, and it was suggested that I should use colours associated with nature, as my portfolio of work currently consists of semi-realistic and cartoon-like animations of natural things, notably humans and animals. I agree with this, and I will be experimenting with different shades of colours found in nature, including their vibrancy, to find what colour would best suit my work, and reflect some of my personality.
Colour Theory/ Design Research:
To help me decide on a colour palette for my website, I have researched colour theory and how colour has different interpretations and meanings. Whilst each colour has a positive and negative meaning, it is important that when using colours together, they should complement each other, otherwise they will be too vibrant and distracting.
I have researched the seven basic colours, as well as tones black and white, to find out what meanings colours have:
Red -  Represents adventure, love, danger, action, passion, strength. It is an energetic, impulse colour. Red represents good luck in Asian countries.
Orange - An energetic colour that is associated with creativty, determination, and excitement. There is a range of orange shades, and are often combined with red and yellow to create darker shades and lighter shades respectively.
Yellow - Symbolises wisdom, comfort, happiness, caution, optimism. Often used to associate spring - yellow is the colour of daffodils, a springtime flower. It is a creative colour, but is also used to signify danger - many warning signs use a combination of yellow and black to attract attention, as yellow attracts the eye more than any other colour.
Green - Represents nature, safety, honesty, relaxation. Used for branding with a natural theme, i.e. gardening.
Blue - Often has different meanings for different shades: Dark blue symbolises intelligence, trust, whilst brighter blues indicate cleanliness, loyalty, truthfulness, and confidence. Light blue is associated with peace and tranquility as it represents the sky. Most corporate brands use blue in their logos and branding.
Violet (Purple) -  The rarest colour, often associated with royalty and magic. Purple is associated with the supernatural and can symbolise creativity, power, luxury, and independence.
Black - A tone that works well with neutral colours, but must be used sparingly against other colours. It can symbolise elegance, strength, and mystery.
White - A tone that works well with other colours. It symbolises cleanliness, peace, and new. Hospitals often use white for room colours.
After researching the meanings of colour, I understand that different colours have different meanings, and when used together can have a specific, symbolic meaning. i.e yellow and white could suggest happiness and cleanliness, which could represent a cleaning product.
When creating my colour palette for my website, I should carefully consider using colour so that I create an appealing palette that allows each colour to complement each other. This will make my palette softer with some vibrancy that will be eye-catching to the audience.
Morton, Jill. L. (2018) Color Matters: Home. Color Symbolism. Color & Design. [Online] Available from: https://www.colormatters.com/ [Accessed: 6/4/18]
Tillman, B (2011) Creative Character Design [Book] Oxford: Focal, 2011 [Accessed: 27/4/18]
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio - Development:
I have continued to animate my sequence for my portfolio project. I have started to spline the animation, and have altered the timing of some of the animation so that the character’s climb over the ledge and his landing are faster, as the people’s movements in the reference videos I researched also get faster and more dynamic as they pull themselves up and over the wall/object.
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I have encountered an issue with the character rig for this model. The arms in the rig follow the character’s chest, and as I began to spline the character animation, the chest would move the arms from their original position. I have attempted to adapt the model rig so that the character’s arms do not move with the rig, however as I have updated the imported model reference into my animated sequence, the files does not work. I have decided to create a new animated sequence, and will focus on lip sync for this sequence, as I have recently recorded some voiceover/dialogue with people I know, so I will animate a sequence to one of these sound clips to exercise character movement, lip sync, and follow through. This will allow me to practice my skills in character animation, and also to improve my animating skills with reference to the 12 principles of animation, as I would like to utilise more of these principles throughout my animations.
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio - Development:
I have been refining the animation for my animated sequence. I have made the stepped frames faster between the character climbing over the top, as I felt that the character’s action would be faster here.
I will continue to tweak my stepped animation so that I will be able to spline the animation soon to make it smoother for my final animation.
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio - Development:
This is the first finalised version of my stepped animation for my animate sequence. I edited the character’s posing to make his climbing action more convincing. I also moved his arm so that it was no longer moving through his leg as he climbs up.
I feel that the animation is quite slow, and has some floating animation that makes the animation feel jarring.I will need to refine this as I continue to animate my animation so that it is appealing and dynamic. I think that I also need to make some of the actions stronger for the sequence to look more appealing.
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio - Cover Letter:
I have researched Framestore to learn more about the company and the work they produce. Framestore is a company that specialises in animation, VFX and advertising. They produce high-quality, realistic and cartoon-like animations for clients for a range of films and adverts.
I have also looked at their website design, and how they promote their brand and their client’s work.
The homepage (below) is simplistic and informative, it tells the audience what films they have recently worked on, and are working on to appeal to a range of audiences. They have a clean, simplistic design that is consistent throughout their main pages.
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I looked at their animation page as well, which has a style that is consistent with the homepage. The images are of a high-quality, and are positioned in the centre of the site. This makes them easy to see on a range of different computers with different monitor sizes.
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I would argue that the navigation of the page is complex, as I found it difficult to find their jobs/careers page. Additionally, their site took a while to load, which suggests that there may be too much content on the homepage. This could be due to the large images on the site.
I also found a job for animator on Framestore’s website. I think that I will apply for this job instead of the previous lead animator job, as I feel that this job is closer to my current skill level, and therefore would be more appropriate for me to write my covering application letter to.
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Framestore (2019) Animation [Online] Available from: https://www.framestore.com/animation [Accessed: 11/5/19]
Framestore (2019) Animator [Online] Available from: https://hire.withgoogle.com/public/jobs/framestorecom/view/P_AAAAABkAABqHUeA4UZYWHg [Accessed: 11/5/19]
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio - Cover Letter:
I have researched some jobs in animation from various companies to understand what specialist jobs are currently available in animation. I will be writing a cover letter for one of these jobs for my portfolio project. The letter will be written as if I was applying for the job, and will also reference my CV and showreel.
I researched ‘character animator’ at Animation Base, however I was unable to find any current jobs with this criteria. I found some jobs under the description of ‘animator’, so I will likely choose one of these to write my cover letter for. I will choose a job that is most appropriate for the current skill level I have, so I will not be looking at jobs with ‘senior animator’ in their requirements.
[1] Artist/Animator
This job by Warner Bros is looking for an animator with experience to work on animation for video games, both in-game and for cinematic animation. The job requires the animator to have knowledge of 3D CG animation software, and have some experience with animating keyframes, as well as being able to use motion-capture software. This job focuses on realistic animation, so it is likely that the animator will be working with human or realistic-moving creatures/animal models.
As I would like to specialise as a character animator, I think that this job would be suitable for me. I would like to animate for a range of different media, including video games, TV, and film, so this would be an appropriate job for me to apply for. Whilst I do not have experience in motion-capture software, my understanding of CG animation could make me applicable for the job - I would be open to learning new software as well, which is something that I should include in both my cover letter and my CV.
[2] Animator
This job is for a general animator role at Double Negative. This role requires the animator to have experience with live-action VFX, as well as character animation. The animator will need to be able to use Maya and will need to communicate well in a team.
This role is for animators who would like to create realistic animation and VFX. I do not think I would apply for this job at this current stage, as I feel that I do not have enough examples of animation that replicates real-life action and movement in my portfolio. Additionally, I do not think that my portfolio would reflect the requirements of this job, as my showreel focuses on semi-realistic and cartoon-like animation. Whilst I have animated animals before, I think that I would need more experience in animating animals with realistic actions and movement before applying for this role.
[3] Cinematic Animator
This role is for a cinematic animator for Warner Bros. This job is in America, so it is unlikely that I would be able to apply for a job in this location, unless the job did not require me to relocate to the country. However, I was interested in the job role, and as my cover letter will not be sent to the company, I decided to look at the requirements for the role.
The role will be focuses around video game animations, in particular the cinematic cutscenes that appear in the game. The job requires experience with motion capture, but also in 3D animation software. The animator will also be animating non-motion capped models, such as humans and creatures. The role states that a minimum of 4 years experience is required, which suggests that the role is for a mid-level animator, rather than a junior or general animator. This job also states that experience with scene staging and layout is favoured, which I have had experience in, as I created the set layout for some of my scenes in my production team collaboration project, and created the pre-visualisation animation for all three of my scenes as well, so I could include this as part of my experience in my cover letter, CV, and possibly my website as well.
[4] Animator
This is another animator role that is at mid-level. This job by ILM also focuses on VFX animation, and requires knowledge in VFX software, as well as programming/scripting, which suggests that this job is for technical designers who specialise in VFX.
Like the job role at Double Negative, I feel that my showreel does not reflect the requirements of this particular job. As I am creating my portfolio around the role of a character animator, I feel that this job has many requirements that I do not have experience in, such as creating scripts for VFX. Whilst I may be able to learn these skills, I think that it would be more appropriate for me to apply for another animation job that I have some of the key skills required for the role.
I looked at a job for a lead animator [5], as I wanted to see what the differences in requirements were for that of an animator job. This role requires an animator with experience in Maya, as well as modelling, rigging and scripting in Maya. I feel that I have most of these skills, as I have modelled and rigged my own characters for previous projects, personal and commercial projects. I also feel that I have a good understanding of Maya, and that I could learn new skills, such as scripting, if the job requires it. The job also requires some knowledge of human and animal anatomy, including life drawing. I have experience with life drawing both human and animals from a traditional background, so I think that I would have some of the skills required for this role.
After looking at a range of jobs for different animation roles, I have decided to write my cover letter in response to the lead animator job. I have chosen this job as I feel that I have most of the key skills required for this role. Whilst this role requires advanced experience in software such as Maya, I think that a job with requirements similar to this, such as a mid-level animator, could be a job that I could apply for. Therefore, I have decided to choose this job as it is the closest current job available to the skills I have, and the role I would like to work in (character animator).
I will next research the company to find out more about their work and company, and will then create my cover letter with reference to their job position.
[1] Animation Base (2019) Artist/Animator (Feature Animation) [Online] Available from: https://www.animationbase.com/jobs/gaming-and-animation/8469/artistanimator-in-chicago-heights-warner-bros/ [Accessed: 11/5/19]
[2] Animation Base (2019) Animator [Online] Available from: https://www.animationbase.com/jobs/gaming-and-animation/8071/animator-in-greater-london-double-negative/ [Online] Accessed: 11/5/19]
[3] Animation Base (2019) Cinematic Animator [Online] Available from: https://www.animationbase.com/jobs/gaming-and-animation/8501/cinematic-animator-in-salt-lake-city-warner-bros/ [Accessed: 11/15/19]
[4] Animation Base (2019) Animator [Online] Available from: https://www.animationbase.com/jobs/gaming-and-animation/8589/animator---ilm-tv-in-greater-london-ilm---industrial-light-and-magic/ [Accessed: 11/5/19]
[5] Animation Base (2019) Lead Animator [Online] Available from: https://www.animationbase.com/jobs/gaming-and-animation/8645/film---lead-animators-in-greater-london-framestore/ [Accessed: 11/5/19]
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio - Visual Research:
I researched how lip sync animation can be made appealing, and how the whole face can be used when animating a character. This tutorial shows that by moving a character’s head, it can suggest changes in mood, and an emphasis on particular words, making the action more convincing. Additionally, moving the character’s key facial features, such as eyebrows, the nose and the chin, can make the character’s actions look unique. If the character has a specific trait, i.e their eyebrows wiggle when they talk, then the eyebrows can be animated to move from their normal position when the character is expressing an extreme emotion. This will make the character’s actions more unique, and will enhance the appeal of the performance as well.
I can apply this to my animations, especially for my Norman animations as his key feature is his nose, to make the character’s actions more unique and exaggerated. For my climbing scene, I could emphasise the character’s struggle to climb up through his facial expressions, such as bringing his eyebrows down, and scrunching up his face to make his expression match his emotion.
Alessandro Camporota (2019) Lip Sync Tutorial (with Tyrion Lannister) [Video Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13q1a6_0ci8 [Accessed: 11/5/19]
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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Chad Zwadlo (2012) Wall Climb Up Tutorial [Video Online] Available from:
 https://youtu.be/ntivCnL7t4A [Accessed: 11/5/19]
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Ernati Neto (2017)  Bonnie Climbing Animation [Video Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBDFhyZPiSo [Accessed:11/5/19]
BA3b Personal Portfolio - Visual Research:
I researched videos of both live action reference and animation reference to see how I could animate the character climbing out of the hole for my animated sequence. In these videos, the person pulls themselves up by pulling upward with their arms, and their legs follow afterwards. The legs, depending on the type of climb, either follow one after the other, or press against the wall as a ledge to climb up.
When creating my climbing animation, I should focus on the posing of the character’s arms and legs, as these are the key elements that will make the character’s climb look realistic. The arms will pull the character up, so they need to look like they have weight when I animate them. The legs will also need to look as though they are applying pressure, as this will enhance the appeal of my animated sequence.
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Matt Brett (2018)  Assassin's Creed Origins - Terrible Stair Climbing Animation [Video Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOZ6eLs8eN0 [Accessed: 11/5/19]
I also looked at an example of bad climbing animation, and found this example from Assassin’s Creed Origins. In this animation, the character walks up some stairs. There is no detection for when he walks up the stairs, only that he moves upward. There is a sand particle effect despite their being little sand on the stairs, and the character has no reaction to climbing the stairs. He does not look down at the stairs at all, and his body’s position does not change when climbing the stairs. I looked at this to show me the importance of making the character interact well with their surroundings, as this example shows how not reacting can make the animation look unrealistic.
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio - Cover Letter:
I researched how to write a covering application letter, as well as some examples to see how I can write a letter for the creative industry. The articles state that a good covering letter focuses on persuasive writing that allows you to promote yourself; shows a good understanding of the company and the area you want to work in; and convinces them that they should hire you. 
There are different types of covering application letter, and it as suggested that a creative-style letter for a job in the creative industry may make your application memorable. I think that for my covering letter, I will focus on making a strong letter that promotes my work and my skills, and uses persuasive language that would prove why I was the ideal person for the job I am applying for.
I also looked at the university’s careers page, and found some information on writing a covering letter. It stated that the important aspects of the cover letter are to: promote yourself and your skills, explain why you would be the best candidate for the job, and make your letter stand out by using persuasive language and attention-grabbing sentences.
Prospects (No Date) Cover Letters [Online] Available from: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/cvs-and-cover-letters/cover-letters [Accessed: 11/5/19]
Prospects (No Date) Sample cover letter [Online] Available from: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/cvs-and-cover-letters/cover-letters/sample-cover-letter [Accessed: 11/5/19]
The Guardian (2014) Three excellent cover letter examples [Video Online] Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/careers/covering-letter-examples [Accessed: 11/5/19]
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio - Visual Research:
For my production team collaboration project, I have researched advertising and branding to help me generate ideas for our trailer for our animation. I also decided to look at branding and logos to see how I can advertise my brand successfully for this project.
In Designing Logos (2008), it suggests that a good logo is clear, iconic, and uses one or two colours in its design. Additionally, a logo should be innovative and should not follow trends, as the logo may look outdated in a few years’ time. The logo should also express the brand, and should include part of the branding in the logo, either through colour, shape or text.
It also states that a good logo is designed to be recognisable, and audiences should be able to recognise the brand from the logo, even if the design changes slightly. This suggested that a logo needs to be consistent, although it can have minor changes to reflect modern designs, or changes within the brand.
I researched this as I felt that it would be beneficial for me as I begin to design my business card and website. I would like to create a house style for my branding that is consistent throughout my online portfolio, such as my website. This will make my portfolio look professional, and will help me to begin to think about what I want my brand to be in the future.
Gernsheimer, J. (2008) Designing Logos. pp.19-27 Allworth Press: New York
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ba3bkmpersonalportfolio ¡ 6 years ago
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BA3b Personal Portfolio - Visual Research:
I have researched various website designs to inspire me and to help me generate ideas for my own website design. As I will be creating my website with Wix.com, I decided to look at existing websites that have used their templates/website creator.
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[1] This website is promoting different varieties of tea. Their colour palette is soft, focusing on pink, white and green to make a colourful and vibrant palette that reflects the brand. The website’s design is simplistic, using a large banner for the header that follows when you scroll down the page. There are 5 pages on the navigation bar, and each one is clearly indicated to make it easily accessible. There is also a blog as part of the site, and social media sites are positioned in the top-right of the header banner, which shows that the company interacts with their clients.
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[2] This website focuses on photography. The design of the website is simplistic, featuring the artist’s name and navigation bars on opposite sides of the header banner. The images on the portfolio page are positioned so that they fill the left and right sides of the screen, leaving a gap in the middle. This makes them look important and eye-catching, and tell the audience that this is the main focus of this page. The contact page also has a description about the artist written in third person, which is personal, but tells a story. The description is long, and I would argue that not all of it is necessary to add, however the artist shares their personal experiences with the audience, which allows us to get to know the artist better.
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[3] This is a website designed for a restaurant. There are large, vibrant coloured images on the different pages, which makes the site eye-catching. The images stretch to the edges of the screen, which makes them appropriate for viewing on a range of different computer monitors. The navigation bar also includes the restaurant’s logo, which makes is interesting and relevant. As the site is Japanese, the logos and images reflect Japanese culture, which makes the website’s design consistent.
After researching these examples of Wix websites, this has shown me that I can create a unique and appealing website suited to my portfolio. There is a range of different templates and options for creating an interesting and professional website design. For the contact page, I should consider writing a small description about myself, keeping it to about a paragraph, as this will keep my description interesting and informative. I will also need to think about my portfolio work, and how images and videos will look on different computer screens, as this will be important to the success of my website’s design.
[1-3] Squarespace Templates - https://www.squarespace.com/templates
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